The action of Blades has a really nice balance between narrative abstraction and mechanical crunch. Your gang may specialise in stealing, destruction, smuggling or even the worship of some ancient deity: whatever you choose will shape your adventures in this city of crime. Each player will create a scoundrel taking their place alongside their fellow miscreants in a gang. The major cities have lightning towers that form a barrier round the outskirts, keeping out ghosts and effectively trapping the citizens inside, as no one wants to go out into the Deathlands (the name is not inviting).Īcross the city gangs of various status run the show, from the religious fundamentalism of the Path of Echoes to the secret machinations of the Hive and the low level street crimes of the Red Sashes and the like: the entirety of Duskvol is a living, breathing criminal hierarchy, all contained in the lightning fields so no one can get out: a powderkeg ready to explode.īlades sees you as a bottom of the rung criminal enterprise, perfectly poised to take advantage of some recent events in the region of Crows Foot in Doskvol: a match to the powder. This Cataclysm shattered the doors of death - such that ghosts run rampant across the world. Some time in the past a great cataclysm wreathed the world in an eternal darkness, the light of the Sun only occasionally making a very meek appearance through the clouds and fog that shroud the city in night. Let's take a closer look at what makes Blades tick and why I think you should give it a try, either as GM or player.ĭoksvol, or Duskwall, is the focus of the game, a massive city on the Northern Peninsula of one of the Shattered Isles. It's a fantastic system, interesting setting and the two are interwoven to make a thoroughly compelling game. I backed the game whilst it was on Kickstarter and started a local group towards the end of last year, with a new group starting up just recently online. Small games, made by dedicated individuals or teams are where some of the really innovative games are emerging in the hobby and I wanted to take the time to highlight my personal favourite, Blades in the Dark.
Over the last few years there has been an explosion of creativity in the indie RPG scene.
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