Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Episode 31: Blades in the Dark – Scoundrels, Scores, and Shadows in Doskvol
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Episode 31: Blades in the Dark – Scoundrels, Scores, and Shadows in Doskvol
What do you get when you mix a gritty industrial fantasy city, demonic leviathan blood-powered tech, and a crew of criminal scoundrels with nothing to lose? You get Blades in the Dark; one of the most iconic indie TTRPGs of the last decade.
In this episode of Masters of Pen and Paper, Mike and Finny slip into the haunted streets of Doskvol to talk all things heist, horror, and heat. We dive into the unique mechanics behind John Harper’s genre-defining system: from devil’s bargains and action rolls to emergent storytelling and the game's innovative “crew” mechanics.
You’ll hear:
How Blades in the Dark flips traditional GM roles on their head
What makes stress, trauma, and downtime so compelling
Why this game is perfect for story-first players who love cinematic, high-stakes action
Whether you're a Cutter, a Whisper, or just curious about how a crew of criminals can challenge the system (or die trying), this one’s for you.
💀 Score big or go down in a blaze of dice-fueled glory.
Want to check out a copy for yourself? Head over to https://bladesinthedark.com/ to check it out!
Also check out more from John Harper https://johnharper.itch.io (where you can find more of John Harper’s excellent TTRPG work, including Lady Blackbird)
Also check out Blades SRD (for creating your own hacks):https://bladesinthedark.com/blades-system-rundown
Want to send in a question or scenario? Email us at [email protected]
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/YkhAQtDDRz
View all episodes
By DGonlineWhat do you get when you mix a gritty industrial fantasy city, demonic leviathan blood-powered tech, and a crew of criminal scoundrels with nothing to lose? You get Blades in the Dark; one of the most iconic indie TTRPGs of the last decade.
In this episode of Masters of Pen and Paper, Mike and Finny slip into the haunted streets of Doskvol to talk all things heist, horror, and heat. We dive into the unique mechanics behind John Harper’s genre-defining system: from devil’s bargains and action rolls to emergent storytelling and the game's innovative “crew” mechanics.
You’ll hear:
How Blades in the Dark flips traditional GM roles on their head
What makes stress, trauma, and downtime so compelling
Why this game is perfect for story-first players who love cinematic, high-stakes action
Whether you're a Cutter, a Whisper, or just curious about how a crew of criminals can challenge the system (or die trying), this one’s for you.
💀 Score big or go down in a blaze of dice-fueled glory.
Want to check out a copy for yourself? Head over to https://bladesinthedark.com/ to check it out!
Also check out more from John Harper https://johnharper.itch.io (where you can find more of John Harper’s excellent TTRPG work, including Lady Blackbird)
Also check out Blades SRD (for creating your own hacks):https://bladesinthedark.com/blades-system-rundown
Want to send in a question or scenario? Email us at [email protected]
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/YkhAQtDDRz