Just a minor squabble with the v3 draft.
Just a minor squabble with the v3 draft. It may be because I’m a grammar nerd, but I wish the vice Collector was Collecting or Collection or something to better match the other vices.
Here is my first attempt to codify my thoughts on using enterprises instead of the crew sheet structure.
Here is my first attempt to codify my thoughts on using enterprises instead of the crew sheet structure.
https://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/enterprises-for-blades-in-the-dark-6-6-15.pdf
This draft isn’t the finished version, but I am interested in feedback. This is far more in-depth and complex than anything else I’ve proposed, so it took significantly more to get it from an idea to a .pdf. I know this is not the direction John Harper is taking the game, as it focuses on resource management, but I needed to flesh it out because it makes sense to me.
An important advantage of the system is that those who want to use it minimally can use it minimally. Even if the crew has a small base, or no base, and focuses on heists, this still gives the GM great tools for helping the PCs choose targets.
For an example, I’ll stat up how the crew with Jack Shear and Bryan Mullins characters looks with the new version.
They picked “Everyone Steals” which grants people +1 skill point, and “Slippery” to allow rolling 2 results for entanglements and keeping one, and getting +1d to reduce heat. I think Slippery could be repurposed as a special ability to buy, but not Everyone Steals.
They picked Amancio, a fence, as the contact. They also picked having a crew of adepts, a hidden lair, and a library.
For flavor, they decided their lair was in the basement of an occult bookshop, Adeleide’s Phrenological Emporium, with a sewer access to the gondola canals.
How does this look in the enterprise system?
They start with 2 enterprise, one for each of them. One will invest in the fence, Amancio. The other will invest in the bookstore, which is over their lair.
The point of enterprise from the bookstore will be put back into the bookstore to make it legal, to cover fees and expenses and all. As it grows, perhaps it will generate more income than it needs to stay legal, but for now that will do.
The point of enterprise from the fence will go to fund having a crew of 4 adepts.
The default lair has living space, meeting space, and a space for something else; they choose to put a library in there.
One of the characters is close to getting a bead on how one crew is moving leviathan blood into the city illegally, and he is going to make a move to get in on that. This will represent adding an enterprise to the crew.
What do you think? This is still rough, but it’s my best thinking about this at the current time.
https://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/enterprises-for-blades-in-the-dark-6-6-15.pdf
I think a lot about how to integrate soul bound mechanical constructs into the game.
I think a lot about how to integrate soul bound mechanical constructs into the game.
It seems that such detail could work fine but I try to get it hammered into some of the rules.
Originally shared by ALAS SUPERSONICAS
Rael Lyra
One of my player likes the concept of personal NPC contacts, so he built this (the second slide is printable and…
One of my player likes the concept of personal NPC contacts, so he built this (the second slide is printable and useble):
We played with the new rules last night, and our band of thieves broke into Lord Scurlock’s manor house to steal an…
We played with the new rules last night, and our band of thieves broke into Lord Scurlock’s manor house to steal an antique and sorcerous orb from before the cataclysm. Due to some lucky rolling they pulled it off without an alarm or much heat. But they did all leave with almost full stress tracks, a guardian demon bound to a spirit anchor, and a few bits of evidence that a vary pissed off possible vampire may use to track them down latter for some retribution.
I really like the new QS effect rules, they work so much smoother than the old ones which, there was a lot less handling time and a lot more thieving. We did not miss the crew effects at al which was something I was wondering about.
New harm rules are neat too, the players all spent stress to avoid them so no one took any actual harm but knowing that it was 1-3 levels of harm told the players how severe it was and that the stress was worth it to avoid (our Cutter spent stress twice to avoid serious harm). So the lack of abstract levels really helped anchor the mechanics to the fiction here.
From the player side they really liked the new playbook moves, and had a few hard choices as to what ones to take. The assorted ghost and supernatural effects on the none whisper ones intrigued them especially. They also loved the new vice options. So our Cutter is a collector, the Lurk has obligations and the Whisper has his studies (turns out he is still in the academy
and tuition is insane for an immigrant).
For Entanglement the players rolled a 6, which results in no problems. It was suggested at the table that maybe a success or crit gives the players some momentum like a +1 forward in AW. So maybe like a bonus die or effect to the first action they take on the job to represent that. The nothing happens felt a little weak.
There was some question about what tier the crew now starts at. We had assumed 0 like before until we got to development which requires you to roll your tier. Is the crew now supposed to be tier 1 or have one dot in tier? Or do they start with no dots and have to roll 2 dice and keep lowest for development?
All in all one of the smoothest most fun Blades game yet. So nicely done John Harper
I had a quick look at the FAQ but couldn’t see the answer. What’s a reasonable number of players for BitD?
I had a quick look at the FAQ but couldn’t see the answer. What’s a reasonable number of players for BitD?
Any MTG fans out there?
Any MTG fans out there?
Thought I’d throw up a very early, very rough first draft of the playbooks for my hack “Lingering Souls”, which takes place on Innistrad (the gothic horror themed world of Magic: the Gathering).
Lingering Souls has six main playbooks (which comprises most of the hack given how similar the setting is to default Duskwall), with a bit more leaning towards the magical side of things. Most of the abilities are purposeful straight ports for now, since I hope this can also serve to playtest some of the abilities that will appear in the actual final game.
It’s not much, but it took me a while to stitch together so I thought I might as well share.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_tKxwJ4p5vN0tWRmNNYnQwYzQ/view?usp=sharing
Clocks and group sizes/skills
Clocks and group sizes/skills
Admission up front – I am allergic to maths.
So, I figured I’d throw this out here. Clearly there is a question of balance between the resources a player group can marshall (number of players and the increasing skills of characters) versus the complexity and number of clocks faced in a given heist.
In other words, two players with starting skills will have a harder time of four six segment clocks than a group of four players with experienced characters.
Is there a system here that I’ve missed, or does one need to be made? Or is it just ‘make it up and guess’?
I’m assuming (allergies, remember) that there are percentages involved in this so I imagine there could at least be a fast and easy rule of thumb developed by a non-allergic person.
I was looking at the new hold diagram, and it occurred to me how awesome it would look superimposed over the map of…
I was looking at the new hold diagram, and it occurred to me how awesome it would look superimposed over the map of Crowsfoot. Imagine seeing your crew’s hold physically on the map, and having different hold charts for different regions of Duskwall. Maybe something to hack down the track?
Another team work question: Does every character have to roll the same action?
Another team work question: Does every character have to roll the same action?
I’m envisioning pirates in battle. The captain is coordinating, the navigators are maneuvering the ship, and the gunners are firing. All of this has to be concerted or it won’t work. For the ship mates, HANDLE seems like a good action, for the gunners BATTLE, for the captain either.