#that got cancelled bc Harper said 'it didnt come together'. i think that became BitD)

[corvidcall]

i know this is not the primary thrust of your gist but (and i say this as an ardent Blades in the Dark enjoyer) FUUUUUUUCK are the Blades harm rules punishing and they are the first to get modified in every other FITD i've seen and i don't think John Harper realizes that Doskvol needs difficulty sliders. then again he also doesn't realize that Kickstarter backers need promised rewards so :/

I enjoy a lot of the mechanics of BitD, and I love the setting and the general vibe but its just waaaaaay to punishing for me to actually really get into. I think I've only played it twice (in two separate one shots) and it just... it Feels Bad to play, for me. There are people who enjoy failure in games, and I really am not one of them. The fact that it's so hard to succeed in BitD really makes me feel like... you know, why even bother playing? The mechanics of this game make me feel bad because I never seem able to do any of the things I feel my character ought to be able to do. Maybe instead of constantly failing, I could just... go home and take a nap instead of playing a game. At least then I wouldn't feel so embarrassed by how little I could accomplish, and I wouldn't feel like I was constantly being punished for daring to try.

And imo if your game makes me feel like that, there's something wrong! At least for me, it means it's not gonna be a game I go back to. Had a similar problem when a guy I knew tricked me into playing Mage: The Awakening. Couldn't make hide nor hair of it and it just made me feel bad and stupid every time I tried to do anything.