Engagement and Multiple Scores

Blades in the Dark
1

We’re getting started as a little gang of thieves, planning to put together the classic Big Score. To do this, we initially do some smaller jobs: instead of Acquire Asset (Expert) as a downtime action, we do that as a proper job, allowing us to get to know the master safecracker and his personality, vices, quirks, etc. That kind of thing. This means that when we get to the Big Job itself, it can be extremely elaborate without either having to plan it all out or trying to make everything up on the fly under pressure. Flashbacks and such for immediate issues, but the overall shape is set by these previous jobs. Note that these really are scores: each is played out, and there is full downtime in between, with payoff and the whole nine yards.

Now when we start the Big Job itself, the Engagement roll raises a question for me. On p.131 of Blades, Linked Plans are described as either Setup actions in Flashback or whole jobs of their own. Obviously we’re doing the latter. But whereas with the Setup Flashback action (e.g., a diversion) the effect is clear – shift Position or Effect – it’s not clear how a whole job as Setup would work. It’s clear in the narrative, but the mechanical effect isn’t. I was thinking that all those previous jobs add up to a die in the Engagement roll pool, but I’m not sure.

Any thoughts?

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2

Interesting question and yet again something the individual GM has to decide for herself. I think I’d go with a standard Engagement roll and give them 1-2 bonus dice that reflect set-up jobs well done. After all, even if they’ve successfully executed set-up jobs in the past, doesn’t mean they won’t have bad luck at the start of the Big Job.

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3

That makes sense to me. I’m thinking, as a rough baseline, the gang gets +1 die, and then depending on how well the setup jobs went, maybe +1 additional die OR +1 position. Not more than that. The point is to reflect an unusually well-thought-through plan, not to make the score itself trivial.

4

Actually it is a setup action, and since it only concern the engagement roll, each score should be +1 dice. The engagement roll only pertain to the first obstacle, the players should get full reward for their previous jobs.

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