Blades in the Dark (BITD): What to Expect in Singapore and Beyond
Blades in the Dark (BITD) is a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) set in a Victorian steampunk world powered by ghosts. The setting of Duskvald is a bleak one, where permanent nights are prevalent, and the city is a breeding ground for opportunistic criminals. Outside its electric fence perimeter, spirits mercilessly tear down anything with a beating heart while government-sanctioned hunters desperately try to harvest their essence to power the city and its technology. If you're familiar with the video game Dishonored, BITD's look and feel are not too far off from that.
Live the Heist of Your Dreams
BITD is the perfect game for fans of heist movies like Ocean's Eleven, The Italian Job, or Now You See Me. Every session revolves around a score and all the thrills and perils that come with it. Heists can range from intercepting cargo on a highway to infiltrating a museum. The sky's the limit!
You Never Miss! You Fail Forward
One of the most frustrating things in TTRPGs is missing your hits and passing your turn, which can make the game feel boring. In BITD, you can always hit, even on a failed dice roll. Instead, it's about the price you pay when you fail.
If you fail your dice roll, you can choose to "resist" by paying some stress, which effectively serves as your health in the game. So if you're trying to jump across the rooftops and fail your check, you can roll to resist and reduce your failure. Instead of plunging three stories, perhaps you land on the other side, but sprain your ankle, which will negatively affect your upcoming rolls.
The Pressure Is On!
In the game, progress and events are tracked by "clocks" players can see. Imagine something like a pie chart divided by any number of equal parts, and each time you pass or fail a check, some parts of that clock are shaded.
Barely pass your check to apply your disguise, perhaps it's not perfect, and the guards are starting to get suspicious, and your GM shades 2 parts out of 4 on the clock. A couple more wrong moves and the guards get on high alert!
Clocks are an amazing mechanic that helps players keep track of the multiple threads happening in the game and how close they are to something really bad or really good happening. It raises the tension of the game, and it's a lot of fun.
There's Opportunity Wherever You Can Imagine
Unlike games like DnD or Pathfinder, there's no predetermined maps, NPCs, or events in BITD. The system is collaborative; the GM paints the general scene with obstacles for you, and you can choose how you want to solve the situation.
Want to find a back door? Sure, you might find something behind the building. Want to bribe the guards? That's an option too. It's the GM's job to put obstacles in your way, and it's up to you to find a way around it.
Get Out of Trouble with Flashbacks
One of the coolest things you can do in BITD is to initiate a flashback. It costs some stress, but it allows you to turn back the clock and make preparations for something happening now.
For example, the GM tells you that your target is making a run for it and is heading toward a vehicle. You could initiate a flashback to earlier in the day when you sabotaged the car. The scene then returns to the current time, and depending on your roll, something interesting happens when your target tries to start the car.
Live the Life of a Criminal in Blades in the Dark
In Blades in the Dark, you play as a member of a criminal gang in the bleak setting of Duskvol. Whether you're a smuggler, assassin, thief, or cultist, the choice is yours. There's no need to have a heart of gold, but it's up to you to determine your character's moral compass.
As you progress through the campaign, you'll have the opportunity to grow your gang's hideout and gain new perks, but beware - with more notoriety comes new threats. The game is all about heists and capers, with every session focused on pulling off a daring score.
Experience the ultimate caper now!
The best part? The game is easy to pick up, with no complicated rules or character builds to worry about. You can be done with character creation in less than 30 minutes.
If you're interested in experiencing the ultimate criminal caper, try out Blades in the Dark for yourself. We're hosting learn-to-play sessions in Singapore, so don't miss out on the chance to join in on the fun. See you at the table!
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