Blades in the Dark: How I Run Factions

This is a codification of how I run factions in Blades in the Dark. It is intended as a reliable method, not a strict or authoritative one. Take what works for you and leave the rest. Change things if you need to. You can reference the book’s advice here.

Note: I refer to faction maneuvers here as faction actions.

Procedures

• During downtime factions:
  • Take up to two actions that advance their goals.
  • Work on their projects.
• Factions are always doing things, but we only focus on a few factions each downtime.
• If a faction has been out of focus for a long time, you can catch them up by running them through multiple downtimes.
• If you don’t know how effective a faction is at pursuing their goals, make a fortune roll based on their tier:

Roll	Crit	6	4–5	1–3
Ticks	5	3	2	1

My Goals For Running Factions

• Generate and deliver story hooks that the characters can act on.
• Make the PCs’ (player characters’) impact on the world feel real.
• Make the world feel like it exists beyond the PCs’ view.
• Minimize the workload to prevent burnout.

Two Common Approaches

1. Focus on factions the PCs have, or will interact with.

• Pros
  • A lighter workload.
  • Your prep is more likely to be relevant to the characters.
  • Repeated story threads build narrative inertia, which helps direct the campaign.
• Cons
  • Can make the world feel small or myopic — as if the world revolves exclusively around the PC’s. Even if the world does revolve around them, it shouldn’t feel that way.
  • Repeated story threads build narrative inertia, which can be difficult to redirect when the players’ interests change.

2. Simulate the world outside the PCs’ involvement.

• Pros
  • Adds depth to the world.
  • Introduces chaos and fresh elements to the narrative.
  • Gives players new hooks to bite on to if they are tiring of the current ones.
• Cons
  • A higher workload.
  • Your prep has a higher chance of not getting used immediately.
    However, you can reuse this prep, if you are smart about it.

The Mixed Approach: Overview

So, keeping in mind that creativity is a limited resource, what do we do?

1. After a session, choose three factions to focus on.
   • Two the PC’s have already interacted with, or the players have expressed interest in.
   • One that they have not interacted with, which you think would spice things up.
2. Have each focused faction take one or two actions.
3. Have each focused faction progress their relevant project clocks.
4. Figure out which NPC’s can tell the PC’s about what happened, and how they could tell them.

The Mixed Approach: In Practice

Considerations

1. Is there anything obvious that should happen? Make it so.
   • Are there are any factions that would react to the PCs’ efforts?
   • Is a faction close to finishing a project?
2. Are there any current story threads/hooks that would be interesting to pull on?
   • What would be interesting to bring back right now?
     Tie back to unresolved story threads.
   • Did the PC’s recently discover something?
     What would be an interesting twist?
3. How can I threaten the characters?
   • Consider their friends, family, rivals, contacts, vice purveyors, etc.
     If this is a new development, give them a chance to intervene.
     If you already foreshadowed this, and they ignored it, hit them hard.
   • Has someone discovered a weakness of the crew?

1. Choose which factions are acting.

• Pick two factions the PC’s are involved with, or the players are interested in.
• Pick one faction they aren’t involved with, that would introduce interesting chaos to the current state of things.

The Faction Table

If you don’t know which faction should act, make a d6 table of the most likely factions and roll on it. Populate it with three to six factions, with even or uneven weights. Whatever makes the most sense.

d6	Three Factions	Four Factions	Six Factions
1	Faction A	Faction A	Faction A
2	Faction A	Faction A	Faction B
3	Faction B	Faction B	Faction C
4	Faction B	Faction B	Faction D
5	Faction C	Faction C	Faction E
6	Faction C	Faction D	Faction F

When deciding which factions to include, start with:

• Factions the crew or a PC have recently interacted with.
• Factions the crew has positive or negative status with.
• Factions the crew or a PC has a contact in.

2. For each faction, choose up to two actions.

• If it is obvious what action a faction would take, do that.
• If it isn’t obvious, roll on the following table to spark an idea:

d6	Action
1	Seize a claim or increase hold. Make an enemy vulnerable. Reduce the hold of a vulnerable enemy.
2	Gather information on the PCs or another subject. PC’s can take actions to oppose this.
3	Achieve a short-term goal they’re able to accomplish.
4	Acquire a new asset.
5	Call in a favor from another faction.
6	Employ political pressure or threats to force someone’s hand.

Factions aren’t limited to these actions. Take any action you think is reasonable.

For each action, choose who is involved.

• If you know who the faction is targeting or asking for a favor, go ahead.
• If you don’t know, roll on a faction table. Include the crew if they are relevant.

Decide how each action plays out.

• Judge how much impact each action has.
• If you don’t know, make a fortune roll based on the faction’s tier.

3. Progress their project clocks.

• If an action serves a the faction’s goals, update the corresponding clock, or create a new clock.
• If you don’t know how much an action would impact a project clock, make a fortune roll based on their tier.
• You can also make a fortune roll, and leave the fictional reasoning undefined until you need it. Record how many clock ticks need justification, and try to follow up on them eventually.

4. Determine who can tell the characters about it.

As always, choose an appropriate option, or roll:

Roll	Action
1	A friend, rival, contact, purveyor, or cohort tells them. Who did they hear about it from?
2	They hear about it from a friendly faction. Who is looking out for them, and why?
3	They read about it in the newspapers. Who wrote the article? Who is their source?
4	The get an anonymous tip. Who delivered it? What evidence did they leave?
5	They overhear someone. Who was talking too much? Was it intentional?
6	Someone with information runs into them. Who “just happened” to be here? Was it intentional?

Finally, consider who can tell them more if they follow up.
What do they want, and why is getting it going to be difficult?

Make the information actionable.

• Always tell the PC’s.
  • Before the session, prepare a few ideas for how you could tell the PC’s.
  • You can wait for a good opportunity, but make it a priority to work it in.
• Use the world and characters to infodump. Don’t just prattle on.
  • If you can show the PC’s the information without dialogue, do so.
  • If an NPC can tell them directly, do so.
  • If you can’t include the PC’s: set a scene with NPC’s doing something interesting, and use them to tell the players. Then use another technique to tell the PC’s.
  • Keep your infodumping succinct — one or two minutes at most.
• You can tell the players first, but always follow up with the PC’s.

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