Probably gonna be starting a Blades Game soon (finally) so seeking the wisdom of the community on two questions I had reading the book:
If the PCs choose a form of training as a starting upgrade, how do you represent that as helping or hurting another faction?
Is the choice to put no tier 0 factions in the setting deliberate, to really start the PCs off as the smallest fish in a big pond? Or if the PCs go looking for someone their own size to cut their teeth on, do you throw out a few possibilities?
The training upgrade helps you advance more quickly. What does that look like fictionally? In my mind, some things that could do that include tools for learning or better teachers. Maybe they were gifted these things, or had them taken away.
Intentional. Though, at 3 PCs + cohorts they are roughly tier 1 anyways – in terms of scale anyway. Besides: while you could have them go after what is truly tier zero they might find it a little lame (1-2 people? pft), it’s a bit jarring to miss out on that sweet sweet XP for “contending with challenges above their current station” in the first session. If asked, I will throw out possibilities, which pay no more than 2 or 3 coin (these are small jobs at best)
They could easily have been trained by another faction, who resents the loss of investment when they walk away OR feels its time for their little birds to fly. Or their mentor died, and they left rather than stay with the organization that betrayed him.
I see 0 level crews as garage bands; unstable, struggling for recognition and resources, vulnerable to Aunt Cathy needing the van this weekend. There are piles of groups out there that see themselves as a thing, but haven’t proven themselves; more like disobedient gangs than proper crews.
For Tier 0 and learning the rules, you could have the Free Time (gathering info/gear on a score) be against what Andrew and Mark said a Tier 0 is. This way they still start off small, learn the rules, but you don’t spend a long time for a very small gain.
Tier 0 factions are so small that they would read really oddly in the faction overview, but the flip side is that they’re super easy to improvise.
Tier 0 would be individuals, shops, small groups who are as desperate as the characters are. The truth is, there wouldn’t be much for them to gain going against such a thing, at least not without establishing some kind of fiction first for what makes them worth the attention.
I say throw them against a Tier IV or V, have a blast.
Every group has weaknesses that a Tier 0 crew can exploit, giving them an edge against tougher adversaries. For example, it doesn’t matter how bad-ass the Red Sashes are in their HQ, if that Tier 0 crew (consisting of a Lurk with Infiltator and a Spider with Weaving the Web), discovers and exploits the Red Sashes’ weaknesses in protecting their vault, the playing field is essentially leveled, at least when engaging in that kind of score.
My point is, even a two-person, Tier 0 crew can pull of some amazing stuff with the right abilities, tools and moxie. This feature is one of the reasons Blades is such a fun game.
And never, ever underestimate the power of the flashback! 1 or 2 Stress can turn a dreaded egress into a clever “Fuck your couch!” in a snap. 😉