A (Beginner Friendly) Blades in the Dark Mini Campaign

About the adventure

Have you been curious about the tabletop game that has the swept the indie world by storm? Do you want to be in a gang of cool underground scoundrels doing rad crime? Did you ever watch Peaky Blinders and think, "This is cool but I'd prefer if there were ghosts"? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this game might be for you! Blades in the Dark is a game about being criminals in a haunted industrial fantasy city fighting against the powers that be. In this mini campaign the players will creature a group of "no goods" with specializations and a shared purpose to mix things up. It will be approximately 6 sessions (including a session 0) with potential to go more depending on interest and where the story goes. There isn't a pitch beyond the general premise as this is the type of game where the story emerges from player choices. While the game comes with an original setting called Doskvol that is quite cool, I will be running the game in a homebrewed setting with a similar vibe called Lochrowe, which is an imperially established colony on a series of islands covered in ancient ruins in the middle of an enigmatic haunted sea of fog. Also there are demons. I will share more details about the setting once the group is established.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Make sure you have a working mic, I will be using Zoom but having a camera on is optional if you aren't comfortable with it. You will need a Roll20 account. It's free to sign up at roll20.net. If you want to read up on the rules beforehand you are free to but it's not required. You can also make a character beforehand if you want but it's also not required. I will explain all the rules when we meet. I've run this system (and it's cousins) a lot so I'm happy to answer any questions.

What I provide

Documents to keep track of the characters and rules. We will be using mostly "theater of the mind" for play. I have a custom setting for the game that is slightly different than the one in the book but with most of the same elements. I will provide notes but being knowledgable about the lore isn't super important.

Gameplay details

Safety tools: Lines & Veils. The X-card. This game contains themes of crime, violence, oppression, dark magic, and supernatural forces. It takes place in a haunted industrial fantasy setting and the players will embody a crew of "scoundrels", freelancers that make end's meet through shady means not approved of by the powers that be. The have-nots resort to dangerous tasks to make a living while the elite and powerful uphold the status quo with force and dark magic. In a session the crew will research and embark upon a "job", a task related to their specialty wether that be discreet violence, obvious violence, magic ritual, shady dealings, spying and sabotage, or moving contraband, and hopefully get paid enough to make it another day in these mean spooky streets. These jobs will be followed by "downtime" where characters can recover and pursue personal interests. They will either be at the end of a session or their own session depending on time and level of roleplay. The player characters will be made collaboratively during session 0 (though it's helpful to be aware of the options before hand). Each player will pick a playbook which will give their character an archetype, each with their own inventory, talents, and special abilities. You can be a Cutter if you want to be tough and martial, a Hound if you want to be good at tracking and sharpshooting, a Leech if you want to wield weird science and chaos, a Lurk if you want to sneak in the shadows and infiltrate, a Slide if you want get by on charm and deceit, a Spider if you want to be a master of helping and hindering people with leverage, or a Whisper if you want to be in touch with forces beyond life.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Breaks
Lines and Veils
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Session 0! During this session we will also talk collaboratively about the crew and where they fit into the setting. During character creation each player will decide on a name, a past, a heritage, and a general vibe. You will select a special ability for your character based on the ones listed and allocate 4 points into your stats. If you want to do any of this before hand you are free to so I will link fillable character sheets. We will also create the crew and their shared speciality as well as establish who their friends and enemies are.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.