This may be a silly question, but why are there hexes/circles in the center of the faction countdown clocks in the…
This may be a silly question, but why are there hexes/circles in the center of the faction countdown clocks in the Scenario page of the QS? Does that signify something to check off once they actually complete that objective? Or is it just decorative?
I’ll be running a game with a Cult crew type on Monday.
I’ll be running a game with a Cult crew type on Monday. Has anybody else run a Cult? Did you use the Quick Start scenerio as is or modify some things?
I’m considering giving the Red Sashes a ritualist flavor (intertwined with their fighting styles) so there are more immediate supernatural or ideological connections for the crew, but otherwise keeping to the basic QS setup to see what happens.
In case anyone wants to play BitD in Fallen London, a gothic, industrial fantasy setting very much like Duskwall,…
In case anyone wants to play BitD in Fallen London, a gothic, industrial fantasy setting very much like Duskwall, but with a bit more levity: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com
Blades in the Neathy Dark:
Welcome, delicious friend.
Since a great deal of Fallen London‘s appeal lies precisely in discovering what the blazes is going on in the setting, detailed knowledge of the following and therefore your use of them depend on how much of the game (or spoilers) you have encountered. Likewise, I am probably missing plenty, since I doubt I have seen even half.
Factions (sorted by tier and then hold rather than by type)
Masters of the Bazaar IV-10
The Constables III-9
Hell/Devils III-8
The Duchess (and the Court) III-7
The Great Game III-6
Society III-5
Criminals III-4
Bohemians III-4
The Church III-4
New Newgate Prison II-8
Velocipede Squad II-8
Unterzee Zailors II-7
Dockers II-6
The Relickers II-6
Secret vendors II-5
Ambitious Journalists II-4
Clay Men II-4
The University II-4
Rats II-3
Tomb-Colonists II-2
Black Ribbon Society I-7
Unfinished Men I-7
Mr. Inch’s Hunters of Dangerous Prey I-5
Revolutionaries I-4
The Fisher King I-3
Urchins I-3
Rubbery Men I-2
Story-ripe Locations
Watchmakers Hill
Wolfstack Docks
Labyrinth of Tigers
Ladybones Road
The Forgotten Quarter
The University
Veilgarden
The Shuttered Palace
Empress’ Court
Spite
The Flit
Mahogany Hall
House of Chimes
The Echo Bazaar
Mrs Plenty’s Most Distracting Carnival
Broad Unterzee (including various islands)
Tomb Colonies
The Mirror Marches
Royal Bethlehem Hotel
A fun additional tidbit: Fallen London’s main stats of Dangerous, Watchful, Shadowy, Persuasive equate swimmingly with BitD’s action categories: Blade, Book, Cloak, Mask respectively. That doesn’t equate to any mechanical significance, it just informs the approaches and emphases of various factions and locations.
My lingering question when considering ‘s underwater temple scenario (in this thread:…
My lingering question when considering ‘s underwater temple scenario (in this thread: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DuamnFigueroa/posts/9NSHAivGdH1) is that all the effort of a multi-score endeavor doesn’t specifically move you toward raising your tier, though it does give plenty of coin and xp. That makes me wonder, though, if it is actually too easy to “raise your tier by doing a job for a higher tier faction with whom you have +3 relationship”?
I’ve not run the game, but on my first read-through I must have glossed over that option and therefore got the impression that the faction tiers are zero-sum slots that you can only get into if you knock someone out first. I can see how a 0-sum game on each tier could be problematic due to factions bouncing up and down all the time and leaving vaguaries for what happened to their ‘slot’.
Nevertheless, I found some appeal in the tone of making and then competing to fill power vacuums. I suppose still mostly works with the option or raising tier by exploiting a higher vulnerable faction. That clause still makes it valuable to help Faction A whittle down Faction B until you can swoop in and make the best of B’s weakness (while probably burning some bridges with A)
Maybe a silly question: Does the Connected upgrade on the Hawker’s crew sheet just reduce Wanted level one time when…
Maybe a silly question: Does the Connected upgrade on the Hawker’s crew sheet just reduce Wanted level one time when taken? I’m guessing it can only be taken once since there’s only one tick box?
I’d love to hear from anybody who tries BitD via play-by-post.
I’d love to hear from anybody who tries BitD via play-by-post. It’s likely too soon, but I’ll be curious what works well or less well.
Possible Pros: Since players choose positions/actions/effects, I can see that being a smoother asynchronous conversation than waiting for GM to call for specific rolls and then spell out outcomes. Tracking character and crew stats, advancement, and upgrades should be no trouble.
Possible Cons: Soliciting devil’s bargains may be slower than at a table, but also likely juicier since everyone has more time to consider good options. Likewise, negotiating how to pass point will likely slow down new teams until they can trust each other to pass point to strategic players without negotiating.
What else?
Not really a hack, just a recognition:
Not really a hack, just a recognition:
All the Assassin’s Creed games are basically Blades in the Dark stories starting with the Templars as a Tier IV, Hold 9 faction at the top, various era-appropriate groups in the middle, and a solo Hound at the bottom that builds a Brotherhood Crew against the man. (Rogue just has Assassins at the top.)
The outward similarity yet ideological opposition of the Assassins and Templars makes me think that discovering and refining the nuanced ideologies of the various factions will probably be one of the more compelling parts of Blades in the Dark for me. Every gang pulls scores, but the details of why is what keeps them separate and competing.
As far as the QS goes, heritages don’t have any mechanical effects right?
As far as the QS goes, heritages don’t have any mechanical effects right?
Backgrounds can boost Actions and Fine items can boost Effects, but heritage appears primarily narrative (and powerfully so).
Blades in the City of Towers | Five Nations | Dragon Between
Blades in the City of Towers | Five Nations | Dragon Between
I refuse to believe I’m the first to mention Eberron, right? Some rpg.net thread must have beat me to it.
Blades in the Dark could be the game Eberron has been waiting for. Seems like it wouldn’t take much:
—Swap guns for crossbows, wands, and artificer devices
—Expand Whispers’ options in order to tailor doing its thing with more than just ghosts/demons (Quori, psionics, elementals, etc)
—Swap factions (this would probably take the most time) for whichever part of the laundry list of Eberron factions and secret societies suits your interest and the scale of your game (and give them hold representing starting power dynamics, which in this post I’m making up as I go)
How about some examples:
Political-scale
Tier IV. Aundair(5), Breland(6), Karrnath(8), and Thrane(4)
Tier III. Lhazaar Principalities(4), Mror Holds(6), Dreaming Dark(7), Church of the Silver Flame(6), Valenar(9)
Tier II. Zilargo(3), Cyran Refugees(6), Q’barra(1), Darguun(4), Droamm(6), Eldeen Reaches(3), Gatekeepers(5), Emerald Claw(5), Kalashtar(1), Talenta Tribes(3), Blood of Vol(4), Aurum(8), Cults of the Dragon Below(2)
Tier I. The Twelve(9), Wayfinders(4), Lord of Blades(6)
Sharn-scale (“Blades in the City of Towers”)
IV. Council of Sharn, Cannith, Sixty Families
III. Morgrave University, Deeplanterns, Orien, Tharashk, Boromar Clan, Phiarlan, Cyran Refugees, Garrison, Church of the Silver Flame, The Guilds
II. Cogs Workers, Kundarak, Deneith, Lyrandar, Daask, Wayfinders, Sivis, Church of the Sovereign Host, Adventurers’ Guild, King’s Citadel, Dreaming Dark, Order of the Emerald Claw
I. Medani, Ghallanda, Vadalis, Jorasco, Thuranni, Tarkanan, Dockers, Sky-Cabbies, Entertainers, Shining Path, Cults of the Dragon Below, Tyrants, Aurum, Esoteric Order of Aureon, Korranberg Chronicle
0. Inquisitives, Dark Six, Lords of Dust, Guild of Starlight and Shadows, Ravers, Sharn Inquisitive
Done?
—Could maybe do with expanding heritages to play more with races (Warforged, shifters, kalashtar, etc)
—Could probably make a custom playbook for dragonmarked heirs, with freeform powers (like the Whisper’s Channel) that can be tailored to the power themes of each dragonmark.
—Maybe expand Attune to include more common magewright devices and dragonshards (definitely needs the Leech)
—For the pulpy feel, maybe add a new Drive action
What fascinates me is that I see Consort, Sway, and Stalk being the actions I’d most want to mess with in this setting, which wouldn’t normally be my top choices. Yet at the same time Mayhem, Tinker, Prowl, and the rest fit perfectly into classic Sharn antics. 🙂
I’m feeling less excited about the pre-filled names in the roster part of the crew sheet.
I’m feeling less excited about the pre-filled names in the roster part of the crew sheet. Maybe because the names seem to be the same for all types, or perhaps because I’d prefer just blanks that can be filled in with any name as the npcs in the various gangs become important. Maybe it just seems to have a place of prominence more than what I expect.
But of course, I have yet to see the use in actual play. Anybody have opinions or experiences regarding the pre-filled NPC roster on the crew sheet?