GM: Shaun Hayworth
Players: Kristin Hayworth, Matt Frederickson, and Sean Nittner
System: Blades in the Dark, Rules v.8
How about another game of Blades? Yes!
The Darlings of Doskvol
Benji the Skovlander, with the support from the Brynna Skyrkallan, carved out a little space in The Docks. An old barber shop with frosted over windows and busted locks on the door. But hey, the rent was cheap and and Benji got their first. Then came Professor Ix. A professor at Whitecrown Academy who only maintains his teaching status in his own mind, but hasn’t been paid in months, joined him. Then came Lizette Haig, who was a lowly chemist in the Ministry of Preservation until her bosses caught her skimming from their product and sent the Bluecoats after her. Knowing that her cousin Canter wasn’t going to be able to help (he had Blue trouble of his own), she met up with Benji, and asked to parlay her knowledge of shipment into a place in the crew.
Yas!
Lampblacks moving Spark
Ramira, one of the Red Sashes, who we’re tight with (+2 faction status) came to tell us about a job we could take if we were interested. Not that they would specifically ask us to do this for them, but you know…if we were interested, she knew about a shipment of Spark that the Lampblacks would be picking up on the docks. And since selling drugs to students was kind of our thing… maybe we’d be interested.
Of course we were interested! Lizette pushed for more information but looked like she was inexperienced at this whole language of crime thing (which she was). Benji stepped forward, muffling his crew mate with his big brawny hand, and got the skinny. What day, which pier, all that.
The plan
We’re going to send our gang (rooks) to distract the dockers with some games of chance on the docks, while we impersonate a member of the ministry and a bluecoat coming to inspect the good on the boat and then we steal the stash. Deception plain. Method: Impersonation. Boom. Took all of five minutes to decide. I FUCKING LOVE BLADES IN THE DARK.
We rolled engagement and got a full success. Lizette walking in her ministry uniform and Beji walking behind her in a coat that was Blue-ish (we do have a close friend LaRose who I’m sure helped us out, using gear: documents and subterfuge supplies) walked up to the dockers to do a “routine” inspection. On our way their we spotted them moving a box and being particularly circumspect about it, so decided we’d present our papers there. Yas!
The Job
Lizette and Benji managed to pull off the disguise (Lizette took the Devil’s Bargain of using her real name and paperwork, since they were the real deal, even if no longer valid) but not without attracting some attention. Legitimate inspectors or not, the dockers didn’t want us anywhere near their stash of Spark. Especially since they know the Lampblacks would be coming to pick it up soon. Soon, dockers took notice and made for our direction.
“Benji. I have a plan, but the plan doesn’t involve me getting punched in the face by those guys. Could you go keep them from coming over here?” Benji knew the score, it was probably his face that was going to be punched if it came down to it, but he could use the Bluecoat to keep them under wraps at least for a bit.
Ix kept an eye on the crowd and then when he saw our little gondola (paid for via Acquire Asset flashback) with it’s cantankerous captain coming up along the shore he sneaked down to get on it and they poled their way directly under the dock.
Above, with Benji keeping the dockers distracted, and the one sailor who was guarding the stash successfully conned into running off to ask the captain about this inspection, Lizette used her well honed skills of applying fire oil in a contained burn (read: Sabatour ability) to burn a whole in the dock underneath the crate. Once it was set, she said “well, everything here looks fine” and then walked over to Benji to tell him he didn’t need to keep the good dockers busy any longer. [Crit on her Desperate Wreck]
Just as Benji and Lizette walked off the pier, the fire erupted and the dock began to collapse. The crate fell directly into the gondola below, caught by Ix, and he led the gondolier out of the precarious flaming and falling timbers!
Having made it out, the crew met back up in a small canal, told the gondolier that they would make it up to him with a bit of spark and that he could get into the party they were going to hose for free. Ameliorated he shipped off and we went home with a big box of Spark (4 coin, 3 heat, good trade!)
What Rocked
Thanks so much Shaun, Kristin, and Matt for inviting me into your game. Especially so last minute. It started with this tweet and an hour later I was in the game:
@SeanNittner I miss gaming with you. #ThatIsAll
I think I need somebody as forceful as me to push against sometimes.— Frenemy of the state (@_TheRussian) February 4, 2017
Version 8 crew creation is so great, specifically picking faction status. We loved having the Bluecoats like us, but the inspectors hate us. Great friction there. Most games I play in crews side with the Lampblacks, so it was really fun to work with the Red Sashes this time.
Lizette’s vice is faith, specifically a member of the Church and I had a lot of fun teasing out bits about the may veiled layers of the Ecstasy of the Flesh.
In my mind Lizette is also on her way to being as bold as her cousin Canter but for now is very unsure about crime. It was so much fun being unsure of herself and then getting Benji’s approval when she had done good (read: blow up the docks).
Gaming with Shaun and Kristin is so good. I’ve missed you two for ages and it was a blast getting to play with you again. You too Matt!
What could have improved
Saturday nights are very hit and miss for me, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to play with the Darlings every week. But even if I can’t, Lizette can be in the back of the barber shop cutting their product to spread it out. I’ll hate to miss a game, but the crime must go on.
