Author: Galen Pejeau

Continuing on with the props series, largely for my own amusement. I’ve been sketching out a Rail Jacks and politics campaign of sorts, but it’ll be awhile before we tackle it.

More to the point, here’s my take on the lightning hook, on a re-reading of the QS document there was a description of the damned thing right there in the Whisper section. I made mine a bit more mancatcher and a bit less zookeeper’s loop.

It got me thinking on the nature of ghosts in Duskvol though. May have to do a Tobin’s spirit guide sort of thing next, if the muse still demands.

Lastly, John Harper, I’ve been back in other games lately, and I’ve got to say, It’s consistently and comparatively impressive at how well you condense down what’s needed in a game into so few pages. You’re the anti-Dickens of rpgs, and I thank you for it.

Next up in Blades props, a can of Lightning/Leviathan Oil. I’m not sure how awash Doskvol is in rampant capitalism compared to say, Victorian London, but I’d imagine that there are at least a few billboards, adverts and brick walls painted to sell Ol’ Nine Eyes.

Discussing a Rail Jacks themed game with players for another go round got me thinking about props for the Doskvol universe.

I should be working on other projects, but damned if this art style doesn’t keep trying to climb back in my head. So, there may be other items, but for now here;s how I envisioned the Spirit Bottle, a sort of eldritch glass thermos with a protective ironwork cage.

How do the rest of you see it?

While incorporating elements of S&V into another game, I’ve been thinking about the basic ruleset for Blades again. What kind of stories it seems most suited to.

The dark elements, plus humor, simple equipment list and now lairs becoming ships with S&V makes it clear that our next foray into Blades will have to be set in Sunless Sea universe.

I’ve been thinking about replacing Heat with some kind of madness/horror tracker. Any rules experts out there familiar with the world and willing to suggest a good clean rule that will end in my players barking mad and eyeing each other hungrily?

Also: art, of course.

..and that’s it for me folks. Our little campaign has drawn to close. One character dead, (shot in the face over an eldritch deal gone sour) one fled, (possibly insane and hunted by Lord Scurlock’s furies) and one read (his rights, off to Ironhook.) The Nightmarket Crew had a good run, but never made it past Tier 2. They made some money, spent it all on Vice and luxury and saw some things that man was not meant to see.

Maybe someday the Hound will get out of prison and mentor a new crew. Until then, I imagine that this daguerreotype is hanging up in a back room of the Harping Monkey, slowly gathering dust.

Anyhow, thank you John! This one was a lot of fun, and the second terrific campaign we’ve had from you. (Lasers & Feelings + Space Cadets: Dice Duel + Star Control 2 Universe = awesome.)

I’ll keep an eye on this Community, and look forward to seeing the final book and the U’Duasha follow-up!

Second to last week of these critters and our game. They’ve been floating around our world for a while. Mostly as a source of creepy noises, some sort of urban adaptive species, and something to chase away from corpses during body discovery. I have liked describing their eyes glowing creepily in the reflected lamplight out in the dark in poor neighborhoods. Maybe waiting for someone small or weak to get lost or abandoned by the others..

..In short, been in a dark mood. Blades fits that well.

A fun, if slightly silly, session this week. Culminated in a street chase through the Nightmarket and under the rail tracks. I ran that using a handful of clocks, various set piece elements counting down or up, to try an simulate the obstacles. For example, mid-way through every failure brought the careening cabs closer to the pedestrian bridge that was being raised. When the clock filled the bridge was up and a couple of chasers went into the drink. I don’t even know where to start on the Heat for that one.

Anyhow, it pushed me to get to the cab-pulling goat mentioned in the book. I’ve grown to like these guys for the occasional tension breaking moment of levity before going right back into the ghost-filled cellar.

Our little Blades campaign is approaching its climax. Several factions are on the hunt for one mysterious spirit bottle. The standard gangs from the book, the sparkwrights and one nameless Spirit Warden. The bodies are piling up and our poor Slide got a bullet in the eye when he tried to sell out the group. I need to find more chaotic crime music. The “Peaky Blinders” Spotify station is mostly gloomy stuff.

Anyhow, here’s the Arcanomoth, it looks like some Mi-Go accidentally wandered into our Blades Universe, doesn’t it?

Next up in our little fan bestiary for Blades, the Coursing Bat! (our Hound’s pet is one named “Pyramus.”)

Reading this, you may wonder what an Arcanomoth is. Had to make them up on the fly during an exciting rooftop escape from Baz’s goons.

Two different parties of thieves were going for a mysterious spirit bottle known only as the Pretty Pearl, and one of those two parties got torn apart by eldritch butterflies. Such is life in Duskvol.

I blame too much scotch for the Planescape-pun name, and will attempt to draw the bugs next week.