Reactionary Scores.
So most scores are instigated by the player initiative. They are the “aggressor” in the scenario and trigger the encounter themselves. How do you run things when they are on the defensive? Examples are in the book like – protect an area or take something from A to B. The assault/social/etc plans don’t really fit anymore and the engagement roll feels a bit murky.
How do you handle scores that are triggered by NPCs?
I probably would assume that the NPC gets first punch/shot and give the PC an opportunity to resist. However, if they want to spend some stress and come up with a clever flashback which forewarned them… I’d do that too. Hope that sounds ok.
I wouldn’t run these as a score – you can just deal with it in free play with action rolls as required.
After all, in a score: the crew makes a plan, chooses their gear, rolls engagement, plays it out, then gets paid. If someone else is running a score on them, the only bit relevant is “play it out”.
The “plan” is what the NPCs came up with, so the PCs don’t need to be bothered with it. If you want you can still do engagement to see if factors interfered with those who are jumping the crew; the result is how desperate the situation is when the crew gets hit.
In my opinion, Blades in the Dark is at its finest when it presents various mechanical options to use to resolve conflicts that come up in the fiction. In my opinion, Blades in the Dark is at its weakest when it gets fussy and insists on mechanical structures that may or may not fit the circumstances.
So that’s my background for suggesting that when a crisis comes up, use the rules that seem to fit best for the fiction in the background. =) So yes, sometimes like a heist, and sometimes like freeplay. Whatever feels right.
I use a Fortune roll to see how well things are going for NPCs. An Engagement roll is really just a Fortune roll to begin with and I use the same fictionally-urged modifiers.
As an example, if the Wraiths are trying to sneak into the PC’s lair to rob their vault, I’ll take a look at the fiction involved then make a Fortune roll. The result, coupled with the fiction, will decide what happens and what, if anything, the PCs can respond to.
I think the normal structure of play is absolutely applicable. The score structure is just a way to focus gameplay on action. The score is just a situation, the plan is just how the PCs approach it, and the engagement roll is just a luck roll about complications. It’s not necessarily about heists or entirely player-prompted scores.
I once did a session where the PCs learned the Red Sashes were combing the neighborhood searching for them. In that instance, an assault plan might be “we’ll confront the Red Sashes and beat them up”, a social plan might be “we’ll negotiate with the Red Sashes”, or a stealth plan might be “we’ll misdirect them via trickery” (which is what that group did).
Or, the score might be, “Ulf Ironborn kicks in your door. What do you do?” and the plans could still be much the same, and flashbacks could still be employed as normal.
Thanks for the thoughts. The only thing I struggle with in the game is the engagement roll and it’s outcome, so trying to rework it in reverse can get my mental gears in a tizzy.
Will think on what you guys said.
Try this:
1. Score = PCs have to protect a location.
2. During free play they discover that many factions are after securing the location for themselves. Giving them some kind of +1d advantage?
3. If the Engagement roll goes poorly then have the NPCs get a ‘shot’ in first. If they ace the roll, then have them see the scouts and perhaps set up traps as a result?
I know the above suggestion is quite specific but the out come is driven by the engagement roll. Perhaps a ::critical roll:: means that the players begin the engagement ambushing the attackers rendezvous point?
As said before, if you use the narrative to inspire the outcome you will do great 🙂
Glen Cooper that’s roughly how I was thinking of using it, but wanted to tap the hive mind for more ideas. Thank you all!
After each score, I write a list of all relevant factions who are important in the campaign. Then I give them one long-term “main” goal, usually by giving them a 6-12 segment clock. I also give them one short-term “side” goal, usually by giving them a 4-segment clock. Sometimes I even make a short-term goal for particular interesting NPC’s. If I feel like it, I also give them a clock involving their reaction to the player crew. These clocks progress through tier rolls (much like a long-term project) or whenever an event logically increase it, simply going with our gut. If a clock is completed, I sometimes make a Fortune roll to see how it turns out. Some clocks are opposed, like the struggle between Lampblacks and Red Sashes who both wanna take over Crow’s Foot.
After each downtime phase, I inform the players of “news” from the underground regarding these clocks, which makes the world more dynamic and alive. Also, the player character act on this information, involving themselves in the happenings in the city.
If an event directly involves the players, like an enemy locating and attacking their turf, I usually talk to the players to see how they want it to play out. “Since you killed Bazso Baz, and destroyed most of the Lampblacks, Henner and the remaining members have been tracking down your gang. They have found your secret lair and are planning revenge by hitting your headquarters. Do you want to play out this as a custom scene where your lair is attacked, or do you rather want to be away and just roll a Fortune roll to see how well they ruin your lair? Of course I’d roll for your “security upgrades” and “crew” (tier rolls) too to twart them.”
If we end up with a scene, I’d make sure they are rewarded somehow – eradication of an enemy, perhaps some special asset or gear, perhaps even a relevant claim, bonus rep etc.