Category: Blades in the Dark: Discussion

Flashback

Here, o scoundrel, is an archive of the Blades in the Dark Google+ community. It lived from Feb 24, 2015 to April 1, 2019. This archive includes every post that was active at the end. I’ve done my best to preserve the original authorship and content of each post and comment, though there are doubtlessly things that have been lost (especially links to other G+ posts and editable Google Docs).

Scoundrels continue to talk about Blades in the Dark and its offshoots here:

From “Stranger Inside: Immigrant Insights” by Croftwood Simmersale

From “Stranger Inside: Immigrant Insights” by Croftwood Simmersale

From “Stranger Inside: Immigrant Insights” by Croftwood Simmersale

I know two stories about the origin of the Sail Lighting Festival. The generally accepted meaning is a celebration; the gondoliers of Iruvian descent who are settled in the Ease choose to belong to Doskvol. The Onyxite led her Iruvian followers to Doskvol and burned the sails from their masts in a symbolic act of commitment to their new home, and ever after they navigated shallow boats in the shallow waters, eschewing the open sea.

To the boat families descended from Iruvia, the festival is more complicated. In the year 368 IE the Onyx Hermitage had been in Doskvol for three generations. The Conclave of U’Duasha sent them an emissary insisting that all vessels under Iruvian sailcloth must answer to Iruvia, and they required an arranged marriage to solidify ties with the homeland.

Myrsaka, the contemporary Onyxite, dramatically rejected their order. She demonstrated her command of the solidarity of her people by showing the emissaries every Iruvian sail in flames, the Ease burning a fortune for spite. That rebellion triggered a shadow war of assassinations in Doskvol and U’Duasha that lasted until Iruvia joined the empire as a tributary state over a century later. Myrsaka did not last a week after her symbolic act, but her many successors were steeled to resist because of her example.

They burn sails as a signal of their unity and their willingness to kill and die to keep the distance they earned from the tribal politics back home. They burn sails to signal that they are one tribe here, now, sacrificially if need be. This is not loyalty to Doskvol; it is loyalty to the other emigrants from Iruvia relocated in a strange and cold land. This is how they remind each other they choose resistance unto death rather than accepting an outsider’s orders.

Moderators for the Official Blades Forum

Moderators for the Official Blades Forum

Moderators for the Official Blades Forum

Hello Friends!

I’m accepting volunteers for moderators for the forthcoming Blades in the Dark forums. If you’ve been around here for a while and want to help out in the new digs after G+ closes, drop a reply here along with a way for me to contact you.

I only need a few volunteers at first, but anyone not picked now will go in my contact list for future moderators when needed.

Thanks!

I have what I think is probably a dumb question about Set Up Actions.

I have what I think is probably a dumb question about Set Up Actions.

I have what I think is probably a dumb question about Set Up Actions. The answer may be obvious, but its come up enough at my table that I need to get a solid answer!

When performing a set up action, how is effect measured against future actions that take advantage of the set up?

If a character performs a set up action and the gm decides it’s a risky position with a standard effect, we assume +1 effect level or improved position for follow up actions. But say the effect is limited due to something like tier or magnitude, do the subsequent actions get the same benefit? And on the other hand, if our set up action is executed to great effect, should we consider raising the bonus?

Thanks in advance!

I am not a fan of MeWe so far.

I am not a fan of MeWe so far.

I am not a fan of MeWe so far.

I was intrigued by the GitHub backed Spectrum Chat – which seems to share some characteristics with G+ and StackExchange.

In order to test it out, I’ve created a StoryGamers community there – and since BitD falls well within my definition of a storygame, I thought I would share and see if anyone wanted to try it out and see how we like it.

There’s still all of March to decide we’d rather have something besides MeWe.

Please take a look at https://spectrum.chat/storygamers and join if you like what you see!

https://spectrum.chat/storygamers

From “The Dust Day Sermon Series” by Sister Alamarias

From “The Dust Day Sermon Series” by Sister Alamarias

From “The Dust Day Sermon Series” by Sister Alamarias

Harden your heart! You survive as your heart flexes, again and again, towards impenetrable density. Our bodies reflect our world; we have bone for the world’s rock, blood for the world’s seas, and meat for the world’s earth. Our distinctives, the brain and sense-takers, are the living things of the world. Then there is the heart, the physical symbol of life, the Moon and her Dimmer Sisters, and purpose.

Oceans move through us! We drive those oceans with our hearts, as the Void Sea is driven by the moon and her shadows. When the moon fills with light she is strong, and when she empties she is weak. As blood flows through us, we reflect her influence.

If we do not harden our purpose with blood, then we cannot push that ocean to its life-bearing purpose. We must reach a pinnacle of flexed purpose and flowing blood to create new life, to sustain our strength, and to exert our will. Your heart beats out a drumbeat of necessity—your weaknesses force you again and again to soften, to show mercy, to weaken. If your eyes make tears, consider that a call to harden your heart, following its rhythmic exhortation to never remain in weakness.