Blade Runner, some thoughts
I've been thinking about Blade Runner the RPG a lot, I've run the starter set scenario around four times I believe now and worked on various homebrew ideas, but nothing yet at the table. So I was interested to see Never Mind the Dice Rolls Issue 18 had reviewed the system, it’s a great zine produced by a small team of talented and knowledgeable folks, so please check it out. I agree with a lot of what is said in the review, it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than it is and players and GM will have a lot of fun at the table.
From my experience, each time I ran the starter scenario, it got better, as the plot, scenes, and NPCs sank into my brain. There are also enough variations in NPCs and locations to visit, that groups take a different path through the mystery, meaning I don't get bored!
Most importantly, for me, it's a game that is improved and feels more intense the fewer players, two being optimum that take part - I want to be immersed in the setting, the lore, and the tropes of these IP-based RPGs. It perfectly replicates the 1982 movie experience and players who’ve never played it before, often leave the game satisfied from that aspect.
BUT… if you are looking for more, you may, based on what is currently out there, need to set your expectations accordingly…
… Firstly, it is limited in terms of exploring the wider universe of BR films, books, etc. e.g. from a Replicant perspective or what is happening outside LA or Earth. Also, what do non-BR citizens get up to? Now potentially this all gets fleshed out in future supplements but set your expectations, you are a Blade Runner, this is essentially a police procedural RPG.
Secondly, based on the starter set scenario, the adventures can feel "on rails", you have to structure the scenario into the Scene/Clue/timeline and time slots i.e. almost a turn-based TTRPG, it's hard to jump off and improvise something, or maybe not, but see point four below.
Third, as others have said, Free League has set a high bar regarding handouts that support key tropes in BR, e.g. the "Enhance 224 to 176" photo tool. I like many GMs won't have the tools or skills to produce this and whilst fun, as a BR rather than a middle-aged Project Manager, I would like to have better analysis tools to spot clues - I know none of this is mechanical, so it's just nice flavour, but now, the expectation is there with players. Again, some generic handouts, maps, and NPCs would go a long way to address this.
Fourth it's light on GM advice, for scenario build in general, but also, I really want to drill into how to make the empathy elements work, apart from doing it because it gets me a resource. How do you set up situations so a BR doesn't blow off the head of every replicant they meet? A lot was made of the moral and ethical dilemmas that Blade Runners need to wrestle with, but advice on approaches to this would have helped establish this rather than, in play, it can and did become a mere mechanical choice.
Finally, I have a concern, and I'd love to hear this debated in the podcasts like Effekt, what is the shelf life of IP-driven RPGs? If, and a big assumption here, you are paying top whack for an IP licence each year, there must be diminishing returns until, you have to give up the IP. Obviously, players and GMs may have, by this time, all they can reasonably expect from releases, but what about VTTs - e.g. would Free League still be able to sell this and therefore an incentive to maintain it as VTTs upgrade and their modules fail?
If this seems harsh, it is not intended to, it doesn't detract from the wonderful art and design and the efficient mechanics of dice rolls, where the designer has skillfully tweaked the Year Zero Engine system, it is, for me, like Alien, a great implementation for one-shots but it’s not necessarily for me, something I’ll keep coming back to. I’m more than happy with the game I have and I’ll dust it off and run new one-shots from Free League hopefully, supplements will flesh out the areas I want to explore.
Oh, one last thing, Combat; If you are a fan of OSR games, then this, strangely, may be for you, do NOT enter combat lightly it is fast, deadly and has severe implications on the longevity of your PCs. Enjoy!
PS - I'm a big Gumshoe system player/GM, so I'm possibly just trying to get my head around the differences between these two approaches to investigative RPGs but that's for another post…