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WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jan 21, 2020 |
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Jan 21, 2020 02:51
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 11:42 |
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Ocean going ships have their own lightning barriers and leviathans congregate in specific difficult to locate places. Presumably some of the refugees who came to Doskvol from Skovland are indentured workers whose travel was sponsored by their employer.
WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Jan 29, 2020 |
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Jan 29, 2020 10:44
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Freudian slippers posted:Stupid newbie question coming up: If they want to do that stuff using him, have them take the smuggler's special ability 'All hands' that lets crew cohorts take their own downtime actions. WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Feb 8, 2020 |
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Feb 8, 2020 02:48
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It's just there to remind you that you can't get can't get 4 dots in a skill without taking the special ability 'Elite'. You were spot on with your assumption with number 2. For instance the, 'Like the Wind' special ability for Scouts gives +1 Prowess resist. I'd say it's up to you. There's no reason you couldn't use it as an xp trigger and makes sense with the general philosophy of FitD games that your characters are stolen cars. Burning a candle at both ends to make a character advance faster. Depends on the reason it's being considered limited effect. Figure out what's making you consider the effect lowered and then work from there to find out how it could hinder them. Or get ahead of it and prompt them to figure out ways to raise it to standard. Is it so large a pit that jumping across is unlikely to work? Consider dropping it to desperate as well as limited. Then ask if they have tools (like climbing equipment) that could help. The solution fits the problem so raise it back up to risky standard. If they did decide to go with jumping though, there's no reason a 6 can't be making it to the other side but now they're holding on for dear life to the ledge, with a 4/5 just giving them harm for smacking their head into the ledge too. For great effect or crits on a pass/fail type test it's a bit easier, just think of something else that could help them and makes sense with the fiction the way you would if they roll a 4 or 5. 'They pick the lock and get through the door in the nick of time just as a patrolling crow silently rushes into the corridor, finding nothing there they fly off and restart their patrol' then remove an enemy from their next fight. WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Mar 13, 2020 |
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Mar 13, 2020 03:31
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How do alchemist's deal with Shreya given their work is inherently corruptive?
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Mar 20, 2020 17:40
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DarkAvenger211 posted:Something else I'm wondering about : Soldiers aren't specialists right? So they don't get 2xp for secondary missions? Just making sure, so that would mean soldiers would need to be played in main missions in order to become specialists Correct, but a full squad of soldiers and specialists gives a +1 to the engagement roll, and given that one roll decides the entire fate of the secondary mission it's often a good idea not to bring them on the primary mission. It's a nice dilemma.
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Mar 25, 2020 02:04
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Easiest way to get around that situation is just to have the physicker require they complete a difficult score for them, then turn the physicker into a cohort as a reward.
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Apr 19, 2020 06:09
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lummawks posted:One question on Group Actions, can players push themselves to increase the effect? Or push themselves to get an extra die? I couldn't find anything in the rules but I'm thinking pushing yourself for +1d is ok, but to increase the effect for the whole group I'm thinking everyone doing the action should take stress? That's one way of doing it, another is keeping track of individual pos/eff. Which you'll have to do if someone has a level 1 harm anyway. Your choice then is whether you let them choose for instance the 6 on a risky/limited or a 4 on a desperate/great, or whether it's always the highest success is the outcome.
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Apr 25, 2020 10:30
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Or make them do lovely jobs for someone in the hopes they eventually gift them some turf.
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Apr 27, 2020 09:11
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Lemon-Lime posted:I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but just in case you aren't: Which is why it's Doskvol, imperialist running dog. 
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May 4, 2020 10:44
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Death's door basically. I honestly would rule against allowing them to go on a mission, unless it was absolutely vital. And yeah you're right it is an assist (or a push) required before they can roll anything and narratively they need to be helped to walk.
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May 5, 2020 16:25
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Digital Osmosis posted:Had my first session today! Went pretty well, although they hadn't picked faction rep from crew creation so my prep work was kinda limited, since I wasn't sure which of the various factions in my war they'd be inclined to side with. We're running it as a conflicted between the Reconciled and the Dimmer Sisters, and I was pleased af that they immediately sided with the Reconciled and opted to double down, making them +2/-2 with the two of them. The third party are the Railjacks, who've begun dropping some spirit essences off the backs of the trains / under-reporting the spirits they capture in hopes of building some revenue and pushing to unionize. Yeah tend to stick with a position and pile on consequences until they manage to convincingly change the situation. Remind them too, that they can trade position for effect and vice versa. There's a bunch of ways to mitigate and resist consequences so don't feel too bad wrecking them if they roll a 1 on engagement. Your pacing decisions should be more long term. Only letting up if they get stuck in a rut across a number of scores and they can't dig themselves out. Then you can do fun stuff like have someone offer them a way out of the rut that comes with very ominous but unspecified strings attached. Point them to one of the smuggler crew special abilities 'Ghost Passage' if they're interested in continuing the smuggling of ghosts without GTSD. WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 04:53 on May 22, 2020 |
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May 22, 2020 04:50
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Thought I'd give running this solo a shot. Really not too difficult. Running a Bravo's crew of a hound a leech and a slide with one tag-in spider character. The Skovland National Liberation Front. Run two scores so far, the first blowing up a ship carrying volatile reagents for Leviathan blood refining headed for Skovland, the second sticking up the local bluecoat garrison's payroll transport. The second did not go very well. But dead cops are their own reward really. XP seems like it will probably be the wonkiest system involved.
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Jun 30, 2020 16:15
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Josef bugman posted:I had a quick question, but do folks think it would be possible/ good to make a blades in the dark that didn't have the "constant doom is all around" aspects? Like you still have the lightning tech and the ghosts, but when you die no-one knows what happens, and there are signs that life is returning to certain places. It really wouldn't be too hard to do with a little buy-in from your players. The reason they don't run away from the law is just that they're street rats and this is the only home they know. Why is murder noisy? The inspectors are more competent. But if they can clean up a crime scene they might be able to miss out on that 2 heat. The most difficulty you'll have is in coming up with a skill that involves either willpower or the ability to influence something socially to replace attune, because you'll still need the same amount of skills in resolve.
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Jul 8, 2020 01:45
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Scores or long term projects usually. I think youre right that you made the wrong choice in thinking that turf can never be acquired without violence, it's specifically that someone already owns it and you have to be able to take it from them somehow. If the players can figure out a way to do that non-violently that makes sense, and they can roll well enough, I'd give it to them. You do control positioning and effect though, so if you thought a stealthy approach was just not a viable solution at all, limiting the effect is always the easiest way to announce to players they should try a different approach. (Or brute force it regardless)
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Aug 9, 2020 20:24
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Haven't played it, but there's already a Rogue Trader Blades hack if you want to use it or just crib from it. https://thysane.itch.io/a-nocturne-play-test
WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Oct 5, 2020 |
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Oct 5, 2020 03:09
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DarkAvenger211 posted:Has anyone had any experience running a Blades based game with miniatures and maps? I get that there's no point in having a "tactical" grid with the way the game works, but I was thinking about using larger scale maps with players having their own miniatures to represent where they might be at the time, and possibly to represent the number and kind of NPCs/Monsters in their way. If you really want maps you can get a pretty neat collection of 40 map packs from around Doskovol for $15 and under here https://www.patreon.com/ryandunleavy But I definitely think you're right to be wary of it impacting player solutions and possibly even your own sense of what obstacles might be interesting. WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 14:57 on Oct 16, 2020 |
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Oct 16, 2020 14:55
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FrozenGoldfishGod posted:Also, on a different matter: has anyone actually gotten to run Blades Against Darkness? Because I have a couple of interesting ideas for hacks (one that's basically a WH40k Imperial Guard hack, since the basic premise of 'a hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched band of soldiers must try to regroup and make it to safety/hold the line' is the same in both settings, and an alternate setting of my own - less a hack and more of a 'here's some new flavor for the same mechanics'), but I want to know if there's some aspect of how it plays in motion that isn't readily apparent that I might need to look out for. Running it solo right now. It would really take very little to reskin it into 40k. Literally the only thing I can't think of a direct 1:1 conversion for are alchemists and their corruption. Even a lot of the special missions and relics would work straight out of the box and Render and the Black Oak Knights are pretty much already just Chaos Space Marines.
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Oct 17, 2020 03:02
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Never played it, but Runners in the Shadows is a Shadowrun hack for blades after Karma in the Dark dropped the setting and became Ruralpunk.
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Dec 24, 2020 03:46
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Remember too that it only affects quality and tier. If they're infiltrating a cult or the spirit wardens etc. there's plenty of opportunity for arcane reasons to create a harder prowl check. Even gangs might have their own hound with ghost mind patrolling their turf with an eagle.
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Jan 20, 2021 21:55
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That's something you come up with on a per alchemical basis. It's one of the drawbacks they suggest iirc.
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Jan 24, 2021 11:59
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Good desperate complication can be that they get stuck in the ghost field. Need to find an open ghost door on the other side (or have the whisper open one with a ghost key and go in after them.) Just generally start awakening really bad arcane poo poo, start escalating any of those entanglements involving ghosts and demons that they roll.
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Jan 30, 2021 05:13
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Yeah not even Blades holds entirely to those pillars it uses. Perfectly possible in-setting to catch a train or stowaway on a ship to another city for instance. Never seen a group do it to escape heat/wanted levels though. Think there's also a Skovland setting hack that's been released as well as the Iruvian one. WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Feb 3, 2021 |
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Feb 3, 2021 13:50
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I'd just do a large tug-of-war clock. Describe that at the end of the race there's a real nasty bottle neck and that if they don't win there's a fortune roll to see if they get caught in a bad pile up. Means there's a lot of jockeying for position, it won't fill too quickly and simply throwing the race isn't in their best interest.
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Feb 17, 2021 21:07
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I mean it really depends on what the lie is. I'd usually have a consequence like that advance a clock. For instance a mission might be that a member of one of your squads went missing while on patrol last night near this village, they're currently being held in a barn while being corrupted by shadow witches so they can return to camp as an infiltrator. Failing to see through the villagers lies about this would put ticks on a clock for that squad member to turn up unharmed and happy to return to camp with no one the wiser. Succeeding with consequences is just basically seeing through the lies taking time and without any conclusive smoking gun, so the plot still progresses, but your characters now have a lead about the barn. Controlled/Standard would be my starting pos/effect for that sort of roll.
WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Mar 29, 2021 |
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Mar 29, 2021 16:17
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DarkAvenger211 posted:That's a pretty good example. I suppose just thinking about the situation in a vacuum doesn't really work since there's usually a lot more going on that I can draw consequences from. I'd let them know, engaging in dramatic irony with your players is half the fun.
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Mar 29, 2021 20:34
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DarkAvenger211 posted:Thanks for these. I didn't really think about the differences between Blades games factoring in as much but we're playing Band of Blades at the moment. So downtime is mostly relegated to campaign actions though I try to throw in some hooks during back at camp scenes. If you're having trouble with spotlight I would hack a bit. I'd definitely err towards group actions more, withhold the consequences for the group action, and follow it up immediately by singling out whoever contributed most to the success, or most to the failure and require another action roll with success or failure bumping up or down the position or effect of the group roll retroactively.
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Apr 16, 2021 06:03
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Band of Blades' stress economy is definitely a bit tighter though. Especially with your additional players playing rookies who only get a single stress track before death.
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Apr 16, 2021 08:42
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Coolness Averted posted:It's just it really is hard to say "Ok I am giving up this character for the entire score/and also will be out of the game for the remaining hour." Something I imagine can feel even trickier if that's the character death too. You really shouldn't be being taken out of the next hour of play. Trauma takes you out of the current conflict, not the entire score. Once it makes sense that your crew can snap you out of your mental break, or you get enough distance between you and the action you should really be being brought back in.
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Apr 18, 2021 07:52
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May 21, 2021 00:21
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Think the closest you'd find would be Band of Blades' campaign.
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Aug 12, 2021 06:16
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In my experience it's going to be the people newest to roleplaying that Blades will click with quicker. Rather than prepping a whole boat load of hooks, have the newer players each look through the factions and choose one they want to work with and one they want to work against before your crew creation. Don't guide them at all with tier or other mechanical considerations for it. The ideal for Blades is ridiculously minimal prep with your players generating most of the forward momentum. And the first step to that isn't managing the players, but ensuring that everyone feels like their character has very well defined motivations. The faction game is a really easy way to build those motivations quickly. Have their friends and rivals be from their chosen factions. Have them justify their 'free' action dots in character creation with their connection to the factions, were they taught to fight by that gang? Did they have to sneak past their turf everyday on the way to the workhouse to avoid getting beaten up? Did they learn to study as an apprentice architect with the Foundation? etc.
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Mar 19, 2022 16:49
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Court of Blades by A Couple of Drakes is about renaissance style dynastic competition, with the players taking on the role of noble retainers of a house. Haven't had a huge look at the mechanics changes, but there might be something in there you can use.
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Apr 6, 2022 06:12
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If you end up liking the GCN campaign, check out Stream of Blood. Same GM and with 2, sort of 3, crews in a shared world. It ended before there was much cross-over between each crew, but the 2nd or 3rd Tin Whistles episode where they methodically take down the Fog Hounds is probably the single best BitD session I've ever seen.
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May 13, 2022 02:51
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quiggy posted:Two, even though the player picks the skill, do try to discourage language like "I'm going to try to Sway the guard". I have one player in particular who does that a lot, and every time that I've interjected "ok but how are you Swaying him" I really think you're asking the wrong question here. The most important thing you need to know is their intent. "What do you want to get out of them? What do you want them to do, or feel?" Those questions lets you build consequences and a satisfying success or failure while getting your player explaining their character's motivations. If someone doesn't feel like roleplaying a whole argument I'd go with it, and keep the spotlight on them after the results to see if you get more out of them in their reaction.
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May 18, 2022 10:24
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Pirate Radar posted:Clarifying rules question: you can spend a Coin to improve the result of a downtime activity, but does that extend to Train? The way it’s written doesn’t make clear whether Train is an exception among downtime activities, but since it doesn’t involve a roll it’s unclear how the normal “spend a coin to improve” mechanic would apply. Another player in a group I’m in was wondering if they could spend a Coin to get +1 XP and put themselves over the line to get another dot in an action. Rules-as-written I'd say you can't. You're not improving the result of a die roll and you can't train more than once per downtime. The Crew training upgrades give 2xp for each category when training though if they already have one of those they've overlooked. WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 05:58 on May 29, 2023 |
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May 29, 2023 05:54
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I'd suggest Burning Wheel if you do change games. It might scratch their fondness for diving into mechanics while really tying their powergaming into their characters' motivations and beliefs. I don't particularly like reading or running Burning Wheel, but it really does get people to think about their roleplay better.
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May 29, 2023 09:08
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Honestly, Saw Gerrera's partisans just after escaping Jedha, just as ANH starts and with Saw dead and the Rebellion not too happy with you, seems like a really neat crew idea. Lots of opportunity for street level scum play, but also higher ideals that can rub against it.
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Sep 26, 2023 23:36
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The key thing is to always ask what they're trying to accomplish, and how they're going to accomplish it. The action roll is really just how many dice they can throw at it. If what they've described is egregiously outside how they've described their approach up the consequences, but for the most part just roll with it, or gently steer to what you think is more appropriate.
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Jan 9, 2024 23:22
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 11:42 |
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Biggest thing is that you should just let things happen a lot of the time and not make your players roll. The characters are larger than life and can be expected to do anything they're good at if they're not under intense pressure.
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Jan 14, 2024 10:11
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