Winner: 2015 Golden Geek, RPG of the Year

Winner: 2016 Indie RPG Award, Game of the Year (also Best Production and Best Support)

Blades in the Dark is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of daring scoundrels seeking their fortunes on the haunted streets of an industrial-fantasy city. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries, dangerous bargains, bloody skirmishes, and, above all, riches to be had — if you’re bold enough to seize them.

You and your fledgling crew must thrive amidst the threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the Bluecoats of the city watch, and the siren song of your scoundrel’s own vices. Will you rise to power in the criminal underworld? What are you willing to do to get to the top?

In this stand-alone game, you’ll find:

Rules to create your scoundrel using the following character archetypes: the Cutter , the Hound , the Leech , the Lurk , the Slide , the Spider , or the Whisper .

, the , the , the , the , the , or the . Rules to create your crew, built from types like Assassins , Bravos , a Cult , Hawkers , Shadows , or Smugglers .

, , a , , , or . A robust core mechanic which puts the fiction first—the strength of a character’s position (desperate, risky, or controlled) matters just as much as the character’s ability scores.

A lightning-fast mechanic for planning criminal operations to cut through the usual slog of planning at the game table.

Rules for alchemical experiments, gadget tinkering, and weird occult powers—including rules for playing Ghosts and other strange beings.

A setting guide to the haunted city of Doskvol, with all the maps, factions, NPCs, schemes, and opportunities you need to run an exciting sandbox game.

GAME INFORMATION

Number of players: 3-6

Age of players: 13+

Length: 2-6 hours

Type of Game: Roleplaying Game

Page Count: 336

Staff Pick

Open to the fantasy city of Duskvol, haunted by ghosts and other terrors while a criminal empire is being built in the background. This game is all about choosing on the fly which makes the risk and adventure more real. There is less prep and more of a focus on making fast decisions with plenty of very cool character "classes" to take on. You'll need a GM that is quick on their feet and invested but once you find that, then the game will start to click. There are so many awesome aspects, including the combat system which seems clunky at first but once you get to play it, it runs so smoothly. The setting gives plenty of room for exploration and gives players the opportunity to dabble in all types of adventures (especially ones that lean more into the occult, which I love!). Players will feel that the game is all about teamwork and you are rewarded and encouraged to continue as a unit. Even the battle system requires operating as a unit, through the progress clock where the GM chooses the difficulty and players fill the clock with successful rolls to determine the outcome.

My favorite mechanic is the Devil's Bargain (if you want that important roll to go well and need some bonuses, it'll be at a negative cost).

-- Meredith Gerber, Maven of Mythology (DriveThruRPG Publisher Service)