Blades in the Dark

Time was running out. This was supposed to be a quick in-and-out job and they had run into much greater resistance than they had been expecting. It would seem that their intel was off and that never boded well. Legend clung to the shadows, watching over their point of egress... it was currently clear, but it wouldn't be for much longer.

Just as she was beginning to worry about about the others in her crew, they came out of the house's master bedroom, with their Lurk, Little Bird, carrying an ornate box under her arm. At least the trip wasn't going to be for nothing.

"What kept you?" Legend asked.

The team's Hunter, Valor spoke up. "Little Bird had some difficulties with the safe. Apparently, the safe had been recently upgraded and our sources neglected to mention that. Plus, Haven got into a lengthy chat with a local spirit. No idea what that was about."

Legend looked over at Haven, whose posture was neutral and while wearing a hood and mask, was completely unreadable. She new better than to ask them what was going on.

"Well, we got what we came for, let's get out of here."

As they turned toward the exit, a group of guards came into the house via their exit point. The guards leveled their halberds towards the rogues as the Captain of the Guard stepped forward. "I'll be taking that back, thank you."

Valor gripped his rifle and scanned the room. There were too many guards for him to take down and Legend was not a fighter.

"I don't think so," Legend said. "Not without some assurances."

"You're trespassing on Lord Strathmill's lands. You will receive no assurances from me. Surrender now and perhaps your prison term will be lenient."

Haven stepped forward, drawing a quizzical look from Legend. "Someone would like to speak with you," the Whisper said in a far-off tone of voice. The room's temperature dropped and an ethereal form materialized before the Captain of the Guard. "Aris, you filthy dog! You killed me! You were supposed to be my betrothed!"

The spirit's voice filled the hall and her hollow features burned with an icy hatred. The guards looked at the Captain in shock. "You killed your fiancée? Why would you do that?"

"This apparition speaks lies," the Captain said with much less confidence than he had hoped. "It is merely an echo of the woman I once loved. It cannot hurt us."

"Can't I?" The Captain was lifted from the ground by his neck by the spirit of his murdered fiancée and the morale of the guards broke, fleeing from the terrible visage before them.

The crew walked around the dangling Captain and slipped out the door, making sure to head in a different direction from the guards. "Good job, Haven! Feel free to release the Captain whenever we're clear."

Haven shrugged. "I promised her vengeance. I can't control her any longer at this point." As the crew slipped into the darkened streets of Duskvol, at the city's center, a bell tolled.

In a World of Perpetual Night, Only the Skilled Survive

Carve out your place in the city of Duskvol.

The world of Blades in the Dark is a fearsome place. Years ago, the sky was shattered, blacking out the sun and casting the world into a state of perpetual darkness. Accompanying this darkness were the restless spirits of the dead, arisen from the Earth and seeking blood. Only the cities were able to shield themselves from this onslaught and often only barely.

The city of Duskvol is a sprawling city, with buildings stacked on top of buildings in order to make room for the citizens that call this city home. Powered by powerful electric lamps and surrounded by an enormous fence of electricity to hold the spirits outside at bay, a handful of influential people hold the power, while most toil away in industrial pits to ensure the city runs. The adept form crews, who seek to carve out a section of the city for themselves, where they can live free from the city masters. But many others want the same and holding what you've claimed can be difficult.

Can you survive in this haunted, neo-Victorian city that holds the darkness at bay by the city's own will, or will you be one of the many swallowed up in the darkness?

Epic Heists in a Haunted, Industrial World.

Blades in the Dark is a low-dice, low-prep system, forged by narrative details and the player's creativity. The pioneer of the Forged in the Dark system, this system skips past the extensive planning and dives headlong into the action, handling the preparations via flashbacks, rather than hammering out every detail for hours.

Blades in the Dark is broken into a series of phases, focusing on the big score of the session and then discovering the fallout of that score and giving the crew a chance to heal. Expand your influence and conduct daring heists, in pursuit of that one big score that allows you to retire in relative comfort.

Ideal Group Size: 3-6

Suggested Age Rating: 13+ (PG-13 to R Rating)

System Complexity: 2/5

Character Creation Complexity: 2/5