Half way through the RPG a Day 2024 we go to great character gear. It had me standing cold. What do i write about gear in an RPG? I haven’t cared about gear in decades. But actually I have, just not in the way AD&D thought me to think of gear.
What I don’t care about gear are things like encumbrance, exact lists of things carried, and don’t get me started on weapon differentiation minutiae.
There are three distinct aspects to how Blades in the Dark handles gear.
First there is the list of things your character has at their disposal. When you are running a score you decide how loaded you go – basically an abstract quantity of undefined gear. And as situations arise you decide you have something on you and mark off the abstract value. I like this aspect because it makes characters seem competent, like they planned the score in more detail then is done at the table. But I love it because it speeds up play removing a boring and irrelevant process of making a list of things you adventure with.
Then I adore the descriptions of gear found in the book. They were written just specific enough to tell you what something is, but with enough prompts and nudges to ignite your creativity and make the gear your own. It also shows us how each of the playbooks in the game thinks and values.
Thirdly, the quality of your gear is tied to the tier of your crew. The higher tier crew – better the gear you carry. No need to play or administer those improvements in play. It is simple and works.