Blades in the Dark is designed for 3–4 players and one Game Master. It’s certainly possible to play with fewer players, though the GM may need to adjust the severity of consequences. It’s also possible to play with more, though the system begins to strain at 5 players, and 6 or more will likely have too many resources to be effectively challenged.

How many players is best for Blades in the Dark?

Typically a one-shot will consist of a self-contained adventure that will take place all in one session, which will usually take a few hours to complete. They are meant to be completed in one sitting, and will usually have a very focused plot or objective. A campaign on the other hand, is a longer adventure that takes place over multiple sessions. Short campaigns may be only 2-3 sessions, while longer ones may be played over months, or even years!

What is the difference between a one-shot and a campaign?

Knowing every rule of the game may be helpful to some, but many players will learn the game as they play! If you want to read the rules ahead of time you absolutely can, but if you are a hands-on learner you can also just start playing, and if there is something you don’t understand never be afraid to ask questions, because everyone starts somewhere!

Do I need to know all the rules before I can play Blades in the Dark?

Blades in the Dark can cover an impressive range of topics and styles, including violence, horror, romance, and many many more! However, if there are specific themes or content that you’re uncomfortable with, let your group and GM know before the game, and have an open conversation about these topics. Any group worth playing with should be respectful and understanding of your concerns and the game can be adjusted so everyone is having fun. Many tables also use “Safety Tools” which help ensure that these conversations are handled easily, and everyone has a voice at the table.

What if I'm not comfortable with certain themes or content in Blades in the Dark?

Obviously this will vary from table to table, but here are some good places to start! If your game is played in person, most likely you will want to get a set of dice, something to write with, and paper to take notes. 
If your game is hosted online instead, you will probably need to make accounts on a few sites for things like character sheets, access to the Virtual Tabletop for maps and tokens, and sites like Discord or Zoom for video/voice calls during the session. 
You won't always need to have the rulebooks to start, but if you want to read through them to make sure you know all the rules, this might also be a good option.

What supplies do I need to play Blades in the Dark?

Players roll pools of six-sided dice based on their character’s skill and take the highest roll; a 6 is a complete success, a 4–5 a success with consequences, and a 1–3 is a failure. Players can also spend a resource called Stress to boost their rolls, activate special abilities, and even flashback to plan retroactively. In addition to controlling their individual characters, players also collectively control their crew, a gang of scoundrels fighting to carve themselves a place in the haunted city of Duskwall.

How to play Blades in the Dark

A completely different experience, and one you have to get your hands dirty and try for yourself. Blades in the Dark isn't a game for altruistic heroes, it's one that allows you to pull your crew of criminals together and pull off heists. Hold territory, score loot, and uses vices to manage your stress as you fight for your lives in Duskwall. See how playbooks are different from classes, experience playing a score when the action begins and back-filling the planning as you encounter each new failure and twist while the Bluecoats close in on your gang.

Andrew M. "Fish" Popowich

My absolute favorite tabletop RPG. It excels on selling you a theme, delivering on genre expectations, and hinting at all the wonderful mysteries that exist in the game's setting. The flashback mechanic is so incredible for allowing players to feel in control of the game's narrative. I highly recommend this game to everyone who loves tabletop RPGs, you should try it at least once.

Brayden

An excellent system and one of the best steps for players wanting to try new, Non-Ampersand games! The rules are simple and flexible, the story is as cool as your imagination allows, and the world is an amazing combination of detailed content with room for you to flesh it out as you see fit. If you like heists, high stakes, and exciting, descriptive combat, try this!

Ross

Blades in the Dark is a FANTASTIC game if you like
- adventuring in a dark, spooky, crime ridden city
- participating in heists and capers that allow for unparalleled player input and agency
- seeing an amazing and intricate plan go off, but aren't psyched about making a plan at the table (flashbacks for the win!)

Blades in the Dark is probably not your cup of tea if you are not interested in
- sometimes stepping out of your characters headspace to decide what happens more as the "writer" for your characters story
- a campaign focused on the desperate, dangerous, and (sometimes) distressing world of crime

Blades in the Dark is DEFINITELY a game best understood through play, so the most helpful suggestion I can make is to sign-up for one of my learn-to-play sessions or campaigns. Check out the comments from previous participants- they will help you understand why I am an excellent choice to introduce you to this great game.

Take care!

GM Ray Nagle

I love a grimdark setting, players immediately see huge problems to someday rectify. There are complaints about gameyness: "Do X to get Y ability." That gives the players direction! Rules reward specific play, you get xp for "Doing smuggling missions with your smugglers."

Isaac "Achoobert"

Blades in the Dark is my gold standard for tabletop roleplaying games now. It is so expertly designed to encourage story-forward gameplay, and gives just enough choice to the players in designing their characters without getting bogged down in too many details. Quick thinking and swinging big are built into the system, with mechanics for flashbacks and "devil's bargains" to keep things moving at a brisk pace. If you love the Crows from Shadow and Bone, or the Zaun scenes from Arcane, you will absolutely love Blades in the Dark. This is a game I think everyone should play at least once in their lives.

Isaac

Blades In The Dark is a fiction-first game that piles on the drama with every roll. Instead of a failure meaning you simply do nothing (a null result), you instead get a complication. Blades seeks to emulate the heist movie, and by cutting out the tedious prep with flashbacks and the engagement roll, you can get right into the action.

I've played dozens of Blades sessions, and they've all been memorable, chaotic rides. No system better keeps every PC on the very edge of losing it all for so long. Wonderful!

Nick (HisCursedness)

The Blades in the Dark game and the system it's made with, Forged in the Dark, is a fantastic system for telling unforgettable stories.  Its roots from Pbta can surface if you squint, but the mechanical weight and cleanness of it.  Grab a seat at the table or even run it if you can.  I have run 7 campaigns of it and adore the system and offshoots, such as Band of Blades or Wicked Ones from this gem.  

- Matthew Pauze (https://startplaying.games/gm/oniwolf)

Matthew 

Blades in the Dark is an amazing system for anyone who loves daring scoundrels and swashbuckling heist stories. My players love creating their own unique crew & filling it with a cast of weirdos drawn from all walks of life. They've decided to be a cult, dedicated to Zzorp, the whispering one, a great demon leviathan that slumbers beneath the waves. They've spent our 15 sessions contending with other gangs for turf, clashing with other cults, and unraveling a conspiracy that could doom the city itself, all while trying to perform a ritual to awake their ancient deity. This is one of my favorite systems to GM, and to introduce new players to tabletop games with. 5/5 stars.

Clarissa

A crew of scoundrels gathers round a stolen blueprint as they plan their big score. Their target has them outnumbered and outgunned; they’re just a no-name street gang up against the rich and powerful. But they have something their mark never expects: the stone cold audacity. The guts to risk everything. And a desperate hunger to get rich or die trying.

Blades in the Dark is a tabletop roleplaying game, or TTRPG, about building a criminal empire in the industrial fantasy city of Duskwall. Inspired by video games like Thief, Dishonored, and Bloodborne, as well as crime drama films and television like Heat and Peaky Blinders, players create scrappy scoundrels who commit crimes in a haunted city. They might play a smooth-talking Slide, a bloody Cutter, an ingenious Leech, or a weird Whisper (among others) to lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top. They’ll also create a Crew, the gang they operate, and which, through a series of criminal jobs, will attempt to conquer the city’s underworld. One player, the Game Master (GM), takes on the role of the world those players inhabit; they’ll play as the rival gangs, wealthy nobles, and corrupt Bluecoats that pressure the player characters from all sides; the haunted, sunless, industrial city of Duskwall; and the ghosts, demons, and occult forces that lurk behind it all.
