22 thoughts on “Are there any hacks someone wished existed but are too lazy to write up?”

  3. Ars Magica. Seems like there’s an easy mapping from Crew -> Coven and Downtime -> Season and Trauma -> Twilight, and Blades already supports a sort of troupe-style play (when your main PC gets lost on a bender and you have to make a new one).

  6. I’ve seen some interest for modern spy genre. Which isn’t all that different from modern heist genre. Also actual High fantasy. Looks like blades against darkness includes guns?

  8. Wow, Ars Magica. Now there’s one I wouldn’t mind seeing.

    I think someone took that Fast and Furious hack and took off (pun … intended >_>) with it already.

    Also Band of Blades will also have guns (sorry ^_~). But it also has magic, undead, demons and the like … dark fantasy tends to be more in the Mordheim vein of things than the tolkien end of the spectrum, and it’s right where I put my crosshairs. But you can hack it as you need. It’s easy enough to just erase “guns” on any sheet and put “bows” or whatever.

  9. Stras Acimovic since you brought up band of blades, any word on the playbooks? I’m dying to see the direction you are going, especially after seeing the excellent stuff from Scum and Villainy

  10. Richard McNutt Nope. I sent the first S&V QS alpha to some folks (including Harper) to review, so it may go out to backers in a few weeks after fixes/edits. Band of Blades is next up on the design docket (while folks play S&V and feedback accumulates), but October is just a busy, busy month for me and my design partner so I wouldn’t look for anything laid out like that till after Thanksgiving.

    We are talking about it (John LL, my co-designer, is a military brat, so while we had a blast with S&V he has very strong opinions, a ton of excitement/ideas and is kind of taking point as we pivot into full time Band of Blades work). We have some ground rules and ideas laid out (including setting material and playbook ideas) – but the difference between scratchy notes in a notebook, and finished product is far longer than most people realize (including me a few months ago).

    Some hacks can just use the core (like making a new crew sheet) and leave everything else as references to the Blades QS, but some hacks have some substantial changes (something we found out during S&V dev). And Band will have some sizable new stuff that has to be tested and laid out. No worries though – we’re on it! ^_^

  11. Very interesting news. I am definitely looking forward to it. I’m curious, how “fantastical” do you guys see the setting? Is it more GoT, where there is definitely magic and creatures, etc, but it is definitely on the rarer side, or is it more Black Company/Warhammer (you mentioned Morheim), where every merc company worth their salt will have a battle mage or two (or more)? Or, do you see the setting flexible, able to accommodate a wide range of focus on magic? As an aside, I thought your non-equipment equipment ideas from S&V (fighting style) were inspired, so I hope you include that idea in Band of Blades. Thanks!

  12. Black Company is probably a good measure. You won’t have “battle mages” because magic is slower (tends to be more alchemical, so you have to spend resources to equip your squad) and dangerous except for the Chosen (all of which are named – and used like key military resources and not played – your company will fight under one). If you need a good idea of what it’s like, read the story I wrote as a pitch.

  13. After reading this discussion, it sounds like both Blades against Darkness and Band of Blades are going to be really cool. But, I’d still like to see a traditional high fantasy playset. Basically a D&D hack. I’ve come to really dislike D&D, even though I love the generic fantasy mythos. Maybe I’ll eventually work on one myself :shrug:

  14. For the record, I’m going with Mass Effect. The games got better the less time you spent on the Mako and the more time you spent doing stuff, so I’m going to build out an “action” game for that. Not sure how to do the Vice and Crew bits, but I’ll figure it out.

  15. Kyle, wait till BAD is out. Depending on what you define as high fantasy, it may be really easy to transition (forex: if your definition of high fantasy is actually dungeon fantasy). And I know Dylan will be putting out a playset showing how to customize and re-mix settings ^_~

  16. Here’s one I wish existed but am too lazy to write up.

    A magic school like Hogwarts, but for college and post graduate, because playing kids annoys the hell out of me. The “heist” is a magical challenge. Down time and flash backs apply to the semester before.

    Have codified tests that must be undertaken to master different elements of becoming a full wizard. Have classes organized in cohorts or coteries, so students stick together and help each other out through the process (and some can cycle in and out as needed.)

    So a campaign is basically 8-12 tests per character that must be passed per student. Each passed test alters the character. A system for adding in new characters when peers die or flunk out grants them some passed tests.

    The players could have multiple characters involved over time, and ones that come in late can still need to test through to graduation, and you can have both post-graduates mixing with undergrads for some tests, and post-graduate classes with ever more esoteric and challenging tests. So while each CHARACTER might need 8-12 tests the campaign could be significantly longer.

    Build in a domain game in the background of secret societies, internships with wizard work, and so on–plus there’s an add-on modifying set of circumstances if war erupts during the students’ careers.

    Have mentors and friends, and enemies at all levels, that can come into play. Allow those who graduate or flunk out to join those ranks.

    So actual play takes place during tests–some are combat, some are riddles, some are social interactions, some are investigations. The higher their grade, the more “out in the world” or tied to dangerous sites of power the tests become. Allow downtime actions to prepare, and flashbacks to prepare further during the actual test.

  18. I would love to see something like Ashen Stars converted over to a blades type system. Yes it is kind of a cross between mass effect and trek with a little traveller thrown in – – kind of a mirror image of the blades setting – space (instead of city) police (instead of criminals) patrolling the frontier solving crime (instead of committing it). I know its a ‘space’ setting like startrek which has been done but its more old west sherrif-like and I find both the trek and the starwars hacks don’t leverage the mechanics of blades as much as something like ‘space cops for hire on the frontier’ would.

    You have a ship to maintain which is very much your lair, you have a reputation to maintain which contends against getting paid, you have other groups like lazers and local police and criminal gangs to interact with. There is lots of opportunity for player conflict and stress.

    I Love Ashen Stars but I think that it would be better if there was more mechanical focus on these aspects of the genre that gumshoe just doesn’t lend it self to. Meanwhile the core gumshoe investigation system can easily be modified to work with something like Blades.

  21. I guess the three settings that spring to mind for me that seem fitting for the style are:

    – JS Morin’s Black Ocean (think Serenity/Firefly but with a couple – at least from the first book – of non-human races) or just Firefly/Serenity.

    – The Warriors (either the more gritty book version or, my preference, the movie/original game version which is much lighter in tone).

    – Canis Cadem Edit/Bully (school factions instead of gangs, non-lethal weaponry, restricted location)

    A potentially more difficult to make one is Psychonauts. I love the original game and wonder what possibilities you would be able to have for abilities for the real world and the mind worlds. Maybe one day I’ll take a crack at something similar.

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