Band of Blades review - a deep, dark and personal RPG

[@johnnysizemore5797]

Notes from a CLUEDO enthusiast; You know what you COULD do Johnny? Run Band of Blades to get the legion to the City, THEN switch to a Blades in The Dark campaign using either the Children/legacies of the Survivors or the former legion members themselves. After all, it never states in Blades how the world got the way it did.... May you never roll snake eyes "Mr. Body" Trevelyan

[@kurotoruk]

Johnny Sizemore I tried to multiple thumbs up, but ended up toggling it back and forth. dammit.

[@JeweledNebula]

Super clever idea! I like it!

[@johnnysizemore5797]

@Corin Miranda, @Jeremy Lunsford -- thank you both. You know you can do something similar with ANY number of Games, as long as they share the same system? Take my above comment, for example. You can add Scum & Villany to that by saying it's the "far future" of the Blades universe. So long as all the game books follow the same system(or at least close enough that you can successfully argue for world/society progress), then it'll work.

[@GoblinLord]

@@johnnysizemore5797 Now I'm imagining a group where each team has one member who's related to the previous generation, creating a cohesive storyline connecting each one

[@interregnum_]

"Recommend all you like, Amazon algorithm, but Johnny convinced me--a non-tabletop RPG guy--to buy Blades in the Dark, not this other game by--" [Dicebreaker upload notification] "Dammit."

[@nightcatarts]

And so, wracked by analysis paralysis, Johnny starved to death, his gaunt & dessicated remains doomed to forever claw at the window of a tiny recording studio.

[@nonspiderweb]

on the plus side Wheels now gets two paychecks!

[@nightcatarts]

@@nonspiderweb Oh yea. Shame about having to quarantine the building & make another new studio though.

[@johnnysizemore5797]

@NightCat What about the Insurance rates & the life insurance Wheels obviously took out on Johnny before this video aired?

[@nightcatarts]

@@johnnysizemore5797 Ohh of course, that should cover it.

[@GeekPsychology]

lol

[@geekwithglasses2897]

Johnny you are rocking that toddler on the first day of pre-school look

[@cheezysauce4963]

Dwarven toddler? thats quite a beard for a 4 y/o to have ;)

[@X3._.n3]

Legend has it Johnny still looks back and forth endlessly between those two books

[@BrawnyFanta]

All his down time spent weighing up the decision

[@JoshLK94]

And the existential crisis Johnny faces at the end is how we get Dicebreaker's first actual play RPG campaign, where he plays both games to try and decide which one he likes best.

[@jimmynicol7942]

A homebrew where the BitD campaign takes place in the last bastion of humanity and the BoB campaign is ultimately leading to that last bastion would be cool. I imagine it'd be a lot of work considering how setting reliant these two games are.

[@idiotgamer5271]

I love these kinds of videos! They’ve really helped to broaden my understanding of all the different types of RPG experiences out there. Keep up the brilliant work!

[@synecdoched]

You know - I was sad when Johnny left Eurogamer. THEN Dice Breaker happened. And moments like this where Johnny is tremendously paralysed picking between campaigns is what I live for now. Keep doing you, JC.

[@Andy_Quest]

Bought both Blades in the Dark and the Sci-fi version called 'Scum and Villainy'! Thanks so much for bringing these into my life Dicebreakers! 👊🏼. 🎲💥 SOO GOOD! can't wait to play with my group! 😆

[@kurotoruk]

14:32 Please tell me he just continues to run down the clock and agonize over the decision....

[@vladt7150]

I was amazed how easily this could be reskinned as a "Myth: The Fallen Lords"/"Myth II: Soulblighter"-based RPG -- and this is coming from someone who actually likes the GURPS RPG adaptation of the RTS games! 😅

[@brentage5000]

I can just hear all the fans moaning in disappointment when Johnny says that greasing the wheels isn't referring to a greased-up Wheels

[@monty-woodpeg]

Any chance we could see a Scum & Villainy review? It's another game of the same system by Evil Hat

[@joelshort2907]

It's by the same designers as Band of Blades, in fact!

[@ColHanko]

Do a Blades In The Dark lets play. It’s one of the best games I’ve discovered on this channel Ps. Love ur vids! Keep it up

[@allteraintrain]

Would love to see that! Already asked on this channel when the initial review came out

[@Chionophobia]

And so it ends with Johnny having a crisis. That feels appropriate for this tabletop.

[@Lauren-Warnaby]

Johnny picking between them is me trying to decide if I want to read the Hobbit again or one I havnt read 100+ times

[@FnRenner]

I suggest/recommend The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Good read if you have free time and don't mind a new addiction.

[@Lauren-Warnaby]

Karl Renner Ooooh Il give it a go thanks!

[@ChaosMan]

Very nice video, the ending was hilarious and the music adds a lot imo.

[@LunerianNoLife]

If you want to see it in action, check out the campaign that Stras(the designer of the game) ran on the channel Actual Play. It is really cool.

[@shifttheshaman]

**sings** "We'll fight The Cinder King, we'll fight The Cinder Kiiiiiiiiing!" #CantataPansophical

[@hoplite2250]

Playing a game with the Root RPG qucik start, got some rough edges (the full game is a year away) but is great fun.

[@rufusglyn8568]

Doh! I purchased this game the other day,when I meant to buy Blades in the Dark. Dilema, I guess I had better buy BitD, and keep this for science.

[@VTimmoni]

I'd love your thoughts on Shadow of the Demon Lord.

[@jenf.8011]

Some say Johnny is still sitting at that table, today, staring at the books with a gradually increasing expression of despair at having to choose between games. When asked about his condition by concerned friends and family, Wheels just shakes his head and says; “Alert the Death Wardens. It’d take a Chosen One to snap Johnny out of this one.” (My sad attempt at making light of a tragic situation. Poor Johnny.) PS: And, yes, I purposefully blended games.

[@pendragonddraig5741]

Hey, this reminds me of the Black Company by Glen Cook!

[@cdzirk]

My thoughts exactly. The cover art is very reminiscent of the Black Company art style. The Chosen & Broken are analogous to the Taken from the books. In fact Band of Blades has listed as inspired source the Black Company books. And for that reason I bought it. Anyone who hasn't yet read Black Company needs to stop what you're doing and go find the series.

[@torgranael]

Imagine the oxventurers playing this. That would be hilarious for us but I'd feel very sorry for Johnny.

[@DanJMW]

I really enjoyed this and the Blades in the Dark review. I'm looking forward to more RPG reviews from you guys.

[@shifttheshaman]

Why does it remind me of Planet Mercenary (the Schlock Mercenary RPG)? The style is almost opposite but the "you are a group rather than an individual" thing comes across in both. Count me in.

[@TheBakestPotato]

Just thinking that this might be a cool idea for a video: Perhaps you could make a video of RPG games that are available online. I am from South Africa and as such can often not find some of the cool games that you guys recommend and if I do its usually imported and costs an absolute fortune. By online available I mean games that I can download the PDF of such as those found at Evil Games. Maybe you could also increase the scope to include games that are not just RPG games such as Brawl that Wheels suggested in your previous video. Otherwise love the videos. Keep up the great work!

[@mr.dudemanguymcwiggins9188]

In the Savage world ruleset can I take the hindrance one legged and have the edge fleet-footed

[@mikedidvlogs8665]

Though it is all of humanity's duty to deny foul Nurgle their mortal forms running is for traitors. Only those with faith in the God-Emperor have the resolve to make a stand. This is your nineteenth request to play Dark Heresy First Edition.

[@TheFriendlyNeighbour]

friendship ended with BLADES IN THE DARK now BAND OF BLADES is my best friend

[@nortonroughley1890]

Have not been able to find character sheet PDFs any suggestions?

[@brendantotten9871]

You guys should run a dread live stream or campaign series - with the jenga and all!

[@TheNiall666]

Nice, but 'currently unavailable' on Amazon'.

[@tylerowens]

As someone who loves character creation more than actually playing the characters, this sounds like the perfect game for me. I love making rpg characters and playing out the first few sessions with them, but usually by the fourth or fifth session of a game I'm itching to move on to another one I've come up with. Having six characters to switch between sounds amazing. Now to convince my ttrpg group to play it with me...

[@Kman-yn5zh]

Of course I was just looking for a band of blades review last night. What are the chances.

[@lelandvaughan4429]

Loving the videos. You guys can afford to make your videos a little louder, I can always turn the volume down, but it's hard to hear if I'm doing anything else.👍

[@RIlianP]

Reminds of the partisans in WW2, fighting small quick battles hoping that no one of the locals is greedy enough to betray you to the enemy or push your luck too far.

[@torsoboy]

This looks so easy to reskin into a number of different themes.

[@Deathwhisper13thgen]

There is no Leisure roll. The Liberty Campaign action that the quartermaster is in charge of is not a roll, it reduces the stress of all characters by either 3 or all stress if boosted.

[@misterthegeoff9767]

Very tempted by this. I enjoyed playing Blades in the Dark but as someon who is mostly a player not a GM it's rare I see a game I want to run for my tabletop group. But I could see myself running this.

[@samjdalton]

I so so so want to give pen and paper RPG’s a go but sadly a) I am old b) I have no one to play with (my wife likes most board games but RPG doesn’t appeal to her). Love the review and the channel - keep it up!

[@GabrielAlejandroZorrilla]

There are tables of rpg for all ages. Once all "this" ends, look in a meetup near home or post in a looking for group in reddit looking for people of your age group! You can always play online, but that takes a big part of the fun for me, which is meeting people and just get lost in the dynamic of the group!

[@Hydrocarbon1997]

How friendly is band of blades to homebrew settings?

[@Calabite1]

Just found your channel and have already ordered two new books. Subscribed. :)

[@theodorepinnock1517]

More Johnny Storytime! HUZZAH!

[@sacredswan896]

So can you play GM's campaigns? Or it's limited by the default scenario?

[@CaitlinRC]

I was actually looking at this game earlier today!

[@DrBrangar]

Johnny: on the subject of TTRPGs, are there still any plans to do a Cyberpunk 2020 campaign with EG?

[@jayaguilar2031]

Didnt hear anything about different playable races. Nothing about classes to be played. Any magic system?

[@hoodieinfestation]

It really is a killer iteration of BitD. Great review!

[@Frederic_S]

Sometimes I wish there was a decent Forged in the Dark game free of setting. I love the mechanics of Blades but I know in another year or two we might get fed up with the Duskvol setting.

[@Tellingfibulas]

Oh that Johnny's Choice ending! 😭

[@Victoria-fs9jo]

You should review Scum and Villainy

[@Redbeardblondie]

This really makes me feel like you could play Band of the Hawk from Berserk with this system!

[@Giga-lemesh]

Could you run a single mission as a one shot?

[@LunerianNoLife]

You could and it would propably be fun, but it would not really be the same game.

[@Giga-lemesh]

LunerianNoLife yeah I get that, but it’s not always easy to get people to commit to a whole campaign in a system they’ve never tried. Knowing that you could enjoy playing a single session is great, and that way you can keep going if people want to, but if not you still had a good experience

[@LunerianNoLife]

@@Giga-lemesh yeah, it's hard enough to get peple together for a single session. What I would do is run a slightly longer session with two short missions and some downtime inbetween.

[@Giga-lemesh]

LunerianNoLife okay cool, thanks for the suggestion 😊 I have exams coming up so it will be a while until I can actually do anything about it, but it’s always good to know this stuff

[@titanuranus3095]

5:32 It's Johnny!

[@jason-sp8nb]

Is that number 2 to the other book then

[@BeeptheLesser]

They say that Johnny is still deciding whether to run Blades in the Dark and Band of Blades to this day.

[@mugglewump0]

Dam! Now I just need a group to play Band of Blades with! I wanna get munched on by Undead!

[@eleanorsmith7152]

They say Johnny’s still there till this day

[@CortashGaming]

14:06 anyone find this oddly funny and enjoyable?.

[@noelnoel88]

They should make Band of Blades in the Dark. The scoundrels are enlisted!

[@shawnheatherly]

Band of Blades sounds absolutely great, but I admit Blades in the Dark is more my speed.

[@chrono1742]

And Johnny still sits there to this day.

[@jackh3427]

Sounds like it has a lot of Back Company influence

[@guilhermebreder6474]

great review

[@Jay-ql4gp]

I loved that ending!

[@shaneberrett9865]

That ending was perfect. LOL!

[@williamhardway6436]

Man you guys are friggin hilarious. Cheers

[@Owyss]

The Quiet year may be the lite version of this.

[@langdon7x]

Soul of the Blood of the Wolf! Cinder of the Lord!

[@ZeroCoolIsGod]

This has massive "The black company" vibes.

[@codysaxe2002]

Some say Johnny is still sitting there internally debating both games even to this day.

[@WZahnle]

They say Skydagger Keep holds the last hope of mankind, but it's really a stockpile of old Twinkies.

[@zegagenesis778]

No one should be able to pull off those pants yet somehow gamedad does.

[@Nozirashi]

I really home they play this or blades in the dark

[@MrRochester1206]

You've inspired me to buy this

[@joshuahicks7798]

Kinda reminds me of X-COM Enemy Unknown.

[@codypatton2859]

So this game would be able to allow us to play out how The Long Night SHOULD have gone.

[@syd4890]

Exactly what I was thinking ^^

[@justinsmith9006]

dicebreaker: pro you have to work together... con you have to work together. me: aren't party based rpg about working together? p.s. this episode was a little dry but good, and that last joke was funny but maybe if it was 1-2 seconds shorter. and i have a question, is there any good non depressing tabletop rpg that's not d and d? keep improving and keep loving your work. :)

[@HariGtt]

I can recomend Star Wars Saga and the WoW one, but they are based on DnD 3.5 so...

[@justinsmith9006]

@@HariGtt love 3.5

[@jacobgrimm9475]

There is The One Ring, a Lord of the Rings game. It is somber but not depressing. And if you prefer D&D rules there is a 5e version of it called Adventures in Middle Earth. Dungeon World is very popular. It uses similar narrative concepts to Blades in the Dark. It is a generic fantasy setting. Fantasy AGE is a generic fantasy system that isn't too crunchy or too narrative. The core book is only 145 pages.

[@HariGtt]

@@justinsmith9006 Just poited out that (specially the WoW one) they are more flavours than full fledged different RPGs, the mechanics (except for the force mechanic in SWS, an interesting one) are basically the same

[@justinsmith9006]

@@jacobgrimm9475 i like lord of the rings but not 5e so i might try the one ring. :)

[@l0stndamned]

Interesting. Getting a bit of a Darkest Dungeon vibe from this. Cool art style.

[@Jescribano1]

Great video

[@angry_android]

I was not prepared for Johnny in overalls

[@AntoniusVP]

Please do a let's play of this.

[@nithin143ash]

You should play this with oxtra just so that we can see how ellen reacts

[@onecrewproductions]

Quality content

[@jcamp3466]

Are those Lucy and Yak dungarees i see?? 😍😍

[@Swamp_Hound]

lol that ending

[@SgtSupaman]

Create an amalgam: Band of Blades in the Dark.

[@joemiller361]

In before Wheels is forever dubbed Squeaky, and/or he gets a multitude of WD-40 cans gifted to him.

[@bcfb21]

Hello literally everyone else in the world!

[@M00seL00seAb00tH0use]

*sigh... opens Amazon page*

[@ragingrhino101]

PARK LIFE!

[@spellderon5025]

Black Company

[@7gromojar]

It's weird that you're talking about liking medieval fantasy, because BOB was suppose to be set in late renessanse o.O But I guess you dont feel that in game.

[@paolodagal9337]

Sounds like it would make a good video game, like XCOM.

[@CortashGaming]

First to comment. And nice video guys!,keep it up!.

[@bodkinrappallum6137]

Has a very "Banner Saga" vibe to it i think.

[@HariGtt]

LLOVED the outtro

[@godfreemorals]

Darkest Dungeon the RPG?

[@hannaaxelsson3687]

I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of us here who would love to see a campaign of Blades in the Dark on the channel. If you need any excuse to start a new campaign of the game, that is...