Blades in the Dark Hangout Game: Episode 1

Blades in the Dark Hangout Game: Episode 1

Blades in the Dark Hangout Game: Episode 1

I recorded a demo game of Blades in the Dark with Adam Koebel, Sean Nittner, and Stras Acimovic. Check out the adventures of Canter, Arcy, and Oskar as they set up their demon-blood trafficking business down at the docks.

There’s a link in the video description to the character and crew sheets we used for the game session.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQQW3Ew6DKsN0-Iv7n7144RbqKKRneqHH

I plan to do a few more of these to promote the game during the kickstarter run, so be on the lookout for more.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQQW3Ew6DKsN0-Iv7n7144RbqKKRneqHH

21 thoughts on “Blades in the Dark Hangout Game: Episode 1”

  5. Hey John, do we get access to the pdf when we back so we can start playing? I really want to run a Demo at the upcoming eyecon in Sydney this Easter.

    I’m so pumped to play this game now. Great propoganda engine folks!

  8. Wow, that demo was AWESOME. The mechanics look quite simple but effective. The Fiction was really cool and this industrial fantasy world rocks !

    Can’t wait for Saturday !!!

  11. I liked the focus the system seems to have in “setting up” the test. Before throwing the dice you have a decent idea of what is at stake, specially great for a game about con men and heists. 

    Though it felt a little “slow”, how agile can it get in a more experimented table?

  12. Duamn Figueroa, yeah some of that slowness was us intentionally detailing every mechanic so that we could explain all the dice rolls for the demo. You could imagine Action rolls being followed up immediately by Effect rolls and doing a single description of the resolution after all the dice are rolled. Also, most of the time we’d just roll the bones instead of counting up all the dice, but we wanted to break it down here.

  14. Yeah, Duamn Figueroa, what Sean said. I’d say the speed of the demo was about half as quick as a normal session. We usually get through two scores and two development cycles in one session.

  15. Sean Nittner I had just read your AP, and it reads awesome (I saw the videos, but I get a little bit lost with the language).  Love to see the rules explained, a great insight on the finished game. Also: clocks!

    I actually liked the NPC background rules, it seems like a cool way to improvise interesting characters (this dealer is actually a corrupt Bluecoat) or hand wave some nameless mooks (this gang of thugs? all Underground). Though I take notice on your observation when I get to GM.

    John Harper I still have to internalize the tests separation of “Do you get it?” and “What you got?”, which so many games merge together in one roll. Love the idea, just wanting for my brain to click.

    Hyped as f***.

  17. Yeah, Duamn Figueroa the two rolls thing takes some getting used to if you’ve played a lot of AW style games.

    The rolls are used to answer questions. If you wonder if this action might get you into trouble, you make an action roll. If you wonder how thoroughly you accomplish something (or resist something), you make an effect roll. If the situation makes the answer to either question perfectly clear, then you can move on without that roll.

    So sometimes you might only roll action. Other times, you only roll effect. Often, you roll both for the same move. And rarely, you won’t roll either, you’ll just do it how we expect. That last case happens in the video when Oskar takes point and goes downstairs. You might have noticed that Stras didn’t roll to sneak into the room. He was just all whispery with his shadow-step thing, and the Lampreys were distracted by ghost stuff, so he slipped in without rolling Prowl for an action or Finesse for effect.

  18. John Harper So, will you post the continuation of this group’s adventures? This was both a good teaching video and an interesting play with the characters. Good job all! Can’t wait to see more from you and your players.

Comments are closed.