Hey all! Its been a while since I’ve posted.
I have a few queries that I’d like to ask about. For reference, I have GM’d two Blades games (over the same period at different times, so the 2 crew’s were part of the same universe). Both crews were Shadows, so I know my way around a good sabotage, theft, etc.
I’m about to start a new game, and the players seem to want to be Bravos. How can I make the game interesting for them? I dont want every score to be “Break down the front door and beat them up”, I want something interesting which is why I ask.
Whilst I’m here, tips for any of the other non-shadow crews, such as Smuggler or Hawkers scores would also be appreciated!
“I dont want every score to be “Break down the front door and beat them up”
Extortion, Sabotage, and Smash & Grab, 3 out of the Bravos 4 hunting grounds, do not explicitly fit that method so I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.
The Bravos Opportunities on pg 107 should give you enough variety to get started.
The nice thing about Blades is that you don’t have to make the scores interesting for them. Just play the world. The players decide how they want to go about solving problems, what plans to pick, which actions to pursue. Don’t worry about it.
But if you are worrying about it anyway, the best piece of advice is to try to offer consequences that they can’t fight with blades and guns. Collateral damage, blackballing them from parts of the city or membership in certain groups, creating enemies, ghosts, etc.
Focus a little more on stringing together details given to make an interesting criminal underworld to take part in. Tips (in no particular order):
1. Consult their heritage and backgrounds for reasons they would kick a door off the hinges, or beat up those behind the door – or reasons they wouldn’t do only that.
2. Insert intrigues into the basic Starting the Game plot hook. Make them up yourself if you have to.
3. Offer two conflicting jobs, both with good reasons to accept.
4. You might ask the players what would be fun to see happening.
Maybe do more than one of these and just fill in the blanks as they show interest:
“Lyssa is rumored to be responsible for your family’s murder too. But she doesnt know you know that. She is willing to pay your crew a lot to be her enforcer though- wonder why. Will you say no? Do you accept? Or just pretend to?”
Make it weird. This is a haunted nightmare city, not every problem can be solved by beating up things and taking their stuff. Presumably they may have a whisper or tinker, or some character with some attune. Play to their strengths on occasion.
I should also point out that “break down their door and beat them up” can be super fun.
I run a crew of Hawkers and what I like to do is throw out a couple different adventure hooks at the beginning of a session with different styles baked in. For example one week my players were offered a potentially lucrative sale, but also overheard rumors about people overdosing on their supposedly safe product. This lets the players state what’s important to the characters as well as giving more variety down the line when the unattended problems get more and more out of hand.
For Bravos I would probably try to mix it up by including larger gangs which the crew would have to fly under the radar of or ingratiate themselves to and witnesses to their crimes who they must go after or risk pulling more heat.
Personally, I would see if the crew was interested in something different then stereotypical bravos. The great thing about crew sheets are that they can be quite flexible. So while most think of bravos as thugs and gang members, kicking in doors and extorting money, They can also be Fighting schools or Proper mercenaries. Fill duskwall with various schools of martial arts past just the red sashes and explore an up-and-coming sword school as it struggles against dojo-stompers and ruthless underground fighting tournaments. See what its like on the other side of the coin when, rather than kicking in the doors, your crew tries to protect them. Taking jobs from shady magistrates and affluent merchants to protect their goods and their lives from silent shadows and brash bravos. Its always interesting to extend the crew sheets past the norm and see what happens.