Author: Haakon Olav Thunestvedt

When we started Blades back in October, we just had an ambition to try out the game and see if we got the rules and if they were functional. Now almost 5 months later we can say that the xperiment worked and all my traditional players love the game.

One thing I’ve learned is: dont be kind on the engagement roll.

The players were after Ulf Ironborn and after weakening him by attacking his protection racket they were going after the man himself. It all started when Ulf had stolen the groups gambling den in an Entanglement roll (that gambling den has been stolen from them at least twice). That couldn’t be tolerated so Ulf had to die. So after attacking the racket they decided to take out Ulf’s home base by gluing shut the windows and doors of the second story of the building and setting fire to it.

The leech had mixed together a fast acting glue and they attacked from the roof (after a successful Gather Info) with a stealth plan. This was 7.1 where the engagment rules weren’t as clear as now. So I gave them 3 dice (which was at least one too many as they were a tier below Ulf) and rolled three sixes.

Then I said to may players “Ok the doors and windows are glued and you have the torch ready, what do you do?”

After setting the building on fire, I rolled a fortune roll for Ulf and the poor bugger were sleeping dead drunk and his henchmen were afraid to tell him.

After a flashback the Billhooks appeared and mopped up the rest of Ulf’s crew (which made them easy to frame a while later, bringing the Eel’s wanted level down from 3 to 2).

So again, don’t be kind on the engagement rolls.