#bitd

[thejesusrag]

[prokopetz]

I broadly disagree with the criticism that Blades in the Dark's resource economy is busted, but I recognise that it's assuming a very particular relationship between players and player characters. While it's not quite on par with the OSR "funnel" model where the vast majority of player characters won't survive their first session, it's very consciously aimed at producing campaigns where, if you insist on playing as the same character in every heist, that character is going to have an average lifespan of three or four heists before they max out their trauma or eat lethal harm. This is intentional: the text points out that you might want to let your character sit an adventure out now and then if you want them to have any sort of life expectancy, and some of the fallout results between scores explicitly take your character out of play for a session and tell you to play as somebody else in the meantime. There's a reason that character creation choices are so minimal, and advancement ("levelling up") so strikingly rapid.

Where the trouble arises is that I see a lot of Blades in the Dark hacks that don't have this assumption, and position themselves as games where you're expected to play as the same character for the full length of a long-running campaign, but they keep the base game's resource loop more or less intact. Like, that's not necessarily a mistake if your explicit intention is for two thirds of the initial cast to be dead by the end of the first arc, but it's my experience that this is not often the case. I feel like a lot of people are just not doing the math – then other people are coming along and playing these hacks, correctly identifying that the resource loop of the game they are playing is not congruent with how that game's text claims its campaign play is supposed to work, and concluding that Blades in the Dark is a bad system.

[recovering-vamp]

Artfight Attack against @keeperesque of his Blades in the Dark character, Khalila

[beachlifelez]

Back in the day in Hollywood, breaking into the business sometimes meant sleeping with the studio boss. But sometimes, it was the boss's wife who was the one who would be receiving the attention of the new ingenues in town.

Such was the case tonight for actresses Judy and Monique. Jillian LaFond had figured out a good way to satisfy her desires for women was to ensure she was present at her husband's studio, where she could "case the crowd", as it were, for potential female bed partners.

Judy had already been a guest in Jillian's bedroom a few times. A full-blown lesbian, she jumped at the chance to be bedded by the well kept Jillian. And when Jillian took a liking to Monique, well, Judy was fully on board with assisting Monique into Jillian's bedroom and out of her clothes.

"Don't be nervous, Monique; we're here to have a good time. Isn't that right, Judy?"

"That is so right, Monique. Why don't you join us on the bed, Mrs. LaFond? I can show Monique all the things we like to do together, and then she can join in. How would that be?"

"That sounds splendid, Judy, if we can start by getting you out of your panties. You know how much I like to be between a pretty young woman's legs. Monique, once you see how much Judy enjoys that as well, perhaps you'll let me give you some pleasure."

"Yes, Mrs. LaFond, thank you."

"Still shy I see. Open those nice long legs for me, sweetheart."

Monique did as she requested.

"Mmm, what a pretty pussy you have. Tell me, dear, do you like rubbing yourself in the privacy of your bedroom?"

"Oh, well, um..yes."

Monique blushed at her admitting this.

"Very good, we all do, don't we, Judy?"

"Yes, ma'am. I love doing that."

Jillian got on her knees in front of Judy, reached up and pulled off her panties.

"Now, Monique, I'm going to take my time here making Judy feel good. I hope while you're watching us, you might 'enjoy yourself' a little bit. I think you'll get great enjoyment out of watching and rubbing. Ready, Judy?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am."

Judy opened her legs and laid back. Jillian parted her pussy lips with her fingers and began one of her favorite sexual activities. And yes, Monique was taken in by the sight and began slowly pleasuring herself. Another night of Old Hollywood debauchery had begun in earnest.

[muffalofan]

npcs from my blades in the dark campaign (that i never stop thinking about)

[fj0rge]

Just recently we finished our BITD campaign! So there goes a scene featuring my Whisper named Styx and his special little spirit named Salome/Sally.

[bfleuter]

A quick bust of my old Blades in the Dark leech.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Have to say, one of the biggest hurdles in introducing one of my usual gaming groups to a system like Blades in the Dark is the idea that items don't have defined stats and are instead props to twist the fiction in interesting ways. It often feels like I'm using therapy speak on a very literally minded engineer.

Player: Alright, I've spent some downtime crafting, what can I make? Me: What would you like to make : ) ? Player: Like, is there a list? Me: Nope : ) , you're limited by your imagination and what we agree would be best for the story. Player: Well are there suggested guidelines for what an appropriate item would be? What Bonuses It can give me? Me: Items don't really give bonuses : ) , now how about you tell me what emotions finishing this project stirs in your character? Player: What was even the point of this? Also stop saying ": )" I don't know how you're doing that with your mouth.

Honestly it's a fascinating study in what assumptions ttrpgs make about the people playing them: Namely that a prospective BitD player has some personal skill or desire to act as a storyteller, and doesn't put much emphasis on the nitty-gritty of the rules.