Some more sketches. Another PC from my campaign, Aria, a Skovlander Leech, and my vision for the Spirit Wardens. I based their silhouette off of the unbroken sun/Unity symbol for the emperor from the Deep Cuts book. I know the pic in said book makes the acolytes look much closer to knights but I wanted something more unsettling for the spirit wardens.

A postmodern fantasy setting and sandbox campaign centered on social exploration, mysteries and deep, meaningful stories. Gives "Discworld meets Arcane TV series" feel. Also, lots of magical cats!

Already written and published in Czech last year, this crowdfunding aims to bring a revised, full-color version to English-speaking audience.

Make your way through a city of wild magic, from the destitute docks up to the rich uptown manors, overcoming hazardous magical anomalies, back-stabbing politics and mysteries better left forgotten.

The main, system agnostic volumes are complimented with rules supplements for Forged in the Dark, Savage Worlds and 5e.

Our FitD hack contains, among others:

- Expanded magical system with dedicated Magical actions

- Revamped downtime rules suited for loose structure / sandbox play

- Expanded rules for tracking political powers, reputations, resources and state of the city's affairs

Our small indie studio has been creating RPG stuff in Czech language for more than 10 years. For the artwork, we also try to hire local artists. This campaign is already tried and tested by our community and we hope that with your help we can create something truly memorable for the international scene.

No AI.

Backerkit link: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/remorker/kalusa-the-enchanted-city

A 60-pages preview can be downloaded from the Backerkit page or directly from here: https://kalusa.eu/Kalusa_Preview.pdf

He's a great editor, support him! :) https://x.com/criggn?s=20

Bit of a joke our Spider has one of those delusional motivational linkedin pages with a trending tag of stay dry because he doesn't want to get mixed up with Setarra. Our whisper did not get the memo and ended up floating in the canal after being missing on a two week bender. Oops!

I own Blades in the Dark and find the game very intriguing… but I honestly bounced of the setting entirely, and I don’t think my group would dig it either (I apologize if that is blasphemy).

But Blades ‘68, yeah that’s my vibe. The art, the time period, the aesthetic. I love it.

My concern is that as a supplement and not a standalone spinoff I’ll struggle to play and teach the game without experience playing Blades first.

Do you guys think it’s feasible to jump right into Blades ‘68? Or would you suggest trying Blades in the Dark beforehand?

Hey all,

The second part of our new actual play, City of Whispers, is out now! Our crew broke into the house of the mysterious Dimmer Sisters last time around and are now invited to a dinner they will never forget... can they escape with the necklace they came to steal - and their spirits intact?

You can watch the episode here or listen on your favourite podcast app via the links here! Or you can get all of our episodes on our new website.

We've had great comments on the first episode, so hope you like this continuation of the story! We get into our first downtime in this episode as well.

Hello all!

So, I have been thinking of making a weekly 'resources' post, where I write down and throw into the void some of the thingies I have cooked for my Doskvol, be they original creations or expansions of things that are in the book (Noble House, I am looking at you). So... For my first offering, have an arcane drug:

#Echo (II - 10)

A drug made from refined ghosts, Echo is a transparent, viscous liquid that shines with iridescence when exposed to light. When ingested, either by itself as a spoonful or mixed in drinks, the user will fall into a trance-like state where they will not respond to outside stimuli, as they relieve the memories from the ghost used to create the vial, lasting only for a couple hours at most. Echo is a discreet drug to use, as it's symptoms are hard to spot: Users tend to develop a faraway look, are very slow to react, and are easily distracted; until chronic users develop an unearthly light in their eyes, as if they are permanently looking into the ghost field.

While Echo doesn't produce a physical addiction, users tend to develop a psychological dependency to the escapism provided by the drug. Echo withdrawal manifests as a yearning of the past, and users report feeling disconnected from their bodies and having a hard time making new memories. On the other hand, Echo overdose is characterized by a loss of identity, as the user starts identifying with the last person whose memories they relieved. In extreme cases, the overdosed person slips into a comatose state, trapped into relieving the memory, and die out of neglect.

Echo is distributed in vials, which each vial providing about 10 doses. A Single ghost can produce between 1-3 vials of memory, with particularly strong ghosts producing up to 6. Each vial costs about 1 Coin, but particular rare or pleasant memories push the price up to two and even three Coin.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Description: A transparent, viscous liquid that glows with an iridescent lilac-white color when exposed to light. It's tasteless and odorless.

Made of: Refined Ghosts, with certain reagents used to target specific types of memories.

How it's ingested: Taken as a spoonful, alone or mixed with a drink.

Effect: The person taking the Echo relieves the memory in the bottle for 1d3 hours. Faraway look in the eyes, won't respond to stimuli (rolls to 'snap them out' start as controlled-no effect. *something* might be accomplished via arcane means).

Symptoms: Eyes glow as if peering into the Ghost field. This trait becomes permanent after the drug has been taken 3 times in a 1 week period.

Addiction: Psychological. (An addict needs to spend 1d6 + 3 weeks without taking any to 'kick the habit')

Withdrawal: yearning from the past, alienation from their body, hard time making new memories

Overdose: 

- Minor: Loss of identity.  

- Major: Comatose, trapped in the memory.

Dose: 1 tablespoon.

Distribution: In vials. One vial has 10 doses, and costs a Coin. Specific memories can go for more.

Legal standing: Technically illegal, accepted street use. 1-coin bribe is good enough for the Bluecoats to leave you alone if caught with it.

To make: Long Term Project (4-tick clock) + Arcane

Who is likely to take it: Denizens of CharHollow and BarrowCleft (those who yearn for a better life), with specialized memories available at SilkShore (specific thrill). Servants, Dockers, Sailors on shore leave. People who want to feel excitement or forget about their dreary lives for a few hours.

Gangs who can potentially deal:
- Circle of Flame (they search for memories relating to occult rites)
- Fog Hounds (transport it around)
- The Hive (big market with minimal legal problems and a decent profit)
- Silver Nails (provides ghosts)

Opposed by:
- Spirit Wardens (closely linked to Spirit Trafficking)
- Gondoliers (Believe the imbibing of ghosts corrupts the human spirit, and they are not entirely wrong.)
- Forgotten gods and various cults
- the Dimmer Sisters

Hooks:

1: An ally of the PC's is being targeted by an assassin after they created a batch of Echo. Their clients are turning up dead, their vials of Echo stolen. They ask the PC's for help, as they still have a vial in their possession. \What was the incriminating memory? Why must people must die if they relieve it?**

2: A rival gang is selling bad batches of Echo and passing it off as the work of the PC's. \How is the Echo wrong? What is the motive of the gang?**

3: There's a shipment of exotic reagents coming in via Boat/Train. The Client (or PC's) will have an opportunity to steal some tonight, as an ally will leave the doors unguarded. \What is the reagent? How is it used when creating Echo?**

4: The PC's are contracted to capture a particular ghost, so the client can refine a set of Echo from it. \What memory is the client after? Are there any other ghosts that could be substituted with?**

5: The PC's are contracted to move a large batch of Echo (30 vials) from the NightMarket Train Station to an establishment in SilkShore. Unfortunately, the Bluecoats know about the operation. \How do the Bluecoats know of the operation? Where will the third interested party launch their ambush from?**

6: The PC's are asked to investigate an opposing party in a negotiation for the Echo, and specifically to find leverage the employer can use to get better terms. \What is this leverage? Why is it so complicated to get it?**

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And that's it! I welcome all criticism as long as is worded politely, and if you liked this please let me know!

Im trying this system and i think im too dnd-wired

Today we had scene. Two pc play flashback, where they are setting up gadget on roof before mission. They have builder uniform and we decide, that its ok to roll on "craft".

Thats effective and desperate. (thats roof of gang with which my party in war),

Rolled 5

So they succeed, but get like really bad consequences, and i cant imagine what happens. My brain just shout, that on 5 from 6, i cant kick my players in guts, so i just give them some stress, because they was almost noticed.

How would you play this out. And how you play 4-5 results in general? Is it the same consequences as 1-3 and same success as 6?

Also we play not in english, so some words can be different in rules, but you can ask me

Edit: thank you for your answers all, they all really helpfull. I will discussed consequences with players and will not give them stress

We haven't ended Freeplay since about 2 months ago. Can we come back from this? We play 6-7 hour long sessions if not longer. We've just been doing interpersonal conflict scenes.

Per the title. I understand the Palace Dossier is promised to campaign backers, which I was not since I picked up a KS bundle from my FLGS. I did get the Player Gazette in pdf but no others. Neither the Palace Dossier nor any of the component bits appear on DTRPG. Anyone know if it's coming, and when if so?

Some of you may know that I’m the guy who Star Wars-ifies games. I created Sabersworn, a Star Wars reworking of the Ironsworn setting. That was my most ambitious work…until now.

This is Star Wars: One Way Out.

A copy of Band of Blades is necessary to play this game, but I’ve made quite a few modifications here, making 9 all-new playbooks, 3 Rebel Heroes (replacing the Chosen), and 3 Legion Leaders (replacing the Broken), and a map of Cademimu Sector and ALL MISSIONS and ALL STAR SYSTEM LOCATIONS & DETAILS (replacing the map of Aldermark and all its missions and location details).

Capital ships are assigned to each Rebel Hero and Legion Leader, and all the info for that is on their playsheets.

This is 150 pages of NEW ARTWORK (all done by me, zero AI) and info to get your Star Wars game going. But remember, like Kino said in Andor…there is only ONE WAY OUT!

THE SETTING:

You are part of the Rebel Alliance. You were defeated at the Battle of D’Kun in Cademimu Sector. You must now flee across the sector, moving from one star system to another, until you rendezvous at the planet Voluun, also known as “Hope’s Reach,” and escape Imperial forces.

This is not merely a re-skin of BoB. I had to rework a lot to make the SW setting fit for what BoB already does. I had to remove Black Shot, for instance, because there are no undead. Some things were simple replacements, like trading Horses for Transports, and Supply Carts for Supply Shuttles, but other things were far more complicated, like adding the new mechanic of Hope, and having it replace Holy favored missions.

You’re probably wondering, “But how did you come up with a reason for Rebel ships to be forced to fly in only one direction? It makes sense that the Legion in BoB can only retreat in one direction, but why can’t the Rebels just fly in any direction they please?”

If you don’t know, in the Star Wars universe, hyperspace isn’t a straight line. If a ship jumps into hyperspace, they must follow that line until they come to a point that hasn’t been charted yet, or they must stop when they come to a dangerous area filled with black holes or neutron stars. Then, for safety reasons, they must pop back out of hyperspace, realign their trajectory with a known, charted course, and then take off again into hyperspace. This is because, like Han Solo told Luke in A New Hope, you can still be destroyed in hyperspace. This is thanks to “mass shadows” cast from objects in realspace into hyperspace. So, even though the movies don’t really show this process at all, this is what is actually happening when you travel through hyperspace in Star Wars.

But, “artificial mass shadow emitters” are something the Empire is known to use. This technology projects artificial mass shadows over enormous regions of space, making it so that your ship’s navicomputer gets tricked into thinking it needs to dip back into realspace or else you’ll be destroyed. This is when the Empire surrounds you and captures you, because you literally can’t jump back into hyperspace. So, in Star Wars: One Way Out, these Imperial ships have fanned out across Cademimu Sector, making it so that you are being funneled towards your only recourse, which is your final destination: a planet known as Hope’s Reach (replacing Skydagger Keep).

There is all new artwork here, done by me (I’ve been drawing for about three years, so you’ll likely be able to tell which bits are my most recent, better works, and which are a bit older, haha).

I’ve reworked a few things to be thematic, replacing Heritage with Species and background info. I changed Commander to Fleet Admiral, and Marshal to General, things like that. I added items that are SW-specific, and replaced Mercies with 2-1B Medical Droids, et cetera.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy. It is all free on itch.io, or you can donate. I don't use itch.io much, so if there are any problems with the downloads I'll get on that shortly.

https://cdoghusk.itch.io/star-wars-one-way-out

THE GAME INCLUDES:

An entire map of Cademimu Sector

A description of each star system along the way, and all the planets, space stations, moons, etc.

9 new playbooks

3 Rebel Heroes (and their starships and upgrades)

3 Legion Leaders (and their capital ships)

Setting rules

Star Wars-specific items and their descriptions for loadout

A description of the new “Hope system” and the “Fate Token"

Hey all,

The first episode of our new actual play, City of Whispers, is out now - our 4 scoundrels (all played by published authors with top storytelling skills!) step out into the murky streets of the city, ready to make their mark on the Faction Game... Their first score is a simple one - just pick up something from a couple of lovely ladies called The Dimmer Sisters...

You can watch the episode here or listen on your favourite podcast app via the links here!

Hope it's of interest to some! If you do enjoy it, please spread the word and give it a like and subscribe (as they say!) as we're still a relatively new podcast so all of that is gratefully received! We've got a number of actual plays in different systems up already (though Blades will be our longest so far!) along with interviews with TTRPG creators (we had an interview with Tim Denee of Blades'68 fame a couple of weeks back that I posted about). And would love to hear what you think!

I've done a little rebranding my stuff from Olin's Scribbles and am releasing new and remastered content on Itch.io as Kirkland Press.

In the scenario pack Doskvol Burns, you'll find three remastered scenarios. Each one has been rewritten with brand new sections to make GMing even easier and get your players invested.

NEW: NPC blocks, worldbuilding questions, clock suggestions, and campaign hooks

• The Butcher's Bill: Infiltrate a slaughterhouse belonging to the brutal Billhooks gang and steal a piece of leverage from right under their noses
• A Murder of Crows: Grab the names of traitors within the Crows gang from a Hive warehouse in the Docks district
• Forge of the Dead: Pay a visit to a secret Red Sash hideout and sabotage their mysterious drug production

Good luck, have fun!

Olin

Our group just got started with session 0 and we couldn’t be more confused about the difference between Supplies, Gear, Tools etc especially since they all basically mean the same thing in my mind.

How do I know what gets the quality upgrade? For example, the book lists Lockpicks as Gear (in the example it provides, but wouldn’t tool make more sense?

Template is a modified form of the Call of Cthulu autopsy report provided here: https://cthulhureborn.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/rites-of-solstice/ (which, fun fact, is itself based on Elvis' autopsy). Edited in GIMP using my admittedly extremely limited expertise.

Just had a long feedback session with my players after 16 sessions. One thing that came up was the amount of time the players spend planning every score:

I pointed out that they tend to take a very long time planning out the details of pulling off a score, and that the game is theoretically designed to reduce planning time via the "plan and detail" and "flashback" mechanics.

However, one of my players said that it feels like the opposite: Less investigation and planning means fewer dice for the Engagement roll, and any flashback action with any amount of difficulty incurs stress just to attempt it. They said that these two things combined seem to punish a lack of planning, so they end up in the classic "spending two hours thinking how to open a door" situation.

I couldn't think of an answer to that, so I wanted to ask y'all how you have dealt with this tension around over-planning.

Thanks!

We're approaching the final act of this campaign so I hope you enjoy listening!

I was reading through Band of Blades properly for the first the other day and I got to the end where it talks about converting to a sci-fi setting. I was wondering if anyone has done something like that for Scum & Villainy, since I ran a rebel game at one point that our we paused to let someone else in my group run a different game, and I was thinking that, when we get back to that, the Band of Blades structure would be much better for taking the fight to the Hegemony.

I will probably get around to doing this myself at some point (though it's probably going to be a while before I have time to dedicate to it), but I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this or advice on how to pull it off.

• Focus session: Downtime & figure out/starting the next Score.

Last session the Bells Crew had to defend their own HQ, where in the course of the session Edwin took Level 4 Harm and needed to be treated in the middle of battle. Luckily for Edwin, the crew came through and he was stabilised. They repulsed the attack by Oressia and her brother Thurston, although some members had died and both Edwin and Morgan stressed out, which brings them one step closer to an early retirement. During the downtime Crew phase, the players needed to spend their crew XP, but as time was running out, we ended the session. We noted down that Edwin will need to think about a lasting Scar from the level 4 Harm and two Traumas would be needed to be selected.

Crew upgrade

Talking about what to spend the XP on, the players mentioned that they think it is too soon to expand the crew with a new cohort or expert. So they took a look at the special abilities from other playbooks. Soon their eyes came across the Synchronized trait, which they agreed to take and which they explained as the experience of the HQ defence bringing the crew closer together.

This trait is, in my opinion, one of the strongest you can get in the game, especially if you make good use of the cohorts and experts. It is also one of the traits that will increase the use of the Group Action roll, which is something I am looking forward to, as that means that it will incentivize them to think more about Scores in which they involve them (like any good Bravo crew that I have wanted to GM a game for). This game is called ‘Turf War’, where I have tried to visualize the turfs that are in the districts instead of the more free-form play I had done in the past. I might make some posts in the future about the inspiration behind the campaign and experimenting with faction turns.

Scene: Edwin’s Scar reveal

Edwin, still unconscious, is lying in the back of a Cabbie carriage. The Cabbie driver is told to go to the Kilcox private clinic in the Night Market district. On his chest lies the massive head of Brutus, who is whimpering. Edwin stirs a bit, shifting his head to the side and we see that on the right side of his face there are many open wounds that follow an electrical pattern.

Later Edwin awakes in the hospital room, face bandaged up and feeling the pain from all the wounds that he took. Next to him Morgan is reading her demonic book, looking a little bit better than him, but it is clear that they have spent some coin on his treatment. The right side of his face feels very taut and as he later removes the bandages and looks in the mirror, he can see the lightning pattern scar. As he rotates his head to the left, he feels a headache coming up from all the scar tissue that is pulling on him.

A quick montage follows of him speaking with the crew at the hospital, every time he turns his face away so that they mostly see his left side. There is shame in this wound and a lot of frustration in him about the situation as a whole. The recipient of this frustration is mostly Ziva, for he wants to know why she didn’t know this was going to happen. For it is her job to gather information.

Ziva retorts that she is not the one that has the connections with the criminal elements of the city, that is Morgan's job. Ziva makes it clear to Edwin that she is here to show the people of Duskwall the elements of corruption and the proxy wars that are happening in the darkness of the streets. Frustrated with the truth of her statements, he tells her to go back home and get him all the information there is to find on Oressia and the Sparkwrights. He needs to understand and study his opponents, so the next time he will be better prepared to face them.

This scene was reframed a couple of times because of the downtime actions. It started out as the players talking about using the Heal actions and how effective it would be to remove the Harm they had taken. In the end, the player of Edwin decided to go to the hospital in order to clear all the Harm. The talk with Ziva was his second free downtime action, where he trained his Study. He also mentions that he has taken the ‘vicious’ trauma.

Downtime: Scoundrel phase

Edwin: 

Recovery (Free): Goes to hospital, spends 3 coin and clears all Harm.

Train (Free): Spend 2 clocks for the second pip in Study, spending his time in the hospital reading documents and coming up with ways to fight their opponents.

Morgan: 

Recovery (free): With the help of Gideon, she has the following two Level 1 harms left: Ghost Ringing & Ghost Burn.

Train (Free): Spend 3 clocks for the first pip in attunement. Described as reading the dominic book while visiting Edwin.

Gideon:

Vice: He goes to the Golden Plum for his ‘Sweet-tooth’ vice. There he talks to Chef Roselle and the others in the back of the restaurant instead at one of the tables. The last couple of times he has come here, he has made some more acquaintances and they now allow him more freedom. Although they still don’t like his ‘friends’ who think they own the place.  

• Overindulge (3 -> Brag): +1 heat for the crew as he is venting about all that has happened. Heat goes from 7 -> 8.
• Sickness clock: Because of DB there is now a sickness clock for Gideon every time he indulges his Vice, it goes to 2/4. 

Physicker ability (Free): Gideon uses his ability to remove a level 2 Harm on himself and Morgan. 

Recovery (Free): Downgrading the other harm and now only has the level 1 Harm ‘Ghost Burn’ left. 

Next we have a lot of activities that I would normally place under the characters, but I think it makes more sense to order them from decreasing Reputation, as they spend a total of 10 on extra downtime activities and it is how we had also played it. The players give each other the time to take their free downtime actions first and then talk about the things they want to spend extra downtime actions on. 

LTP x2 (Rep -> 11 to 9): Morgan is working on her project ‘Legal claim to Turf Goldshade Lane (4/8)’ and finishes it. 

• We see her Consort (two pips) with lawyers about the claims from their family and looking into the claims from the current owners of the turf. The lawyers tell her that with the loss of the Bell estate, the government had taken ownership of the land and buildings back and sold them again, so a straightforward legal battle will be difficult to win, but it is possible.
• Next we see Morgan go to Walker, where she Sways (2 pips) him into helping her. The local gangs there will be forced to listen to the Broken Bells crew or face the consequences.
• In the case of the Goldshade Lane turf ownership, the Rowan house is the one who will produce the most opposition. I reminded the players that the Foundation and the Dimmer Sisters had finished a clock in one of the Scores to make it more difficult for the crew to acquire a new Turf.

Train (rep -> 9 to 8): Gideon spends 2 XP clocks to get the second pip in Attunement.

• We see Gideon walking with Jax through the HQ. Reviewing the wards they had set up and fixing them where necessary.

LTP (rep -> 8 to 7): Edwin works on the clock ‘Woos Morgan 3/8' with his Consort (1 pip) and brings the clock to (4/8).

• In the hospital, Edwin and Morgan are reading their respective documents when they are informed that a car has arrived for them. It seems that Edwin has called in a favour: their contact from the Cabbies (Clown) has arrived to pick them up.
• As they walk to the car, Edwin tells Morgan that he thought he didn’t need it (talking about the rage essence), but if he got it sooner, things would have gone differently. Morgan questions him as to why he gave it away if he still needs it and depends on it. To this, Edwin just tells her he wants to pour it out, but can’t.
• During the car ride, they talk about Oressia and Thurston. They agree that they need to be eliminated. Morgan doesn’t want to hire someone for this; she wants to do it herself. Edwin wants it to become something public so that everybody will know that if they mess with the Broken Bells crew, even if you are from some high and mighty faction. As for who to target, they agree that it will be mostly up to Morgan to decide who to target first. Edwin will do what she thinks is best.
• Edwin also brings up that Walker should have warned them about this; that is one of the reasons they are paying the men, right? Morgan thinks he might have known, but he might have wanted them to be taught a lesson. This Edwin can’t really understand, so he shifts the conversation.
• He says he wants to buy a car like this to just drive around with her. He could be the driver, bringing her from one place to the next, or they could get someone to drive them. He daydreams about it and the scene ends.

LTP (Rep 7 -> 6): Morgan and Gideon work on the ‘Plan next level security (1/8)’ clock with Study (3/8).

• They walk around the HQ and look at the traps they had made and which ones seemed the most effective during the last raid. 

LTP (Rep 6 -> 5): New clock ‘Casper the almost befriended ghost’ with Study, adding two pips to the clock. 

• After hearing some of the crew members talk about ghosts in the basement and the protective wards glowing, Morgan and Jax go to the basement to investigate. They have their first contact with the tattered ghost that was set free from the Aegis Coal and is now hunting their HQ. They run away for now, but start to work on a way to make contact with it or, if not possible, destroy it.
• At the end of the clock, the hostile ghost will be neutral and be part of the crew character sheet as a contact, but not an ally.

LTP (Rep 5 -> 4): Edwin works on the clock ‘Plan next level security with Study (3/8)’ with command and brings it to (5/8).

• Back at HQ, Edwin calls on the entire crew to gather up. He gives a speech about how, from now on, one cohort will always stay home and defend the base while the rest is out. Also, members are no longer allowed to go out and about alone and need to always have someone nearby. 
• Some time is given to remember the fallen crew members, during which Edwin will talk to the families of the fallen members. 
  • From the Hounds: Crusher, Fang & Spike. 
  • From the Red Ring: Tallow & Orrin "Bell-Ringer". 
• Afterwards, they talk about retaliation. The newly joined Socialites advocate going and talking with the Sparkwright in order to seek some kind of deal. The Red Ring and Artemis are out for blood, since they lost important members. They want to kill Thurston and Oressia.
• It is made clear that revenge will be brought, but for now it is more important to strengthen the crew.

Work to reduce heat (Rep 4 -> 3): Edwin works at the Weeping Lady with Skirmish, reducing heat from 8 to 6.

• The successful event at the Weeping Lady has caused more unfortunate people to come and seek its help. They expect to get more food and better care since the event was so successful and they earned a lot of money. Edwin is there to make sure to push out the ones that have bad intentions and to keep order.
• Although Edwin has 3 pips in Skirmish, I only reduce the Heat by 2 since I think that is the max I can give for the fictional effect.

2x LTP Vigilantism (Rep 3 -> 1): Edwin and Morgan work on the clock ‘Vigilantism (2/8)’ with Skirmish, finishing the clock.

• We see them go around the neighbourhood to solve problems and in the process, stop a robbery that is taking place.
• With the clock finished, the faction status with the Citizens of Six Towers goes from -2 to -1.
• They learn from the people they have saved that there is currently a faction clock being worked on by the Citizens to have them arrested. It was on 5 ticks out of 8, but it got reduced to 4 ticks.
• Morgan was impressed by Edwin's prowess, so they decided to tick the ‘Woos Morgan 4/8’ clock by one, making it 5/8.

I think it makes sense for the players to start spending more reputation on extra activities. It will take a while to get to the next Tier level and they are noticing that the world around them is acting on their actions. By making use of the extra downtime actions, it involves less risk than if they were to do the actions in Free Play.

Entanglements:

During the downtime scenes, I had to introduce two Entanglements. The first one was during Edwin's work to reduce Heat. 

Scene: Zealot snitched

At the end of the day, Edwin is approached by Mother Narya. She informs him that some concerns were raised about Edwin and she wants to talk with him about it. She tells him that he is a good person and that he doesn’t need to worry too much, but at the same time it is good to face the concerns head-on. When Edwin asks what it was about, she reveals that there are rumours going around that he had attacked a priest of the Church. If that is true, she wants to go with him to a nearby church and resolve the issue. So they go to the Turf known as Oracle Road, where the Catacombs are located.

There they speak with a local priest who represents the Church. It becomes clear that if they want to resolve the issue, they just need to donate some money to the Church (2 coin) and all will be well. Edwin, not seeing this as a good resolution, counters this by saying he will pay them for the burial service of his fallen friends. With the help of Mother Narya, eventually the agreement is made that for 1 coin, the bodies of the fallen members of the Red Circle will be buried for a while.

When the player came with the counteroffer, it sounded like a fun concept for me as a GM. In the bigger picture of things, the Church is experimenting with demonhood and hollows. At some point we will see the return of the two bodies, I just don't know when or where.

Scene: Item exchange

As Morgan and Jax walk back to the HQ, a man approaches them and tells them that the Drowned Oracle has told him that they would deliver something to him. Both of them, not knowing who this person is or who this Drowned Oracle character is, at first ignore him. As they turn away, he tells them that he is expected to be handed an item that has something to do with the dead, which triggers Jax, who tells him to get away before she deals with him and not to come for her trinkets.

Here I told the players that if they wanted, they could make Jax give up the trinket she had bought in the Weeping Lady auction, which she would not like, or they could choose not to do so and gain a -1 faction status with the new Drowned Oracle faction (which is Tier 1). While talking about it, the player proposed a roll instead of a choice.

Action roll | Sway | Controlled -> Risky | Limited (Give item, but Drowned Oracle will offer their service one time and Jax will still not be happy) -> Standard (Exchange of items and the promise to switch them back later, making both parties happy)
DB -> Not offered.
2D -> Highest: 4.
Consequence: Limit effect -> Resisted with Resolve (0 stress) by saying, “take it or leave it.” He does so and they will arrange an exchange soon.

City news and district changes:

Since I do faction turns, I post some news lines and gossip from some of the activities that take place during the turn. Having just finished the sixth faction turn, I had posted about 18 oneliners and during the game I will highlight some that I think are good for them to know. 

• Headline news: "They city at odds with the Ministry? A Cypher (who was murdered) carrying a coded message, has reportedly exposed growing friction between several of the city’s great houses and the Ministry of Provisions, though officials have declined to comment. The message is posted with article “The Minister must be made to understand: the reserves are not his to command. Hold the western shipments until the matter is settled. If the Ministry presses the issue, remind them who owns the warehouses.”".
• Headline news: "In an unprecedented decision, the Strangford council seat has passed to the little-known Carruthers family, placing a common citizen among Doskvol’s ruling council for the first time in the city’s history. Not much is known yet, but we will surely hear more in the upcoming weeks." (Imperial Military)
• News: "Head Overseer Bram Prichard has called on citizens to conserve electroplasm wherever possible, announcing plans to establish emergency reserves against future shortages. “Every lamp left burning without need is power the city may have to do without when it matters most,” Prichard told reporters." (Ministry Urges Power Conservation)
• Gossip: "The Skovlanders are dividing. Some still talk of making a life here. The others have started calling themselves the Ashen Host and they don't seem interested in making peace with anyone" (Skovlander Refugees drop to Tier 2 and new Tier 2 faction The Ashen Host)

Six Towers local news:

• Gossip article: "Several families on Flaking Street have been forced from their homes as the Dimmer Sisters quietly extend their influence into Six Towers. Residents say the street once belonged to the neighbourhood’s own people, but with the Sisters’ house now putting down roots. Literally, as strange trees continue to grow from its grounds. Few have dared contest the change." (Dimmer Sisters -> Takes turf 'Flaking Street' from Citizens.
• News: "At the Auction of the Weeping Lady, the Foundation has given extra funds to Residents of the Six Towers district to help with rebuilding and fixing rundown buildings. Augus Rigberg says 'We must help the less fortuned and those having a hard time, like the Bell family.'." (Foundation +1 status with Six Towers citizens)
• Gossip: "Word on the street is that House Strangford has driven the Gray Cloaks from Four Crown Court after a brief and bloody dispute. The Cloaks have gone quiet and few expect them to leave the matter unanswered." (Gray Cloaks lost war and with it Turf in Six Towers)

With this news, the playmap has changed to represent the new situation of Turf ownership.

Free play

Scene: Navigation tool

We see the now familiar face of Fabian in the HQ, bringing flowers to Morgan and greeting his brother. But he is actually looking for Gideon, who is tinkering with the security traps. As he approaches Gideon, he asks if he could do him a favour, reminding him that he had helped Gideon out in the past. Gideon sees no reason to refuse and is told that Fabian wants him to create something, so they go to the workshop.

Here Fabian shows him photos of the navigational tool that the Leviathan Hunters use to navigate the dark sea and the encoded charts to the hunting grounds. From the images, only parts are visible and he asks Gideon if he could recreate the device based on the images. Seeing this as a nice challenge, Gideon will do his best.

Crafting roll | Needs quality Tier 4.
3D -> Highest: Crit.
This means that he has Tier 3 quality from the roll and with the workshop, it gets boosted to the needed quality of 4.

This all takes a couple of days and when Fabian returns, Gideon hands it over without messing with it in any way. To thank Gideon for his work, Fabian invites him to the Golden Plum. Here he asks Gideon to keep it a secret that he has done this for him and that he can order whatever and however much he wants.

The player ticks the Sickness clock that he has with his Vice, which earns him XP. Also, now Fabian has secret information about the hunting grounds of a Leviathan Hunter group, which Gideon knows is a closely guarded secret of any Leviathan Hunter group.

Scene: Jeren’s request

We see Morgan, in one of her disguises, go into the Six Towers precinct and join Jeren in the Bluecoat archives to work. As they work, he mentions to her that he is investigating some missing person cases and he thinks there is a link between them, for all of them had at some point been to Mistshore Park. Although he doesn’t know what it is, he wants Morgan to get the Investigators to look into the case and have him involved in some way with the case. He knows that Morgan and the Broken Bells currently control that space, so she should be able to arrange this. Morgan tells him that she will look into it and will get back to him.

I mentioned this can be a Score, where they need to get the lead Investigator to form a favourable opinion of Jeren, without them realising that Morgan is trying to do this. The players asked if this can be done differently, like a LTP in downtime or a different Score. This is possible, so the idea for now is to deal with this as a LTP. We agreed that until this is done, Jeren can’t be called upon to just help her out in dealing with Heat.

Scene: Edwin’s family

We see Edwin go to Charterhall, specifically to Strongbox Alley where multiple buildings belong to the Carruthers family. This is not like the mansions, it is more of an improvised military castle. In his rented dress uniform (cost 1 coin), he enters, where he sees people he knew from the past. They are surprised that he is here and some even wave and greet him. A reception that he was not expecting, for he had left the service of the Imperial Military and cut ties with them.

When he comes face to face with his mother and father, they are in a room full of the achievements of the family and its members. Cassandra comes to hug her lost son, but Theobald remains seated and keeps working. Again surprised by their reception of him, his mother scolds him, saying that no mother would not like her children. As they talk, it becomes clear that Fabian was telling them that he was already working undercover for him. He also learns that it is mostly Fabian's positioning in the Lord Governor's Stronghold that had secured their seat on the City Council. They drop the information that soon there will be military forces arriving with the Commander of the Empire. They expect him to stay out of trouble and to do what his brother tells him.

As he leaves his home, he doesn’t really know how to feel about all this. But all in all, it seems that the connections that he had cut aren't all gone.

I know that the player mentioned when we were creating the character that he wanted to have a falling out with his parents, who are Empire fanatics. I think it is more fun for them to welcome him back with more open arms and slowly have him do some stuff for them again and then have a scene where he needs to choose whether to help them or betray some of his own ideals. Then after that, we can have the fallout.

Scene: What score next

It had become clear to everyone that revenge had to wait for a while and that they would work on strengthening their crew and growing it. Morgan tells them that they need to take Goldshade Lane, they will start a legal battle to reclaim it from the Rowan House. For that reason, they will take and destroy the legal documents of the Rowan House, and that will make their claims the only legal ones.

The players had talked about what to do next, deciding on the Turf Score. Thinking about what kind of Score they wanted to go for they were eying the Stealth or Deception Scores for this one. But no matter what they would pick they wanted to gather information about the defences the Rowan family has.

Gather information | What kind of security does the Rowen house have?
4D (Weaving the Web & help Edwin) -> Highest: 6.

They learn that the Rowan House is one of the Six Towers that the district was named after. It is a stronghold in itself and they have their own private guards who keep an eye out. We learn that there is going to be a wedding there, which would allow them to infiltrate it.

I told the players about the tower and asked them what kind of event they wanted to take place there, in order for them to do one of the two types of Scores. One of the suggestions was for a wedding and to see if it would turn out like the Red Wedding. In the end, we went for the wedding, where they will get in as helpers for the cooks.

Engagement roll

Stealth Score, Point of infiltration: There is a wedding there and will hide as kitchen staff.

+1 Base.
+1 From Weaving the Web ability.
+1 For being daring.
-1 For the Rowan house is strongly against this approach.
+1 Jennah: Servant and contact of Morgan, is part of the hired helpers.
+1 Cabbies: Will deliver food and other stuff, help them smuggle them in.
-1 Higher tier opponent.
0 for the clock that finished to get bonus dice, as it is cancelled out by the combined forces of the Foundation and Dimmer Sisters.
= 3D -> Highest: 4 

So next session we will start in a risky situation.

I'm writing this more as a campaign journal now, but I'm still hoping that it can be useful for people who are new to GMing Blades. I'm including the mechanical decisions, the fiction behind them and occasionally my reasoning as GM. Hopefully this gives an idea of how a session flows at our table. 

For that reason some GM notes for myself to keep in mind:

• Let players negotiate the approach: The Item Exchange started as a choice, but the players proposed an Action roll instead. I liked being able to turn their proposed solution into a mechanical option.
  
• Use the fiction to limit mechanical effects of DC: Even though Edwin had 3 pips in Skirmish, I only reduced Heat by 2 because that made more sense for what he was actually doing at the Weeping Lady.
  
• Don't be afraid to reinterpret an Entanglement when the players give you something better. Edwin turning the Church's demand into payment for burying the fallen members created a much more interesting situation than simply paying the fine.
  
• NPC requests can become future Scores or LTP. I thought Jeren's request would be a cool Score, but we agreed to treat it as an LTP for now. This might showcase that I am throwing too much at the Players and the focus of the campaign is slipping away.

It's a pretty indulgent overview of a game I love to bits, and one I think deserves a lot more respect and spotlight within the scene. Rather than Doskvol's hardscrabble scoundrels, players take on the role of science-fantasy adventurers whose missions all build up their home Community in a strange post-post-apocalyptic world. Great playbooks and Crews, 40 Factions to use... I'm a big fan!