Blades in the Dark
By One Seven DesignThe Basics
The Basics
The Core System
Actions & Attributes
Stress & Trauma
Progress clocks
Action Roll
Effect
Setting Position & Effect
Consequences and Harm
Resistance and Armor
Fortune Roll
Gathering Information
Coin and Stash
The Faction Game
Advancement
The Characters
Characters
Character creation
Character playbook
The Crew
Crew creation
Crew playbook
The Score
The Score
Planning & engagement
Teamwork
Downtime
Downtime
Payoff
Heat
Entanglements
Downtime activities
Magnitude
Rituals
Crafting
Downtime
Blades in the Dark
After the crew finishes a score (succeed or fail), they take time to recover, regroup, and prepare for the next operation. This phase of the game is called downtime.
Downtime fulfills two purposes in the game:
- First, it's a break for the players. During the action of the score, the PCs are always under threat, charging from obstacle to obstacle in a high-energy sequence. Downtime gives them a reprieve so they can catch their breath and relax a bit—focus on lower-energy, quieter elements of the game, as well as explore personal aspects of their characters.
- Second, the shift into a new phase of the game signals a shift in which mechanics are needed. There are special rules that are only used during the downtime phase, so they're kept "out of the way" during the other parts of play. When we shift into downtime, we take out a different toolbox and resolve downtime on its own terms, then shift back into the more action-focused phases of the game afterwards.
- Payoff. The crew receives their rewards from a successfully completed score.
- Heat. The crew accumulates suspicion and attention from the law and the powers-that-be in the city as a result of their last score.
- Entanglements. The crew faces trouble from the rival factions, the law, and the haunted city itself.
- Downtime Activities. The PCs indulge their vices to remove stress, work on long-term projects, recover from injuries, etc.
