this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025
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Blades In The Dark

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Flashback scopes (lemmy.zip)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hi fellow BitD-ers! I am currently learning the system and started a solo campaign (don't judge me on that lol), two sessions in I finally have a reasonably good understanding of how different mechanics work. However, I did not manage to find some clear information about how flashbacks are supposed to work:

  • How far or close in time can a player flashback to? IIUC, the whole mechanics is supposed to replace the tedious prep phase and taking some decisions before the actual mission. Can it be a flashback to a point in time before even knowing what the mission would be ("Several years ago I hid some tools in this prison, just in case")? Could it be to a moment during the mission ("In fact, I set some papers on fire before leaving the previous room so it should cause some panic and confusion among guards"). I did this last one on my first session and, given the fact that I am my own GM and my only player, I was pretty happy about that. However, I do not know how canon it is to the RAW.
  • If I understand correctly, a flashback should always cost 1 stress. Hmmm, should it? I read every now and then that people only apply stress in some cases (bad flashback roll, very difficult task, etc.). I cannot find anything in RAW about it, are people just massively homebrewing that?
  • I also see a lot of GMs saying that flashbacks should never fail and a bad roll should result in a complication (heat, stress, bad position) but not in a missed opportunity for a good player's idea. Once again, I cannot wrap my head around that in RAW, it seems to me that a flashback just calls for a roll and is interpreted as any other action.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has some details on that and may y'all retire with a fine stash!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Re 2

The GM sets a stress cost when you activate a flashback action.

0 Stress: An ordinary action for which you had easy opportunity. Consorting with a friend to agree to arrive at the dice game ahead of time, to suddenly spring out as a surprise ally.
1 Stress: A complex action or unlikely opportunity. Finessing your pistols into a hiding spot near the card table so you could retrieve them after the pat-down at the front door.
2 (or more) Stress: An elaborate action that involved special opportunities or contingencies. Having already Studied the history of the property and learned of a ghost that is known to haunt its ancient canal dock—a ghost that can be compelled to reveal the location of the hidden vault.

EDIT:

  1. Yes. Also, the way we were playing, I was sometimes offering options

    you can approach it from wreck but then the question is if it won't make too much noise. lower position and higher effect or do a precision karate chop with finesse which will for sure drop them quitely higher position and lower effect

  2. Any action can lead to stress via resisting consequences, so even if GM decides the flashback is worth 0, it can still happen
    From what I see in that SRD, the only limit to Flashback is supposed to be the narration. As in, it can't change what has already been said. But it can change it into I bribed him earlier and that's how he is puling us out of trouble