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[Blades] Table Chatter
This is now the OOC Thread for the Blades PBP game. Please note when you'll be unavailable to post for more than one weekday. Also, this is a great place for "atta boys" or feedback on the game in progress.
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This is a Pitch, to be followed by a Chargen and Guild Creation.
I'm looking for a few good thieves who want to join a guild and make some Coin.
The game is Blades in the Dark, currently in playtest, designed by John Harper. He describes it as follows:
Blades in the Dark is about a group of scoundrels operating a criminal enterprise on the haunted streets of Duskwall city. We’ll play to find out if their fledgling crew can thrive amidst the teeming threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the bluecoats of the City Watch, and the siren song of the PC’s own vices.
Who is in?
------------------------
This is a Pitch, to be followed by a Chargen and Guild Creation.
I'm looking for a few good thieves who want to join a guild and make some Coin.
The game is Blades in the Dark, currently in playtest, designed by John Harper. He describes it as follows:
Blades in the Dark is about a group of scoundrels operating a criminal enterprise on the haunted streets of Duskwall city. We’ll play to find out if their fledgling crew can thrive amidst the teeming threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the bluecoats of the City Watch, and the siren song of the PC’s own vices.
Who is in?
Comments
Here is a link to the current playtest version 3.22
Please be advised that I want to provide value to John Harper as he continues to iterate and develop this playtest document. It means I would love feedback as we play, and it also means we will most likely need to convert and re-generate our PCs along the way.
New Update on Mechanics!
From Game Designer today:
Here's how I'm thinking of the Core Rolls (this is how I've always thought of them, I'm just now realizing I should probably write them this way):
A Desperate Gamble
6: Success with a cost (harm, stress, time, etc.). 4/5: Failure. The GM will offer you a choice between two worse outcomes. 1-3: Critical failure. Everything goes to hell.
A Risky Move
6: Full success. 4/5: Success with a cost (harm, stress, time, etc.). 1-3: Failure. The GM will offer you a choice between two worse outcomes.
A Controlled Maneuver
6: Critical success. You do more or achieve an extra effect. 4/5: Full success. 1-3: Success with a cost (harm, stress, time, etc.).
This maybe better shows how the nine outcomes are a continuum, shifted up or down depending on which roll you make. So it goes:
- Critical Success
- Full Success
- Success with a Cost
- Failure
- Critical Failure
And three of those are in play for any given roll.
Female, Wiry, Dark
Cutter: Bladework, Reflexes
Slide: Insight, Stalking,Streetwise
Lurk: Athletics
Vice: Drugs - Content
Homeland: Dagger isles
Trait: Wild
Assets: Volette favors Arms.
Volette's hold on her temper is tenuous at the best of times. And she cultivates the "just crazy enough to carve you into little pieces" image. She's done a lot of work as a collection agent. After Vauri was imprisoned Volette ended up beating the tar out of the eldest son of the chief constable. She's been leaning on him to repay gambling debt and he said something... unfortunate.
I'm thinking something like the following (though I can be flexible):
Ring the Cunning, from Akoros. A local man; lean, scarred and grey.
Cutter ()
Slide (Culture)
Whisper ()
Lurk ()
Spider (Education, Tinker)
Leech (Alchemy, Appraisal, Rituals)
Vice: luxuries (content)
I've just been released from the jail where I have lived for these last fourteen months. I was tutor to the children of Kurth Skyhold, but my many petty larcenies -- mostly taking the form of accessing the family wine cellar, but also stealing fine miscellanies here and there, caught up with me. Now their children will have to grow into their ignorance.
Whisper: Channel, Sight, Tempest
Spider: Investigate, Strategy
Cutter: Reflexes
Homeland: Skovland (Ruthless)
Vice: Lovers (current: Distracted)
Assets: Frog favors Tools
Name: Vauri
Look: Woman, slim, dark & athletic
Homeland: Dagger Isles (Daring)
Lurk: Athletics—Finesse—Stealth
Leech: Alchemy—Appraisal
Slide: Stalking
Vice: Faith, content
Assets: Poor, favors Contacts
Vauri sometimes will take jobs without considering the larger implications. She has a weakness for rubies. She's was arrested for stealing from the wrong Revium Lord.
Name: Milos
Look: Man, Scarred, Cunning, Rough
Homeland: Skovlan (Brave)
Lurk: Security - Stealth - Awareness
Slide: Streetwise
Cutter: Reflexes - Brawl
Vice: Gambling, Desperate
Assets: Tools
Milos was in one of the first gangs of line bulls put to work on the Iruvian lines. He's heavily tattooed, both from Skovlan, and from the newly minted tradition of tattooing among Skovlaner bulls. He was arrested selling chits and electroplasm through the black market, but kept his mouth shut.
He's likely on the books as an Acquisitions Agent. He also brings practical knowledge of ghosts.
The first to answer doesn't silence the others, let's talk it out.
1. Is our game like a gritty sword & sorcery novel, like the stories of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser? Or is our game more inspired by heroic cinematic action?
2. Do we want our game to be gritty and psychological, where Scoundrel PCs may have to commit murder, be betrayed by people they count on, watch their allies die sometimes? Or should it be a more fun, freewheeling feel?
Grit - Cinema : 2
Grit - Fun : 3.5
So yes grit! But clear moments of cinematic and lightheartedness.
Idea of how Milos (MEE-lōsh) speaks. It's the accent north of the mountains, of the metropolitan center of Blackvale
So, the crimes are hard core and mean. But the in between could have slightly positive moments and characters, and some actions could have positive beats.
Sound about right?
But we are going to have cool arcane stuff, right? Don't skimp on the special effects (within reason)?
Also: YAY ADAM!
(from the book, edited slightly since we cannot "circle" things)
To create your guild, choose your guild type and lair. Choose three talents under one ability, plus two talents in a second ability and one talent in a third ability. When you add a talent, add a name and look to the guild roster to characterize that element of the guild. Choose your starting guild reputation. Choose your cover type (cult, political, etc.).
TYPE:
assassins—coven—cult—smugglers—thieves—thugs
"Guild" is a slang word in the city which refers to any secretive, exclusive organization, often the cover for a criminal enterprise, including those which operate with tacit permission of the law, such as the Servants of the Weeping Lady, the Gondoliers, and the East Iruvian Trade Company. Choose a starting type for your Guild:
◆◆A group of assassins, selling murder for hire.
◆◆A coven of magicians, witches, rune-binders, dealing in illegal magics.
◆◆A cult dedicated to one of the thousand forgotten gods, demons, or spirits.
◆◆A crew of smugglers moving illicit cargo.
◆◆A pack of thieves.
◆◆A gang of cutthroat thugs, seizing what they want with violence and threats.
LAIR
grotto—tower—back room—house—barge
Choose a starting location for your lair:
◆◆A half-sunken grotto at the waterline of the city’s maze-like canals.
◆◆An abandoned watch tower atop the city wall.
◆◆The unassuming back room of a tobacconist’s shop.
◆◆A private house, tucked in a quiet neighborhood.
◆◆A wide floating barge, moored at various shadowy docks.
How do we want to do this? Talk it out, come to a consensus? Or just take turns asserting one thing that has to be decided (cover type, lair, talent+name+look)
BTW, Adam will have his PC up before too long.
(*)Thieves -
(*)Tower or Barge.
(*)Not sure about cover at this point.
(*)Abilities, in order:
Shadow: Security - Surveillance - Veil
Flame: Resources - Transport
Steel: Training
I'm gonna be crashing here in a few. Will be online sporadically tonight during work.
And I'm more interested in Gloom and Flame than Steel and Shadow.
(brought up on the G+ Community):
"When your guilds assets are Poor, that means that in everything but your chosen asset, you have worse than Poor. Is there need for a Destitute level? Or is it understood we go without our gruel and rags?"
----------------------
Do you want to start the Guild Assets at Moderate, or come up with Destitute, which would be "shoddy, unreliable".
I don't understand cover. Is it made up or are we choosing a second type?
CULT POLITICAL MERCHANT SERVICE
That isn't there now, so we may need to adjust.
Is a stern, weathered man from Skovlan.
Cutter: Presence, Blade Work, Vigor
Slide:
Whisper: Summon
Lurk: Security, Finesse
Spider:
Leech:
Vice: Content with Drink.
Trait: Rugged.
Assets: Arms
Phin has been involved in organized crime for a very long time. His no-nonsense nature has been known to get him in trouble though, as he picked a fight with local law enforcement while inebriated a few nights back, and was incarcerated for assaulting an officer of the peace.
I don't really have a background set up for Phin yet, beyond him being somewhere in his mid-to-late 40's. Maybe he has a family for cover... Who knows!
Sorry that took so long to get up.
For the guild, I like: Thieves or Smugglers.
For the lair, I like: a Back room, or a Tower.
I wouldn't mind having a cover as a cult. Smuggling spirit essence or whatever sounds cool.
Otherwise workers. Maybe merchants.
Type: Smugglers
Cover: Cult
Lair: we have 4 votes for Tower, 3 for barge (taking Paul's pun as a vote)
Pretty friggin sweet.
Oh wait, I meant coven not cult. Can we go that way instead?
I'd give top vote to grotto because it's good for both our real operation (smuggling) an also our cover (cult). But I feel quite weakly about it -- tower and barge are both OK.
The votes as I see it for type are as follows:
Thieves - 4
Coven - 3
Smugglers - 3
You guys jumped around and cover may have confused me. Is that right?
It looks like we have majority votes for:
Type: Smugglers
Cover: Cult
Lair: Tower
So it sounds like we're making up NPCs for each circled talent, is that so?
Oh, and we need to choose Reputation. I like one of ambitious—professional—strange.
Our cover is Cult? And we've seen a preference for some arcane weirdness, so Gloom seems a strong second.
And, for support... Flames seems stronger (for Smugglers) than Steel, to me.
Discuss.
Shadow: network—security—veil
Gloom:leechcraft—sanctum
Flames: transport
(after I take my son to school)
Guild Name: Order of the Eyeless Face or Seven-Eyed Fellowship
Type: Smugglers
Lair: Tower (Niko chose a tower on the linked map)
Cover: Cult
Rep: ambitious—professional—strange
Steel: (0)
Gloom: (2) Leechcraft - Sanctum
Shadow (3) Network Security Veil
Flame: (1) Transport
Assets: Poor (designer clarified the question I had above)
Needed:
* Some loose details on the Cult cover (are they a functioning cult, just playing at it, do they make money, etc.)
* Choose Rep
* Name and look on the guild roster (perhaps each player chooses one to fill?) for
- Leechcraft
- Sanctum
- Network
- Security
- Veil
- Transport
* Choose to become a Guild Leaders (meaning, if you think your PC should be the Guild Leader, say so
Steel
Gloom
Shadow
Flame
* Choose a ward name:
city wards
(richest to poorest)
Whitecrown
Brightstone
Six Towers
Charterhall
Nightmarket
Silkshore
Coalridge
The Docks
Crow’s Foot
Dunslough
Barrowcleft
Charhollow
* Choose your starting situation:
1. This ward is controlled by a large criminal enterprise, The Unseen. We pay them 50% of all our earnings. In return, they deal with the bribes for the city watch and officials and give us free access to fences for stolen goods. Our contact is Gutter, a mid-level thug with reckless ambitions. you’ve paid off the Unseen for the week, so the guild has only 2 coin left.
2. This ward is splintered by a war between two criminal gangs, The Red Sashes and The Lampblacks. They’re both recruiting every free blade in the ward and don’t take ‘no’
for an answer. Which side have we thrown in with? The City Watch won’t come into the ward with the war on, so it’s open season on the enemy and every precious, shiny thing not nailed down. With lots of opportunities to pilfer, the guild has managed to crounge up 4 coin to start.
3. The criminal boss of this ward, Scurlock, was recently killed and no one has stepped forward to lead his gang or seize control of the ward. There are a few likely candidates, including his murderer and former partner, Roric; the secretive Dimmer Sisters; and the Skovlander, Ulf Ironborn. Until a boss is named, most fences won’t operate in the ward, and the City Watch are off their bribes and looking to crack skulls and make their jail
quota. But hey, no one is ordering you around, huh? Since you’re on your own without any higher-ups to pay a share to, the guild starts with 6 coin.Whichever situations are not chosen, place them in adjacent city wards. Use NPCs from those other situations as needed.
Una
Una is a cold and beautiful woman. She always has informants, allies, and other sources of information at hand.
I like strange or quiet for our reputation.
I prefer middle of the wealth band for our ward: Nightmarket, Silkshore, Coalridge or The Docks.
And I like the situations in the order opposite that they appear on the list. (3 -> 2 -> 1)
Roster
Security: Bricks the Doorman. A HUGE, CHISELED brute from Charhollow. Despite his ROUGH exterior and COARSE demeanor, his eyes suggest a vicious intelligence. He's a true believer in the cult, and in that regard, is deeply religious. He delights in tormenting Cinnamon Socks, which is why Cinnamon tends to stick to the places Bricks isn't. (Ron Pearlman circa Alien Resurrection)
I'm thinking Shadow, Leechcraft, or Whisper for the guild leader.
(I'm thinking the actor who played Hurley on LOST.)
- Sanctum
- Leechcraft
- Veil
From @rich @trevis @wptunes ?
We need Rep/Ward/Sitch? (I voted Professional/Ambitious/Strange for rep, we got two people liking Six Towers for Ward, and I still like sitch 3.)
Do we need to define all the Guild leaders?
From Game Designer today:
Here's how I'm thinking of the Core Rolls (this is how I've always thought of them, I'm just now realizing I should probably write them this way):
A Desperate Gamble
6: Success with a cost (harm, stress, time, etc.). 4/5: Failure. The GM will offer you a choice between two worse outcomes. 1-3: Critical failure. Everything goes to hell.
A Risky Move
6: Full success. 4/5: Success with a cost (harm, stress, time, etc.). 1-3: Failure. The GM will offer you a choice between two worse outcomes.
A Controlled Maneuver
6: Critical success. You do more or achieve an extra effect. 4/5: Full success. 1-3: Success with a cost (harm, stress, time, etc.).
This maybe better shows how the nine outcomes are a continuum, shifted up or down depending on which roll you make. So it goes:
- Critical Success
- Full Success
- Success with a Cost
- Failure
- Critical Failure
And three of those are in play for any given roll.
@Trevis - why don't you pick up Leechcraft since Niko and Mischa have done one already
@WPTunes - take Veil
Sitch 3
Leechcraft: Bragon - Weathered, Lamed, Deceptive
We'll kick off with Situation 3.
The Guild starting rep is Strange.
For Guild Leader, we have one vote for Shadow
We have a map of the Six Towers Ward here.
I'm doing a Guild Character sheet on GDocs right now. It's here.
Needed:
* Some loose details on the Cult cover (are they a functioning cult, just playing at it, do they make money, etc.)
Two suggested options for the Cult Cover:
1. Various members of the guild treat the cult differently. Like, it's a real cult but some of us just roll our eyes and go along with things but others of us are True Believers.
2. A secret society type of thing that has cult-like overtones?
* Choose Guild Leader:
Shadow was nominated, any other thoughts or just go with it?
* Name and look on the guild roster (perhaps each player chooses one to fill?) for
- Sanctum (Chris)
- Veil (Paul)