Category: Blades in the Dark: Discussion

Originally shared by Aaron Berger

In a game I run the players have chosen to be Cultists. Before character creation we were reminiscing about our last game of Soth which probably influenced all the ideas we used to generate this campaign. Anyways these cultist have a vague endgame of bringing about Ragnorok. With the idea that if they succeed there will be no retiring, this mind set has lead to a laissez-faire approach to subtlety. The crew has some traditional characters, there’s a slide and a lurk who are pretty by the book. But then we have the stand out characters, like the explosive happy Leech and the serial killer Cutter. To sum it up these cultist have been acting more like a terrorist cell than anything. For people with experience in thiefy type games, I’m curious other people’s reactions when the scoundrels refuse to play coy.

I’m having no problem escalating the threats arranged against them. The blue coats are carrying more than clubs, and an inspector has arrived from out of town who has a nose for conspiracies. The spirit wardens have set up a command tent in Silkshore since they’ve been called there so often, and the Gondoliers have attained Carte Blanche to let loose in the streets if they see the need. They players see the escalation of danger but they keep pressing forward as the scoundrels they are.

Where I’m less sure of myself is how to handle the complete lack of diplomacy or tact. Alliances are held toeghether by paper thin lies. The constant collateral damage has rubbed everyone they come into contact with the wrong way. The citizens of Silkshore are on the brink of finding the crew completely repungant and going to war with them. Increasing the danger of even walking down the street.

It has felt for a while that the cult has been digging themselves into a ditch. A hole so deep it might soon be impossible to climb out of. Last night while the crew was conducting a kidnapping operation in the much beloved Red Lantern Brothel the question came up as to whether they should use a terrorizing ghost to cover their escape, and I ended up coaching them against it. The brothel was busy and crowded, the ghost would of been major headlines news. The crew was mostly in the clear but the cutter wanted to double back to retrieve a claymore that had gotten stuck when it cleaved into a goon. It felt like low stakes to waste the last remnants of good will they had left. The crew agreed after some discussion not to use a ghost. The Cutter went back for the sword anyway and retrieved it but got a trauma for his trouble.

After the session thinking about it, I felt bad about the back seat gaming. It wasn’t me showing them other options but more me warding them away from a path I felt unprepared for. Its hard for me to envision the game where the crew is so much at war with the entire city. Or not hard to envision, but I foresee it leading to the downfall of the entire organization. But maybe that’s okay?

Maybe what the players want to do is lay their part of a doomed terrorist cell, and I should try my best to lead a interesting conversation around that. Who knows maybe the players find a way to navigate through this quagmire. Maybe they’ll survive long enough to resurrect their forgotten god. Next session should involve some inter crew discussion. They have just kidnapped the daughter of Lord Strangford, who appears to be some sort of conduit to their god, due to her exposure to a spirit well. yeah there should be plenty of interesting things to talk about.