Blades In The Dark

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How to handle running Blades in setting with different species/ancestries/races (ttrpg.network)

submitted 2 years ago by TheGreatDarkness@ttrpg.network to c/bladesinthedark@ttrpg.network

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I was thinking of running a campaign of Blades in the Dark in New Capenna. It's a setting from Magic: the Gathering which is a 1920's style crime city, last city in postapocalyptic wasteland of what was once a typical fantasy world.

There is one problem. New Capenna has fantastic races/species/ancestries, whoever you wanna call it. There are humans, demons, cap people, bird people, rhino people. I know Blades is by default a game in a setting only with humans. Are there any ways to reflect mechnically choice of different species by a player? Any guide hwo to decide which abilities wouldn't break game balance? Or should I just lift ancestries from one of other Forged in the Dark games, like Band of Blades or Scumm and Villainy, and change names?

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[–] thegreenman@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 months ago

Soooooo, hopefully it is still relevant to anyone, since I just found this post and actually have something :D What I would do (and probably will in the future, since I have a setting idea that would involve this), is to take a look at the special rules that exist right now for not-exactly-human player entities: ghosts, hulls and vampires.
I am personally looking at hulls, and how having a different hull size changes starting features, but also the way vampire feeding works... Hope this helps and can't wait to hear about what you came up with, since the post is two years old hahaha 😅

[–] tissek@ttrpg.network 1 points 2 years ago

Reflavouring is always an easy and safe method. Someone else have already done the balancing. And if you don't faind exaclty what you are looking for you have examples to work off.

That being said... For example getting into the baron's mansion undetected through the third story balcony is the same conflict regardless if you are flying or climbing the walls like a gecko. You have position and effect for balancing. Flying may be Desperate (easy to spot/shoot down) and Great for example.