I've been a fan of the Harry Dresden novels for a few years and Evil Hat's RPG has piqued my curiousity. After reading the free taster, I'll be investing in the whole game. Whilst other reviews I've read have pointed to the system being extraordinary, I'll focus on the section available for download here.
This is part of the RPG book, and provides an overview of Baltimore. At 39 pages, it contains an awful lot of informatio including an overview of Baltimore, the mundane community, the source of supernatural conflict in the city (a Ley Line of great power), and an indepth look at the supernaturals. The White and Black Courts are covered as are renegade wizards (proving that not all wizards need conform to the White Council), the Fae, a mortal secret society (dedicated to the supernatural knowledge of Edgar Allen Poe) and the White Council.
As well as a host of NPCs with full stats, the authors have included three potential PCs which could be played straight from the page. They are well-developed enough to build some in game relationships and attention has been paid to forging some links that will keep them together.
However, what truly shines is the reparte between the fictional authors of the section. There are side notes which poke fun at NPC names, reveal that Thomas (Harry's brother) is a goth LARPer (whilst also ridiculing some stereotypes of LARPers), running supernatural political commentary, Star Wars references and some other insights which make reading this a very pleasant experience, and cementing it as pure Dresden.
The last section is a more comprehensive narrative of the locations in Baltimore likely to create interest and tension in your chronicle. There are clear links back to the NPCs in the previous section showing that the authors have invested time in planning the chapter. The linkages are logical and interesting, and could be transferred to almost any other supernatural-themed game.
As I said, I'm going out and buying the RPG as soon as possible, and I'll look forward to collecting (and hopefully playing) the entire Dresden product line. Even if you don't intend to get involved in RPGs, this is worth getting just to read.
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