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My latest video is a setting analysis of Blades in the Dark! While I read Blades, I wondered why anyone would resort to a life of crime in a city filled with well-armed police and ravenous ghosts. By using a 19th century crime treatise, and some 21st century economics papers, I theorize about what compels Duskwallers to abandon their 9 to 5s.

Transcript here!

fireleaptfromhousetohouse

alexxuun

A mini PHM comic about Grace growing old. I wanted to explore two ideas: Rocky dealing with Grace’s dementia and Grace wanting to donate his body to science. I spend so much time on figuring out the dialogue (some part still feel clunky to me) but I hope it express my thoughts on where I think Grace’s life would go :)

Title is based on a song by M83

vmzoid

when in doubt, keep it to yourself

every time the crew gets into a rivalry with another it just comes down to this

#blades in the dark #meme #bitd #blades in the dark meme #forged in the dark #fitd

honourablejester

Blades in the Dark Random Crew Concepts

A few random, not particularly detailed thoughts for BitD Crews:

Little Whispers. Amidst the raucous, crowded alleys and tenements of Charhollow, sometimes quieter whispers can be heard. Children, in particular, swap secret stories of a Whispering Lady. The Little Whispers are a Cult of urchins devoted to a mysterious figure, ready and eager to carry out her obscure workings. Reputation: Strange.

Spokers, a crew of Charterhall Bravos specialising in academic sabotage. “Let’s be blunt here, eh? Intellectual brilliance is all well and good, but when it’s down to the wire, a spoke in your rival’s wheel is what you really need.” Reputation: Savvy.

The Sleepers. “None of this fancy pissing about. This is Coalridge, yeah? Brickston. Down here there’s only one language anyone listens to.” A railyard wrecking crew carving out turf in one of the city’s roughest areas, you mess with the Bravos crew of The Sleepers at your peril. Reputation: Brutal.

Gaspers. Dunslough is grim on the absolute best of days, a pit from which there’s no escape. Unless you know the right people. The Last Gaspers are a Smugglers crew who aim to corner the market on getting things (items, information, people) into and out of Ironhook, Dunslough and the surrounding areas. Reputation: Honourable.

The Tailors, a small crew of bespoke Assassins who’ve set up shop in the back rooms of a tasteful boutique in Nightmarket. “We do cutting and stitching in a range of styles to suit our patrons’ preferences. Discretion guaranteed!” Reputation: Professional.

Miriam’s Teas, a Silkshore specialty shop and purveyor of tailored experiences. And no, not the tawdry sort, although those may be added for a consideration. Hawkers of some refinement, Miriam’s specialises in … nostalgia, delicacies. Teas that taste like a world that still has a sun. Mementos of far flung homes. Specialty items. Experiences. Reputation: Subtle.

The Magnolias, a genteel ladies’ society of deceptively spry Six Towers dowagers who moonlight as Shadows. A little light thievery to liven up the day, and bring some sparkle back into these tired old mansions, restoring Six Towers to at least a little of its former glory. Reputation: Daring.

The Brethren of Light, a small but hopefully pervasive Cult among the students and instructors of Doskvol Academy on Whitecrown, who worship a great glowing leviathan far out to sea, and hope one day soon to turn North Hook Lighthouse into a grand summons. Reputation: Ambitious.

This actually fell out broadly by district, and covers most of the crew types, too. If I wanted to fully finish it out, there’d be one more each of an Assassins, Hawkers, Shadows and Smugglers crews, divided among the remaining four districts of Barrowcleft, Brightshore, Crow’s Foot and The Docks. So, you know. If anyone feels like filling in those blanks, feel free?

I do actually really want to play the Little Whispers and the Magnolias.

#love your concepts!!!#bitd

real-language-facts

translation is impossoble you cant do it

motormouthedfool

bitches be like "do i have a personality disorder or am i just looking for attention or am i just trying to find excuses for behaving the way i do"

im bitches

Demons in Blades in the Dark don't get nearly enough hype imo, just the element + desire descriptors go such a long way to kickstart cool ideas. Fucking watch me roll these 2d6. Ok air and freedom here we go

The demon is formless. Any physical form is, obviously, so woefully binding.

The demon is voiceless. It does not interact with people in the common sense and gathers no cults. By accepting worship you engage in a social contract, and those are made to bind. By agreeing to deals it would bind itself, rob itself of its freedom, make itself lesser.

The demon is nameless. A name is the most binding thing there is. No ritual could capture a demon whose name the caster doesn't know. A surefire way to incur this demon's wrath is to name it. Any appellation, title or moniker, if widespread enough, will worm its way through the minds of people into becoming true, and thus binding. As soon as a name is born, it must be rooted out, by any force necessary.

The demon is thus, well, unpredictable. It does need to fulfill its desire, so it helps those who are bound to become free. Subtly, carefully, but a careful nudge here and there goes a long way. As the saying goes, the flap of a butterfly's wing in one place leads to a hurricane in another.

The demon is the spring in the step of a child chasing a rat through the maze of streets and alleys. It is the ringing of a Dagger Islander pirate cutlass and the wind in their ship's sails, it is the squall whipping the Skovlan flag above the kingdom's last fortress before it's turned to ash by artillery fire. It's the cold whispering draught in the halls of Ironhook prison when the rioting inmates blow the cellblock door off its hinges, and the stale air in the breathing mask of a deathlands scavenger who finally broke free from the clutches of the big city.

It is there, unseen, formless, voiceless, nameless, where people are bound and wish not to be.

Perhaps, with any luck, when your crew's scoundrels throw caution to the wind next time, the wind will be there to save their skin. Just this once.

#could've done better with the wind puns. not remotely enough.#ttrpg ideas #blades in the dark #ttrpg #bitd

waking up to this for the first time feels like what cockroaches in the kitchen at night feel when you turn on the lights

cryptcttrpgs

Converting the Monster Manual for Legend in the Mist #1 The Aarakocras

I'm converting all the monster in the D&D2024 monster manual into narrative Challenge Profiles for Legend in the Mist!

First up is the Aarakocra Skirmisher and Aeromancer, these are quite straightforward low CR fighters but they do have the unique feature of flight which I tried to work in through their regenerating flight/swoop statuses, let me know what you think. More monsters coming soon... Aboleth next!