Blades in the Dark is the much-loved tabletop-RPG produced by Evil Hat Productions and spawned from the mind of its creator, John Harper. The game pits a group of rag-tag ruffians against the dark city of Duskvol itself as they perform heists, uncover the city's lost secrets and work to improve their own standing and further their own goals. The game uses its minimalist, yet narrative-driven ruleset to encourage players to take risks, mitigate stress levels, and think on their feet to overcome the variety of fast-paced and deadly challenges thrown their way.
Blades in the Dark's mechanics are so universally applicable to narrative-driven games and the system has become so popular that many players have been thinking of ways to utilize it to help improve tone, danger, and narrative complexity in other world settings. Anything from sci-fi and dark fantasy to sword and sorcery, has been included in the conversation. That being said, here are five great alternate settings that are available right now for the Blades in the Dark system.
Band of Blades
Band of Blades is a dark medieval fantasy setting using the Blades in the Dark system. The game follows members of the Legion as they undertake a nail-biting and arduous journey to the haven of Skydagger Keep. Along the way, they will have to deal with a lack of supplies and make difficult decisions that could affect the outcome of the journey.
This type of game setting benefits from the Blades in the Dark formula by using the stress mechanic to create tension. Plus, the darker nature of the system that encourages quick decision-making and the return of narrative consequences for actions taken. This setting is perfect for fans of grimdark action-fantasy settings similar to worlds like A Song of Ice and Fire or Berserk.
Scum and Villainy
Everybody loves a good, gritty science fiction story, and Scum and Villainy is the perfect blend. This takes the tension-filled adventures of Blades in the Dark and brings them to the far-flung corners of the galaxy. In it, the party take the roles of intergalactic criminals, making use of Blades in the Dark's brilliant score to role-playing game structure to create fraught, hard-hitting moments packed with tension and action. This game setting is perfect for players who are a fan of free-flying galactic journeys filled with various factions of criminals and lawgivers like Firefly or The Expanse.
Blades Against Darkness
Some people just want simplicity and classic originality, and that's exactly what Blades Against Darkness provides. The groundbreaking mechanics of the base game are used as players partake in a classic adventure of sword & sorcery as they delve deep into dungeon tombs, search for rare loot and both encounter and defeat vicious prowling about in the dark. Blades Against Darkness is the perfect supplement for taking this newer system back to tabletop roots for players who enjoy tales of tomb-delving fantasy blending both high fantasy with something similar in theme to Uncharted and Conan the Barbarian.
Blades of Jhereg
Blades Of Jhereg takes the Blades in the Dark formula of stress mitigation, role-playing, and swift criminal enterprise and transports it to the world of Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos novels. The players take on the role of members of the criminal organization of House Jhereg. This supplement changes the game's setting while keeping its core score to heist mechanics and stress mitigation firmly in the realms of the criminal underworld. It's perfect for players who are either fans of the Vlad Taltos novels or want to change up the setting of Blades in the Dark while keeping the same relative mechanics and themes as the base game.
The Doomed
The Doomed trades the back alleys and dark corners of Duskvol for the gleaming high rises of a sprawling metropolis right out of a comic book. In this setting, the party takes on the role of a band of superpowered crooks looking to use those powers to make some quick cash. Be warned, though, that this isn't The Boys. There are heroes and government officials alike that will do everything to the party and hinder their heists, and players may even fall foul of other villains with a larger reach, connections, and powers. This game setting is perfect for players who love Marvel, DC, or superhero comics in general, particuarly those who want to explore their villainous sides.