An ode to Blades in the Dark
At first I saw it as a daunting, stressful task. An exotic and mysterious beast taunting me to tame it. And I’m no rookie. I’ve been GMing since I was 12 (being a year shy from 40 makes for a few years of experience). Firstly, let me say I have loved Blades in the Dark from the moment I’d read the beta. Just thinking about running it sent shivers of excitement down my seasoned (albeit bored) RPGer spine.
But despite the love and excitement, I had so many questions. Being somewhat of a perfectionist myself, so many things were left unexplained and vague. No hit points?!? No rounds?! My compartmentalized understanding of RPGs (traditional ones, at least) was shattered.
I felt like a protagonist in the very game I was dreaming of running. Thrust into the unknown, flinged into the deep Void Sea. Utterly lost (alright, I might be overdramatizing it just a tiny bit for effect, there).
BUT
Just like a Blades Scoundrel, I decided to throw myself right into the action. No safety nets. I had read the book, had the gist of the rules in mind, was fairly skilled at roleplaying and winging it. No reason to fear the unknown. Worst case scenario, I had a few Stress boxes of my own I could tick…
And it went marvellously well. In just about two hours and a half we were able to do the starting situation, the Score (a burglary for their Shadows Crew) and the downtime. The Score itself ended in a bang (literally, as the flashbacked explosive-rigged floor lead to a daring escape into the flooded underground tunnels beneath the vault, to the sound of Copper’s main theme, no less). It was nothing less than Epic. Everyone had a blast (no pun intended) and the game left us wondering when we were gonna play again.
Blades in the Dark is now my favorite tabletop RPG.
All I have to say, mister John Harper, is thank you from the bottom of my roleplayer’s heart.
Sincerely,
Yan Duranceau