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[Blades in the Dark] Ink in the River
Endless_Serpents
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
It was written. Now it is not. The Mezaraé had been bound in the Cathedral of Third Sign longer than anyone could remember. An anchor and a shield, as the national anthem went, confirming the Empire’s right to rule at home and abroad.
Details never reached beyond the capital. The official stance of the Temporary Administration of the walled city of Sollima—Sunset City—states that an ‘incursion of demons’ … ‘backed by foreign powers’ … ‘claiming an illegitimacy of our Splendid Yellow Bureaucracy’ … ‘inducing a continuing but ultimately tenable period of existential change’. Empty words.
Basically, the empire held the reins on life and death, and now centuries of pissed off ghosts and military grade horrors have been let loose. Fifteen years later, Sollima endures. The Temporary Administration would have you believe their watchful eye and the towering walls of the city have kept the people relatively safe all this time, but it’s mostly the fact it’s at the arse end of the continent, just passed miles upon miles of emptied coal mines.
Now is not the end times. This belief is mandatory. The sky is a dull red dawn to dusk. A single star burns above like a pinprick through the skin of a drum. The river cutting its way through the city is as black as the sea, flowing slow as a dying man’s blood. Books are being burnt. Corpses wake screaming. There’s still coin, and never enough of it, not for the poor, certainly not for the rich.
The year is 1901 and yesterday the director Ari Manon released their second feature film, A Trip to the Sky. This morning, Ari was carted off by the police and all reels of the film removed by force from the establishments willing to show it.
Save for two copies of the fanciful tale. One in a locked, ornate suitcase. The other jumbled inside an invincible old leather surgeon’s bag. You’re on the run. Again. You need to put more planning into the escape route portion of your working day.
Endless_Serpents on
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What is this?
A very short, but probably still weeks long game of Blades in the Dark. It’s a system tutorial for you, and a reminder for how it goes for me.
We will begin mid-chase, move on to some simple, largely diceless roleplaying, prepare for a heist and complete it. Then we’ll be done. Think of it as playing the last three episodes of that one TV show you thought was great that never got renewed.
No but like what is Blades?
Blades in the Dark is about being crooks, maybe heroic rebels or crazy cultists too, in a world where the lines between the living and the dead have blurred. It uses six sided dice plus various push your luck systems, such as taking on stress to press on and accepting an unfair bargain to get closer to a goal you were about to fail to achieve.
It’s Peaky Blinders by way of Bloodborne, it’s the Wire but not as serious because you might end up fighting a Dracula.
Can I play?
I’ll be looking for anywhere in the ballpark of two to six players. No prior knowledge required. We’ll be making characters together in thread, and I can provide all the rules, and straight up make a character for you, but it’s much less difficult to do that than games you might well be used to.
Have a look:
https://bladesinthedark.com/character-creation
Setting seems weird…
I made it up just now.
This is the important bit! I should have put this first.
In this game, I’ll be asking you a lot of questions about the world, and your answer will be true. Together we’ll make it all up, so there’s nothing to learn right now.
Wanna play?
The Crew
@discrider as the outcast, resourceful Gerry.
@admanb as the youthful, haunted Jimmy.
@Kelor as the debonair, arrogant James Orlescu - Alias: Thorn
@The Brayster as the astute, meticulous Eliza Dunthorpe - Alias: Ogre
@Tynnan as the grizzled, pious Milos Karstas.
The Temporary Administration
Jean Dunthorpe, the dogged, haggard police inspector, Purity of Knowledge unit, Special Considerations.
Bassett Low, the towering, ignorant police sergeant, Purity of Knowledge unit, Special Considerations.
The Perfumers
Mz. Dolores Anjin, the retired actress and perfume baron.
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
Switch: 0293 6817 9891
PSN: TheBrayster_92
https://arazni.github.io/blades-in-the-sheets/
Glad to see some interest! I’ll post more information in 8 hours.
We’ll use the forum’s in-built diceinator, Geth.
Geth roll 3d6 for Crimes
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
Switch: 0293 6817 9891
@Tynnan @The Brayster @admanb
You in?
—
Now start session zero!
This is going to err on the side of light hearted, but the city is a mean place, and those in charge meaner. If there’s something in particular you’d like to avoid say so now. I can’t think of anything particular this short game is going to cover though… I think it’ll be about as deep as a Cowboy Bebop episode, or some reference that doesn’t date me.
First we’ve gotta make characters, then we make a crew. See, you all together have a sheet that represents what you are collectively. I consider this as much part of the game as playing it; it’s always fun to see what combo comes up.
Anyone need access to the game, more than the SRD holds? I can send whatever via PM or email.
https://bladesinthedark.com/basics
Since we’re not using the official setting, when it comes to where you’re from, you can either use “Sollima—The Sunset City” or be from some jumble of letters you make up. It makes little difference besides preference, you’ve definitely been in this city for decades.
I'm not really sure about the playbook part; you just pick abilities from the list, or are you able to make your own?
We’ll be using the abilities from the core rules for this one @discrider
It’s deceptively simple. I’m at work right now but I’ll post multiple examples of characters in the thread when I can.
So these should be related to what the character (type) is currently good at, but are otherwise as pickable as the other four attribute points.
You get one ability from the list on character creation. Role playing the game in a way that leverages the various aspects of your character earns you playbook experience, with which you can acquire abilities from that playbook or others. A leech for example, could specialise in poisons, biology and healing, be an expert forger.
Those are there to emphasize that particular class' strengths. It's suggested that of your four points you can allocate the first to represent skills from your character's heritage, the second your character's background (what they did before they turned to crime) and the last two whereever you like. But there is no hard or fast rule on that.
Edit: It's worth pointing out as well that many attributes don't have a hard and fast definition. There is no skill for firing a gun for example. You might use Hunt or Prowl because you've been sitting atop a building for hours waiting for a target, Finesse as you aim to take out a target just so, or even skirmish as you pull out your pistol in the middle of a brawl and go to shoot the opponent.
As long as you can honestly justify using a skill then you're fine.
Spider
Heritage: Whatever is most common among the aristocracy/nobility in Sollima. Heir of a fallen and disgraced family. If people knew he is an Orlescu they would pay to find him.
Background: Trade - Stationary clerk in a upper low class district. Arrogant, finds the day to day business of selling goods or writing notes and letters for illiterate people beneath him.
Vice: Luxury (Was unsure if we're using different purveyors in this setting)
Shrewd friends:
Positive relationship - Augus, master architect.
Perilous relationship - Jennah, a servant.
Special Abilities
Foresight: 2 Times per score can assist a team mate without spending stress.
Look: Mid thirties but prematurely aged. Erect posture, brown eyes with styled hair and beard to change the shape of his face. A small scar hidden underneat the left ear hidden by the beard. On scores wears a mask covering his upper face.
It looks like you build your playbook though?
Or just use the character creator site above and pick Spider or another playbook that's already been defined.
Instead I was looking here: https://bladesinthedark.com/character-playbook
Where it seems to be 7 skills in playbook (1 usable to start), 2-pip and 1-pip in attributes the playbook is good at, and XP triggers like in ICON.
Give me a bit and I'll put up the others.
ah yeah the SRD doesn't show the playbooks, just the general rules that are available.
SRDs are kinda weird
This’ll also help: https://bladesinthedark.com/sites/default/files/blades_playerkit_v8_2.pdf
Hit me with your idea of your character, and I’ll fetch you the playbook and we’ll make it happen.
Thank you for helping out this far.
Keep it up folk, for now, a question for Kelor: What season is it? How is that advantageous to the crew?
Much of moisture in the city has been baked out by months of dry northerly winds as they break upon it's buildings and dust chokes the roads and alleys in a constant haze.
The faint red light of the sun leaks upon the city and creates long shadows as the wind begins to stir. There is little better natural cover at this time of year and it was with that in mind we planned our score.
I'll have a look at that character creation tool.)
Crew playbooks.
The most obvious choice for a crew is smugglers, and I almost superseded you all for speed, but no, it’s part of the fun to decide!
Once all the characters are in—you really can get my help in anything, don’t be shy—we’ll make the crew.
But otherwise I'm looking at the Cutter/Fighter playbook, and styling it as a Scarred, whose line is from beyond the walls of the city, is obviously marred for it, and whose Vice is probably that religion one, as they're in the city expressly on the blessing of whatever church denies their lineage.
No worries.
In the meantime:
@discrider
What is borough of the city called? What opposing gang lurks there, and how did you upset them?
@admanb
What it the most dangerous piece of equipment the police use? How can you trivialise it?
@The Brayster
Every city has its cryptid, your Silver Man, your Bridge Owl; what is said to lurk in Sollima? Do you believe in it?
Eliza Dunthorpe
Alias: Ogre (on the grounds that it throws people off who they're dealing with, the Police are looking for 'an Ogre', not little ol' me, etc)
Playbook: 'The Slide'
Heritage: Sollima - Middle Class
Background: Law - Barrister. Started out representing the down and outs, but knows how to twist a case to aid a cause or to cover for a guilty party (a virtuous guilty party, you have to understand. It is the system that is broken.)
Vice: Pleasure - Drink (but only the finest vintages).
Shrewd Friends:
Positive Relationship - Nyryx, a Prositute
Perilous Relationship - Bazso Baz, a Gang Leader
Special abilities:
Like Looking Into A Mirror: You can always tell when someone is Lying to you.
Look: All the societal expectations of a well-to-do gentlewoman turned 30 - Slight build, well-tailored clothes, light makeup, a deceiving grin that frequently tells a different tale than the eyes.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The folks of this fine city frequently tell the tale of a Jaguar that prowls the sewers and poorer districts. Apparently it was imported as an attraction for the Zoo, but escaped its cage one night.
This is absurd, of course. Why would a Jaguar choose to live in the sewers of all places? It's an old mothers tale to keep the children in line.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I’ll be sure to look it over in more detail after work, but at a glance it’s spot on. Great character idea.
some of the nastier cops like to sharpen the tips of their bills. Not enough to kill, but more then a few overnighters have been found dead in their cell from bleeding wounds on their back.
for better or for worse, the best way to take down a cop with a bill is to get up close and personal. They aren't nearly as good on the ground.
(I kinda like the idea that cops are often called "bills" after their weapons.)
Hello everyone.
@Tynnan @The Brayster @admanb @discrider @Kelor
This game will start on Friday, roughly 1600 GMT, so for yous that might be a few hours either side. Friday-ish.
I’d like to get all the character submissions in and define the crew before that, but if not you’ll need a name and skills at least, and an understanding of the basic system of how to roll etc.
I’m still happy to answer any questions.
Thanks for joining up!
—
It’d be nice for everyone to post once a day, but it’s no big deal if you can’t. No one gets left behind.
—
Some folks like to make separate out of character threads, but not me. I find writing out of character stuff in italics has worked in other games I’ve run. Like so:
You can also put longer stuff in a spoiler.
—
I’ll do a post later today talking us through making a crew. For now, atmosphere: