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Blade and Lockpick. A game engine for solo and two player gamesClick to magnify
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Blade and Lockpick. A game engine for solo and two player games

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Blade & Lockpick is a role playing engine written with the following goals:

To present a group-oriented resolution system where the party act as a group, not a collection of individuals.

To provide a universal resolution system that could handle combat, mountaineering and research projects equally well.

To allow an interesting game where one player can easily handle a group of characters.

* * * * *

The dice-pool based system allows a group of characters to pool their skills, abilities and talents against an obstacle or foe and accounts for things like:

*Large monsters

*Deception and situational advantages

*Magic

*Character skills, raw abilities, masteries and unusual talents

and much more.

* * * * *

Fast.

A complex battle with 4-6 characters on each side can be resolved in minutes instead of an hour, and without being a simple all-or-nothing outcome either.

* * * * *

No game engine would be complete without a character creation system.

In fact, we offer three ways to build interesting, fun characters, neither of which will take more than 5 minutes per character. 

* * * * *

Several systems for improving characters over time, including by experience points, narratively or through a Milestone system, ideally suited for story-driven campaigns.

* * * * * 

What if you can't decide what to play? We offer a tool to roll up a random campaign pitch.

Ever thought about doing a Low Fantasy light-hearted Heist adventure? 

* * * * *

Lastly, you get a collection of solo-gaming tools, including an "Oracle" to answer game questions, random event systems, a table for determining the actions of your rivals and enemies and a "Between scenes" system for foiling your best laid plans.

* * * * *

Rather than being a game that can also be used for solo adventures, Blade & Lockpick was written specifically with the needs, concerns and difficulties of the solo gamer in mind.

It is also perfectly suited for those who like to play with a single player and a GM, but who would like to control a group of characters.

Lastly, you can use the system with a conventional gaming group interested in a more group-driven, narrative approach to gaming. 

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Reviews (7)
Discussions (6)
Customer avatar
Mitchell N June 03, 2022 2:31 am UTC
PURCHASER
interesting system - i am just wondering regarding monsters, as there are no lists provided in this product, how do i determine the right values for mosnters like the example of the troll you gave that regenerates wounds - where can i find a bestiary that would work with blade and lockpick?
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Jeffrey G June 03, 2022 5:36 am UTC
PURCHASER
The game gives pretty good guidelines as to how to determine the strength of the opposition without needing lists. For example, it suggests that a Troll might have Endurance (-1) and four dice itself, meaning for each time it takes a hit, it loses 1 die but continues to fight with the remaining total. The book then suggested that the Troll has Resistance, giving it a fifth die of an effective "0", meaning it doesn't add anything to offense but is a die that can be spent instead of removing a die that -can- win challenges.

Most of the time, you are simply dealing with enemies that are removed for a single hit, but, again, you could use Resistance on a normal enemy to represent something like Heavy Armor- so the first time they should have been taken out, they eliminate the bonus "zero" die. You will have to suss out, based on the description of the monster or beast in question, what sorts of traits like these the monster must have. Don't overthink it, though, this is meant to be...See more
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Customer avatar
Jeffrey G June 03, 2022 5:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
The sections on Henchmen and Minions are also good options to represent -less- substantial enemies. Between these various flavors of customization, you should easily be able to set up your own bestiary.
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Customer avatar
Mitchell N June 04, 2022 12:03 pm UTC
PURCHASER
thanks for your replies, i had to read rules over a few times to kind of get the sense of how works and i can see that it probably would not be too hard to work out monster stats, - it could be a fun exercise just working out how particular challenges could get converted into the system, so i like that aspect.

I think overall though i would like to see more examples of the system in play in particular for solo rpging which is what i am drawn to. i have no doubt it could work well with that, i just as a novice need to see it all in motion to better help me, not that i am asking you to do anything, and there probably arent any written up solo play-throughs online i could read
Customer avatar
Robert B December 20, 2021 7:28 am UTC
PURCHASER
On a first reading, I like the very simple system and it looks like it would be quick and fun for solo and small group (2-3 player) player. Now this is just the game rules, it comes with no setting or background etc. But that is what it says on the cover so that's cool. The basic system is rolling a set of d6 and taking the highest. If you are doing a Challenge (a foe or something that is a actively opposing) it will be against a roll of dice. If you are doing an Obstacle you are matching against a target number. Usual target number is 3, very difficult is 7. If you tie the target you succeed at a cost, under you fail and above success with no drawbacks. There are a bunch of minor rules for groups, consequences, magic etc. I'm playing around with this and so fair holds together nicely. At a price point just over $2 it is certainly worth it.
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Customer avatar
Ivan S December 20, 2021 7:26 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Appreciate the kind comments!
Customer avatar
Scott S February 15, 2018 1:58 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hi Ivan, this looks interesting! Is it suitable for more realistic (non-fantasy) scenarios, or is there another product I should consider for that?
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Customer avatar
Scott S February 20, 2018 1:19 am UTC
PURCHASER
I bought it, and it looks suitable for anything! Very cool, thanks.
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Customer avatar
Jeffrey G October 31, 2019 2:57 am UTC
PURCHASER
I am planning on adapting this to a small-team Supers game as a bit of a thought experiment. The Ability/ Skill/ Talent trio seems to lend itself well to a major super power (Ability- broad), smaller minor super powers (Talent), and then conventional skills! I am going to pair this with a super-hero random adventure generator and put it through some paces! So I think the system can handle something wildly on the other end of the spectrum, too!
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Customer avatar
Jeffrey G November 04, 2019 4:48 am UTC
PURCHASER
It has been pretty interesting so far! I am a dozen patrol shifts (four days) into my little experiment and all is going well- the system is showing itself to be robust enough to model a variety of super types including bricky heroes that take more than one good shot to bring down. I think I will post a review.
Customer avatar
Dillard R November 15, 2017 5:04 am UTC
PURCHASER
page 26 A character that qualifies as a Master may add two additional dice to the poo.
Customer avatar
Dillard R November 15, 2017 4:39 am UTC
PURCHASER
How can you win a challenge against an obstacle with a rating of 7? You can't roll a 7 on a die 6?
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Customer avatar
Jeffrey G December 21, 2021 5:30 am UTC
PURCHASER
Relevant skills can add +1 to the final die score (page 19).
Customer avatar
November 14, 2017 10:06 am UTC
Is it suitable for 3 players and no GM ?

My group play with Usurper, Dugeon scum and starport scum. Great games.
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Customer avatar
Jeffrey G December 21, 2021 5:38 am UTC
PURCHASER
You would have to all collaborate to advance the story, but that's already at the heart of GM-less gaming. The system also has a neat way of handling larger groups- if a group consists of more than about 5 or so dice worth of effect for a given challenge, you are instructed to break the group into smaller subgroups, so in a 3 player game, you could each control a portion of a warband, say a main character and a couple of hirelings/ minions/ civilians/ etc. and in some cases would be rolling collectively and sometimes rolling as your little chunk of the warband. I think it would work fine.
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This title was added to our catalog on November 08, 2017.