Ran Session 0 for a new Blades group last night. We’re all new to Blades, and most of the folks in my group are new to tabletop roleplaying, so I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of a vibe to expect from this group. Overall, the tone was less daring-scoundrels-in-a-grimdark-reality drama/thriller and more misfits-in-over-their-heads screwball comedy. Basically, the group decided that each member of their crew was drawn to their abandoned watchtower lair for their own personal reasons, and, before they knew it, they were all sort of living together. And the fact that they’ve formed a crew of assassins happened essentially by happenstance according to the group — they were unwittingly involved in a murder, and when others in the underworld took notice and assumed that my crew of misfits was responsible for the murder, the misfits just kind of played along.
I’m wondering if anyone else has experience GMing for a group that leans more toward this kind of over-the-top comedic feel, and what that was like. It seems to run against the grain of the setting, so I’m wondering if it makes sense to have a more explicit conversation with the players about the genre before we jump in or if I ought to just lean into it for the time being and perhaps see if the harsh reality of the setting ultimately sets in. At the end of the day, I’m happy as long as everyone’s having a good time, but I’d rather not see the game devolve into Paranoia/zap levels of slapstick, as my experience is that that is rarely sustainable in any setting.