Blades in the Dark Actual Play

[Tony Vargas]

Glad to hear you're playing this thing, finally.
So far it's look'n very happy, be sure to share any bumps or issues along the way!

 

[Manbearcat]

I can see the reasoning, all good - and I'd have no doubt done things a little differently, which is also fine and to be expected

What occured to me when I read this was that player perception of their situation is probably already coloured by the fact they know whether their outcome is controlled, risky or desperate.

There's an interesting idea that you could (as an experiment) frame three different groups into identical situations - but one thinking it is 'controlled', one 'risky' and one 'desperate' and see how they play out. It's conceivable the desperate group might be in the mindset that they are moments away from being spotted by the lackey, while the controlled would see an opportunity to gather intel from an easy mark.

So I'm intrigued by the idea that the engagement roll becomes, in a certain way, self-fulfilling as it bleeds into the player's assessment of risk as the scene opens.

Sorry, been pretty busy as of late. Here is the quick run down of how the engagement roll led into the opening suite of GM/player decisions/rules interactions. Lets discuss what did/could/should have happened.

---

Alright, so we already know the Position is Controlled. Then there is the initial framing and mechanical stuff (that I'll recap right quick):

So I frame the PCs right into the action with the situation set up for success (it went something like this):

"You worm your way up the grimy ancient chute and peak out into the S&M Closet off the main hall where the hosting rooms are. The weird stink and eerie green glow of unrefined electroplasm haunts the dark of the cramped space as a small hanging lantern creaks on its hook by the door. A gaunt and disheveled lackey is going through a box of macabre devices until finally he finds what he is looking for; <keeping it clean for the faint of heart>. He hefts it over his shoulder and reaches high, struggling to unhook the electroplasm lantern. 'Damnable thing', he mumbles."

CLOCKS

So I had 3 Clocks for this Score; a pair of Linked Clocks for the PCs (Find Her at 6-ticks and Get Her Out at 4-ticks) and The Jig is Up (6-ticks) for HFS.

The player of the Lurk (again, classic Thief/Burglar etc) steps up. I'm putting this in quotes, but this is a recollection of a conversation, so its obviously abstracted, but the general thrust is correct:

Lurk: "I'm going to sneak up and put this guy in a choke hold before he gets out the door while <the player of the Slide PC> gets him to tell us where the girl is. I'll also show the guy the glint of the edge of my knife, shining green in the ectoplasmic glow...let him know I mean business. Prowl sounds good for that."

GM: "You've got 2 dots, so that is two dice. This guy should know the place well enough, but he's going to be reluctant to help you. Slugs for Hooks is gang of savages...obviously, given the trade they ply. Sometimes you're better off being dead, depending on who you're crossing. And while he is comparatively meek, adrenaline alone will make him resist. I'm thinking Standard Effect here.

How about this though. Devil’s Bargain (which to tick "The Jig is Up" only a single measly tick, but also to start a new long term clock He Gives Up Your Identity. Maybe you're making him late for some task and this guy's schedule is like clockwork?"

Lurk: "Nah, I don't think so. This is perfect for my Lurk’s 'Shadow' ability because its stealth or athletics. I'll tick my Special Armor and Push here with that (doesn't have to eat the typical 2 Stress for Push). I slink across rooms like a ghost...and when I put my hands on you its so startling that its just like you're being touched by a phantom...shocked into submission. So I'm going to pump the Effect up +1 from Standard to Great."

For those scoring at home, that means the Effect goes from:

You achieve what we’d expect as “normal” with this action. Is that enough, or is there more left

to

You achieve more than usual. How does the extra effort manifest? What additional benefit do you enjoy?

Hound: "I'm going to assist here. Once he's got his hands around this guy's neck or has his blade to the guy's throat, I'm going in to grab the guys legs to make sure he understands how hopeless his situation is. So I'll take 1 stress for +1d."

---

Alright, so that is Prowl with 3 dice (d6s), +1 Effect (Great), at Controlled Positioning.

The player of the Lurk ended up getting a 5. He didn't attempt to Resist the Consequence (because it was Controlled Positioning probably). I'll tell you what I did later. How would you have GMed that outcome [MENTION=99817]chaochou[/MENTION]?

Thanks [MENTION=996]Tony Vargas[/MENTION]. If you like the genre, I feel fairly confident that you would enjoy running or playing the game. One very interesting thing with the Apocalypse World-derived games, and especially Blades in the Dark, is how trivially you can drift genre to more "Big Damn Heroes" merely by overtly making more use of Controlled Positioning and less use of Desperate (when things go wrong, they don't go terribly wrong...signalling competency by the actors and the composite of it creating the emergent genre features as play winds on).

 

[chaochou]

Alright, so that is Prowl with 3 dice (d6s), +1 Effect (Great), at Controlled Positioning.

The player of the Lurk ended up getting a 5. He didn't attempt to Resist the Consequence (because it was Controlled Positioning probably). I'll tell you what I did later. How would you have GMed that outcome @chaochou?

Well, there's a challenge... so I'm going to just work through a few things here in a stream of consciousness way and see where we end up...

The initial position was controlled: You're exploiting a dominant position, set up for success.
The effect level is great: You achieve more than expected. If using a clock it maps to 3 ticks.

A 5 result means: You hesitate - withdraw and try a different approach or else do it with a minor consequence: a minor complication, or reduced effect, or suffer lesser harm, or you end up in a risky position.

Our situation is in a walk-in type closet off a hallway where a lackey is collecting something and struggling to unhook his lantern. Our action declarations were:

I'm going to sneak up and put this guy in a choke hold before he gets out the door while <the player of the Slide PC> gets him to tell us where the girl is. I'll also show the guy the glint of the edge of my knife, shining green in the ectoplasmic glow...let him know I mean business. Prowl sounds good for that.

and

I'm going to assist here. Once he's got his hands around this guy's neck or has his blade to the guy's throat, I'm going in to grab the guys legs to make sure he understands how hopeless his situation is. So I'll take 1 stress for +1d.

So... as the lurk and hound grab the unlucky lackey his lantern slips from it's hook with a loud crash and rolls out, still glowing brightly, into the corridor.

"The new girl?" whispers the lackey, eyes wide in fear at the sight of the knife. "Sure, I know. She's in one of the holding rooms - they're down below. But you'll need a key..."

Two gang member step out of a doorway several yards away and look down the hallway at the lamp as it rolls to a halt against the wall opposite the closet. "What the..." one says, hand on his blade. "Where's that useless Scarecrow?" mutters the other, stepping forward a couple of paces.

Mechanically, knowing roughly where the target is located, and that it's locked, has added three ticks to the 'Find Her' clock, but the focus on our heroes' point of entry just moved the situation to risky. Is this situation risky? It feels risky to me, but not desperate.

That would be one way of doing it. Of course, there are countless possibilities, that's just what came to mind as I typed!

I wonder how it went down?

 

[Manbearcat]

Well, there's a challenge... so I'm going to just work through a few things here in a stream of consciousness way and see where we end up...

The initial position was controlled: You're exploiting a dominant position, set up for success.
The effect level is great: You achieve more than expected. If using a clock it maps to 3 ticks.

A 5 result means: You hesitate - withdraw and try a different approach or else do it with a minor consequence: a minor complication, or reduced effect, or suffer lesser harm, or you end up in a risky position.

Our situation is in a walk-in type closet off a hallway where a lackey is collecting something and struggling to unhook his lantern. Our action declarations were:

So... as the lurk and hound grab the unlucky lackey his lantern slips from it's hook with a loud crash and rolls out, still glowing brightly, into the corridor.

"The new girl?" whispers the lackey, eyes wide in fear at the sight of the knife. "Sure, I know. She's in one of the holding rooms - they're down below. But you'll need a key..."

Two gang member step out of a doorway several yards away and look down the hallway at the lamp as it rolls to a halt against the wall opposite the closet. "What the..." one says, hand on his blade. "Where's that useless Scarecrow?" mutters the other, stepping forward a couple of paces.

Mechanically, knowing roughly where the target is located, and that it's locked, has added three ticks to the 'Find Her' clock, but the focus on our heroes' point of entry just moved the situation to risky. Is this situation risky? It feels risky to me, but not desperate.

That would be one way of doing it. Of course, there are countless possibilities, that's just what came to mind as I typed!

That is good stuff mate. I agree across the board:

1) 3 ticks for the PCs' "Find Her" clock and the relevant info for Greater Effect.
2) Move the action forward with a new obstacle.
3) You've moved the Position from Controlled to Risky as a result of 5.

I agree with you on 3. Assuming these are normal gang members and not truly dangerous adversaries, the situation is Risky. 3 on 2 against standard guys is Risky (the PCs can still get hurt and the situation can definitely escalate). 3 on 2 versus master duelists/assassins/brawlers (etc)...or if the circumstances surrounding the potential skirmish are extremely dangerous (spatial or temporal), then we're definitely talking Desperate.

So for any following on that are trying to get a grip on how Blades in the Dark moves along, chaochou's example is a great one.

I wonder how it went down?

Bit different than yours but also similar in a couple very relevant ways:

a) The precarious electroplasmic lantern was the lynchpin (my guess is if you asked a lot of folks to do this, many/most of their minds would go their as well).

b) I took the opportunity to move the Position from Controlled to Risky.

I think (b) above is very relevant. Personally, I think that is a big part of GMing Blades. The 7-9 result is so fundamental to PBtA systems, so you want (i) PCs accepting Devil's Bargains and (ii) to get Position in the vicinity of Risky much of the time. If the PCs can establish Controlled Position, lets use our complication opportunities to move that Position right back to threatening or worse!

Interestingly, I had the girl above (rather than below as you did)! In short order, the subdued lackey relayed that she was being kept in the master suite (this is an abandoned coal mine...so...the equivalent) three switchbacks above them. She is the prize possession of the gang's vice den (being a noblewoman's daughter) so she always has a few handlers guarding her and high-end clientele involved in any...purchases (ewwww)...

Now what does flesh contact with unrefined electroplasm do to a person? Didn't know before this moment. It is "the distilled essence of the ghost field, rendered from demon blood." So I'm thinking maybe it can turn a person, or part of them, ethereal...but not in a good way? Maybe they see ghosts or hear them suddenly? Maybe the demon blood of the leviathans of the black sea corrupts them and turns them into the equivalent of 28 Days Later zombies (but demon-spawn rather than flesh-hungry creatures spawned from disease)?

Anyway...

He quickly finishes a panicked vomiting forth of the info above...then...the pendulum swinging lantern unhooks...trundles through the air (slow-mo-like) and the glass smashes on his head, releasing the small bit of unrefined electroplasm inside onto our poor lackey's head!

In a weird Predator-like deal, as the glowing green-black goop trickles down his head onto his face, he immediately starts to fade out in those places. His body starts convulsing and poltergeist activity begins to manifest in the small walk-in-closet. Objects elevate off the ground from nothing and begin to accelerate every-which-way...some of these objects are pointy bits...all of these objects make racket!

Our Slide says something to the equivalent of:

Slide: "I know a bit of everything. I know some kind of ghost is channeling through this guy. I've got to break that link to the ghost field. I've seen it done a time or two...casting out of spirits. I'm going to touch the guy's head, say the words and try to project myself to cast the spirit out. I've got "Rook's Gambit", so I'm taking 2 Stress to use my highest Action Dots (2) for Attune."

None of the players can think of a way to assist (or don't care to), so they don't. I come up with the following Devil's Bargain related to the Slide PC's vice - Pleasure (Art):

GM: "This guy has an intricately carved wooden eye-patch with crushed velvet backing. He’s probably a former leviathan hunter because he’s carrying a battered posture and what looks to be a fishing line scare that crosses his face right where his eye was taken. The patch rendering is that of a demonic leviathan attacking a lonely fishing vessel on the black sea. I mean, if you’re down on your luck at some point and you need to make it liquid, this thing is definitely 1 Coin…maybe 2 with the right buyer! Problem is, its possibly one of a kind, so that means two things; (1) you're going to get +2 Heat the moment you legitimately look into a buyer/fence and (2) the buyer/fence better be discreet or word is going to get out on where it came from!"

The player takes the Devil's Bargain for a 3rd d6. The PC deftly slips the eyepatch from the fading man's face before it goes fully ethereal too.

Now Effect on this one was kind of difficult to figure. The PC had no tools or arcane capacity to assist in this. However, I wasn't going for some kind of serious supernatural intrusion here. I described it as something like "if Egon from Ghostbusters was there, he would probably call it a Class 3 (out of 10) Phantasm or something " So I made it a wash; Standard Effect.

So Attune @ 3d6, Risky Position, Standard Effect.

Player got a 4. I won't tell you what I came up with yet, but I will tell you that the player chose to roll Resistance!

So what do you think about all of the above and what would you have done if the situation turned out like this (and do you think one of your players would have rolled Resistance)?

For anyone reading along, a PC rolls Resistance when they want to reduce the severity of, if not outright avoid (which would likely happen only on Controlled position), a consequence. They automatically succeed. The roll determines how much Stress they eat in the process. They roll their Action Rating worth of d6. They subtract their highest rolled die from 6 and eat that much Stress. If they get a Critical (roll a pair of 6s), they actually clear 1 Stress.

 

[chaochou]

So what do you think about all of the above...

It all looks grand to me. And actually, in the way it evolves and having focused on a couple of examples I'm seeing some fairly obvious parallels with the Apocalypse Engine.

I had also looked at the idea of shattering the lantern - I'd had it rolling across the corridor leaking electroplasmic fuel and whatnot. But when I jumped around the book looking at some of the stuff written on electroplasm I decided - for the sake of this example - that I didn't want to go there

and what would you have done if the situation turned out like this (and do you think one of your players would have rolled Resistance)?

If it's okay I'm going to duck the direct question, and instead discuss why I'm not answering...

The Attune action is the Blades equivalent of Open Your Mind in Apoc World. And in my experience, Opening Your Mind is the most gonzo, unpredictable - and frankly - difficult of the basic moves to interpret on a fail or a 7-9. It's heavily dependent on how the group has approached the psychic maelstrom, how it's interpreted, what powers or effects are viewed by the group as plausible. So it takes some feel and negotiation with the group to establish what can happen.

For example, one of my group announced they were going to Open their Mind to the maelstrom to see a particular location they knew really well (they were in a bind away from the hardhold) and then announced they were going to step through the maelstrom to return there... some tables would be 'no way, that's not happening..' My table was 'That's so cool, I hope for your sake you make the roll, man...'

I really can't tell you how I'd MC the attune roll - this would be a spot where I would start putting feelers out to the group (not just the slide's player) and seeing how enthusiastic the reaction was. For example, I might be looking at some sort of wierd possession by the lackey - maybe taking on his awkward, hunched walk or something crazy.... and see how that went down... but I could also see the dying lackey's ghost learning an uncomfortable or compromising truth about our Slide and remaining to haunt the tunnels looking for living agents to take revenge by meddling in later scores...

 

[Manbearcat]

It all looks grand to me. And actually, in the way it evolves and having focused on a couple of examples I'm seeing some fairly obvious parallels with the Apocalypse Engine.

I had also looked at the idea of shattering the lantern - I'd had it rolling across the corridor leaking electroplasmic fuel and whatnot. But when I jumped around the book looking at some of the stuff written on electroplasm I decided - for the sake of this example - that I didn't want to go there

Yup and gotcha.

If it's okay I'm going to duck the direct question, and instead discuss why I'm not answering...

The Attune action is the Blades equivalent of Open Your Mind in Apoc World. And in my experience, Opening Your Mind is the most gonzo, unpredictable - and frankly - difficult of the basic moves to interpret on a fail or a 7-9. It's heavily dependent on how the group has approached the psychic maelstrom, how it's interpreted, what powers or effects are viewed by the group as plausible. So it takes some feel and negotiation with the group to establish what can happen.

For example, one of my group announced they were going to Open their Mind to the maelstrom to see a particular location they knew really well (they were in a bind away from the hardhold) and then announced they were going to step through the maelstrom to return there... some tables would be 'no way, that's not happening..' My table was 'That's so cool, I hope for your sake you make the roll, man...'

I really can't tell you how I'd MC the attune roll - this would be a spot where I would start putting feelers out to the group (not just the slide's player) and seeing how enthusiastic the reaction was. For example, I might be looking at some sort of wierd possession by the lackey - maybe taking on his awkward, hunched walk or something crazy.... and see how that went down... but I could also see the dying lackey's ghost learning an uncomfortable or compromising truth about our Slide and remaining to haunt the tunnels looking for living agents to take revenge by meddling in later scores...

Absolutely and agreed on all:

1) It is definitely the AW Open Your Mind move analogue.
2) They both are fundamental genre drift (gonzo, nature of the supernatural, et al) components in each game that have to be established as a table consensus.

Alright then, so lets back things up to your hypothetical evolution of the situation:

So... as the lurk and hound grab the unlucky lackey his lantern slips from it's hook with a loud crash and rolls out, still glowing brightly, into the corridor.

"The new girl?" whispers the lackey, eyes wide in fear at the sight of the knife. "Sure, I know. She's in one of the holding rooms - they're down below. But you'll need a key..."

Two gang member step out of a doorway several yards away and look down the hallway at the lamp as it rolls to a halt against the wall opposite the closet. "What the..." one says, hand on his blade. "Where's that useless Scarecrow?" mutters the other, stepping forward a couple of paces.

Mechanically, knowing roughly where the target is located, and that it's locked, has added three ticks to the 'Find Her' clock, but the focus on our heroes' point of entry just moved the situation to risky.

Alright, so tell me how you'd handle this:

Slide: I give <Lurk> a subtle look to let this 'Scarecrow' out of his hold. I pat and straighten the poor man's tattered coat and look him in the eye with an over-enthusiastic smile. I lean in close and whisper. "Fix this. You fumbled trying to unhook your lantern. Simple. Stay in line of sight of the doorway." I lead him with my eyes over to <Hound's> coat where his guns are on his belt and nod. "If you don't fix this, he turns your head into a canoe. If you begin to move away from the door...he turns your head into a canoe." I look back at the lackey and raise my eyebrows. "Got it? Good." I grasp his shoulders and turn him toward the open door and give him a helping nudge that way so he intercepts the gang members.

I'm going to eat 2 Stress to use Rook's Gambit so I can Command with my 2 dots from Sway here. I know how to turn charm into deadly insinuation. I've done it a time or two!

Also, can I trade Effect for Position here (assuming Standard Effect); Controlled for Limited? I'm getting him out there pretty quickly, and with a plan, so he should be able to at least bumble his way toward diffusing the situation?

Hound: Yeah, when <Slide> pulls the gaze gaze toward my hips, I'm going to open my coat and show 'Scarecrow' my well-cared for Templeton & Slanes. I tap one on the butt with my thumb and give him a slight, menacing smirk as I do.

And I want this to be Set Up to move the Effect back to Standard. I've given him plenty of incentive!

Lurk: I'm putting the glint of my blade in his line of sight before I set him free and I'm giving him a squeeze on the back of his neck to intimately remind him of the threat hanging over him.

Assist <Slide's> Command for 1 Stress to me but +1d.

---

So 3d6 Command (3 Stress to the good guys) and whatever final Position and Effect. So:

a) What default Effect Level are you going with?
b) What do you think of the Position:Effect negotiation? Final outcome of Controlled:Standard?
c) If you would, roll those 3d6 for Comand, tell me what you get and what happens next?

 

[chaochou]

So 3d6 Command (3 Stress to the good guys) and whatever final Position and Effect.
So:
a) What default Effect Level are you going with?
b) What do you think of the Position:Effect negotiation? Final outcome of Controlled:Standard?
c) If you would, roll those 3d6 for Comand, tell me what you get and what happens next?

Well now, lots to think about. Again, rambling, and let's take it as a given that there would be backchat, kibbitzing and negotiation in a live game...

I'd be making the Slide's initial action declaration Risky / Limited. He's having to act in a hurry and there's no reason yet to believe Scarecrow is a willing accomplice or any reason to believe we won't kill him anyway. So no trading effect for position. The hound's action is, to me, a +1d assist since it's reinforcing what the Slide just said.

That leaves the Lurk with an option to contribute, but assuming he can't we've got Command: 3d6, Risky, Limited (+3 stress).
The 3d6 roll comes out at 4, 5, 6. Decent roll for the good guys: You do it.

"Scarecrow lurches out of the closet across the corridor, cursing his luck, genuinely miserable and barely registering the two thugs watching his movements. He stoops to pick up the lantern, and as he rises he looks up towards them.
"What yer looking at, yer pair of whore-sons?" he spits."

Okay - so for me this is an immediate Fortune roll. Is the lackey convincing? Is there something wrong or unusual about his behaviour? Has he overstepped the mark with his insult?

The gang is Tier 1 for 1d, and the thugs know Scarecrow well for +1d advantage.
Scarecrow is Tier 1 for 1d, and he's getting +1d advantage for the limited success on the command.

Thugs get: 6, 1.
Lackey gets: 3, 6.

One 6 each, a draw - so let's see...

"Down the corridor you hear one man laugh, moving away. But the other is approaching fast, bootsteps hard and angry against the stone, accelerating, his voice rising in anger..
"Whore-son, is it? Breaking our lanterns, is it? Skiving off work, is it? You're gonna regret this day, miserable, stinking, sack of..."
"The lackey's lantern light flashes off the honed edge of a wicked looking blade, held low and forward, as the thug strides into view, tensing to strike.
"He's moments away from knifing the lackey in the ribs... what do you do?"


There you go...plenty to work with

 

[Manbearcat]

Alright, have some good system stuff to analyze here now!

Just a couple of things for those reading along who don't understand what happened here:

1) GM denied the Slide's attempt to negotiate Position for Effect.

2) GM adjudicated the Hound's attempt to make a Set Up move as an Assist move instead.

3) GM adjudicated that instead of the Command Action doing all the heavy lifting here to resolve the immediate problem, its being discretized into two separate procedures with the order of operations being:

a) Command determines if the lackey ("Scarecrow") complies with the PCs' demands...

then...

b) a GM Fortune roll should determine what happens when the NPCs interact. (p34; "When you need to make a determination about a situation the PCs aren’t directly involved in and don’t want to simply decide the outcome.")

I think it can be up for debate of "directly involved" is meant to mean "offscreen" (eg a gang Turf battle or a takeover or a Bluecoat crackdown or something) or not, but you can handle it both ways (Command handling all of it or going Command > Fortune). If you go with the latter, you're bumping up the grit, the risk, and dampening the abstraction, so that is certainly a (legit) table decision.

Well now, lots to think about. Again, rambling, and let's take it as a given that there would be backchat, kibbitzing and negotiation in a live game...

I'd be making the Slide's initial action declaration Risky / Limited. He's having to act in a hurry and there's no reason yet to believe Scarecrow is a willing accomplice or any reason to believe we won't kill him anyway. So no trading effect for position.

The hound's action is, to me, a +1d assist since it's reinforcing what the Slide just said.

So (for anyone reading along trying to understand the game) we have two mechanical things going on here; Position/Effect Negotiation and adjudicating Assist vs Setup. I'm going to smash them together below as if this was going down a the table.

Risky/Limited as the initial default sounds good to me, and your reasoning to being resistant to Position/Effect Negotiation of the Slide is certainly fair enough and makes sense. However, what if the player of the Hound says:

Hound: "Well, while my guy is going in the middle of <Slide's> Command move (so it makes sense to adjudicate as Assist, thus eat 1 stress for +1d), I'm thinking my guy is going before the lackey who is doing the heavy lifting here. I'm thinking I'm increasing his Potency, by inspiring him to put his back into this thing. So can I increase the Effect from Limited to Standard maybe?"

At the table, the GM would convey that their going with the Command then Fortune roll. So then the Hound says..."alright, well...Set Up doesn't work directly with Fortune Rolls. How about this? Can I just give the lackey an extra die for a Major Advantage due to my...errrr...inspiration?"

---

Obviously the outcome would be the same; they both got a 6 so they get Good Results/some of what they want (assuming "some of what they want" is a confrontation for the gang members after "Scarecrow" shows back up and subsequently insults them). But what do you think about the above?

 

[chaochou]

Thanks for the clarifying explanations for anyone else trying to make sense of all this. I'm going to pitch back in with more thoughts.

3) GM adjudicated that instead of the Command Action doing all the heavy lifting here to resolve the immediate problem, its being discretized into two separate procedures with the order of operations being:

a) Command determines if the lackey ("Scarecrow") complies with the PCs' demands...

then...

b) a GM Fortune roll should determine what happens when the NPCs interact. (p34; "When you need to make a determination about a situation the PCs aren’t directly involved in and don’t want to simply decide the outcome.")

...you're bumping up the grit, the risk, and dampening the abstraction, so that is certainly a (legit) table decision.

In this circumstance my instinct said there are enough really interesting variations that it's worth making the combined rolls - it's helping me give more nuance to this moment of complex interactions, and we're at a critical stage of the score, a tense moment when the direction the score takes is all on the line.

And I really don't want to simply decide. I'm playing to find out what happens as much as the players, which is a key principle in this game (and Apocalypse World, Burning Wheel, etc). That also led me to the dice.

However, what if the player of the Hound says:

Hound: "Well, while my guy is going in the middle of <Slide's> Command move (so it makes sense to adjudicate as Assist, thus eat 1 stress for +1d), I'm thinking my guy is going before the lackey who is doing the heavy lifting here. I'm thinking I'm increasing his Potency, by inspiring him to put his back into this thing. So can I increase the Effect from Limited to Standard maybe?"

At the table, the GM would convey that their going with the Command then Fortune roll. So then the Hound says..."alright, well...Set Up doesn't work directly with Fortune Rolls. How about this? Can I just give the lackey an extra die for a Major Advantage due to my...errrr...inspiration?"

Well, I'm not buying it but I'd make a counter-offer

Here's my reasoning - this dude is, as far as we know at the moment, a total stranger and he's just been grabbed by three trespassers who are threatening to blow his brains out unless he gets rid of the people who might prevent that. What kind of offer is this? Where's the trust? And how the hell can he 'act natural' in this situation?

The heart of the problem is the lack of relationship between our crew and this lackey. So if any player wants to get the effect higher than limited they can do a flashback scene. Like where they met as strangers and he remembers them as someone who helped him out for no apparent reason, or could have done him over but didn't. Up to the player to suggest something that might imply a reason to trust them now. But in my mind, scenes might be things like saving him from getting roughed up by some street toughs, or helping him give a Bluecoat the slip when he was spotted stealing something.

Another good reason to do this is we start to put flesh on the bones of NPC Scarecrow as more than a throw-away bit part character in our score. He's got potential to be a central figure in the crime if the actions and ideas (and the dice) fall that way.

How does that sound?

 

[Manbearcat]

Thanks for the clarifying explanations for anyone else trying to make sense of all this. I'm going to pitch back in with more thoughts.

No problem mate I'm going to work my way backward on this one if that's alright.

Well, I'm not buying it but I'd make a counter-offer

Here's my reasoning - this dude is, as far as we know at the moment, a total stranger and he's just been grabbed by three trespassers who are threatening to blow his brains out unless he gets rid of the people who might prevent that. What kind of offer is this? Where's the trust? And how the hell can he 'act natural' in this situation?

The heart of the problem is the lack of relationship between our crew and this lackey. So if any player wants to get the effect higher than limited they can do a flashback scene. Like where they met as strangers and he remembers them as someone who helped him out for no apparent reason, or could have done him over but didn't. Up to the player to suggest something that might imply a reason to trust them now. But in my mind, scenes might be things like saving him from getting roughed up by some street toughs, or helping him give a Bluecoat the slip when he was spotted stealing something.

Another good reason to do this is we start to put flesh on the bones of NPC Scarecrow as more than a throw-away bit part character in our score. He's got potential to be a central figure in the crime if the actions and ideas (and the dice) fall that way.

How does that sound?

Awesome, thanks for bringing up Flashbacks (I was going to bring them up soon enough, but this is a perfect spot here).

For folks reading along, Blades doesn't distinguish between Actions taken in the present and a quick interlude that looks back in time at a moment that directly influences the present situation. Now influences is the key word here. It can't cancel out or fundamentally change the nature of a Complication or something happening in the fiction, but, assuming things go right in the Action roll, something the PCs did in the past will help them deal with the situation now.

So, @chaochou isn't compelled at the table to buy-in to his players move here. So the Hound player proposes a Flashback:

Hound: "I come out of a secret door in an alley-way as Scarecrow is sprinting toward me (he was a younger man then, but we both recognize each other well enough now). He loudly whispers 'Bluecoats'! I bang on the fence that he was about to climb a few times and then say 'this way'. We tuck into the secret door, shut the latch and stoop sprint down the tunnel. When it empties out, he tries to reimburse me with a half-eaten stale sandwich. I say 'nah...you'll get me back one day' and we go our separate ways.' Back in the present we lock eyes and recall instantly. I say 'this is your one day'. I don't menace him with the pistols, but I show them they're there."

So GM chaochou now figures out (a) a Stress cost for the PC (0, 1, or 2) and (b) if an Action or Fortune roll is required to determine how that goes.

In this circumstance my instinct said there are enough really interesting variations that it's worth making the combined rolls - it's helping me give more nuance to this moment of complex interactions, and we're at a critical stage of the score, a tense moment when the direction the score takes is all on the line.

And I really don't want to simply decide. I'm playing to find out what happens as much as the players, which is a key principle in this game (and Apocalypse World, Burning Wheel, etc). That also led me to the dice.

Yup, I gotcha. On this, I'm going to use Blades text to convey my thoughts to folks who are thinking of running Blades or any other Story Now game with conflict resolution mechanics in which the zoom can go from tightly focused and granular to very broad and abstract:

1) (Blades p 196) "Zoom the action in and out. We resolve uncertain and challenging situations with the roll of the dice. But what should the scope of these rolls be? Do we resolve the whole fight in one roll, or do we zoom in to each exchange of blows? By design, the game is fairly flexible on this point. Sometimes you’ll want to resolve a lot of action with one roll and sometimes you’ll want to get down to very small moments of action. Think of it like a dial that the group can turn during play to zoom the focus in and out from the broad to the specific."

This should be explicit. Talk to the table about it as its happening. They'll let you know the best way to proceed in the moment.

2) (Blades p 198) "Don’t say no. There’s almost always a better answer than “no” or “you can’t do that.” Offer a Devil’s Bargain!"

Notice how @chaochou didn't just say "no". He proposed a Flashback (which of course has cost or risk). That is fundamentally proper GMing these sorts of games.

3) (Blades p 198) Don’t hold back on what they earn. If they get into position, make the roll, and have their effect, they get what they earned."


So, in this situation, 1-3 would be my concern for burgeoning GMs who want to play Blades or other games like this. If the players think that we're eliding some of the action scene with the Slide's Command Action/resolution exclusively doing the heavy lifting to determine the outcome of the Scarecrow/gang members showdown...then we go with a Command > Fortune, we're messing with 1 and 3 in their eyes. In such a case, they're surely to go because they were expecting the 6 on their Limited Effect Command to partially defeat the obstacle or change the situation advantageously. In which case they're expecting the fiction to (positively) move forward to the next player Action phase where they attempt to deal with whatever is left of that obstacle due to the Limited Effect or to the next obstacle between them and the noblewoman's daughter. Instead, we're going with a Fortune roll before the players declare their next action. Should that Fortune roll go poorly and things escalate, they're now in the middle of handling a growing problem that they had perceived as "half-defeated" or "de-escalated" (eg "back to square one"...or worse). Even if the game/board-state won't have adversely changed (eg the Clock they're working against won't have ticked and/or their Position won't have gone from Risky to Desperate), the fiction (when they are able to next make a "move") won't have progressed positively/moved forward. If the game/board-state also adversely changes as a result of the Fortune roll (again, Clock-ticking or adverse Position), then the (real life) table-state also becomes adversarial.

So I would just say to new Blades GMs (and really, any GMs in Story Now systems), always make the level of zoom and what the action is resolving transparent in play. In Blades, this should come out pretty trivially in the basic conversation at the table and Action Goal + the mechanics of Position, and Effect. In chaochou[/menton] 's game, the table conversation surrounding the Slide PCs Command effort (and the Hound's Set Up/Assist that turns into a Flashback) would suss all of this out and it wouldn't be a problem. It would be clear up front what Command is handling and then that we're consulting a Fortune roll for the NPC interaction.

I bring this up because I know 1-3 are definitely pitfalls for even long term GMs (especially those who don't have much exposure to these sorts of games).

---

That all sound good? Where do you want to go from here?

Any interested parties have any questions?

Interestingly, my guess is that if D&D 4e GMs would run Blades (with competing Progress Clocks, Position/Effect), they would be better at understanding, conceiving and running Skill Challenges. Further still, my guess is that if D&D 4e wasn't killed dead and they could iterate Skill Challenges again, Blades tech could enhance the mechanical/mental overhead experience.