Just wanted to say I’ve pledged at $20 and I think the quickstart is already giving me good value for money. Loving what I am seeing and am considering running this game at a gathering this weekend.
Any advice that you would give for a group who are seasoned table top RPers but who don’t have experience with this kind of system?
The main thing I think games like Blades engender is a broader scale of resolution. From what I can tell, action rolls can be used to achieve individual tasks, but it’s also viable and perhaps preferable to step back and use the system to handle larger chunks of narrative.
When I was involved in the indie RPG scene, this was talked about as task-resolution systems (common in trad RPGs) vs. conflict-resolution systems. A Murder role in Blades can be used to finish a whole fight in one roll (as seen in the demo session video).
Blades encourages the use of Countdown clocks for resolving conflicts, and leaves you room to provide color/describe the fiction along the way without having to get into the blow-by-blow nitty-gritty.
So I’d say the biggest difference in mindset is thinking on that slightly-larger scale in the way that the mechanics let you unwrap the narrative.
I agree the 44 page quick start is abetter value than most $20 RPG books out there.