Tonight, I ran our first Blades session, but I had a tough time with a couple things:
1) Running NPCs in combat. How do you figure out what it should take to kill an NPC. How do you judge positon and effect for them? When should you use damage clocks? When does scale come in to effect? 2, 3, or 5 opponents?
Situation A: PCs land their blimp near two Bluecloaks, who come to the door thinking they’re there to rescue them. The Spider chats them up to set up the Cutter. The Cutter stabs the Bluecoats to murder them both. Because there are two, I decide it is Desperate; because it is a surprise it is Standard. The Player rolls a 5. So the Bluecoats die, but the cutter takes severe harm, which is resisted, but takes out Armour and Heavy Armour WDUT? Should the Cutter’s blades helped? Should Standard be enough to kill instantly?
2) What does gear provide to actions? When should it increase effect, decrease position, or just act as permission.
Situation B: The Whisper is capturing a ghost stuck in a drain with a spirit bottle. He has a hook, a bottle, and a Spirit Mask. Does the gear help? How much?
3) What does the quality of gear change. Fine weapons, fine tools, and special weapons.
Situation C: The Cutter picks up a machine gun and uses it to shoot two bluecoats. I consider it to compensate for scale, the multiple NPCs. So I call it risky standard, the rolled 5. Means one dives behind cover while the other one is killed.
4) Asset cost. At the end of the session the Spider wants a Cohort to help with combat. The book says you can buy them as temporary Assets, but I can’t find a price. How much does it cost to hires some goons?