Blades in the Dark - Review

Doksvol, or Duskwall, is the focus of the game, a...

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A friend ran a few game of Blades for us and all but one of us liked it a lot. The guy who didn't hasn't done a lot of roleplaying though, and is more into computer games. He just kinda said, "You can do whatever you want!" And he was upset by that. I liked how flexible the system was with its flashbacks and whatnot.

Great review. BITD is one of the very best games to come out of the hobby in the last few years. It’s inspired a bunch of spinoffs using the same core system — (i]Scum & Villainy[/i], a pseudo-Star Wars about scrappy scoundrels doing odd jobs and trying to keep fuel in their spaceship, Band of Blades, dark fantasy mercenaries a la Black Company, and others.

The graphic design is also really good. It makes running the game a pleasure, and tracking all the little cogs that make the world sing is easy.

For anyone thinking about running the game, this article is a great deep dive into clocks — how and why to use them.

www.indiegamereadingclub.com/indie-game-...reciated-killer-app/

I bought this after Andrew McAlpine wrote about it here... read through most of it. It is still on the shelf, but maybe some day I will get to actually play it.

I've run Scum and Villainy as well. Enjoyed it a lot but it is definitely pulpier. I'll get that review up soon.

The PDF just dropped for Night Reign a thief game that Kickstarted at the beginning of the year. It's " Rooted in Trophy ," but much closer in feel to BITD. But, as Trophy draws heavily from BITD (especially the Devil's Bargain mechanic), in a way it's more coming home.

It's really, really good, especially if BITD as written is a little crunchy for you. It uses cards instead of dice, and specifically a blackjack mechanic -- the higher you get, the better you do in your infiltration; bust and you've overreached and are now discovered. Has a campaign frame around restoring a deposed dynasty to the throne.

The mechanics are (ahem) aces and underscore the push-your-luck aspect of spying/sneaking so, so well.

It's now out for general purchase here:
sinisterbeard.com/product/night-reign-zine-and-free-pdf/