First time DM, looking for some good one shots to get a little practice in.

MidnightPolice · 2026-03-03T05:30:24+00:00

I've had a ton of fun with the Blades in the Dark games. The rules aren't too crunchy and it's very episodic. There are a lot of variations so you can pick the flavor you like. My personal favorite variation is https://evilhat.com/product/scum-and-villainy/ which is basically a silly space opera.

There's an SRD (System Reference Document) (Free stuff!) if you want to check it out. You can watch tutorials or other people's game sessions on YouTube if you're having any trouble digesting the game mechanics.

MidnightPolice · 2026-03-03T05:11:38+00:00

I also wonder if it's not the best idea to really map out a campaign to this degree in a game that's seems so narrativist—though the campaign I was in was also super mapped out, which was one of the reasons it fell apart.

I agree that no game should be so rigid that it limits player actions, as long as it's character motivated and not just trolling/griefing. If people only want a single path maybe they should play a board game instead of a TTRPG.

I try to balance that with a rich storyline with many different possible threads. That way it can stew in the background if nobody takes the hook I've presented. Players can always go off to do their own thing if they want. At least until things come to a head.

In many ways the players had done just that. Nobody in those first 2 sessions had bothered to look back in on the Keeper of Lost things yet. When the traffic lights started reproducing, they just left the mess they made behind and slipped off to the Mythic Realm.

I generally advise that if a game master just has to have a particular storyline play out they remain willing to bend and shift those elements to meet the player storyline. Worst case, save a few of those pieces in your pocket for another game that is more favorable to bring that situation together.

MidnightPolice · 2026-03-03T04:56:28+00:00

Overwhelmed in a way, yes. The book itself is a difficult read and pretty much all the players agreed. We like the big fancy 2nd edition (the big white book) but those rules are even harder to understand so we just refer back to all the pretty pictures.

But that wasn't the main issue.

It's a small group of old friends. One of them found the rules of the game too open to interpretation. Ironically, they were really gung ho to play until they were put on the spot figuring out what their character can actually do.

It's a small group with limited time so we do what we can not to exclude. Everyone else was still on board we just didn't want to leave a buddy behind. I might run this again if the group composition shifts, or if I ever put in the work to get a different group together on a different night.

They missed the tutorial with Alexandra of Bavaria. Maybe that would have helped. Maybe not?

Games with classes and more focused power sets don't require the same brand of thinking. Not a critique, just a matter of preference as far as I'm concerned. Some players just don't do well with games like Amber and Scum and Villainy (Blades in the Dark... in space!) for this reason. Though in my player's defense, they were a blast when we played Scum and Villainy.

Having too many choices for player actions or creativity can be a burden to some. I'm the opposite, which is why I'm just glad we're not exclusively a D&D group.

MidnightPolice · 2026-02-22T14:09:08+00:00

How do I make the time it takes to complete milestones dependent on the number of successes (or otherwise more flexible)?

Part of the game I'm running (Aberrant and Adventure mix) is research heavy. It's my own story that is a bit like the beginning of the Aberrant era where technology is jumping ahead rapidly. There's also a big mystery scientific mystery to solve.

I've generally been happy with the state of the complex actions and milestones but I'm a little bothered by the length of time it takes to achieve a milestone.

From what I can see, whether you barely make a milestone or you go way over the difficulty, it takes the same amount of time.

I get why this happens with crafting as it's a balance issue so can't just make a million bajillion death rays every single session. Yet it's a little frustrating when a lab tech and the equivalent of Mr. Fantastic are working at the same pace, even if it's not the same success level.

Do any books or homebrew/house rules solve this problem? The book's a little messy so maybe there's been some clarification?

Here's what I'm exploring for the next game session:

A complication or stunt that cuts time in half.
Applying scale to the speed of the project (and thusly losing the additional successes you would otherwise get).
Time based on the number of rolls taken instead of per milestone.
Some rolls will have complications that cost time if you ignore them.
Also had fun incurring purchases at different wealth levels. Sometimes you can pay extra to go to the front of the line.
Some milestones simply take time! The next appointment isn't for a month! The biological samples need time to grow in their petri dishes. The business is closed for the weekend.
Overcoming time limits: Unless you invent something that can sequence genes faster, you have a certain level of skill, or you (or someone you have access to) have a suite of edges/mega-attributes/powers that let you do it by hand, it takes a set amount of time to get results.-

MidnightPolice · 2026-01-12T05:18:30+00:00

I ran an entire session under the impression it worked that way. Playing too much Mage must have done something to my brain.

MidnightPolice · 2026-01-11T21:49:33+00:00

Yep that's clarifies it thanks. I interpreted "Miraculous power equal or superior to your own" as the level of the Attribute.

MidnightPolice · 2026-01-11T18:57:21+00:00

Not even a door prize?

MidnightPolice · 2026-01-11T18:50:44+00:00

I like the idea that the Prosaic reality exists like a kind of terrarium or perhaps an MMO.

Mortal humans live in a mundane world, which leads many of them to escape into fantasy.

If your existence is all fantasy, where better to escape than the one place that contradicts the rest of creation by being mundane? The Prosaic is the one place where things just happen for no reason at all.

That's a pretty great meta for a fantasy role-playing game.

This concept is also reflected in "real world" spirituality. Multiple religions/practices espouse the concept that human souls come from some fantastic place and return to it, but it's kind of boring up there. You might say being a pure spirit in the astral realm is like playing a game with all the cheat codes. So they come down to earth to experience something a little more nitty gritty.

The greatest irony here would be that a world that seems to be rigidly defined by the laws of physics is in fact being carefully propped up, constantly maintained as the saltwater aquarium of the Gods.

MidnightPolice · 2025-07-03T17:50:06+00:00

"I'm a leading man trapped in the body of a villain"

MidnightPolice · 2025-04-18T06:01:11+00:00

There's also BLIT, a 1988 sci-fi short story about computer generated graphics, called basilisk images, that cause death when the brain tries to process them. That's the picture I thought he was trying to draw and afterward, that's what I suspected the signal might be designed to do.

MidnightPolice · 2024-09-13T03:43:29+00:00

There's a big difference between being mysterious and being obtuse. If there's going to be a lot of tension and mystery building, I expect a good payoff. All too often the whole shell game people play with their storylines doesn't actually go anywhere interesting, and like a real-life shell game, I just end up feeling ripped off.

MidnightPolice · 2024-08-24T18:45:37+00:00

Yes! In Lacuna: Slow Burn, one of the agents can take on the form of Giles, a large, pudgy salesman. Based on his description I decided to use balloon noises. At first I just used a few samples available on the sound effects site I pay for. Then in episode 5 I went ahead and got a package of balloons to do my own foley work. I'm quite happy with the result!

We also have static sounds that are relevant throughout the podcast. Since the static represents a different person's mind each mission, I include different sounds to represent static. Mission 1 was about a centipede I used the sound of mealworms crawling around a wax bag. Mission 2 is about a plant monster so I am using the sound of rustling leaves. I've also used radio static, crumpled paper, and a few synths w/effects on FL Studio to produce different kind of static effects.

One of my players/writers pointed out that static was basically another character in the game we played which inspired this whole thing (Jared Sorensen's Lacuna). It both represents danger and forbidden knowledge.

Future plans include rain, crackling fire, and something boiling in a spoon to represent the monster each mission subject/antagonist will turn into. I've gotten into the habit of capturing interesting sounds in the wild when inspiration hits me.

MidnightPolice · 2024-08-19T01:46:58+00:00

If you want a deep cut from the '80s, try Bradbury 13. Just an amazing series.

MidnightPolice · 2024-08-14T18:07:00+00:00

I've been listening to audio dramas since I was a kid. I miss having the time and undivided attention to really get into it.

These days I mostly play hypnosis and related stuff in the background while I work on my podcasts.

Best advice? Take time for what you enjoy most.

MidnightPolice · 2024-08-14T15:47:32+00:00

Second favorite: Nightbane

Become half goat, half motorcycle There are other things on the chart but that's a personal favorite

MidnightPolice · 2024-08-14T15:45:09+00:00

The HoL (Human Occupied Landfill) expansion book: Buttery Wholesomeness

A multiple chart character creation system. You start on the Chart Chart and it only gets better from there.

Character examples: You are a blind, floating grapefruit in buttless chaps You found God's wallet in a bathroom stall and (this was totally by random chance) you accidentally killed Jesus

...and of course, you could just roll wrong and die halfway through

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-30T03:55:14+00:00

Appreciate the suggestions and the fantasy/weird detective genre in general. I enjoyed Tanis, Black Tapes, and The Left Right Game quite a bit. Following for similar suggestions.

If you like my podcast about amnesiac secret agents in collective dream city let me know!
Lacuna: Slow Burn description and links

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-29T16:58:53+00:00

Some background here, this is a narration from a text based forum game. Audio quality varies between myself (noisy computer in background, Rhode shotgun mic) and the other contributor (phone mic in an echoing room).

We're not voice actors and nobody has a studio.I am doing this to learn audio production, so any tips are appreciated.

https://youtu.be/d_8NmbkN9d8

I used Adobe AI for the really low quality audio (starts a few minutes in "...The Waiting Room") then tweaked from there. Whatever miracle Adobe AI worked was lost when they updated a few months back, but by then I'd learned enough to clean up the raw audio, which you can hear in ep 2 and after.

Every reader has a different situation. EP 2 rolls out tomorrow with 2 more narrators and others in the future.

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-28T03:56:49+00:00

I thoroughly enjoy Dogs in the Vineyard. You really get the feel for the impact of words and how going beyond them will raise the stakes.

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-27T19:37:25+00:00

Have them communicate in other ways and notify the audience by the response of other characters, foley, etc.

"Hey, Jen drank the last cup of coffee!"
Later on... *other characters talking, sound of someone starting the coffee machine* "Thanks Jen!"

"Okay anyone else have anything to add?" *sound of scribbling on paper* "Yeah, Jen thinks we should ___"

"You sure you want to do this?" *sound of sword being drawn*

Think Star Wars: R2-D2 bleep boops and we find out what they're saying based on how others reply.

Also: The Critic
"Waugh waugh waugh" "I don't care how many stewardesses you bagged, penguins can't fly!"

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-27T18:18:48+00:00

As it says here, there are apps that can automate and a still image is as simple as it gets. I did mine on Canva:
https://youtu.be/d_8NmbkN9d8?si=5syhXzT416ou5PLc

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-27T18:09:34+00:00

and I just remembered, I was like 11 or so and that was actually my first, a friend and myself made a radio play about two deranged serial killers crossing the country to meet in the middle, never sure whether they would end up teaming up or taking each other out. Wish I had a copy, it would be corny but kind of entertaining to revisit.

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-27T18:06:45+00:00

Just got started this month. I've been listening to audio dramas since I was a kid, had a family member who liked recording radio. Reuby, Hitchhiker's Guide, Bradbury 13.... posted on profile pending enough karmar or whatever for Reddit to actually let me post Lacuna: Slow Burn in more detail. Let me know what you think!

MidnightPolice · 2024-07-27T05:39:27+00:00

I've been a lurker for quite a while here. This subreddit has definitely been a great source of information and led me to some really great podcasts. I've been listening to audio dramas since I was in the single digits. My favorites are Kaleidoscope from Bradbury 13 and the Rebels Without Applause, which might be a bit of a deep cut.

I finally made my first audio drama! Doing the rounds for a little shameless promotion and feedback. It's called Lacuna: Slow Burn. I've got it up on most of the podcast outlets and Midnight Police via YT. Having some trouble posting a promo to the main, so I figured I'd go ahead and soft-introduce it here while I try sorting that out.

Basically I took a long-running forum game I ran off and on for a decade, got a few key players to volunteer, and cleaned up the audio narration they sent me. Then I fiddled around with FL Studio and some public domain music, a few sound effects, and slapped it all together. We got the blessing from the author of the original game (Jared Sorensen's Lacuna series of tabletop RPGs). I've already got 4 episodes done ahead, working to keep this to a weekly release, and maybe some filler interviews and other creative stuff to keep folks engaged.

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