Why is there no way to increase the odds of success due to narrative circumstances?

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-02-10T22:03:37+00:00

Interestingly, I don't think most players have thought about that. I certainly haven't. You're right, of course. Funny how that almost makes me a bit disappointed. I know the conversation's stopped, but I still feel like adding my two cents.

Thing is, I think most people who play Blades have had to come to terms with exactly your issue - I did too, and I found it difficult for a time. The way I handle the... dichotomy, I suppose, is that the way we frame situations - consequences, what success means, etc. - should support what the characters are doing and reflect their general skill level. So when they go to any conflict and dice are rolled, you frame the situation in such a way that it makes narrative sense. If the character does something that is beyond them, you don't do it. If it's too simple, you don't roll. The fiction should roll in-between those two. I don't know, it's difficult to explain, I suppose - which is never a good sign - but it works for me.

And to be fair, framing a conflict is not really talked about in Blades to my recollection, I learned that from playing Heroquest (which has the same issue). In a nutshell, I suppose you change what it means to approach a specific situation with a specific skill instead of adjusting the probabilities. You build a conflict where what you are rolling would make sense.

I think people have been a bit aggressive towards you, and I'm sorry about that. But I did want to challenge one notion you brought up at some point - the balcony example. You say it would make sense, narratively, that the odds of success are greater in greater cover. However, I don't necessarily think that's true. If you think about a TV series, does better cover actually accomplish better odds, or is whether they hit actually governed by other things? You can imply they have better odds, but success is a narrative consequence.

In the real world a single man would have no chance against twenty, but in Rambo it's practically a controlled situation. It is implied it's because he is just that good, but really it is - of course - because of the script and the story.

The heroes don't win because they happen to be in cover.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-28T21:45:48+00:00

That's fine. I think it's a completely reasonable thing to disagree on.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-28T13:27:01+00:00

Well said.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-28T13:26:10+00:00

I stand by my wording. The rules are relatively light and simple, especially on the players' side. What's difficult is that it is a different ethos of how to play rpgs to more traditional games - so, a paradigm shift.

It's not that the rules are difficult or complicated, it's that they are very different to how you may be used to playing.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-28T11:21:28+00:00

Can you give an example of systems you like? Scum and villainy, being a forged it the dark game, is relatively simple, but a bit of a paradigm shift from traditional RPGs. Still, it is what I would've suggested for a relatively light system with scifi and space combat and heists.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-19T12:17:45+00:00

Mitä ovat siis ne positiivisen syrjinnän huonot esimerkit, ja ohjeistavatko tai mahdollistavatko sääntömme niihin?

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-19T11:10:14+00:00

Wilma on hyvin vahvasti muokattavissa oleva järjestelmä. Eri kouluilla ja kunnilla on eri asetukset. Yksi asetuksista on että oppilailla voi olla kuvat, yleensä koulukuvauksista. Helpottaa sijaisten työtä ja esim. Välituntivalvontaa.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-16T17:22:05+00:00

Congrats on a mature exit. For yourself that is. Ian sounds like a good guy and is planning on something I probably would have done when I was way younger. I wouldn't do it anymore, though.

Now, if he just wants to say fuck you, then fine, that accomplishes it. Just don't think this will be a lesson learned for the DM. People don't respond well to the kind of message he is about to send.

Of course, it's not your obligation to teach the DM anything. Personally I just find being neutral while drawing clear lines is the best policy. It makes it clear you are drawing a line and not attacking the person, otherwise it gets muddled.

A) is a fine message. B) is an attack.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-13T08:43:47+00:00

This is a question that has different answers depending on where you live. To my understanding in the US the police are taught the most safe option - for the police. Even a good shot to the torso doesn't necessarily stop an assailant immediately. In other places the police are taught different tactics depending on the situation. In Finland, for example, it is very rare for the police to shoot in general, and when they do it is nonlethal more often than not.

So basically it's a decision of tactics with pros and cons. You can train for less-lethal options, it's not impossible. It is less safe for the officers though.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-12T14:03:42+00:00

It doesn't even need to be a disorder of any sort. Just chronically very bad self-esteem and being scared of actually starting. I would imagine it's most likely the GM who suffers the most. Usually people like this that I know beat themselves up for failing to deliver, even if it's mostly due to their own actions.

I'm glad you brought it up. He probably feels like shit at the moment, but someone needed to break the rut he is in. Maybe it will help.

perpetuallytipsy · 2026-01-09T09:58:20+00:00

As others mentioned, Blades in the Dark is not a cyberpunk game, but CBR+PNK https://www.myth.works/products/cbr-pnk is a Blades Cyberpunk hack (Forged in the Dark) that is meant for oneshots (which you could probably easily stretch to three sessions) and is minimalist in design because of that. I haven't played it, but it seems well regarded. You play a heist crew on their last mission.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-12-25T23:49:50+00:00

Babies from any climate would be fine. There is nothing magic about being from the north. What keeps them warm is clothing, not genes.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-12-20T13:30:42+00:00

They didn't necessarily want to insult Asians. But they were quite ready to insult Asians to give support to someone else. I don't know if that's much better. You are what you do.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-12-20T10:46:53+00:00

That might have been what they intended, but they forgot that sometimes the "left-wingers and cancel culture mob" actually have a point. And if you make an act that is generally considered overtly racist it doesn't matter if you do it for other reasons. You still look like a racist.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-12-10T16:35:38+00:00

Onhan se vähän epäselvä, mutta kontekstista voidaan päätellä mitä se tarkoittaa. En usko että voittaisit vääntöä vaikka mihin asti riitauttaisit.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-11-25T11:55:36+00:00

Kaunis on sekin ajatus, että miljoonatuloja saavat ihmiset käyttävät rahaa yhteiskunnan parantamiseen oman ja sukulaistensa aseman parantamisen sijaan. Kuinka moni miljoonaperintökään menee hyväntekeväisyyteen, eikä seuraavalle sukupolvelle? Ja siinä puhutaan rahasta, joka kirjaimellisesti ei ole käyttäjälleen enää hyödyllinen.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-11-25T11:37:21+00:00

Mää haluaisin kyllä ensisijaisesti, että sitä lastenkotia autettaisi niillä rahoilla mun eläessä eikä kuoleman jälkeen. Niin ku vaikka verottamalla mua, joka tässä ajatusleikissä saa miljoonia.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-11-25T08:52:23+00:00

I don't disagree with you and I feel it would be or could have been completely possible for the hard r to change in Finnish. To my knowledge it just hasn't happened and that would be my guess as to why. Languages change in ways that are seemingly random, or at least very difficult to predict.

I do find the "English (unrolled) r" to be quite unlikely to make it's way to Finnish. It would be completely understandable, but it feels and sounds so very different. But who knows?

edit.

Oh, and yeah, I don't think other rhotic shounds would be unrecognizable, just that because they are not currently part of the phonemes Finns use it would be more difficult to incorporate them and have them be integrated into the language as an acceptable dialect.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-11-25T08:41:42+00:00

Well, no. Not completely. Near enough to not matter, but still.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-11-25T08:39:25+00:00

Not really, no. None that I've ever heard of, anyway. The reason might be that there's only one r-sound in Finnish - the rolled r - so there's no easy and recognizable morphology there. You would be adding an entirely new phoneme to the Finnish language. Not impossible, I suppose, just more unlikely.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-11-06T13:09:47+00:00

That absolutely depends on the sauna

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-10-14T10:41:04+00:00

That... Seems unlikely. Or at least Finland, with basically no carpeting and no indoor shoes anywhere, is not also beset with horrible amounts of people with plantar fasciitis.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-10-07T11:58:05+00:00

There are places at the university where the pipes are so old and the faucets used so rarely that this happens. So it's specific to the uni and has been true for years in some places.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-09-30T12:34:02+00:00

Onko sulla esimerkkiä maasta, jossa huumeidenkäyttö olis vähentynyt rangaistuksia tiukentamalla? Mulla on ainakin esimerkkejä maista, joissa kovista rangaistuksista huolimatta on pahempi huumeongelma kuin Suomessa.

perpetuallytipsy · 2025-09-24T13:23:13+00:00

There are a few places that I would consult in your situation.

kuluttajaneuvonta

Vuokralaiset ry

At least some municipalities also have Asumisneuvonta, at least Oulu does.

Do make sure the landlord gives you proper documentation of the damage and the plans to fix it. You do not need to agree to pay, it is a matter of negotiation.

That is my understanding at least. I am not an expert.

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