I have only recently discovered Blades in the Dark, it was recommended to me as right up my alley. After beginning a Blades campaign recently, I couldn’t agree more.

Of course, my new campaign is set in The City in Darkness and so requires a few tweaks. In the last campaign I set in the City, the PCs unwittingly set free three vampires imprisoned beneath the city. The vampires quickly siezed control of the city, ruling with an iron fist. In an epic showdown at the finale of the campaign, it was almost a TPK and the vampires emerged victorious.

Here’s an overview of my Blades hack. I’ll post more details over the coming weeks.

Introduction

Twenty years ago, rule in the City was usurped by The Three, a trio of vampires unwittingly freed from their prison deep within the rock. Thriving in the permanent darkness they quickly solidified their hold and ushered in an industrial revolution in the city merging their blood magic with the engineering brilliance of the Goblins.

Today, the city is transformed by snaking iron and glass pipes transporting blood derived Hemaline to machines of endless variety.

Sample Heritages

• Nocte, or the City in Darkness locals are a mostly downtrodden working class, oppressed by their vampiric overlords. Most have never been through a portal to see the sky, but on the bright side, you have to be really unlucky to be selected for blood harvesting.
• Orlick Goblins originate from a sprawling subterranean realm of canals and engineering marvels. After toppling their malevolent god-emperor and purging their own inner demons, they now channel their energies into grand engineering projects and intricate tea societies to subdue their primal instincts.
• If you want to play a more happy-go-lucky type, the halflings who live in the agrarian rolling hills of Towling through one of the portals. At home they live in communal village-houses, sleep in big piles, and have tried to develop the same vibe in the city.
• The Swamps of Kohlness are home to all kinds of weird creatures from Kobolds to Lizardfolk. They tend to be looked down upon as uncivilised by people of the city, somehow access to fresh air and food doesn’t count for much in the eyes of locals.

Sample Districts

• A hovel deep within the Pits, vertical shafts that descend into the rock itself, with winding passages holding the cities most wretched folk. These pits flood whenever it rains. On the plus side, crime in the pits is rare, as nobody has anything to steal.
• A Dangle hangs below the rock itself on chains or ropes. Occasionally one falls off, but that hasn’t dented their popularity as spaces with fewer neighbours than usual.
• A Chainhold clings to the vast chains that hold many towers of the city upright, anchored to a secure spike of rock that crowns the city. Although secure due to the chains, space can be cramped and the smoke of the city drifts up to choke everything.

Sample Factions

As you can see, there’s a lot more work to do, but this combined with a bunch of original Blades factions, has got me off to a good start. I plan to flesh out the setting to the point it’s usable by other people. I plan to flesh out the setting to the point it’s usable by others. Any feedback or encouragement would be greatly appreciated!