One thing that hasn’t come up in our games yet is claiming turf and claims for the crew. What I understand from the book is that you run it the same as any score. Have any of you guys got some cool examples of this for me, how it’s happened in your game?
I assume the crew has to grow a little before they start stealing territory from other factions? Does a turf/claim have to to be owned by another faction, because causing trouble with higher ranking factions over territory seems a little foolish for low-level crews…?
Thanks!
It is foolish to take turf from a larger faction, but punching above your pay grade is one of Crew XP triggers. Weighing the risks and rewards of what you can get away with is an important part of the game. It may be prudent to build up some amount before starting to take someone’s stuff but it’s not required.
Also everything is already someone’s turf. Duskwall has hard limits on available real estate, because land is severely limited by the range of the lightning barriers.
Here’s a old example but I think a good one. My players stole turf with a bold deception plan from much larger Tier on their second session.
plus.google.com – I’m running an online game of Blades in the Dark using the Quick Start rules …
The game is pretty adamant that every is already controlled by somebody. If there were unclaimed turf in the city, somebody would have already grabbed it by now – this world is old. And sure, it’s foolhardy to go after a higher Tier gang, but your characters are scoundrels – if they were perfectly reasonable people, they’d be bank clerks instead.
It’s important that every claim is owned because it’s important that everything your crew does has an impact on the world and the people who already run it. It’s a bad idea to take turf from a larger crew sure, but this game is built on bad ideas. I would recommend not taking physical spaces until you have gangs to hold them, but again, bad ideas are fun.
It was pretty much the Bloodletter’s/Six Towers Gang’s first move out of the gate. Gather information to find a vulnerable location (Petra told Canter their was a tattoo parlor that was part of a gang fight and the gangs involved were trying to secure control of it). Then bust heads and call it our own (Back when Murder was an action! We shot up the inhabitants and called the parlor our own).
However, now that hunting grounds exist, it isn’t as imperative to grab turf immediately. Though it isn’t your space, the hunting grounds represent some area you start the game being able to operate.
youtube.com – Blades in the Dark (Let’s Play, Tabletop) – YouTube
Canter has /so/ much Murder. Even if it’s not a stat now, he’s definitely got a 5 in it. 😀
He was always really excited about having one dot in it. So he could use “Murder One” for everything. 🙂
In our second session our two-person crew of Shadows decided to steal a claim from the Lampblacks. “Fuck ’em!” was the oft-used phrase of the evening… 🙂
Last session the Blackbirds (crew of Shadows) were looking for a piece of turf. We had a look at the Turf Claims Table for inspiration and they chose “Control – Loyal informants keep watch around here…”. In the past children were kidnapped from Crow’s Foot to sacrifice them to the One within Many forgotten god (the crew had already a run in with that cult). So, they decided to fight the cult to stop that kidnapping with additional effort in PR so the local parents know what they’re doing. Right now, we’re in the middle of that score. If succesful they will get that turf.
I find that table really helpful, because you get ideas / direction but the specifice task is up to you/up to the crew.