A crew of criminals pulls heists in a haunted industrial city, trading stress for results and planning on the fly through flashbacks.
Forged in the DarkHeistdice poolposition and effectclocksplaybooksflashbacksCampaignsNeeds a GM
5.7
Geek rating
From 17 firsthand play reports in 6 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 5.8.
Player rating—/ 10
No visitor ratings yet.
Discussion8.4/ 10
784 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.
Rules weight
Medium. Hype 6.8 for its age.
Have you played it?
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What players say
At the table
Firsthand reports describe a game that runs smoothly and produces strong heist sessions, with action rolls, planning and resistance carrying play. Tables split on how lethal it feels, how heavy the sheets are, and whether a long campaign holds up. Much of the thread material comes from people recommending other games, so detail on Blades play itself is thin in places.
What works
The action roll system and heist planning were easier to run than D&D for one GM, and ran smoothly. (thread)
Several GMs ran campaigns of a year or more with dramatic failures and no player deaths. In one, a rival faction grew so afraid of the late-game crew that its leadership left the city. (thread)
Running it loosely, as either on a score or not, works for one commenter without separate downtime and free-play phases. (thread)
A group that moved on to Dungeon World missed how smoothly Blades ran. (thread)
One player of a short campaign loved the mechanics and the planned ending, with a new ability traded for a trauma. (thread)
What tables struggle with
New GMs default to harm as the consequence and run fights blow by blow. In one group a reckless plan killed a PC, and the players called the game too hardcore. (thread)
A crunch-loving group enjoyed the setting but never found the system satisfying. (thread)
The sheets carry many differently shaped checkboxes and proper-noun mechanics, and it is hard to see how they connect. One group found it complicated and narrativist. (thread)
Duskvol's specific setting is a lot to absorb and did not suit some players. (thread)
The score, engagement, payoff and downtime cycle plus the faction layer turned into admin for one experienced group. Inventing scores became a chore, and the GM burned out. (thread)
Who it suits
Groups who enjoy planning a job and treating failure as story, especially with a GM who steers consequences away from harm.
GMs willing to loosen the phase structure rather than run it strictly.
Less clear fit: players expecting D&D-style hijinks without risk, or groups after a very long open-ended campaign.
In players' words
"Odd, I ran it for over a year without a single player death." (thread)
"When I played Blades as a player, I struggled most with all the little doodads (so many different shapes of checkboxes! So many Proper Noun Things between the character and crew sheets!)" (thread)
"the political/faction/ambition aspect was simply lost on us. So, coming up with relevant scores became a chore." (thread)
The threads behind it
Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.
6.5
My players didn't like blades in the dark because it was "too hardcore", I need some system recommendations
Firsthand reports are mostly positive: several GMs ran year-long campaigns with great heists and no deaths. The one negative report is the OP's group, who loved the action system and planning until a shootout killed a PC and they found it too hardcore. A grognard group also liked the setting but found the system itself unsatisfying. Most of the thread is advice on how to avoid that outcome. 6 firsthand · 190 comments
Are there good games to teach FitD that aren't Blades in the Dark?
The thread is mostly about other Forged in the Dark games, with Slugblaster, Scum and Villainy and Girl by Moonlight recommended as easier on-ramps. The few firsthand Blades in the Dark reports are lukewarm to negative: players found the many sheet doodads and proper-noun mechanics hard to absorb, and some groups bounced off it. 4 firsthand · 70 comments
Looking for RPG Recommendations post-Blades in the Dark campaign
The few people who ran Blades in the Dark describe a campaign that ran out of steam. The score/engagement/payoff/downtime cycle and the faction layer became admin, and coming up with scores felt like a chore. The rest of the thread recommends other games, and a few commenters defend the stress and downtime loop as central to the design. 4 firsthand · 31 comments
The thread is mostly about alternatives to Blades in the Dark for fantasy play, such as Forged in the Dungeon, Wicked Ones, Dungeon World and ICON. The one firsthand report of playing Blades in the Dark itself says it ran smoothly and was missed after the group switched systems. 1 firsthand · 79 comments
The thread is mostly about alternatives to Blades in the Dark (Leverage, Cortex Prime, Dishonored, SotS, Swyvers). Almost no one describes actual BitD sessions. The one firsthand note says the game runs fine once you drop the rigid phase structure and use only a score or free-play split. 1 firsthand · 65 comments
Played in a short BitD campaign and now I don’t know how to feel emotionally. I feel empty, is that normal?
The only firsthand account is the original poster's. They played a short 5-6 session Blades in the Dark campaign, loved the mechanics and the table, and felt sad when it ended. The rest of the thread is general commentary on post-campaign grief and bleed, not reports of play. 1 firsthand · 69 comments