Blades in the Dark - is it feasible PBF game?

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Dec 10, 2021 2:21 pm
I have not yet played, but would like to try out the game
Blades in the Dark
I am not sure how well it would fit PBF (PBP) - anyone has any experience with the game either in PBF or in real life?
On one hand the mechanics for declaring player actions seems very well fit for posting them rather than explaining in voice.
On the other hand there is a chance that players will disagree with DM's decision on the position and effect level - this could ruin the fun.

Note: I may try to DM a game here, but would prefer to be player on my first game with a new mechanics
Dec 10, 2021 2:41 pm
GreyWord says:
I am not sure how well it would fit PBF (PBP) - anyone has any experience with the game either in PBF or in real life?
I have tried it PbP a few times. It is hard, but I still believe it can work. Here are my thoughts.
GreyWord says:
On one hand the mechanics for declaring player actions seems very well fit for posting them rather than explaining in voice.
These mechanics are a conversation. They work even better when the players can easily discuss them. Even the author agrees that there are too many Actions --they all exist to keep the 4x4 symmetry-- and it can be challenging to find the right one, "is this Consort or Sway?", for example. Chatting about each action is required at the start till the group finds a system for which is used when (or ends up ignoring some of them).

Key point: The better the group knows the rules the smoother it runs. This is much more evident in PbP where delays are so magnified.
GreyWord says:
On the other hand there is a chance that players will disagree with DM's decision on the position and effect level - this could ruin the fun.
This only happens when people try to short-circuit the rules. There can be no disagreement, by the book.
Before anything is done, everyone needs to take the time to discuss all the details, not only establishing the Position and Effect, but also understanding what the possible consequences will be. Tempting as it may be in PbP, skipping this step will kill the game, it is vital to the way the game works.

Key point: The better the group knows the rules, and knows how the rest of the group (most of this is not up to the GM) interprets/plays things the better the game will flow. A problem that people attribute to PbP is actually that playing with strangers on the internet is hard.
GreyWord says:
Note: I may try to DM a game here, but would prefer to be player on my first game with a new mechanics
Knowing the rules makes a big difference in this game. It does not quite have Burning Wheel levels of rewarding proficiency, but it is still a hard game for noobs.
Dec 10, 2021 3:31 pm
I played a mini-campaign in real life a few years ago and I wasn't a fan personally. I agree with vagueGM's assessment, plus a few more problems of my own.

1. You have to know the setting very well. I didn't and I was completely at a loss for how my character played. I played the Whisper which has a lot of ghost interaction, but I didn't have any idea how ghosts in the world worked, what they looked like, what they could do, etc.
2. Character progression was terrible for me. None of the options for my class were appealing.
3. I'm not a fan of vices and traumas as it enforces you to play a certain playstyle that I didn't enjoy.
4. I really didn't like the flashback system. It attempts to remove the prep work for heists (which I actually like) and instead spreads it out during the run but it really kills the pace. Imagine a movie action scene where every 30 seconds the action pauses so you can have a flashback. It became very tedious very quickly to me.

I know a lot of people like BitD but just not my style. If none of this bothers me then you'd like it and it could work well on PbP.
Dec 10, 2021 4:47 pm
nezzeraj says:

4. I really didn't like the flashback system. It attempts to remove the prep work for heists (which I actually like) and instead spreads it out during the run but it really kills the pace. Imagine a movie action scene where every 30 seconds the action pauses so you can have a flashback. It became very tedious very quickly to me.
Do you think this would also "kill the pace" in forum game? Flashback is the main reason I want to give it a try

P.S. I am also rather surprised that people think DnD 5e does not allow "conversation" as part of action. My first DM (who I still play with) is rather open to discuss which skill is to be checked and sometimes even give player a choice. He would sometimes discuss details to decide DC or give advantage/disadvantage. Actually I don't like it because it is not by the rules and as an Introvert I'm less inclined to ask DM to change skill, give advantage or decrease DC. I see Blades in the Dark as opportunity for me to gain same level of control over action mechanics as my extrovert friends have.
Dec 10, 2021 5:01 pm
GreyWord says:
nezzeraj says:
... flashback system
Do you think this would also "kill the pace" in forum game? Flashback is the main reason I want to give it a try
No, it works particularly well in PbP, it does not add significant delays since everything else can continue at the same time. The only downside is when the table has to constantly wait to see if someone wants to adjust the current outcome with a flashback, but that problem exists in any game that allows any such adjustments, Help mechanics come to mind.

Once the table gets a feel for what sorts of things/situations people use flashbacks (or Help) for, things go smoother.
GreyWord says:
... surprised that people think DnD 5e does not allow "conversation" as part of action...
Some tables (or DMs, really) do, some don't. In Blades it is a rule that you have discuss first, not an option.

The, also, GM does not decide which actions are appropriate (not officially anyway, they do still have final say about if it achieves anything, which does boil down to the same thing): and the players decide how much XP they get (the GM has no say in that at all, and is not supposed to even participate:), and so on. This is a departure, not only from DnD, but from most prior games.
GreyWord says:
... I see Blades in the Dark as opportunity for me to gain same level of control over action mechanics as my extrovert friends have.
Yes, that is part of the design in mechanising such things.
Dec 11, 2021 4:14 am
GreyWord says:

Do you think this would also "kill the pace" in forum game? Flashback is the main reason I want to give it a try
Flashback is the most "unique" system in the game and I think a lot of people want to try it for that reason. I think it will be better in PbP actually since the pace is slower overall, and if the entire flashback is in one post it doesn't take up much more time than any other post.
Dec 11, 2021 4:19 am
I would be inclined to say the whole Stress mechanic is Blades' most "unique" system, and Flashbacks are just one avenue for that. Only Nahual really succeeds in pulling the Stress mechanic into another game in a way that seems natural.
Dec 11, 2021 1:08 pm
SO, anyone interested to play Blades in the Dark? Perhaps I should make a recruitment thread, though I will take my time to read through rules first.
Dec 11, 2021 1:25 pm
Blades is one of those games I have very little interest in playing (I don't find the playbooks very interesting (though I sorta want to try play a Ghost)) but it is a game I enjoy running. But only with the right group. :(
Dec 11, 2021 2:48 pm
honestly.... I was also not sure I want to play only try. Thanks for your insight anyway.
Dec 11, 2021 2:51 pm
If you do run it, don't hesitate to ask for guidance. But the rules are well written and coherent, just following them makes it a rather easy game for the GM.
Dec 11, 2021 3:16 pm
Thanks, I am considering running it in real life with my DnD friends and will certainly message you if run into any trouble
Dec 11, 2021 3:19 pm
So long as you don't expect a response during the game, go for it. :)

It is much better live.
Dec 11, 2021 5:28 pm
One wonders if the right crew could solve many of the back and forth discussion/agreement problems with a Discord server. You'd need people who are largely in compatible timezones and are of a nature to respond quickly when notified to the discussion.
Dec 12, 2021 10:33 pm
In my experience, both on a tabletop (where I agree, it's way better, and in PbP, Blades requires a very skilled GM to sing. I happen to really like the setting and mood, the playbooks, the stress, the flashback -- mainly because so much of it comes from Harper's earlier work and draws from PbtA, Fate and a couple of other games I like so heavily.

I will say this -- the game reads well, but it's pretty awful at explaining why it's different and how to run it. Harper even comes right out and says "you're not going to get this right away. Read it, play it, then go back and read it again."

Anyway. Just a vote for Blades being both awesome and sometimes (with the wrong or an unprepared GM) a pretty lame experience.

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