242 survey When you Survey, you observe the situation and anticipate outcomes. You might scan a roof-line for hidden assassins. Maybe you recognize the mark separating gang territories in the Twist. You might recognize the embroidery on a jacket as distinctive to a rival House’s favorite tailor, but Study might be better. GM Questions • How are you Surveying the situation? Is there any special detail you seek? • What do you hope to understand? When you Survey, you gain a better understanding of what is going on around you. You observe a location or a situation and draw conclusions appropriately. A good Survey will keep you from being surprised and helps you make better decisions about your approach to a problem. Surveying is often used to “read a situation.” This is a gather information roll to judge opportunities and dangers. When you Survey a scene, you might ask the GM questions before anything happens so you can spot opportunities for action. If you’re suspicious of meeting with the Brizolatto Family’s agents, you might ask “What’s really going on here?” to get a clearer read on the situation. To Survey, you might need access to good vantage points, and in this case a Maneuver or Skulk might be an appropriate set-up action for better position or effect.
243 Examples Controlled— “I’m going to find an out of the way spot to watch the Tramp’s headquarters. I want to see who they’re meeting with, and how they get in and out.” 4-5 Reduced Effect: They’re letting rough thugs through over the course of an hour. It looks like there’s some kind of entrance challenge. Maybe a code-word or special pass. From this angle you can’t quite tell. Risky— “So we’re chasing after this guy, right? And he’s trying to zig and zag through the back alleys? I want to see if I can cut him off. I want to set-up my next Maneuver roll.” 4-5 Desperate Position: You vault over a half-wall and smash into Rourke. You both go down in a tumble of limbs and his knife comes to hand. Now it’s just a question of who gets stabbed... Desperate— “It was an ambush? No way. I’m flashing back to try and spot the details that gave that ambush away.” 4-5 Reduced Effect: You have only a second to act before the ambush comes to pass. Do you get yourself clear, drop to the ground, push someone out of harm’s way? 1-3 Severe Harm: Three thugs come out of the alley, but you’re fixated on them and don’t see the alley basher behind you. You feel his truncheon though. Level 3 Harm, “Concussed.”
244 sway When you Sway, you influence with guile, charm, or argument. With a honeyed words you might make a good impression upon the Prince’s chamberlain. You might provide convenient evidence to the captain of the Watch, implicating a rival. You might engage in debate at a dinner party and try to win on the basis of being the better orator, but Maneuver might be better. GM Questions • Who do you sway? What kind of leverage do you have here? • What do you hope they’ll do? When you Sway someone, you don’t care what they think or feel. You’re manipulating them with charm, lies, or rational arguments they cannot easily dismiss. You’re compelling them to do or think what you want, not what they want or need. You can Sway a friend or contact but the risks are higher if they figure out what you’re doing to them; it might be a desperate proposition. Sway is not mind control, however. You need leverage to make it work. That might come through natural charm or a proclivity for guile and deception. Or your leverage could take the form of reason, evidence, and moving rhetoric. Once you have leverage you can try to Sway them. Without it, you may have to choose another avenue: fear and intimidation (Command), or violence might have to do in a pinch.
245 Examples Controlled— “This Broadsheet reporter may not want to cross the Blue Devils, but he owes me and he knows it. It’s time for him to balance the scales.” 4-5 Minor Complication: “Okay, I know I owe you, but this can’t come back on me. I’ll lose my job. Or worse. Promise that no one will know you heard it from me.” 1-3 Minor Harm: He shakes his head, “I know, I owe you. But I can’t help you. They’re already following me. They’re probably watching right now…” Take Level 1 Harm, “Found Out.” Risky— “Look, Donovan, we both know that strangers in The Necropolitan Hill aren’t good for either of us. Let us check out the tomb. We won’t touch anything.” 4-5 Complication: “Fine. But I’m sending Lyrica with you. She’ll make sure you mind your manners.” 1-3 Complication: “It’s strange. A vault gets broken open this morning and before lunch the Elanda come sniffing.” He gives you the eyeball. “The Mercies were faster though. Best of luck explaining to them what you’re doing here.” Desperate— “I sweat behind my mask, but I try not to let them know I’m rattled. ‘Of course, I am Cypriana Corvetto, buffoon! Who else would dare wear this mask?’” 1-3 Serious Complication: “Interesting... You don’t look anything like my sister.”
246 tinker When you Tinker, you fiddle with devices and mechanisms. You might soundlessly pick a lock and slip inside a room your enemies thought secure. You might quickly navigate a puzzle box. You might set a cunning clockwork trap for a foe, but Hunt might be better. GM Questions • What do you tinker with? • What do you hope to accomplish? When you Tinker, you take stuff apart, put it back together, bend this bit, twist that, and modify it to do something doe which it’s not designed. Tinkering covers a broad range of activities contingent upon mechanisms and engineering as well as biology and chemistry. An adept tinkerer might be a metallurgist or an alchemist. Tinkerers know things. All kinds of things. Tinkering is often used during Long-term Projects in downtime. It is one of the most versatile downtime actions, in fact, alongside Study. If you acquire the necessary components and take time, wonderful and terrifying things can be Tinkered into existence. Tinker is useful in the moment as well. Ilrien is covered in mysterious alchemical and technological artifices: odd alchemical potions and drugs, puzzle-locks, spring-loaded traps, mechanical lifts and vaults. Tinker with them on the fly to create booby traps or clear security.
247 Examples Controlled— “Easy enough to bypass the puzzle lock, I’ll get my picks and rakes and go to work.” 1-3 Withdraw or Risk: As you slot your tools into the lock, it gives a shuddering jerk. Machinery grinds to life and the ceiling begins to descend. There’s plenty of time to escape for the moment, but this is your shot to get into the vault. Do you risk it? Risky— “No problem! I just need to re-trip that secondary catch. I know what I did. I know what I’m doing.” 4-5 Complication + Desperate Position: There’s another clockwork clattering from within the lock. The door you entered slams shut and you hear the sound of bolts clicking into place. The ceiling sprouts spikes. Desperate— “I can fix this! This is fine! All it’s going to take is wedging this widget over here and then jamming my second-favorite file into this bit here.” 4-5 Serious Complication: You trip the final catch, shoulder rushing into the vault before you’re flattened. You catch your breath, lament your lost tools, and feast your eyes. Then it hits you. There are no other exits from this vault, and the guards will be along presently.
248 wreck When you Wreck, you utilize overwhelming force against a person or object. You might use acid to melt a tricky lock on a strongbox. A chair across the gang boss’s teeth might be your diplomacy of choice. You might twist the weave of magic to incinerate a foe, but Channel might be better. GM Questions • What do you wreck? What force are you bringing to bear? • What do you hope to accomplish? When you Wreck something, you ruin its function so it cannot be easily fixed and you create chaos in some way—loud noises, flying debris, fire, flood, etc. Wrecking is as good for distraction and mayhem as it is for destroying things. Scale is important when determining effect for Wrecking. If you’re trying to Wreck a Watch Station, for instance, you need either tools or a team of high enough scale to affect the building. Or you might exploit a weakness to gain potency enough to shake the station to its foundation.
249 Examples Controlled— “I plant the powder kegs in the basement, light the fuse, and retreat to a safe distance. Boom?” 4-5 Risky Position: You get to the top of the stairs when two Blue Devils stop for a noisy chat and a smoke right by your planned exit. Fuse is burning. What do you do? 1-3 Withdraw or Risk: You’re moving barrels, calculating blast radii, trying to imagine how the building will fall. You’re having trouble. You don’t know if you’ve got the powder for this...but you do know one of those Blue Devils will be down here for another flagon of wine soon. Do you risk getting this wrong or withdraw and try another angle? Risky— “I push past Owl and pull the crowbar from my belt. ‘Sometimes you have to sweet talk doors.’ I dig in and try and pry the thing off its hinges.” 4-5 Complication: Sure, you can get the door off. But it’s not subtle. You hear a chair scuffing back above you, followed by heavy footsteps. I’m starting an “alert” clock. Desperate— “She’s got a pistol? Thinks she’s got me dead to rights? Let’s see how smart she feels when I bust a chair across her teeth.” 4-5 Severe Harm: I’ll give you credit for audacity. She falls back away from the desk, firing as she falls. The bullet doesn’t rip through your chest as she intended, but you do take Level 3 Harm “Shattered Left Arm.”
250 Player's Best Practices embrace the danger Your retainer did not make it this far in life without a deep understanding of the dangers inherent in serving a Major House, or the loyalty required to hold such a prestigious position. They know they are as likely to die in service to the House as they are to climb to the very top, if not more so. The odds are stacked against them. Systems in the game are designed to punish even a deed well done, so no matter how effectively you complete an errand, the exposure and the entanglements will pile on. It requires wit, fast thinking, and making amends to cope with these mechanics if you want to make it to the finish line. Embrace the fallout as part of the adventure, not as an obstacle. You are here because you possess the unique ability to get the job done, no matter the cost. You did not get here because you are unwilling to take risks or push yourself. Fall in love with the satisfaction of completing impossible errands. Stress and scandals are necessary parts of the system to keep the retainers “human”. They represent how much someone can take before it becomes too much. You must find a balance between spending your stress to ensure the errand is complete, while avoiding scandal when possible. Dance on the razor’s edge but do not cut yourself. Make every scandal you create as epic and worthwhile as possible. Be fearless, but do not throw away your retainer’s reputation on trivialities. play to tell a great story As a player you have the ability to choose which action to roll for any given task. This does not mean you should only stick to the actions at which you excel. Doing so would make for a terribly boring story. If you have no people skills but you need to Sway someone, lean into that, or push yourself if your character feels it is important. Do not devise a way in which you can roll Tinker to move someone with your words simply because you have more dice there. That’s “weaseling” and not in keeping with the spirit of the game.
251 shape the game Everyone at the table has a shared responsibility to make Court of Blades into the kind of game they want to play. If you want the game to be more dangerous, play more dangerously. Each person at the table, GM and players, is responsible for the tone, style, and themes of the game. build your character through play In Court of Blades, your character begins as a thumbnail sketch, just a few spare details. You do not need to know who you really are at the start, and certainly no one else needs to know. Your character will develop in ways you never anticipated as you play, and you should not be constrained by some detailed history you imagined before the world got its hands on you. Show, don’t tell. You are what you become over the course of play. act now, plan later In Court of Blades, we smash to the action. Some planning is fine, but in-depth planning will only stand between you and fun. We strongly advise against it. A couple of gather information rolls, reaching out to a contact, and you are more than ready to be on your way. Instead, when things go wrong, plan with a flashback. Trust your character to know what they would encounter well before you did. GM: There is a guard dog on duty. You: Of course, there is. Let me flashback to stopping by the butcher’s shop for a great stonking soup bone before we headed out. GM: That’s pretty easy. No stress cost for that one. Enjoy your pig’s femur. And we’re back to the action.
252 Example of Play We think the most helpful way to learn the game is to see it in action, so we wrote out a sample “first session” in play script format as though it were an actual session. This is a great opportunity to see what you’ve learned about the game applied to a quick, plausible scenario. Our actors for this purpose are the GM (as the GM), Val as the Knack who has taken the Invocation special ability, and Mink as the Eye who has taken the Shadow special ability. They serve House Lovell, and their coterie has a reputation for daring. Act 1, Freeplay GM: You both find yourselves in House Lovell’s courtyard when the messenger finds you. Who usually hands out your tasks? Val: I think it’s The Lovell’s youngest cousin. Her name is Kat, short for Katarina. GM: “The Lovell”, I like that. So, what do we think Kat is like? Mink: She’s tall, and serious. In her mid-twenties. Doesn’t stay and chat unless something really bad is coming down on you. GM: Yeah, I think that maybe she feels like she’s above being an errand-woman. “It’s time for you to earn your keep,” she says, holding out the dossier impatiently, just waiting for her window to leave. Mink: I’m definitely the first one to grab it, and I’ll read the briefing aloud. GM: You start looking through the dossier and you see that there is a party coming up. Every one of the Houses’ Major must be there, but House Al-Mari has already declined the invitation. There is also a problem with one of the House’s ancestor altars, it’s cracked somehow and now The Lovell is concerned they have an angry ancestor that someone will have to appease. Finally, a former employee of The Lovell has absconded with an invaluable tome of secrets, it should be located before the cyphers are broken. Val: The stolen secrets sound like a pretty big deal, getting that should be our primary goal.
253 Mink: I agree. If we have time, maybe we can get House Al-Mari to come to the party? I’m not really interested in chasing shadows because the Prince is superstitious. Val: That sounds fair. So, how do we want to hunt down this missing book? Act 2, The Plan GM: The extended details in your dossier on the missing tome tell you who has stolen it, even tells you where you’re most likely going to find them. Dorian disappeared with it three nights ago, and has reason to hide out in the Twist until his benefactor can meet up with him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give you much else. The primary witness is The Lovell’s chamber servant, Giselle. Val: Damn, I think I liked him. I want to catch up with Giselle and see if she forgot to mention anything, for sure. Mink: I’ll wait this one out. Giselle and I don’t get along, so I think Val will have better luck if I’m not there. GM: You two don’t get along? Mink: Yeah, I just think that would be interesting later. GM: I agree, can’t wait to find out what that’s about! For now, it sounds like Val wants to take the time to gather some information. Act 3, Gathering Information GM: You don’t have any problem finding Giselle, she’s in the kitchen putting in The Lovell’s dinner demands with the kitchen staff. Val: I’ll try to pull her aside and start asking her about Dorian. GM: She steps out of the room with you, but you can tell she doesn’t really want to say anything more than she has already. She seems flustered. If you want to press her, you are going to need to make a roll of some kind. Val: Yeah, I want to know what she’s hiding. I think I want to roll Sway. I’ll try to convince her that she can trust me to be discrete with whatever she gives me.
254 GM: Sounds good. Right now, you are risky/standard. She may run away if you botch this or someone might see the exchange and get the wrong idea, but she’s not a very good liar so you feel pretty confident that you can get more out of her. Val: Okay, I have one die in Sway, I am going to push myself for two stress to take an extra die. Val rolls two dice, marks off two points of stress, and gets the 4/5 result. GM: Not bad, not bad. Is there a particular gather information question you’re hoping she’s going to be able to answer? Val: I think I want to know “What’s going on here?” Like, what’s Dorian’s play. Where did he go? GM: Makes sense to me. Giselle is willing to spill everything, but the complication from your mixed success is that she’ll do it only if you swear an oath Dorian won’t be harmed. If you refuse, she may not tell you everything. I’m also going to say that as you start in on this line of questioning, you have to reach out and lay hands on Giselle to stop her from leaving. One of the other servants is going to see, and it won’t be long before the rumor mill is stirring about your illicit liaison in the pantry. Val: Oh, man. Well, that’s going to bite us later. All right, I’ll swear it to her. GM: Okay, Dorian is hiding out in a room at a tavern called The Last Drop in The Twist. You’ll know the place for its signage depicting a hanged man holding a pint of ale. He’s supposed to meet up with a Spymaster from one of the Minor Houses tomorrow night, at the hour of Tryst. Giselle didn’t tell anyone because Dorian had sworn he’d come back for her and they’d use the coin he stands to make to run away together. He hasn’t sent word once since she helped him abscond with the book. Val: I hope he’s got a good reason for that; I can’t abide an unromantic. I’ll meet back up with Mink. Mink: I think we’re set to go! GM: Sounds like it’s time for the engagement roll. But first, everyone has to declare their load. Mink: I am going loaded; I like to have my options open. The Twist can be rough, and I want to make sure I’ve got everything I need.
255 Val: I will go discrete; I know magic is frowned upon in the Twist. If things get bad, I may need to run really fast. Act 4, The Engagement The GM determines that Val and Mink get one die toward their engagement roll for audacity and one die for their gather information results. The GM rolls two dice for their engagement but gets the 1-3 result! GM: You guys have no problem finding Dorian at The Last Drop, but things have already gone sideways. He is already waiting for you in the barroom, with a hired thug, a big scary looking one. They’ve already cleared the place out. We’re going to be starting in a Desperate position. That thug sees you coming and is already drawing a pistol. Val: I bet Giselle sent word ahead of us. Tenderheart. Mink: I agree. I want to flashback! GM: All right, what are you trying to flashback to? Mink: I scouted this place before we came in, using my Maneuver skill, and knew that Dorian was waiting to ambush us. GM: All right, that’s pretty reasonable. We’ll call it a one stress flashback. Roll to see how well it went. Mink marks off one point of stress, rolls her Maneuver action rating which gives her two dice, and gets the 6 result. GM: Yeah, you knew exactly what to expect, you were able to scout this place pretty thoroughly, and you also noted that the room where he probably stashed the book is empty right now. Mink: Maybe we can just get the book back and run for it. Hey Val, do you think you can distract these guys for a minute while I sneak in and snatch the book? I’ll signal for you when I have it. Val: I won’t lie. I’m a little nervous about having to distract Dorian and his brute, especially when I promised Giselle I wouldn’t hurt him, but I trust your judgement. ...Just don’t leave me to die.
256 Mink: I believe in you! I’m going to sneak around back and try to find a way into his room. GM: Each room has a small Juliet balcony, but they look like they’ all date back to The Dread Emperor’s reign so you’re not convinced of how sturdy they are. You know his room is the left corner one, up on the third floor. It’s summer and the city is stiflingly hot so the window is already open, but you’re going to have to get creative with how you get up there. Mink: Okay, I am going to push myself and activate my Shadow special ability. It allows me to perform an act of stealth or athletics which borders on the superhuman. I am going to use it to Maneuver to his balcony, by jumping from one balcony to the next, using the ones that look like they might hold my weight best. Hopefully I can do it quietly enough. Val: I want to give her a set up action, once she gets behind the building I am going to barge into the tavern and distract them, loudly. I think I am going to Command them to pay attention, throwing my weight around. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?!” GM: Sure, let’s see how your set up goes first, then. You’re currently desperate/ standard for the purpose of distracting these guys and masking any noise Mink makes. They were already looking for you anyway. And that brute’s gun is already pointing in your direction. Val rolls his one die in Command and gets a 4/5 result. He marks off one point of xp in his Spirit tracker for rolling a Spirit ability in a desperate situation. GM: Well, you definitely got their attention, but the complication is that I’m going to start a 4-part clock for Dorian’s patience. When it’s full, they’re going to perforate you. Three ticks already. Dorian sneers at you, motioning to his thug. “Looks more like you’re the one in over your head, errand boy.” Mink, roll that Maneuver, and take the bonus die from Val’s set up. They’re definitely not paying attention to the balcony. Mink pushes herself, marking two stress, she has two dice in Maneuver, plus one from pushing herself, and one from Val’s set up. She rolls four dice and gets the 4/5 result. GM: You can get up there, but as you parkour from balcony to balcony, a big chunk of masonry gives way and falls to the alley below with a crash. You know they had to hear that, even over the yelling.
257 Mink: Crap! Okay, I’d like to activate my special armor to resist that, it allows me to resist a complication related to detection or security. Mink knows how to shift her weight on these rickety structures. No way they would ever detect me so easily. GM: Fair enough! You know your business and spot the rickety masonry, shifting your weight to spare it. This is a walk in the park for you, Mink. You avoid any balconies breaking below your step, and you can hear Val’s shouting easily covering your actions. You make it into Dorian’s room with no problem. The book is on the nightstand. He was not expecting company up here. Mink: I am going to grab it and hop back out the window. I’ll use the rope and grappling hook in my climbing gear, and Maneuver to get back down safely. GM: Sounds good to me! Your position is currently risky/standard. Mink marks off two load for the climbing gear, so she has four of her declared “loaded” load left. She rolls her two dice in Maneuver and gets the 1-3 result. GM: Ouch. So, what it looks like, is you find the best place to sink your hook as you can, but as you get about half way down, the chunk of the wall the hook is in just gives way from years of rot and weather and you fall about 12 feet. You’re going to take Level 2 Harm: Broken Ankle. Mink: I’d really like to resist that. I’m going to roll my Body stat to try to salvage the landing. Mink rolls the two dice from her Body stat and gets a 2 out of a possible 6, so she marks off the difference, 4 points, as stress. Mink: Oof, that was a lot of stress, but once I am free, I give a loud whistle to let Val know it’s time to beat feet. GM: Yeah, but you manage to keep from landing flat on your back and instead twist your ankle, take Level 1 Harm. It won’t feel great to run on it, but you think you’ll be okay. Meanwhile, back in the tavern, as Val hears the whistle, Dorian and his thug are getting ready to take him in a rush. What do you do, Val? Val: Oh boy. I am going to push myself to use my Invocation special ability. I want to spend an extra stress to make it elemental in nature. I want it to be wind. I want to try to create a gust of wind to knock them both back while I run. Can I use my item A Vulgar Display of Power here?
258 GM: Sure, the situation is still desperate, but with your Vulgar Display of Power, I am willing to give you greater effect. This is the Twist though. Are you willing to use your knack here, and risk the gossip mill? Val: If it’s that or get shot here? I’ll risk some bad publicity. Val rolls two dice for his Channel rating, plus one die for pushing himself. He marks off the 3 stress he spent to cast Invocation and make it elemental. With three dice he manages to get 2 sixes, a critical result. He marks off another point of xp in his Spirit tracker for rolling a Spirit ability in a desperate situation. GM: You blow these two guys across the room like they’re tissue paper. Chairs and tables go flying with them. You have plenty of time to make a run for it and meet up with Mink. You’ll definitely be able to lose these guys, but as a complication from Mink’s fall, I’d like to see some kind of roll to see if you both get away without them seeing you had an accomplice, Val. Val: I’m thinking we do a group action using Maneuver. I’ll lead the group action, and do my best to help you with that ankle, Mink. But I’m not very fast, can I hear a Lady’s Favor? GM: Sure, I think the Lady’s Favor here is that Dorian got pretty banged up in there. He’s not dead, but Giselle is not going to be happy with you when she hears about it. I think that with that overseen conversation in the pantry, you’re going to have Level 2 Social Harm, “Liar.” Val: Okay, that’s fair, I’ll take it. Mink has two dice in Maneuver, but she is rolling with limited effect due to her Level 1 Harm: Twisted Ankle and the fact that she is carrying a lot of load. She decides to push herself for an extra die, and spends it to increase her effect to Standard. When she rolls her two remaining dice, she gets the 1-3 result. Val has 0 dice in Maneuver, but he gains 1 from the Lady’s Favor. He rolls his one die and gets a 6 result. That Lady’s Favor really paid off! He marks one point of stress for Mink’s failed roll, but they both get away clean because the highest result counts for the whole group. Act 5, Payoff GM: Okay guys, let’s talk payoff. It’s safe to say you two earned 6 influence for retrieving a book of secrets that would have been ruinous if decoded.
259 Val: Let’s split the influence in half. We’ll each take 3. Mink: Deal! Mink marks three influence on her Playbook sheet, and Val marks his three influence on his Playbook sheet as well. You didn’t earn any favor here, because you didn’t help any factions out, and you’re going to take 2 exposure for the operation and 2 additional exposure for using magic in the Twist, and stay at 0 shame. It was relatively contained and you didn’t leave behind any bodies. I’ll roll up an interesting entanglement using the chart. -Looks like a juicy rumor about you guys has gotten out and will doubtless make your future dealings more interesting than you’d like. What is it? Mink: I think that Giselle is spreading rumors amongst the servants because Val broke his word. She was already going to be a problem, but now she’s getting other servants to mistrust us as well. It’s being taken as a lover’s quarrel. Val: That’s fair. Wonder how my Paramour is going to take that? GM: How indeed? Let’s talk downtime. Don’t forget, Level 1 Harm heals itself with a narrative rest, so you won’t need to spend any of your downtime activities visiting the House healer this session. Act 6, Downtime GM: Let’s start with Val this time. What do you want to do with your downtime? Val: I racked up a lot of stress, so I want to head down to the Church of the Lady to indulge myself. Val indulges using one die, determined by his lowest resist rating, and he gets a 6. Val: Wow, that’s perfect. I had 6 stress, now I’m back to zero for the next game! I guess I’ll use my other downtime activity to see if I can smooth things over with Giselle. I’d like to roll to reduce our exposure by trying to Sway Giselle to forgiving me. GM: Sounds like a plan, go ahead and roll those dice. Val decides to roll his one Sway die, and gets a 4/5 result, which lowers their exposure by 2 points, bringing it down to 2.
260 GM: You do a fairly decent job of convincing Giselle you tried your best not to hurt Dorian. She looks mollified, but she won’t be putting any good words in for you with the rest of the staff. They’ll assume she’s trying to cover for your illicit liaisons anyway. Do you want to do anything else with your downtime? Remember, you can spend influence to get extra downtime activities. You can also use them to uncover a plot, acquire an asset, start a long-term project... Val: This “Liar” harm is pretty rough. Maybe I can start in on patching up my wounded reputation? GM: Yeah, Level 2 Harm is rough. You’ll lose a die whenever you’re trying to use your reputation socially until it’s healed. How are you going to fix that? Val: I think I’ll be telling my side of the story to Luccio, the cook. I’ll try and ensure that a lot of the staff are filtering in and out, so the rumors get quashed. GM: Sounds like a Consort? Val: Definitely. Not my strong suit, but… Val spends an influence for an extra downtime action, rolls 2 dice for Consort, and takes the lower. He gets the 4/5 and marks two ticks on his healing clock. GM: Your story starts to circulate, but the Lovell staff aren’t sure if they’re buying what you’re selling just yet. Mink, you’re up! Mink: I burned a lot more stress than I thought I had, so I’m going to go indulge as well. I’m going to head down to Sister Aveline in The Groan. I like to see how I can help out around the orphanage I grew up in. Mink has two dice to roll to indulge, because that is her lowest resist rating. She rolls a 3, and clears 3 of her 7 stress, leaving her with 4 stress. Mink: Oof! That didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I think I’ll stay a while longer. Mink spends her second downtime activity indulging again. This time she rolls a 5, which means that she overindulges. Mink: Uh oh. I overindulged. What happens? GM: I don’t think it makes a lot of sense for you to get into a lot of trouble here. Instead, Sister Aveline asks you for help with something that will cost you a downtime activity to do. You won’t be able to indulge again until you help her.
261 Mink: I’ll just pay an influence for an extra downtime activity and do that now, so I don’t have to worry about it next time. GM: Sounds good. Mark off that influence and you continue to be in Sister Aveline’s good graces. Mink erases one point of influence from her Playbook sheet. GM: Anything else for Mink? Mink: Nope, I’m all set! GM: Okay then, let’s talk about player experience and call it a night, gang! Act 7, End of Session Experience GM: Val, you’re up first. Did you address a challenge with arcane knowledge or power? Express your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background? Have any trouble with your indulgence or scandals today? Val: No problems with indulging or scandals today, but I definitely threw those guys across the room with my mojo. I mentioned that I dislike unromantics too, that’s a belief, right? GM: That’s fair. Take two points of xp for the day. Happy with that? Val: Sounds good! Val marks down his two points of experience on his Playbook sheet. He decides to put them both in his Playbook Advancement track. GM: Mink, you’re up! Did you address a challenge with stealth or perception? Express your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background? Have any trouble with your indulgence or traumas today? Mink: I did a bit of stealthing to get the book from Dorian’s room. And I think I addressed the ambush with perception in that flashback but it was a Maneuver roll, does that count? GM: Yep, still counts. Mink: Cool. I don’t remember expressing much…
262 Val: At the beginning of the game, you said that you and Giselle don’t get along. Mink: Oh yeah! And I also overindulged and had to spend an extra downtime to set things right. GM: I remember that. Sounds like 4 xp for the night. Everyone happy? Val and Mink: Yep. Mink marks down her four points of experience on her Playbook sheet. She decides to put two points in her Playbook Advancement track, and she puts the other two points in her body xp track. GM: Last on the agenda, let’s talk about the coterie’s XP. The triggers are on your House sheet. Did you guys overcome an obstacle with secrets or discernment? Val: I’ll say! GM: Contend with challenges above your station? Mink: They were tier 1, right? I feel like we shouldn’t have had so much trouble with them. Not exactly above our station, though. GM: Bolster your coterie’s reputation or create a new one? Val: We were very daring! We went down into the rough side of town after a book of secrets, stared down the barrel of a pistol, parkoured across balconies, and tossed magic around in the Twist. GM: I agree. Did you guys express the goals, drives, inner conflict, or essential nature of the coterie? Mink: I think we showed that we have a lot of mutual trust in each other? I was willing to let Val handle gathering the info, and he trusted me to get the book and come back for him while he caused a distraction. GM: Sounds like you guys get 3 xp for the coterie tonight. Everyone feel satisfied with that? Val and Mink: Sounds good! Mink marks three experience on the House sheet. GM: Great. Now go home, you eat all my snacks.
Chapter Six Game Masters
264 Running the Game If you have run other table-top roleplaying games before, you might find that Court of Blades feels a little different, mainly in how authority over the narrative is doled out. Players have a lot of power over the developing fiction and even over how the rules are applied. If you have played other Forged in the Dark games, this is all probably old hat, but the rest of this chapter is going to break down the game into several key areas to try and demystify potential friction points. First, we will cover your Goals as a Game Master, then Actions, Principles, Best Practices, and Bad Habits to avoid. GM Goals When you run the game, you should try to accomplish the following three goals: Play to find out what happens. Do not steer the game toward certain events or outcomes. Be curious and allow yourself to be surprised by the directions the narrative takes. Convey the fictional world honestly. When it is time to say what happens in the world around the Player Characters, “look around” the vision of Ilrien that is developing in your head and say what you see. Do not play favorites. Make the world of this shining, decadent, and dangerous city and all of the maneuvering within it seem real, not contrived. Bring Ilrien to life. Give each location a specific aspect (crowded, sundrenched, salty, fetid, opulent) to make it vivid in your players’ minds. Give each important NPC a name, detail, and a preferred method of problem-solving. Give them agendas, needs and desires. Give each action context—the moonlit duel in the Prince’s Gardens; a double-agent passing intelligence pauses as a Watch patrol strides by; the Brizolatto gambling den smells of foreign liquor and dreamleaf smoke. To achieve these goals, use GM Actions guided by your GM Principles.
265 GM Actions The player characters have twelve actions they can use to achieve their goals in Ilrien. You have actions, too. When it’s your turn to contribute, and you are not quite sure what to do, look at the following list of actions and pick one. Ask Questions First and foremost, ask questions. You can get along very well as a GM in this game by simply asking questions, building on the answers, then asking more questions. When there is an interesting point of friction or there is a measure of uncertainty, pick up the dice and find out. Asking questions is the heart and soul of running this (and every other) roleplaying game. • Ask establishing questions to set the stage for the action. Who’s leading the group? Is everyone rushing into this scuffle, or is someone hanging back to do something else? Are you trying to convince the Marquis and win him over, or are you just trying to score points with the other nobles listening? • Ask provocative questions to make your players think and express their characters. What kind of person does she think you are now? Are you just going to let that matter lie? Do you think you could bring yourself to kill them? • Ask leading questions to show the player what you’re thinking. Do you think they’re the type of people who respond well to threats? Does anyone want to Survey the room or Study your host? When you do that, there’s a good chance that it’ll explode, right? • Ask trivial questions when the mood strikes you and you’re curious. Where do you typically shop for clothes? When did you learn to do that? • Ask the players for help when you are uncertain or stuck. You do not have to do this alone. I’m not sure...does this feel more Desperate or Risky? Can anyone think of the Lady’s Favor here? Sounds like fatal harm, doesn’t it? What do you think? Provide Opportunities, Follow Their Lead It is your job to provide opportunities, but also to follow the players’ lead. Providing opportunities is easy: Ilrien is a city specifically designed with the canny retainer in mind. As the GM, you may step in and describe an opportunity when
266 the PCs look for one, rolling or picking them from the Long-Term Objectives tables as you please, adding your unique ideas about the City and its factions, guided by your goals and principles. Opportunities need not be balanced or consistent. Sometimes they will be exquisite—a clear exploit, an ideal target, a brilliant coup. Sometimes they’ll be poor—a perilous opening, a troublesome wrinkle, and the barest scrap of benefit for your hard work. But there’s always something to be found. The setting of Ilrien is designed the way it is so the next opportunity for an errand flows easily from the fiction. Look around at the maneuvering factions of the city, or the NPCs you and your players have developed. Who is vulnerable? Who needs something done? What part of the setting are you curious to see in play? It’s sure to have an opportunity for skullduggery. Between errands, the PCs are free to gather information, setting up the next operation. If the players do not have their own ideas on progressing the House, this is the perfect chance to unearth a new opportunity. Ask them if they’d like to perform a group action to discover something, and how their coterie goes about that kind of thing. Do they Command people to spill useful secrets? Do they Consort with all of the right people? Do they Study the broadsheets and piles of intelligence gathered by the House’s agents? Do they Hunt for vulnerable agents of their enemies? A “legwork montage” may follow these rolls, allowing you as the GM to convey details of the opportunity through brief moments of action and snippets of dialogue from NPCs. When you present an opportunity, it should include the components necessary for the players to understand ways they might carry out the errand. Even if it’s not ideal, it should actually be an opportunity, not a vague and indistinct notion. The PCs should understand that “The Signorra is hosting an exclusive auction, selling a dossier on one of her more private clients to the highest bidder. The Houses of the Esultare are clamoring to secure the dirt on a prospective rival, or secret their own shame.” It is not sufficient to simply say, “You hear that there’s something going on with the Signorra down in the Rose District.” Depending on the outcome of the investigation (or the strength of their informant’s or contact’s connection to the opportunity), you can provide even more details and hooks for the action to come. “The Signorra has a ledger of every shameful predilection of a scion of House Corvetto. Knowing the Corvetto, it’s likely to be a rough party. The Signorra may need help keeping things civil... though if we get the ledger before the auction the Corvetto will do anything to keep it from being printed in tomorrow’s broadsheet.”
267 An opportunity consists of: • A target. The Dockers • A location. An impounded ship in the Shores district • A situation. A ship carrying valuable, but technically illegal contraband. Alchemical reagents needed to finish a House project has been impounded by order of the Harbormaster. • One obvious vector for the plan. De’Rossi can pilot a gondola near enough without attracting suspicion—for a favor later. Better information from contacts, investigation or other means, might also include: • Connected Factions and what they need or want. The Fortunato Trade Federation owns that ship. They want all evidence erased. • A not-so-obvious vector for a plan. The Harbormaster might see reason if we call in a favor with the Watch. • Interesting secrets, a link to an alternate opportunity. The Bank of Brass and Bone are likely behind the impoundment and have doubtless hired a team to search for hidden contraband they may claim as rightful salvage. If we get it first, we’ll have leverage over them. Basically, you’re offering the players an opportunity for action. Sure, it follows from the ongoing fiction of Ilrien as established by your game, but the heart of these opportunities is a gameplay mechanic. The players have shown up to play Court of Blades, which means they want to engage in thrilling maneuvering, cutthroat politicking, and occasionally the odd bout of romanticized violence. They bought tickets to a thrilling drama and they’re waiting for you to lift the curtain and get to the love, blood, and rhetoric. You’re providing enough to keep the game from stalling; enough so that Court of Blades can happen at the game table tonight. If the PCs are flush with influence to spend and downtime to burn, they can dig up plenty of juicy information to position themselves more favorably before they execute the errand. If they do not have the resources to spend, they may have to take what they can get. That’s the nature of being at the beck and call of the power players in Ilrien. No one said it was going to be easy. It can still be fun. We can shrug at the ill-fortune of our characters now, slap them on the back, and wish them all luck and success as they find a way or make one. The other avenue for getting the game going is to follow the players' lead. This is like providing an opportunity, but in this case, you listen to the opportunity presented by the players rather than describing it yourself. Ask clarifying questions to flesh out their idea so you end up with a target, location, situation, and a vector. Then ask if they want to investigate further (potentially inviting all sorts of trouble), or go ahead and cut to the action and roll engagement.
268 Cut to the Action When they say, “We should break into Ambassador Dashiel’s house,” that’s your cue. Say, “That sounds like a stealth plan, don’t you think? What’s the entry point?” Then, when they give you that detail, you say, “All right, so you’re on the second-floor balcony of a rooming house overlooking the Plaza. Dashiel keeps his apartments in the adjoining building. The bell has just struck tryst and the ambassador’s house appears dark and silent. Readying a grappling hook, you prepare to do a bit of breaking and entering. Let’s make an engagement roll.” Just like that you are on an errand. That might feel fast and breezy, especially if you are used to other roleplaying games. You do not always have to get there that fast! But it is a good standard to aim for. Anything prosecuted via conversation is going to take longer than you think it will—if you hold this “cut to the action” idea at the forefront of your mind, you can trim some of the fruitless planning and unnecessary hesitation from the game and get to the part where everyone gets to be romantic duelists and powerful sorcerers doing what they do best. The same can be said of any kind of “Scene Change” that happens in play. Like when a player decides to go and Consort with a friend, you can just cut to the action in progress. “You find Lucky in the usual place, under one of the arching bridges on the Street of Silks. He’s pressed into an alcove, trying to keep the sun off and walking a fiore over his knuckles. ‘You know what I like about you? You know the first rule of 20 questions is coin up front,’ he says.” Rather than starting back at the House, or wherever the retainers keep their apartments, playing out the “Where do you go? Where would Lucky hang out? How can you set up the meeting?” you can just cut to the action of the meeting in progress and move the game along. This keeps the momentum high, and a story in motion remains in motion until acted upon by a sudden, dramatic cliff-hanger.
269 Running the Game When the action is underway, show them a threat about to strike and then ask them what they do. Then it is easy to know what the consequences they are up against might be. “She pulls her coat open, taking a quick step back. The quillons of a dueling blade glitter as her hand drops to the pommel. In this slow-motion moment— the first inch of gleaming steel clearing the scabbard, what do you do?” “You approach the front doors of the villa and hear the soft strains of a chamber orchestra tuning up from within. The doorman interposes himself between you and the door and holds his hand out with the bored expression of all guards. ‘Invitations, please.’ —You do have invitations, right?” “Your spy is right where you expected him, right in the middle of the Plaza. There’s something not right about the way he’s carrying himself, though. His eyes plead with you across the red paving stones, flicking toward a shifting bunch of toughs milling to one side. What do you do?” Contrast with these vague versions. “She starts a fight! Do you want to Skirmish with her?” “There’s a guard at the front door. How do you get him to let you inside?” “The spy isn’t alone at the meet. What are you going to do?” Without telegraphing the trouble and giving context to the action, the outcomes can seem murky. You might feel like you have to “invent” a consequence out of the blue when they roll a 1-3 or a 4-5. If you imply the consequences before the roll, though, then it’s obvious what will happen. You get carved up, your cover’s blown, and you’re ambushed at the meeting—they follow from the fiction. follow through You have telegraphed the threat, so go ahead and follow through when it hits. Players have tools at their disposal to deal with setbacks like these. If they react in time, they can make an action roll. If they are hit with a consequence, they can resist. Fight the urge to pull your punches.
270 “Her sword clears the scabbard and slashes across your chest. A ribbon of blood colors the air as you stumble backward and fall to the stones. Take Level 3 Harm.” “The doorman considers the hastily forged invitation and nods. He notes the missing seals, and the names which appear on the invitations. He’ll report them later, but he knows better than to make a scene now. Take +2 exposure.” “There are a lot more toughs in the Plaza than you were expecting. They’re moving to cut off all avenues of escape. ‘I’m sorry,’ your spy says, ‘They have Cassandra.’ The toughs, you now see, are armed and you feel the noose beginning to tighten. I’m starting the “Captured” clock.” This GM action also applies to maneuverings by powerful enemy factions as well. If they’re ready and able to do something without clear interference, they can just do it. Go ahead and say, “The Brizolatto told you what would happen if you didn’t stay clear of their affairs. Your apartments were discovered and they firebombed it while you slept. You wake up and it’s burning down around you. The smoke blinds you, chokes you. What do you do?” The players will interrupt, scramble, flashback, and deal with it. It’ll be fun. Promise. initiate action with a non-player character This is very similar to the previous GM action, but it’s worth highlighting. You don’t always have to wait for the PCs to do something. Your Non-Player Characters can initiate action, too! The more dangerous the NPC, the more they should seize the initiative. “Cypriana is incredibly smooth. She tells you exactly why she could have nothing to do with the Prince’s poisoning and it seems completely legit.” “Oh no way. We know that she was the last one to see him alive. She’s lying.” “Okay, resist with Mind if you want to. Otherwise, she’s just a little too slick for you.” This is a very effective technique, but it can be overused and it wears thin quickly. Save it for NPCs who are particularly masterful or the direst of situations.
271 say consequences and ask “You could Channel all of the arcane energy from the Masque of the Deathless into a single violent explosion, but that’s more power than even one of the Imperial Warweavers could handle safely. Do you want to roll for it, or do you want to try something else?” “He’s a skilled duelist with a bad temper. You can try to spend the evening bringing him over to your way of thinking, but you might inadvertently prick at his honor enough to invite a challenge. Do you risk it?” tick a clock Keep a stack of index cards and a marker handy. Draw a clock whenever it feels right. Put them out where everyone can see, to help track progress in the fiction. Ticking a clock is a great way to follow through on a threat without ending the conflict early. offer the lady’s favor Think of a fun complication or a reckless decision. Offer them a bonus die in exchange. Ask what would raise the stakes, and then offer a bonus die. If you don’t have a good idea, ask the other players—or you can offer the Lady’s Favor in exchange for exposure. There are always unseen and unnoticed eyes lurking in Ilrien. think off-screen What is going on elsewhere, and will it have an impact on what is on-screen right now? Are there characters who might have reason to arrive here and get involved with what’s going on? Where is the Watch right now? Is there anything arcane going on that might affect what’s happening here?
272 GM Principles When you pursue your goals and choose actions, use these principles to guide your decision making. • Be a fan of the PCs. Present the world honestly—things are never quite as simple as they seem, and the deck is loaded—but do not make yourself the PC’s enemy. They have enemies enough. Be interested in the characters and excited about their victories. • Let everything flow from the fiction. The game’s starting situations and your opening scene will put everything in motion. Ask how the characters react and see what happens next. NPCs react according to their goals and methods. Events snowball. You do not need to “manage” the game. Action, reaction, and consequence will drive everything. • Paint the world with a romantic brush. Ilrien is a city that prizes beauty and passion. Life is fleeting, change is constant, and nothing is as it seems. Throw caution to the wind and live loudly. Aspire to greater things. • Surround them with treachery. Ilrien, on the whole, is a city of spies and assassins all playing at politics. Every party hides a poisoner. Every smile hides a dagger. The House is the only thing that they can trust, and only so long as they are useful. • Address the characters. “Satice, where do you find the Mercy that is hunting the wereleopard?” Not “Sara, where does Satice find the Mercy?” This puts Satice front and center; their preferences, their desires, their style. This lets Satice come to life as a character. • Address the players. “Sara, how should we do this? Do you want to do a whole scene talking to the Mercy or do you just want to make a roll real quick to see if she knows anything?” This puts Sara front and center—her preferences, desire, and style. Sara can consider what she wants rather than what the character wants. • Consider the risk. Think about the dangers inherent in what retainers do. A risky roll is the default. When they’re building on successes, they might make controlled rolls. When they have to improvise, work off the cuff, or when they get in over their head, they’re probably making desperate rolls. Go with your gut. Call the positions as you see them, but be open to revision.
273 • Hold on lightly. Always feel free to rewind, revise, or reconsider events as necessary. This is not a “no take-backs” kind of game. You can always say, “No, wait...let’s say there were only two guards watching the chambers of the First Grace. I don’t see why they’d need any more than that.” This can be a hard one to internalize. It can be tempting to put your foot down—often without good reason—or treat elements of the game as sacred. Resist that impulse. GM's Best Practices Play to find out and encourage others to do the same. Instead of making something specific happen, ask questions about what might happen. Will the retainers side with the Dockers over the corrupt minister? Can the House wrest control of the Spindle from their rivals? Will the Bravo win a duel with one hand tied behind her back? Don’t make up your mind about these questions—let the players, and the fiction you create together, surprise you. Uphold the Integrity of the game. It falls on you to portray Ilrien and the Principalities as they are. The temptation to contrive events or lean toward particular outcomes will emerge, but it is your job not to yield to it. The players should trust that when you tell them things they do not know about Ilrien, you do so without a secret agenda behind the information. Get everyone’s input. This game is structured as an ongoing conversation and part of your role as Game Master is to ensure everyone is included in that conversation. Ask questions, even leading questions, and prompt for ideas. Discuss your thoughts with the players and keep unilateral decisions to a minimum whenever possible. Be a fan of your characters and invest in them. When you want to know something about the characters, ask them. “Why does the ghost know your name? What happened to the man who forged your sword? Where did you learn the steps to this dance?” These questions will grant insight into what the characters want, how they’re trying to get it, and when and what to roll to make that happen. Don’t be shy, ask them what they want. Work with them to create opportunities. Help them with the system to get the most out of the risks they are taking. Draw upon character thoughts and feelings. Talking about a scene and living it are two very different experiences. When you focus on the concrete details of the event, you fail to incorporate the emotional weight and inner context which
274 makes experiences more than a flat recapitulation. Share with the characters what they might suspect or think. Ask them if they want to gather information or dig deeper. Ask them how the information or developing situation affects them. Portray NPCs honestly. Even if they are not the main characters, NPCs are characters too. They have their own interests, capabilities, and opinions. Don’t let them get pushed around or steamrolled. When the PC wants to square off with an NPC, remind them of the NPC’s capabilities. “Cypriana is a talented manipulator who has been getting the better of nobles for decades. I don’t know if you can just Sway her. What’s the leverage here?” When the PCs have NPC allies, make sure those allies take actions to help their friends out, and come to the PCs with info and troubles. Ask the players what they want. Find out what the coterie is trying to accomplish in general and in the moment. Who do they think they can trust? What are they trying to gain right now? What do they hope to accomplish with this maneuver? If you understand their goals, you can better adjudicate their progress toward them. You can have conversations about opportunities, actions, and effects. Sometimes, clarifying what the players want is enough to highlight the correct approach, or make it clear what kinds of opportunities they seek. Get your players to do the heavy lifting on where the story might twist next. Cut to the action. Once the players tell you what they want and how they stand to get it, cut directly to the action. The dice are there to drive the story forward, but they cannot do that if everyone stands around contemplating their navels. It is okay to try big things. If they want to hunt down the Prince of Tatters, despite poor odds and considerable dangers? Good for them! They’ve done it! Keep the story moving forward and the action rolling. Turn it into fiction. Much of the game is mechanical in nature. The players select action ratings related to what they are doing, roll for results, and apply consequences. Do not let these things be mechanical. Ground actions and their consequences in the fiction. When they Channel, what does it look like? When they botch a Skulk, what goes wrong? How does a faction’s actions during downtime change the story for the players? Write it down. The machinations of Ilrien and her various factions are far too much for a single human to hold within their head. Whether you use index cards, a notebook, or a system yet more advanced, write down details and notes. If there are a bunch of House goals on a bunch of index cards, your Coterie will have a clearer picture of how the city moves around them. If you need to remember a detail about a contact, what better way than to look at your list of NPCs?
275 When in doubt, treachery. Assassins crash the party. Your benefactor has been playing both sides toward the middle. The artifact is a forgery. They lied. Ilrien is a place of complexity and scheming. If you find a natural lull, reveal some new twist and catapult yourself on to the next bout of treachery. GM Bad Habits Don’t Call for a Specific Action Roll This is a habit that usually comes if you’ve GMed other games where this is your job. You might say, “Give me a Maneuver roll,” or “That’s a Consort check.” Try to get out of that habit. Get used to saying this instead: “How do you do that?” Ask the player which action they use. Then tell them the position and effect level you see in this situation, using that action—as well as why you think that. This lets you skip the tedious “convincing” phase where everyone has to debate which action is most appropriate or—Lady save us—the right one to use. Don’t have that debate. Just ask the player which action their character is performing, then set position and effect. “I want to get this guy to steal Talbot’s signet ring.” “How do you do that?” “I... like, Sway him?” “Okay. What’s your character doing? What do we see on-screen?” “Oh, right. Okay. I stride on up to him and put my finger in his face and tell him that if he doesn’t do me this favor, I’ll show the doctored ledger that we found to the Thief-Taker General.” “Okay, I get you. I think that’s risky with limited effect. He can follow the logic, and I think you might be onto something. If you want to lean into that intimidation, you might roll Command. That might be standard effect.” Maybe you would make a different judgement call in the case above. “Desperate position, zero effect”, maybe, if you think that Sway is all wrong for blackmail. That’s fine! That’s great, actually! Your game of Court of Blades is your own. Plus, even when you say, “desperate position, zero effect,” you’re not shutting the player
276 down completely. They can push themselves for more effect, get a teammate to set them up for better position, et cetera. It’s not an argument between GM and player that one person has to win. It’s just the normal back-and-forth interaction of the game. Instead of saying, “You have to roll Command for this,” you can ask the player which action the character is performing—giving the player the opportunity for creative contribution to the fiction. Then you put that action in context in the world as you see it, by establishing position and effect. Don’t Make the PCs Look Incompetent When a PC rolls a 1-3, things go badly. This is an established fact in the narrative. However, it is because circumstances are dangerous, there is a problematic wrinkle they did not previously identify, or something troublesome has occurred. They do not go badly because the character is a buffoon. Even a character with zero rating in an action is not an abject clod. Here’s a trick for this: start your description of the failure with a cool move by the PC, followed by a but. Then, introduce the element of the situation that made things go awry. “You aim a fierce right hook at his chin, but he’s quicker than he looks! He ducks under the blow and wrestles you up against the wall.” On a failure, talk about what went wrong. “Ah, maybe you missed something while you’re climbing through the Moneylender’s window?” “Yeah, they probably have a guard-dog or something, huh? “Yep. You hear the dog beneath the window snuffling awake. Sounds like a big one, too.” You can also lean on features the player has already portrayed about the character. How are their indulgences and scandals a problem? What is it about their heritage or background that gives them trouble or gets in the way? Don’t Overcomplicate Things The consequence(s) you inflict on a 1-3 or a 4/5 roll will usually be obvious, since the action has already been established. But sometimes you’ll draw a blank. It’s okay to keep it simple. A complication can just be extra exposure, or a tick on a clock representing a related problem not present in the current scene. Or you can inflict simple harm like “Exhausted” or “Unsure.” Every single consequence doesn’t have to be an interesting new problem or a brutal reversal of fortune. Go with what’s obvious to you. Ask the players for ideas if you feel stuck!
277 Don’t Let Planning Get Out of Hand Some players will plan an operation forever if no one steps in to stop them— even if they hate doing it. They think it is worth the trouble to cover every eventuality or possible issue in order to avoid a bad outcome. This is not how Court of Blades is meant to work. Everything is resolved by engagement and action rolls, so get to it! If someone has a cool maneuver or idea, that’s great, but it’s probably still a controlled action roll. They can’t plan and discuss their way out of making rolls. An idea is not execution. Give Them What They Earn If they get into position, make the roll, and have their effect, they get what they earned. They are not allowed to weasel. Neither are you. Things are already hard enough in Ilrien. Don’t be a miser with victory; defeat will come even without your thumb on the scales. The retainers are swimming in dangerous waters and their targets out-mass and outclass them. This doesn’t make them ineffective— there wouldn’t be a game if that were true. Instead, it means they need lots of victories to make it through. They’re good at the game, they just started out with negative points on the board. The same goes for secrets. If the retainers make a discovery, tell them all about it. Do not hold on to your precious secrets. It’s more fun to find out what they do once they know! Don’t Say No There’s usually a better answer than a flat “no,” or “you can’t do that.” Offer the Lady’s Favor. “You want to seduce the Prince? Uh huh. Okay, then. That’s desperate with limited effect, but let me offer the Lady’s Favor: regardless of how this goes, you are going to fall madly in love with them. That’s the problem with star-crossed lovers, see?” Or you might say the proposed action has zero effect as a baseline. “You want to bash down the reinforced door to the banker’s panic room with your bare hands? Okay...definitely going to be risky (your hands are going to take a beating, certainly), and you’ll have zero effect. You can push yourself for better effect though. That’ll put you at risky, limited effect.” Same thing with super fancy locks, ultra-elite soldiers, etc. You can set zero effect baseline for a given action rather than saying no. The players can then modify the effect from there by pushing themselves or using teamwork, or any of the other sneaky tricks at their disposal.
278 Or tell them to start the first phase of a long-term project clock. That’s what they’re there for. “You want to trace back the Glint trade back to whoever’s importing it into Ilrien? Sounds like an investigation to me. Start a 6-part clock for the first phase, ‘Assemble a list of Glint dealers.’” Note that you will have to say no, sometimes. A Court of Blades character can’t fly to the moon just because the player wants to. It’s your responsibility to portray the fictional world honestly, after all. But in most situations, simply saying “no” is the most boring option. Consider the Lady’s Favor, zero effect, or long-term projects instead. Don’t Roll Twice for the Same Thing When a PC faces danger, they make an action roll. Also, they can roll resistance to avoid a bad outcome. However, you should not roll twice for the same thing. For example, Colette crosses swords with an assassin on the rooftop of a villa. The assassin drives her back with a flurry of feints and slashes, and there’s a danger Colette might be forced over the edge during the skirmish. Colette’s player makes an action roll to see how her counter-attack goes, and it comes out badly. Colette is forced over the edge and falls off the roof! But she can roll to resist, right? Yes. She can resist the harm that results from the fall. However, she cannot resist being forced over the edge. That’s already been determined as the stakes of the action roll, and the fiction has already been confirmed by the dice. Her resistance instead reduces the impact of her fall. Instead of breaking her leg, she suffers lesser harm (a sprained ankle, say) or maybe the GM rules that she’s able to avoid the harm entirely by rolling into a rough crash-landing. Either way, she’s off the roof and the assassin is making good their escape. In other words, the action roll determines whether a consequence manifests or not. A resistance roll changes how much of that danger manifests or how bad it is. It does not negate the fictional outcome of the previous roll. Don’t Get Bogged Down Whenever possible, elide time and edit the action to move ahead to the next exciting moment. When the players say, “Let’s go talk to Tate and see about our next errand,” you can say, “Okay, you head down to the Shores and find Tate staying at the Tradewind. His first mate ushers you into the finest room in the inn
279 where Tate is considering a nautical chart as though it owes him something.” That’s potentially 30 minutes of tedium you’ve cut out. “Okay, so where are you going now? The Shore to see Tate. Well, your apartment is up here in the Spindle and which way are you going?” There’s no need for this kind of moment-to-moment drudgery. Let the group announce their intention, then break to an establishing shot of the new situation and then start the action. If the players get antsy, such as, “Whoa, hang on! I want to do something before we go,” or “I want to be sure to be armed, just in case Tate is still sore about that last errand,” then that’s fine. Ask them what they do and resolve their action, but keep the train moving! Momentum, momentum, momentum. The GM's Turn advancing other houses major Ilrien is a city of staggering complexity and byzantine plots. The fabrications, tangled webs, and wheels within wheels are enough to make any outsider’s head spin. Keeping track of all of these plots is more work than any rational GM would want to undertake. Instead, we can abstract this vast and interlocking network of conspiracy, backbiting, and polite warfare with the GM Turn. Houses of the Esultare have their own stats that are rolled during social season advancement, in addition to their resource strengths (Supply, Magic, Wealth, Force, Transport, Intelligence). The stats are: Reach: Influence in Ilrien and abroad. Families roll Reach when they undertake an action that leverages or expands their sphere of control. Grasp: A family’s ability to project force and control. Families roll Grasp when they undertake an action that wrests control of a resource or territory from another or defends their own. Sleight: A family’s ability to hide its intentions or act subtly. Families roll Sleight when they undertake an action hinging upon secrecy or misdirection.
280 These stats do not affect the PC controlled House, which rolls for advancement based on what the coterie has accomplished over the course of the social season. You will determine the two primary strengths (their starting strength and a chosen strength) for each of the Houses of the Esultare in the same way as the PC House chooses their primary strengths. This allows for subtle changes to a House’s modus for every game. Example: House Lovell’s strength is Intelligence. For this game, you may decide you want them to be wealthy gossipmongers, so you take Wealth and Intelligence. For your next game, you may decide you want them to take Intelligence and Magic; now they are more likely to employ the arcane arts to discern secrets than pay for their acquisition, and so on. Non-PC House Stats Corvetto - 2/0/1 Reach/Grasp/Sleight Magic + 1 other Battalia - 1/2/0 Reach/Grasp/Sleight Force + 1 other Bastien - 1/1/1 Reach/Grasp/Sleight Transport + 1 other Lovell - 0/1/2 Reach/Grasp/Sleight Intelligence + 1 other Al-Mari - 2/1/0 Reach/Grasp/Sleight Supply + 1 other Elanda – 1/0/2 Reach/Grasp/Sleight Wealth + 1 other Between each social season, the GM rolls dice to determine the fortunes of the other Houses of the Esultare. At the start of the first social season, and at the start of every other social season thereafter, the GM will roll one die for each House and consult the chart below.
281 Based upon the type of clock rolled, the GM may roll on the House Objectives Chart Part One to determine the nature of the objective, and then roll on the House Objectives Chart Part Two to determine if the objective plays to one of the House’s strengths. If the House rolls on a chart they have strength in, they earn an extra die whenever they roll to complete that objective. Resources that are not strengths for the House are considered neutral and do not affect the dice pool. npc house objectives chart 1: 6-part Reach Clock 2: 6-part Grasp Clock 3: 6-part Sleight Clock 4: 8-part Reach Clock 5: 8-part Grasp Clock 6: 8-part Sleight Clock Alternatively, the GM may create an objective for the House to actively work toward, if they have one in mind that better fits the story at any given time. At the end of the social season, there will be a House Stat roll to determine each of the House Majors’ progress toward completing their objective(s). The House Stat roll is the total value of their appropriate skill (Reach, Grasp or Sleight) and applicable resource strength (Intelligence, Force, Defense, Magic, Supply, or Transport). Every following season, the GM will roll an additional goal and create an additional clock. The House rolls on each of these goals using their House Stats as appropriate in-between every social season. Each completed objective achieved at the end of a social season yields +1 clock segment on the warring House Advancement Clocks, which represents the struggle for control of Ilrien.
282 Progressing House Objectives When rolling to progress an NPC House’s Long-Term Objective clocks use the guide below to fill them in: • If you roll a 1-3 take +1 tick on their Long-Term Objective clock. • If you roll a 4-5 take +2 ticks on their Long-Term Objective clock. • If you roll a 6 take +3 ticks on their Long-Term Objective clock. • If you roll a Critical take +5 ticks on their Long-Term Objective clock. Example: At the end of the first social season the GM rolls to see how House Corvetto - 2/1/0 (Reach/Grasp/Sleight) - did on progressing their first clock, an 8-part Grasp clock for “Blood the Enemy, A Minor House.” With 1d awarded for their 1 point in Grasp, and 1d awarded for their strength in Wealth, they roll a 2 and 5, take the highest result and fill in 2 parts of the “Blood the Enemy, A Minor House” clock. The GM then rolls to determine what new goal the House will attempt to accomplish. The GM rolls a 3, and the House adds an additional 6-part Sleight clock to their long-term projects. The GM rolls to choose a Sleight objective for them and gets “Turn an Asset”, then rolls a 5 on the second chart which puts them in the Magic category, and lastly, a roll of 1 yields the result “Ley Lines”. The GM decides that House Corvetto is trying to take control of potent ley lines within the city, which may be problematic if the PC House has a strength in Magic as well. Magic is also a strength for House Corvetto so they will get an extra die to roll on this objective. They add this in addition to the 8-part Grasp clock “Blood the Enemy, A Minor House” that they got at the start of the first season. At the end of the second social season the GM will roll their 1d in Grasp + 1d in Wealth for the first clock, and their 0d in Sleight + 1d in Magic for their second clock. Then the GM will roll to add a third long-term goal and associated clock to their plate. The maximum number of clocks a House can have running at the same time is four. Four clocks represent the four distinct social seasons in a single year, essentially giving the Houses one year to complete a task, though they can buy themselves time for troublesome projects by completing newer clocks ahead of schedule.
283 If they acquire one more clock than they have room, the oldest clock they have is automatically failed and they lose a segment or tick (-1) of the House Advancement Clock. A House can only use the dice available to them in their House Stats chart, and any dice awarded for Resource Strengths. Example: House Elanda -1/0/2 (Reach/Grasp/Sleight) - has 4 clocks to roll on at the end of the 5th social season. An 8-part Grasp clock, a 6-part Grasp clock, a 6-part Sleight clock, and another 6-part Sleight clock. None of which relied on the House’s strengths, so there are no additional dice awarded. They roll 0d for both Grasp clocks (roll two dice and take the lowest result), and then the GM rolls 2d for each of their Sleight clocks. There is no Reach clock for them to roll on, so that potential die goes unused. Their oldest clock was an 8-part Grasp project, and when they rolled their 0d on that Grasp project, the outcome was not enough to complete the clock. When they had to roll to take on a new long-term project clock for the start of the 6th season, that first uncompleted Grasp project was officially considered failed. The clock was removed and the House lost one tick from their warring 12-part House Advances clock. Introducing the 7th House If a non-PC House drops out of the Esultare during play for any reason, it will trigger the entrance of a 7th House. House Bjorn, detailed on the following page, exists for these fringe cases. House Bjorn is more powerful than the other Houses of the Esultare so that it can catch up quickly. It is designed to be played ruthlessly, to concern and challenge the PC House.
284 House Bjorn The Sleeping Gryphon When an unprecedented second House drops from the Esultare in a single century, House Bjorn rises to take its place. This House is composed of powerful mystics and talented tacticians. The Prince of the House comes from a long and noble lineage of great generals. Conquering is in their blood. They enter the fray with: 3/2/1 (Reach/Grasp/Sleight) • Resource Strengths: Force, Magic, Wealth (Take all three.) • Motivating forces: Climb to the top at any cost—House Bjorn will always attempt to interfere with the success of the House next in line before it.
285 Session One Checklist It is ideal to complete one of the checklists below, before the first play session begins, as it’s not unusual for a Coterie to want to interact with the Uncover a Plot mechanic during the first downtime. If your group is deciding on which House to serve at the table during session one, you can still prepare some things in advance to make the game go smoothly. If the above scenario sounds like yours use this altered checklist: Altered Checklist 1. Choose Strengths for all 6 of the Houses Major. 2. Roll the first Long-Term Objective for all 6 of the Houses Major. 3. Choose the order for all 6 Houses of the Esultare. * Once the group decides which House they would like to serve, move that House to the bottom of the pack (if it isn’t already there) and adjust all others up as needed. Allow the players to choose their own Strengths to replace whichever you preselected, and toss out the Long-Term Objective clock you rolled up for that particular House. You probably won’t have time to write down which of the Houses claim which of the Spheres of Influence after the party chooses theirs in this scenario. That’s fine. You can assign any Sphere of Influence the PC’s may decide to interact with on the fly. After the session is over, and before the next game, just take a few minutes to fill in all of the Spheres of Influence for the non-PC Houses Major. 4. Prepare the Coterie’s dossier. * As soon as the players decide on the House they serve, consider which jobs will require their attention for this first social season. You’ll want to present the players with a dossier of three or so errands the House would like to see done. Let the players choose which one is their primary goal, which is their secondary goal, and which they have no interest in.
286 If your players chose which House they want to serve, as well as the first Sphere of Influence they would like to hold, before session one; use the checklist below, before the start of session one. Checklist 1. Choose Strengths for the Non-PC Houses Major. 2. Choose the order for the Non-PC Houses Major within the Esultare. The First Prince sits at the head of the First House of the Esultare, and automatically gets “The Palace” Sphere of Influence 3. Assign the appropriate number of Spheres of Influence to the Houses Major based on their position within the Esultare. 4. Roll up or choose the first Long-Term Objective for each of the non-PC Houses Major. 5. Prepare the Coterie’s first dossier of tasks requiring attention this social season.
Chapter Seven Roll Charts
288 Entanglements shame level 0 0-3 Exposure 1-3: Family Drama 4-5: New Friends 6: Gossip 4-5 Exposure 1-3: A Friendly Chat 4-5: Rivals 6: Show of Force 6+ Exposure 1-3: Cooperation, Ally 4-5: Reprisal 6: Questioning shame level 2 0-3 Exposure 1-3: Kiss the Ring 4-5: Fined 6: Family Drama III 4-5 Exposure 1-3: Lost Opportunity 4-5: Loyalty Questioned 6: A Direct Attack 6+ Exposure 1-3: Pariah 4-5: Revenge or Ritual 6: Arrest by the Watch shame level 1 0-3 Exposure 1-3: The City Stirs 4-5: Family Drama II 6: Unhelpful Rumor 4-5 Exposure 1-3: Wounded Reputation 4-5: Enemies 6: A Less Friendly Chat 6+ Exposure 1-3: Cooperation, Rival 4-5: Spirits 6: Interrogation See descriptions on the following pages.
289 shame level 0 Family Drama: An NPC within the House, a colleague, or retinue causes trouble within the House. Pick a side in the conflict and lose 1 influence or else face reprisals. New Friends: A House Minor to which you have no current relation asks a favor. If there are no Houses Minor to which you have no current relation, you avoid Entanglements for the moment. Gossip: A juicy rumor about the Coterie threatens to make your dealings in the future more interesting than you’d like. What is it? A Friendly Chat: A senior member of the family is asking some pointed questions about your last errand. Make a fortune roll with Dice equivalent to your Tier. On a 1-3, take an additional point of Exposure. On a 4/5, you answer them convincingly. On a 6, you not only assuage them but impress them; receive an additional point of influence. Rivals: A representative of one of the Houses Minor declares a public rivalry with the Coterie, or someone within it. Why? Show of Force: A rival faction puts pressure on a contact within one of your Spheres of Influence. You will lose access to them on the following errand. Cooperation, Ally: A House Minor to which you are currently friendly or allied ask a favor of you. Assist them or suffer -1 relation. Reprisal: A House Minor with which you currently have negative relations stages an errand of revenge. Address it and suffer -1 relation but gain +2 influence, or let the indignity lie and suffer -2 influence. Questioning: A contact or relation of a coterie member is asked probing questions by an agent of a rival House. Make a fortune roll using dice equal to the Coterie’s Tier to determine how they stand up to questioning (1-3: Your enemies will actively oppose your endeavors, +1 to scale or magnitude of obstacle on your next errand. 4/5: Contact takes level 2 harm. 6: Contact learns something of the Rival House’s plan. Ask 1 gather information question now.
290 shame level 1 The City Stirs: While you have been otherwise engaged, the world continues to turn. A House of your choice may tick one of their outstanding clocks. You do not get to know which. Family Drama II: Someone with a connection to a coterie member has caused trouble for the House. Forfeit 1 influence per Coterie Tier or else face reprisals. Unhelpful Rumor: Word spreads that your Coterie is plotting against a rival House. If true, they know you are coming. You may not start the errand in a Controlled position. If you move against another House, you may not start in a Desperate position. Wounded Reputation: No matter how you try, you cannot escape the gossip which surrounds you this season. Your next errand will result in -1 influence, -1 favor to any faction involved, and +1 exposure. Enemies: One of your rivals declares themselves your most dire enemy. Smooth it over with 2 influence or their relation drops by -2. You may address this with a formal duel instead, but the relation will drop by -1. A Less Friendly Chat: More troubling questions come from on high and these are much less comfortable. Make a fortune roll with dice equal to your Tier. On a 1-3, take two additional points of exposure. On a 4/5, your answers win a grudging respect. Take an additional point of exposure and influence. On a 6, you receive an additional point of influence. Cooperation, Rival: A House Minor with which you have negative relations demands a favor. Indulge them or else go to war (-3 relation) Ghosts: Rumors concerning a departed House member circulate, threatening shame upon the House. Address these concerns with a new Long-Term Project, or else take 2 exposure. Alternately, an actual paranormal threat against the House reveals itself. Your choice. Interrogation: The Watch has questions and are impatient for answers. Either pay them 2 influence, representing the necessary bribes, suffer level 2 harm as the interrogation turns violent, or answer truthfully and gain 3 exposure.
291 shame level 2 Kiss the Ring: The Head of your Household demands a service from you personally. What choice but to acquiesce? Complete the Errand and reduce your Shame by 1 level. Fined: The Grand Council levies a fine on your House, and you are stuck holding the bill. All Fine equipment is counted as standard for the next errand. Family Drama III: Someone within the House has it out for you. Lose 2 influence per Tier level, or make an example of your detractor and acquire 2 more exposure. Who is it, and why are they out for you? Lost Opportunity: It seems your life is composed principally of putting out the rapidly spreading fire of your shame. One member of the Coterie is forced to only spend 1 downtime action. Decide who it is. If you are at War, that member of your Coterie may take no downtime actions. Loyalty Questioned: The head of your House is rapidly losing patience with you and demands you prove your worth. If your next errand incurs 5 or more exposure, your Coterie loses 1 Tier. A Direct Attack: An attack is launched upon your House. Defend yourselves. Pariah: Your repeated transgressions have made you a social pariah. Your shame is well known. The Coterie, and all of its members, lose all marked influence. If a Coterie member has no influence, each member without influence instead loses a level of Status. If they have no Status, mark a Scandal. Revenge or Ritual: Your enemies know how to hit you where it hurts. Choose a contact or indulgence purveyor that is not a character’s enemy and remove them from the game. They have been killed by your enemies. Alternately, your Coterie is the target of a hostile arcane ritual; divide six stress among the Coterie however you see fit. Apportion scandals if necessary. Arrest by the Watch: A Player Character is removed from the game. Decide amongst yourselves who takes the fall. Shame level is reduced by one as the worst elements of the Coterie are torn away.