Blades In The Dark Tabletop Roleplaying Game, 156 months to 9600 months

A fantastic RPG for beginners (if they're willing to accept the gloomy atmosphere). The rules of the game are based upon collaborative storytelling more than in most RPGs, and is fixated on what makes sense for a given situation rather than what the letter of a complicated series of rules tell you is possible.There is a system of "Stress" which allows players to call a flashback to resolve some sort of problem on a job. Running down the 3rd floor hallway of some manor? Guards at your heels? Only way out is by jumping through the window? No problem! Call a flashback to say that you had prepared a team of animals and a wagon full of nice soft garbage to cushion your fall and make your escape.I love the Stress system because it both allows people to get around the awkward planning portions of most RPG missions while also limiting their ability to pull off weird stunts. Stress is a very important resource to manage, and is generally onerous to get rid of. Use it wisely, but use it.The progression system is very inspiring, with a couple rules that really encourage your players to take risks!The setting for Blades in the Dark is phenomenal, with the only "problem" being that there is so much information about the history of Duskval that it can be daunting to learn. I recommend getting around this issue by figuring out what your group wants to play as, and learn only the relevant material. That makes things very easy to figure out, and still allows a rich background for your campaign.All in all, the Blades in the Dark rules and universe are fantastic for anyone with a dark gothic/steampunk interest and a few friends who are willing to try something new. It comes with the added benefit of only requiring a single Core Rulebook (instead of D&D's three core books) to get started. If you go to their website, an abbreviated player packet is available for free so even for a group of 5 people (counting GM), only one purchase is necessary. Several supplements are also available for free on their website, which I highly recommend checking out. Map packs for EVERY BUILDING IN THE CITY are also available, at an extra charge for each pack. I haven't needed them, but for those who just have to get a map for every encounter they are available and extremely high quality.

Not much to say as most reviews have pointed out the best parts of Blades in the Dark.Great game that encourages collaboration and messy situations!

This system is everything I've ever wanted out of a TTRPG. No roll is ever boring, as everything has the potential for consequences arising. There's no such thing as "We all want to make perception checks" for 20 minutes in this system, and the pace is greatly elevated as a result. In fact, that example sticks closely to the entire core concept for Blades in the Dark, which is "Cut to the action."The game supports you along this journey with an interesting and fleshed out city to explore. One city may sound small, but for your players (a lowly gang of criminals) it becomes a true playground. Balancing between trying not to get caught but getting away with the most coin possible in each session becomes a tightrope act, and not every character is going to make it. The city is lethal, and even those who survive may find themselves taking on permanent changes to their character as trauma builds up.As doom and gloom as it sounds, the game in action is actually a blast of energy that easily allows a group of players to all have their moment in the spotlight in a single session. Because the system doesn't get bogged down in numbers bloat, the dice are easily readable at any level, and the flow of the game doesn't get broken by everyone having to crack open the corebook again to understand the rules. Once Blades clicks (and it does so fairly quickly), it's hard to go back to other TTRPG's.If you're new to the hobby, this is honestly the best start you could have. If you've been playing for years, you owe it to yourself to see the ideas on display here. Buy a copy just to read, and maybe you'll get just as excited as I did about running a game yourself.