I’ll just leave these here:
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Really love that art style.
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Art is looking really great! Cant wait to play it!
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The Chimera gives me a Final Fantasy Legend II vibes, of all things. 
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Here’s the Coyote.
Beta coming along well. Only a handful of to-do’s. I expect it to be ready this weekend for Sunday’s stream.
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Okay, so here is a complete Quick Start Kit:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sjC0qz1WqTtAmulmRXtijFwhsYUXJyYO
This has a starting situation, player aids, factions, and a zone. It’s all the tools you need to play and a clever GM familiar with Blades can probably muddle through. But the opening job in particular will make a lot more sense when you’ve read the supporting material.
And here is the supporting material for the GM and players:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XSEZLXVzLMndDcjH_urz8TeaCFu6CoRO
This is 29 pages of “How the hell does this actually work.” It covers every phase of play, provides best practices and worked examples.
I’m not going to go big with this for a couple of days because I expect to find some flaws over the next couple while its being used by @JWall and @entropyrat. In the mean time, look it over and let me know what you think. I’ll incorporate changes and fixes over the next couple days and then go public.
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Say, why does the Chimera have 3 advances?
(meanwhile the Coyote have more than 10)
From my experience, Forged in the Dark campaign tend to last longer then 3 advances.
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Im assuming this is because of the primary Chimera ability: Monster Hearts
This is a super ability that gives you the power to steal abilities from others, thus making the playbook about balancing and utilizing those instead of simply acquiring more through XP like the others. Actually the Chimera is the most flexible playbook and has unlimited combinations of abilities!
It’s because I have only been able to come up with 3 cool abilities that are “on brand” for the Chimera… 
Content is hard.
I should add that the Chimera should have “veteran” allowing moves from other playbooks as well. That’s an oversight.
Update Chimera has Veteran slots now.
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Short questions regarding advancement, which is either not clear or I am blind:
Is the Coyote able to take two more veteran advances as the other playbooks or is it more expensive for it?
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It’s able to take two more moves from other playbooks.
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There’s been some chatter here and on the Discord about the Chimera and getting it some more special abilities. Here’s a draft of what I’ll be testing myself:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1V8JRyoQR7OUEBR99bL_0-N2uWWamVwsp
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Now we’re talking! some feedback:
- do you start with monsterheart and another ability, or only monsterheart? it’s unclear.
- what’s up with the Chimera’s XP triggers? it’s unclear what are your original tiggers and what get’s switched when you take monsterheart
- can you take monsterheart as veteran advance?
- Torque is amazing! does underline move from the sacrificed action to Torque or lost forever? what happens if you try to use the sacrificed action? can Torque be of any attribute as long as it matches the sacrificed action (physically twisting the flesh like clay\mutating it with chemicals and abominable science\making flesh dance to your unnatural music and songs)?
- what exactly is the “monstrous trait” mentioned in “blood to fire” and “antibodies” is it the same as monstrous harm slot? if so, do you immoderately recover it or does it become regular harm?
1: The intent is Monsterhearts + another ability.
2: Xp triggers are on the back of the sheet… which I didn’t actually… include so it’s in the file now:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1V8JRyoQR7OUEBR99bL_0-N2uWWamVwsp
3: Yes, other characters can take Monsterhearts as a veteran advance, but they have to eat a monster heart.
4: So this is untested, but the intent was that the sacrificed action was gone. So any underlines, etc would be lost. You can’t use the sacrificed action, so it changes who you are. And yeah, its use and description needs to match the Attribute it’s attached to.
5: yes monstrous traits and monstrous ability in a harm slot are the same thing, I’ve unified the language. In the case of Antibodies the idea is that you sacrifice the monstrous trait (the spell, as it were) and ignore the harm. So lose the spell and free up a harm slot.
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Blades Against Darkness is again entering that phase where what I’m doing is writing a lot and playtesting the game and I won’t have a lot to say beyond that. I’m writing 500 words a day on the core text. This text is at something like 40K words right now. I’m not going to put it here because it’s rough and parts may change and that will probably only confuse folks.
Instead, here are links to the current version:
Quick Start Kit:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sjC0qz1WqTtAmulmRXtijFwhsYUXJyYO
GM Packet:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XSEZLXVzLMndDcjH_urz8TeaCFu6CoRO
What would help right now is some help with copy editing and people letting me know what stumbling blocks they hit so I can provide content to help them. The GM packet explains my process for running the game in, debatably, pornographic detail. But, just because this makes sense to Dylan (that’s me) doesn’t mean it makes sense to anyone else.
So, post questions here. Let me know what you think and what you need. I’ll answer your questions as thoroughly as I can, and incorporate the answers into the quick start kit.
Thank you.
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This land is being picked apart by scavengers. Foreign invaders strip it for wealth. Petty warlords carve out kingdoms for themselves and their cronies. Mad sorcerers wrench power from demons and worse. They use people. Hollow them out of all the labor they can provide and cast them aside. But, you are different. You don’t fit cleanly into the ranks of their servants and sycophants. You’re an outsider. A wanderer, thief, reaver, or student of the arcane. You fulfil their contracts and bide your time. Gain wealth and power and work slowly towards your own ends. You pit them against each other, taking a job from this warlord against that sorcerer. You botch it up on purpose, and escalate tensions. In the ensuing chaos and slit throats you make off with their secrets and treasures. It’s all part of your plan. You set them up like pieces on a board.
Perhaps you will be a Witch King. Ascending, glorious and terrifying, to the godhead abandoned by the empires of old. Your worshipers will offer you the most true and pure forms of tribute: fear, awe, and blood.
Or maybe you will be a warlord. You will lead armies, broker deals, beat them at their own game. You will twist the serpents back on each other until they drown in their own poison. You alone will remain. Ruler by your own bloody hand. The only survivor on the road of kings.
Deep down, you know the truth is you will probably die trying. Your name will adorn no statues. Your legacy written in no history books. A footnote at best. You try not to contemplate this. It does no good. Better to focus on your dreams and the distractions of pleasure, stupor, obligation, and faith.
But there is one other possibility.
Someday, somehow, you could make things better. It will probably cost you everything. If you are remembered it will be at best as a martyr. At worst, as the villain. But if anyone can do it, it’s you. You could be the one to bring warlords to heel and seal the cancerous sorceries they disturb. Maybe you could be a savior, a hero, a blade against darkness.
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I love the sense of real ambition here, like it’s got to be about something more than plundering for treasure! Goosebumps ^___^
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Yeah, that text is great. Can’t wait to play this again.
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