Blades in the Dark is awesome and here's why... Part 1

Just like how the game is run, 

we're going to jump right into the score with our first obstacle in many TTRPGS, character creation.

Pun intended.

Character creation is fluid and organic.

Each choice informs the next and it is all grounded within the setting. It is an 8 step process that begins by choosing a playbook or your character's "class". In Blades, player's take on the role of diverse scoundrels; or rogues in the typical fantasy setting. So rogue players rejoice, this game is for you, though a lot of players can get enjoyment out of it. Blades does not exist in your typical fantasy setting however.

Next you choose your heritage, a detail of where you're from, and your background, with a note of what you did before joining your crew and becoming a scoundrel.

Step 4 is assigning your four action dots, which are essentially the skills of the game. These cannot be placed willy-willy. One must be placed to reflect the character's heritage, and a second to reflect the background choice. These decisions are justified by the player to the GM and the other players at the table. This is fantastic because it allows player's to still choose whatever they want in terms of skills, but they are already thinking of their backstory and how they fit into the world.

Typically, in Dungeons & Dragons people that want to engage in the roleplaying will choose skills based on the background and class of their character in a similar fashion, but they don't necessarily have to.

After assigning action dots you get to choose your special ability based on the playbook. This is essentially your unique class skill that can pack a lot of punch and is also somewhat informed by the choices made previously. A player in one of the games I was running said something along the lines of  "Hmm, this special ability does not fit with what she's all about, so I think I'll go with this one instead." I couldn't have been happier.

Step 6 is one of my favourite parts in that you choose a close friend and a rival which is listed on the playbook. It looks like this:

This choice easily and quickly creates interesting NPCs that are instantly connected to the player and the player gets to decide how and to what extent. In addition, the player and character are connected to the setting even if "oh no both my parents are dead and I'm an only child". 

When creating my character I chose Veleris, a spy and said that she provides me with information on my targets. My rival was Casta, a bounty hunter who would compete with me for targets and we would often get into somewhat friendly brawls in the pub. Both of those stories just naturally appeared in my head and they felt true to the setting and the character I was creating. No prior backstory writing needed.

Next is the vice, which is tied to the stress relief mechanic built into the game. You provide a detail of the vice and who provides you with it. Another NPC creation tool for players and the GM. This can be drinking, gambling, drugs, lavish spending. This amongst other choices is left intentionally ambiguous and generic to allow players to create the details for themselves.

The final step is to record your character's name, alias and look. Fairly straightforward. What is nice in Blades is that it provides some examples to get you started. Nice touch.

In writing this I had intended it to be one post, but I think this will need to get broken up into several parts. There's a lot to talk.

Thanks for reading and roll well,

Mack.