Band of Blades
The Road to Skydagger Keep
The Legion is in retreat following a failed battle against the armies of the undead. You are a member of the Legion, your bonds to one another forged in the dark by bone and blood.
But time is running out as more fall to the indomitable forces of the Cinder King. As Legionnaires, you must make it to Skydagger Keep before you’re cut off or overtaken by the undead. Paying horrifying costs, you’ll employ offensives, maneuvers, unwise bargains, and desperate gambits as the ever-ticking clock nears its final hour.
Do you have what it takes to outwit, outrun, and outlast the endless hordes of the undead, or will your band of blades break beneath the Cinder King’s iron fist? Play to find out in Band of Blades, a stand-alone, Forged in the Dark RPG of dark military fantasy.
Band of Blades contains all the rules you need to play. In this book you’ll find:
- A clear game structure for playing out missions filled with moment-to-moment danger and tracking the overall fate of the Legion.
- Rookie, Soldier, and five different Specialist playbooks, with Legionnaires created as they are needed when the casualties of war set in.
- Legion roles for all of the players: the Commander sets mission priorities, the Marshal directs the troupes, the Quartermaster manages precious resources, the Spymaster gathers intel in the field, and the Lorekeeper preserves the histories of the Legion.
- Three different Chosen—humans imbued with the powers of the gods, each with their own unique gifts, who aid the Legion.
- Army advancement throughout the campaign, including gaining new materiel and the promotion of the Legion’s troops.
- Four distinct heritages of brave and flawed people seeking to survive another night from the Cinder King’s horrors.
Join us on the road to Skydagger Keep. Our numbers are few, our supplies are low, and every operation is a deadly risk—but if any chance exists to make a difference in the outcome of the war, it is this cohort, the only remaining hope, this bloody band of blades!
GAME INFORMATION
Number of players: 4-6
Age of players: 13+
Length: 2-6 Hours
Type of Game: Roleplaying Game
Languages Available: English
Product Number: EHP0048
ISBN: 978-1-613717-173-8
Page Count: 464
Format: Hardback and digital editions
Availability: Check here (Release date: August 1, 2019)
Game Designers: Stras Acimovic and John LeBoeuf-Little
This sounds amazing, I cannot wait! If I could make one request, please have the pre-order for hardback and digital available on here at the same time the digital version goes up elsewhere. I’d like to get both!
Hope you all have a spectacular year!
Shades of The Black Company series?
Oh yes. 🙂
Will this be a supplement for BitD, or a standalone? Put another way: Do we need a copy of Blades in the Dark to play Band of Blades?
Hi Drew, it’s a standalone game. All you need in one book!
Aaaaahhhhh! I can’t wait to pre-order this.
As a BitD backer on Kickstarter, I already got the PDF. But I am definitely going to order the hardback of this!
Can’t wait for it. Any date?
Hi Vorzanger, it’s took early to set a date now (while we’re still doing development) but we’re shooting for a late summer (Gen Con if possible) release.
Is there any way to order this internationally or will it only be US?
So unbelievably excited for this.
We sell to international distribution (we just don’t ship direct to international customers due to the cost being super prohibitive), so if you’ve seen any other Evil Hat product in game stores in your country, this one should make it there too following its August 1st release date.
Me to Adam. Me too!
I picked this up today. Quite a hefty little book with a lot of evocative artwork.
Hi!
I have two questions about this product and was hoping you could give me some clarity on the matter.
First how much of a one trick pony is this game? Does it have good replay value?
Second, how strict is that 4 player minimum? And does it count the GM/ST/whatever as one so is it gm+3 players? How would it work, or alternatively how would it break down, with 1 gm and 2 players?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
Hi Paul,
I’m playing through one campaign right now with Zora (vs. Blighter and Render), and I want to start up another led by Shreya. Because of the random mission generation, the difference in campaigns based on Chosen/Broken involved, and the different path to take to Skydagger, I think I’ll want to play three campaigns (about 12-15 sessions each) before I’m satisfied. This gave just has so much in it, you can’t get it all with one time through!
As for player counts, the four player minimum means 1 GM and three Legion players. If you did fewer you’d just have to double up on Legion roles (Commander, Marshall, and Quartermaster roles are required) but it should still work. During missions you may find that you end up playing multiple characters as well, but that’s baked right into the normal mode of play.
Sean