Long-Term Consequences: Great RPG Mechanics
#RPGMechanics Week Three

I read Blades in the Dark sitting in a Discount Tire. It was a long wait to get my flat fixed, as I hadn’t had an appointment. I still have a strong physical memory of working through the book with a lukewarm bottled water in my hand. I’d hit a rule and try to process the consequences of it at the table.

https://openhearthrpg.substack.com/p/long-term-consequences-great-rpg

#ttrpg #RPGMechanics #bitd

@s5photog Once this game clicks with a group, it's really hard to go back to a game that focuses on preparing for action instead of the action itself.

I lament all the time wasted while playing Stars Without Numbers over the past few months trying to plan for a contingency with too much unknown information.

"We talked for an hour about stuff. All games need an approach roll to eliminate this."

The ideas here are fundamental tools to improve all RPG experiences. I love #BITD

Pretty sure I've read this book 4 or 5 times now ... still so many secrets to unlock

#bitd #bladesinthedark #fitd #forgedinthedark #ttrpg #rpg

@Monte_Lin I think a similar downtime is with #glasscannonnetwork doing their #HauntedCity actual play. #bitd

Thanks to @johnharper and #BitD I now know what an Apiarist is/does.

#BladesIntheDark #FitD #ttrpg

Watched this movie last night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fECISmlelfs In 19th century London Boris Karloff plays a kindly surgeon accidentally addicted to drugs who finds himself in the clutches of a murderous gang that includes a young Christopher Lee. Definite #BladesInTheDark vibe #bitd

Our bi-weekly #BITD game has been suffering lately, and this evening's game has been replaced with a "Session 0 / Starting over" conversation that has been very interesting. Looking forward to where this goes.

#RPGaDAY2023
[23] Coolest looking RPG book … so, today is #MörkBorg day, right? I never played it nor am I especially interested, but it’s the first to come to mind. Great #coffeetable RPG.
But actually … most RPG books I own are beautiful. If they were not; I wouldn’t have bought a physical copy.
#Spire #Agon #BitD #BandOfBlades Engel

Someone created a map of Charterhall with some factions for a university-focused #BitD game

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1VoKxmCGLdOBaNu6Rbu7Q8_oUuJ9cTaoFAMPpWpCXC9g/mobilebasic

Somehow save me from the people trying to argue that #BitD has a combat system.

#RPGaDay2023 18. Favorite game system.

The one that best fits the game, and us, players (gm included).

However, I have a few sets of rules I like very much. I usually like #pbta games. #bitd Blades in The Dark also. And #BelongingOutsideBelonging games. #CityOfMist is my 2022 game of the year. It will hold my thoughts for a while, yet. #CortexPrime is a great toolbox, very versatile, far quicker to fit efficiently to a game idea than pbta/bitd. And of course I like my own #ancolie quite much.

#RPGaDAY2023
[18] My favourite game system is the system of #BitD and related #FitD games. I start to miss it when playing other games, although there are other cool systems out there.
You have a pool of D6 and usually the best result counts. 1-3 is failure, 4-5 is success with complications, and a 6 is pure success. Plus position, effect, flashbacks, stress, group actions etc.

We wrapped our first score in #BladesInTheDark with 1 PC trauma'ed out and the other 3 getting away with the chest they were asked to steal!

During downtime we had 1 over indulgence, lots of training, and some reduction of heat.

Next score for Nathair will be hitting a Red Sash drug den as they want to eliminate those dastardly pompous Sashes!

#bitd #ttrpg

@llanion Interesting take. But #BitD hast this approach that you are really competent - you are just in a really hostile environment, too.
Are you afraid to roll in Blades?
I have that feeling in the Mutant Year Zero system, but not in Blades.

[10] I don't know if tie-in fiction is a thing for me.
I disliked the few older #TheDarkEye novels I read for research purposes. But I hear the more recent ones are way better.
And there are some #BitD novels I want to read because of the setting.

Welp our first score of #BladesInTheDark is to be continued! Two of our crew are searching the Red Shash HQ for a magical McGuffim as the others act as a distraction

The players had fun as we learn the system and explore Doskvol

Oh and the crew name is Nathair (which is Celtic for Snake/ Viper)

#ttrpg #bitd

Our newly made crew of Shadows (name to be determined) will have their first score tonight

How will it go? We play to find out!

#BladesInTheDark #bitd

That leads to lots of interesting ideas. We've seen enough universes in the Laundry books to guess what happened to the sun in #BitD. The Emperor must have tried some crazy ritual working (massive entropy anyone?). And where does that leave the Leviathans, and why their blood is so potent. Speaking of blood, Scurlock would be a very different kind of vampire. And the reasons for the spirit wardens existing would be different.

So, thinking about tweaking magic in #BitD to be more like The Laundryverse (_"The realm of pure mathematics is very real indeed, and the...*things*...that cast shadows on the walls of Plato’s cave can sometimes be made to listen and pay attention if you point a loaded theorem at them. This is, however, a very dangerous process, because most of the shadow-casters are unclear on the distinction between *pay attention* and *free buffet lunch here._").*

It leads to a lot of interesting ideas...

@golgaloth Egads! I don’t really have a favorite, per se, but I have systems I very much like.

#Fudge
#Fate, a subclass of Fudge
#PbtA, Powered by the Apocalypse, as diverse as the previous two
#BitD, a subclass of PbtA, and just as diverse

There are plenty of other systems I could recommend, given some input. You want genre neutral? Setting agnostic? Crunch heavy? Crunch light? Oh so many dimensions to consider. 🙂