Session 3 play report.
https://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/blades-in-the-dark-adventure-summary-3/
No complaint about the players, but that was the most miserable game I’ve run in a long, long time. Something was wrong with my sound, and they sounded like they were murmuring behind their hands. I spent so much energy straining desperately to hear them that I couldn’t focus on running the game.
I have no idea why I had that problem this time, but last time people were clear as a bell. No idea, and that’s uncomfortable, because if I can’t figure that out I’m not sure it makes sense to schedule more online games! Being unable to hear is a deal breaker.
Anyway, we soldiered along as best we could. It took the full three hours to make decisions on a gang and get characters made and run a single heist. Given the difficulty in hearing all around, some decisions that I think would have been much crisper around the game table became prolonged.
Also, I was playing with people I have not played with before, and we were all playing an unfamiliar game, so of course there’s a learning curve there for all of us. Kudos to my players for sticking with it and making it through the game session in spite of the difficulties!
I played fast and loose with the rules because communication was so difficult. This is a case where it would have been really helpful to have an online way to show clocks; last session the verbal communication was clear, and I had two players instead of four, so it was pretty easy to get everyone on the same page and keep them there. This time it was harder.
I admit I dumped a lot of rule stuff. This was probably not the best first Blades in the Dark experience, because it only partly reflected the ideal of how all the mechanics work. When I did lean into the rules things slowed down even more, and considering my hampered environment that was bad.
I also ran into the differences between a more traditional game and Blades in the Dark. Normally I encourage players to role play through encounters and talk to people. In this game, flashbacks serve a purpose to advance the central heist that is the frame within which the rest fits. The game should move fast and light. Especially with flashbacks, which focus all play on one player for a while (and ideally a short while.) It was counter-intuitive to choose a mechanic and assert it during what promised to be leisurely role playing scenes, but I think that’s the best rhythm for this particular game. It’s hard for me to guess at how that turned out, because I was so distracted struggling to hear.
To summarize: I’m glad we finished the heist, and I’m glad they had basic success. I think the players by and large had a good time. I’m exhausted, and really kind of worried because I STILL don’t know what the difference was between the session where I heard just fine and the session where everything was a distant mumble.
https://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/blades-in-the-dark-adventure-summary-3
