Occult scores: Tell me about yours! How did you plan a score around “engaging a supernatural power?”

Occult scores: Tell me about yours! How did you plan a score around “engaging a supernatural power?”

Occult scores: Tell me about yours! How did you plan a score around “engaging a supernatural power?”

When an Unseen is discovered, whoever learns their identity forgets that in a few moments.

When an Unseen is discovered, whoever learns their identity forgets that in a few moments.

When an Unseen is discovered, whoever learns their identity forgets that in a few moments.

What can PCs do about this, especially if they don’t know about that arcane ritual effect? Is it something they can resist?

I ask because my scoundrels have taken a job that requires them to bust some Unseen trying to infiltrate the Spirit Wardens. How can they do that if they, and everyone they tell, forgets in a few moments?

Multiple Push Yourself Abilities

Multiple Push Yourself Abilities

Multiple Push Yourself Abilities

I know it’s been asked before, but I can’t find a post about it.

Say a character has Not To Be Trifled With, Venomous, and The Devil’s Footsteps. In a fight with a small gang, could they push themselves to engage the gang on equal footing, spew standstill poison at them, and confuse them to attack each other?

I essentially rule these effects as increased effect on their rolls. If they can do all of these for a single push, it’d be pretty potent and cheap.

Is this legit? Am I missing/misinterpreting something?

Since we have more hacks in the works than anyone could ever play, here’s more fuel for the everburning forge.

Since we have more hacks in the works than anyone could ever play, here’s more fuel for the everburning forge.

Since we have more hacks in the works than anyone could ever play, here’s more fuel for the everburning forge.

This War of Mine, if you’re familiar with the video game, seems like it has tremendous potential for translation.

Almost every location that has something you need has dangers/moral choices associated with it. Sure you can get enough food for the next few days, but you have to steal it from an old defenseless couple. Sure you can get a weapon to defend yourself, but you’d have to ambush a young man defending his parents and their belongings. You’re sick and you need meds? The hospital’s got ’em, but it’s locked up tighter than the blockade itself, and you’re taking them from patients who are even worse off than you.

Crew types as follows: Bandits, Scavengers, Good Samaritans, and Local Law.

Character playbooks as follows: Bruiser, Thief, Face, Organizer, and Lookout.

Claims could instead be necessary staples of survival, like heaters, stoves, toys (for children), music, a gun storage locker, vests and helmets for protection, reliable and helpful neighbors, a radio to keep up on current events, etc.

Entanglements could be good or bad, and your chances of something good or bad happening could depend on how you’ve been interacting with you’re community. Did you trade the soldiers the bandages they asked for? You’ve now got an increased chance of rolling the “Safe & Sound” entanglement, where someone protects your home for you. Did you kill a man and take all the potable water he was hoarding for the coming days? You’ve got an increased chance of rolling the “Wasn’t Yours” entanglement, where a wronged party demands back more than what you took.

This is just a recent brainworm that I wanted to share.

The volatile drawback: Does the side-effect affect the Leech when they use a drug/alchemical with the volatile…

The volatile drawback: Does the side-effect affect the Leech when they use a drug/alchemical with the volatile…

The volatile drawback: Does the side-effect affect the Leech when they use a drug/alchemical with the volatile drawback, even if they are using it on another person? I tried searching for this in the community, but John seemingly answered this question twice and the answers were apparently opposite and contradictory. It might have changed in the development cycle, but I’m just checking.

Thanks.

A couple issues have snagged onto the most recent campaign of BitD I’ve been running, and I could use some help with…

A couple issues have snagged onto the most recent campaign of BitD I’ve been running, and I could use some help with…

A couple issues have snagged onto the most recent campaign of BitD I’ve been running, and I could use some help with exterminating them.

1. Gathering Boredom: My group absolutely HATES the way we’ve been doing Gathering Information, so let me describe it to you. Downtime finishes, a score is decided on. A couple players decide to gather info about how to best to approach it. They usually use contacts on their sheet, and I tell them what they learn from that contact that’s of use. The players ultimately feel uninvolved and disinterested but like gathering info is a necessary evil, whether the scene is played out or glossed over.

Their proposed solution to this problem is being able to decide what they learn instead of me telling them, and then having me complicate/constrain afterwards as necessary. Is this viable? What issues could arise from this method? Has anyone tried this before? How does your group handle gather information actions pre-score, and have they gotten your group excited?

2. Constriction of Freedom: My group has offered the criticism that they feel constricted by some of the fiction/consequences I’ve put on them. Specifically, they feel that they’ve been forced into scores they weren’t really interested in.

One took an arcane “totem” from the Fog Hounds promising to use it to sabotage the Hounds’ rivals. When his player mentioned that he was probably just going to take the totem for his private use, I mentioned that would result in a loss of faction status with the Hounds when they realized the agreed task wasn’t being done. They then felt pressured to do the score.

In another instance, a player took a Devil’s Bargain that her (evil, wealthy, terrible man) father knew she was alive and active. I started a clock for him to kidnap their (nice girl) Informants claim. That clock filled and it happened, and now the crew feels obligated to take her back as a score before the evil father does something else, instead of doing some other cool score they have in mind.

Of course, then there’s also the fact that they were at war with the Dimmer Sisters for a session and felt obligated (mechanically) to take on a score to end that war.

I’m a bit worried that the consequences of their actions and Devil’s Bargains are actually making them have less freedom/fun. It’s also possible I’m thinking about this too narrowly. What can I do as GM to stop/alleviate the feelings of obligation that arise?

Thanks for any input!

War with the Dimmer Sisters?

War with the Dimmer Sisters?

War with the Dimmer Sisters?

What could that look like? My group of Shadows just pissed the Dimmer Sisters off by sending Roslyn flying into their own lightning barrier. The Shadows have a hidden lair, and I’m not quite sure what the Sisters can do to track them down/mess with them. It’s obvious enough that it’d probably be occult in nature, but I’m curious what ideas others have about what proactive actions the Sisters might take to take down a hidden group of Shadows.

A DIMMER AGENT

A DIMMER AGENT

A DIMMER AGENT

“When the Sisters have accepted you into their fold, they are yours and you are theirs. Whenever a supernatural threat arises during a score, flashbacks to handle that threat involving the Dimmer Sisters cost 0 stress. Whatever stress it would normally cost instead becomes ticks on an 8-segment clock. When the clock fills, the next time you see the Sisters, no one else will ever see you again afterwards.”

A player in my group is very obviously interested in the Dimmer Sisters, and while it isn’t likely to take this route, it inspired me to write a little “special permission” involving them. Rune’s fascination from the Last Word may have also contributed.

EDIT: See Andrew Shields’ suggestion below for getting the most out of this.

The Arcane Trap in the Ashen Jungle – The first rough draft.

The Arcane Trap in the Ashen Jungle – The first rough draft.

The Arcane Trap in the Ashen Jungle – The first rough draft.

This isn’t actually an add-on, but it’s kinda in that vein, right?

Those of you who’ve gotten to look at the special edition of Blades know how cool U’duasha is. I certainly think it’s cool. So cool, in fact, that it inspired me to really start thinking outside the Doskvol box. So here’s the thing I wrote.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10DqvupwUpxmjhl_W0RqFOZgFAqlkeTK07I3GLT2rBU4/edit?usp=sharing

I’d like to know what people think, if they wanted to give it a read.

Some things to note:

– This was made primarily for fun and my own interest. I’ve entertained the idea of it being a play environment, but it was more meant to be something that could be “out there.”

– I wanted to make something that was interesting and different, but hopefully believable.

– Though I’ve certainly made some strong, non-canon statements about the world, I’ve tried not to overtly override any established lore. That said, I may have failed. Let me know if you notice something. A page number to go with the contradiction would be great.

– The word “city” might be stretched a great deal here.

– This is in fact the very first rough draft. It needs work, such as factions to flesh it out. Everything that is said or implied within is subject to change.

– I’ve never tried to do anything like this, ever. I’m certainly not a writer.