By Jason Campbell
Blades in the Dark is a RPG created by Johnthan Harper and released by Evil Hat productions in 2017. It uses a modified version of the Powered by the Apocalypse game system and is one of the most popular independent RPGs. The game includes the rules as well as a setting, the city of Doskvol, which is inspired by cities of Victorian Europe with a heavy dose of Gothic literature. In late 2023 Evil Hat released a new setting for Blades in the Dark called City of Red Waters, by Ask McAllan. In late 2024 Evil Hat released Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts by Jonathan Harper. This article isn’t a true review as I’ve not played with either of these books, so this will serve to show my impressions of both books.
City of Red Waters
This 52 page supplement deals with using the city of Inverrouge in a Blades in the Dark game. Inverrouge is a colonial city and the book states in the beginning paragraphs that the setting focuses on the tensions and horrors of colonialism. It will inevitably lead to a thought provoking game, but is likely not for everyone. That aspect of this setting would be good to discuss in a session zero before beginning a campaign.
The technology level of the world roughly equates to the late 19th century of our world. The world of the game involves the countries of the continent of Magna Mundus, which have colonized one new continent, and now have begun colonizing another newly discovered continent. This new continent is where Inverrouge lies.
Inverrouge has nine detailed locations populated by many factions. It introduces three new crew types: Emcees (partying socialites), River Of Blood (oppressed people who rise up with violence) and Roots (Bloody farmers). In the City of Red Waters setting blood is the key to all life, carrying the essence of life with it.
Conclusion
City of Red Waters is a setting that takes risk in ways that few RPG supplements dare. It can bring up challenging scenarios and plot lines. It doesn’t expand character options (except for the crew types noted earlier), so it’s best for groups who’ve played in Doskvol and are looking for a different experience.
Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts
Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts is a 60 page supplement by the original creator of Blades in the Dark. It adds and modifies the original rules. It adds new technology and many new factions such as Cabbies and Rail Jacks and many new heritages.
One of the most intriguing new pieces introduced by this book is the idea of other Living Worlds. These are other worlds which come into contact with the world of Doskvol where the protective lightning barrier field wears thin. This world is accessible through temporary fractures, where thighs can pass into the world of Doskvol from these other worlds. The other Living World is not detailed, so the best way to use it is through including “Strangers”, characters who’ve come to Doskvol from another Living World.
The book also modifies and adds mechanics to the game, such as changes to Harm levels, which can hamper a character while giving them XP. Similarly it adds the idea of invoking Trauma, which can also give a character XP. There’s a modification to Loads which accounts for characters who pick up equipment during a score. Advancement is now suggested to use an advancement clock, which is an idea in line with other parts of the game. Downtime is now completely diceless.
Conclusion
There are many systemic changes, including those noted above, which are improvements which surely arose from years of playing the game. The biggest mechanical change is to the Action roll, which is now the Threat Roll. The difference is philosophical, but important. The idea of a threat roll is that the players aren’t rolling to determine success or failure but how they deal with a complication. The GM presents something bad that’s about to happen to the character(s) and the players decide how they try to avoid that consequence. In this way the GM doesn’t have to improvise a complication on the spot, and the players know exactly what the danger is.
Afterthoughts
Both of these supplements add a lot to the Blades in the Dark game. City of Red Waters gives a group another setting they can explore, and Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts tightens up many rules to make the game run faster and smoother. If you’re a fan of the game, they are both worth picking up.
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