Blades in the Dark G+ Archives

Hey there, just a quick question:

Where did you get your pdf? Is it beta testers only or did I miss something?

Can Tinker be used to make an asset by using a clock, as per the long term project downtime table, but rolling…

Can Tinker be used to make an asset by using a clock, as per the long term project downtime table, but rolling Tinker (instead of Supply) on the Acquire Asset table?

OK, we played a second one-shot this weekend.

OK, we played a second one-shot this weekend. I have two rules questions about the Effect roll (sort of a continuation of questions from this post: https://plus.google.com/116717584408386390013/posts/4c4uVHrjyCP)

But first I wanted to point out that the setting and character creation generated some really really great stuff, and the development rolls at the end of our first score seemed really good to me, too.

So, the rules questions. Here’s the situation:

Our crew broke into the grounds of a noblewoman’s estate to raid her mausoleum. Young Ned led the patrolling groundskeepers away from us. One series of bad rolls later and Young Ned is being hunted and is nearly cornered.

Young Ned has no choice but to hide against a tree, face pressed against the bark, camouflage cloak raised. He’s in a Desperate situation where the danger is that the groundskeepers will find him.

He rolls a 2.

“It gets worse! First, you face a more potent effect from the danger (-1 to your resistance result level). Then, choose: Abandon this goal (you can’t achieve it for now) or try again by taking a bigger risk and rolling a desperate move.”

First question: this is an example of the danger manifesting, right? Just like in the Desperate results for ‘6’ and for 4/5′? (If so, it might be worth adding that wording into this result.)

And that ‘danger manifesting’ requires Young Ned to roll to resist the effect?

Second question: Does ‘the danger manifests’ equal ‘the danger happens’?

Our group disagreed about that. In this situation, I proposed that you rolled to resist the effect and took Stress to avoid it (being discovered) happening. So for instance, if you had to take 4 Stress perhaps Young Ned had to hold his breath for 90 seconds while the guards talked right next to the tree he was hiding by.

The alternate position was that the danger had actually and concretely manifested as a result of getting a ‘2’ on the Action roll. Ned had been discovered and we were rolling to determine how much Stress he took from that happening. There’s an example on page 12 of the Quick Start that backs up that interpretation: Arlyn fails her roll and therefore falls, but avoids harm by taking 2 Stress.

(If we applied my interpretion to Arlyn’s example: when she fails her Action roll in fighting the Red Sash on the rooftop, Arlyn wouldn’t fall: instead she’d … say, strain her muscles as she nearly loses her balance and grabs hold of a nearby crumbling chimney.)

The difference between these two interpretations seems important (and it may already be in the rules and I’m just missing it):

Interpretation 1: Thieves can’t really fail; they take Stress to avoid having their situation change drastically and negatively

Interpretation 2: Thieves can fail and their situation can change drastically; they take Stress in order to avoid harm when the situation changes.

On a long drive home today, it hit me that Blades in the Dark may be a great system to explore the onstage/offstage…

On a long drive home today, it hit me that Blades in the Dark may be a great system to explore the onstage/offstage group dynamics of professional wrestling. In the day, you’d have several stables of wrestlers vying popularity and success not just in the ring, but also within the ranks backstage. Heat in wrestling exists as your narrative currency (popularity with the fans) and in real life beefs between performers (personal insults, breaking traditions, etc etc). In other words, the games I imagined were less about describing suplexes and chair shots and more about describing the journeys wrestlers go through from their first match to retirement.

So, we FINALLY played last night and overall, it went well!

So, we FINALLY played last night and overall, it went well! We do, however, have a few questions/sticking points. If these have been asked and answered, please hit me up with a link.

1) What good are crew effects that obvious affect gangs, if you take no gangs? How are the effects used with just PCs?

2) Can an NPC provide Backup and give a +1 die? As they can’t take Stress I assume not, but I wanted to ask.

3) Can a spirit mask add an Effect die to the manipulation of electroplasmic energies via “Channel”? This was the Whisper player’s question. I said it does as electroplasm has inherent supernatural properties. (This isn’t so much a query of rules, but opinions on flavor)

4) Can an assisting PC add their Background die (if it pertains) when another PC’s leading a Team Action?

5) If an Overindulgence gives a PC a bad rep, does that only apply to that PC or the crew?

That’s it, but one thing we did notice is that they failed…a lot. They almost took Trauma on the very first score. That was partly my fault as I used clocks that were probably too big, however there was a lot of frustration as to how quickly Stress added-up through bad rolls.

I understand this is part of the system, but I’d like some advice on how to possibly soften the blows. I want them to want to play, but I understand not liking constant failure.

Oh, I am very much looking forward to a list of dangers for Action rolls! 🙂

Anyway, I feel this game has a megaton of awesome and want it to be the best I can make it, so any help is appreciated.

I know, nothing new here, but everytime I think about BitD, this image comes to me.

http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/1642.jpg

A handful of BitD related Pinterest boards I’ve run across:

* John Harper: https://www.pinterest.com/onesevendesign/blades-in-the-dark/

* Matt Carey: https://www.pinterest.com/mattpcarey/blades-in-the-dark/

* Etienne T.Harvey: https://www.pinterest.com/Lazarus434/blades-in-the-dark/

* John Marron: https://www.pinterest.com/jvmarron/blades-in-the-dark/

* Stefan Grambart: https://www.pinterest.com/ripsey/duskwall/

* Vasco Brown: https://www.pinterest.com/vascobrown/blades-in-the-dark/

https://www.pinterest.com/onesevendesign/blades-in-the-dark/

For those interested, used paperback copies of “Jhereg” — the first book in the Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust…

For those interested, used paperback copies of “Jhereg” — the first book in the Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust — is available on Amazon, starting at $0.01 (+ $3.99 shipping). This definitely looks like a low cost means of checking out one of the primary inspirations and influences for Blades in the Dark.

http://www.amazon.com/Jhereg-Steven-Brust/dp/0441385540/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428857487&sr=8-2&keywords=jhereg

Not sure if this belongs here or in a different section, but…

What are your takes on the Whisper’s Summon special ability? What do you consider to be a supernatural being (would another Whisper count)? What does this “magnitude” business mean to you?

My suggestion:

When you summon an entity you decide a set of actions that you want them to be good at. The entity gets a number of preferred actions equal to the amount of stress you take, and has a dice pool equal to 1 less than this. The entity takes -1d if it does not take a devil’s bargain when preforming actions (but does not gain +1d for taking the devil’s bargain) and will not gain the benefits of assists or background (as the entity will refuse assistance or physically is unable to be aided by it, and are already assumed to be adding their background to their set of actions).

The type of beings that you can summon include everything that is listed on page 41, as well as demons and any other whisper, or character that has any whisper powers. Summoning whispers takes 1 additional stress, and summoning someone that has whisper powers takes 2 stress if they have 2 whisper abilities, and 3 stress if they have 1.

What are your suggestions and ideas?