>>5880398>In intent this was to allow for quick, by the seat of your pants improvisation that would keep the action and drama rolling. This is the driving intent behind the system itself. In practice however, it meant that you never actually needed to care or think about anything you were doingI was very interested in what you mentioned here. Just re-reading the rules I was very interested in this (pic related) aspect of Blades In The Dark (contrast this with the modular / random generation topology world map from Dread Pandemonium here
>>5873520 )
In BitD the idea seems to be that you as GM don't prepare instead players choose from one of six plans (default mission types, assault, deception, stealth infiltration, occult, social, transport) which become the heist/score etc and are superimposed over the abstract territory of the city.
This is sort of that Dread Pandemonium rpg design
>>5873520 in reverse (instead of spiralling in and dismantling the bossfight demon lair through subsidiary investigation-conflict loops piece by piece, you begin from a Thief/Smuggler/Assassin lair/hideout and seize and hold gang territory or turf etc)
So the world is sort of empty and awaiting that interpolation player in-fill (though the setting does provide lore-reuseable names, locations npc contacts etc) in fact watching John Harper GM his own game I was a bit shocked by just how little preparation he does lol (not sure if this is a bit streaming audience staged or contrived authenticity etc he actually mentions that some of it is deliberate because he wants his showcase game to be a bit of a tutorial gameplay demonstration).
I can absolutely see your point of how the design invalidates the "heist simulation" aspect ie no need to plan lol I just invent or make up some nonsense I already did lol because I flashback and spend my easy imaginary game currency with no consequence lol but I think the emphasis is to try to coax the player towards collaborative fluid worldbuilding (the gang territory, npc contact in-filling imaginary interpolation etc) not beat or win the heist etc because that would require the traditional GM high preparation highly constructed pre-prepared detailed scenario (which is actually my preferred GM approach). I am studying and examining all these systems because I am trying to work out how to modularise and procedurally generate worlds whilst also trying to encourage more (ideally fictionally / aesthetically coherent lol) player worldbuilding participation etc. The easiest way is just to let players roll dice and randomise from pre-determined lists (I already do this in my games) but I wonder if there is a better incentive or methodology
