Retrospective: Flashing Blades

I often call Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) "the producer of the greatest RPGs I never played." That's not entirely accurate, of course, as I did play several of FGU's games back in the day, but I never played them very long, in part because their rules were often unnecessarily detailed and complex. Even so, FGU's games possessed a strange allure, in part, I think, because they always seemed so serious. While nowadays I laud lightheartedness and sing the praises of approaching our hobby with tongue firmly planted in cheek, as a younger man I was much given to fits of serious-mindedness when it came to roleplaying, sometimes to the chagrin of my friends who just wanted to explore a dungeon or fight some aliens on a distant planet. So, perhaps it's just as well that I never succeeded in refereeing Space Opera or Aftermath.

That said, I nevertheless get wistful for certain FGU games, as regular readers of this blog know. Recently, I was reminded of another one that I'd forgotten, possibly because it was published comparatively "late" (1984) and because it doesn't feel like a FGU game. At only 50 pages in length, Mark Pettigrew's Flashing Blades is a tight, focused little game of swashbuckling adventure in 17th century France. It is a "complete" RPG in the sense that its rulebook covers all the topics its designer felt were important to its subject matter, but it is not "complete" in the sense of "comprehensive," like so many of FGU's other games. Thus, you'll find extensive rules for dueling and social advancement, for example, but very little in the way of rules to support (let alone encourage) play outside of the streets and courts of Paris. That's not to say there's no allusions to a wider world -- quite the contrary -- but Flashing Blades is very much a game, in its own words, of "duels, brawls, heroic actions, indiscretions, gambling, wenching, carousing, and numerous other boisterous activities" and its rulebook reflects this.

Despite its different (and narrower) focus, Flashing Blades nevertheless follows the broad template laid down by Dungeons & Dragons a decade before its release. Characters have six attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Wit, Charm, Luck), which are all generated by rolling 3D6 in order, though, if the scores total less than 54, a player is permitted to add the difference to the results of his rolls. There are also bonuses to physical attributes based on height and build (both of which are determined randomly). Though not called classes, there are four "backgrounds" from which to choose. Two are for commoners (Rogue and Soldier) and two are for those of higher status (Gentleman and Nobleman).

These backgrounds determine a character's likely starting skills, though it is possible for a character to learn skills from outside his background at greater cost. The non-combat skill system is quite simple, basically being a roll-under attribute check on 1D20, with ad hoc modifiers as assessed by the referee. Martial skills receive more detail, including determining how and where a character received his training, so that someone who learned to fight on the streets ("School of Hard Knocks") is distinct from someone who learned at a Fencing School. Characters are also encouraged to have advantages and secrets, the latter being the name in Flashing Blades for a disadvantage. The game suggests that the referee make frequent use of secrets as an impetus for adventure, as well as to be liberal in allowing players to make full use of their character's advantages.

Combat receives a great deal of attention, particularly sword combat, which only makes sense given the game's focus. Now, I have never actually had the opportunity to play Flashing Blades, so anyone who has can correct me if I am mistaken on this front, but it does not appear that the combat rules, though extensive, are difficult to grasp. Yes, there are a lot of potential modifiers and elements, especially once you consider movement, parries, and counter attacks, but the mechanics seem simple enough that I imagine, with practice, they should be fairly easy to employ at the table. Equal, if not greater, attention is given to social advancement. When not dueling or carousing, characters can try their hand at improving their lot in life as a soldier, courtier, clergyman, merchant, banker, and several other vocations.

Other than rules for experience and some basic historical and social information about 17th century France, these are all the topics Flashing Blades covers in its rulebook. As I said, it's a very focused game and doesn't stray much into topics beyond that focus. Indeed, it could reasonably argued that many even many topics within that focus aren't covered in any depth, such as many types of social interaction. In many ways, Flashing Blades is like a less "game-y" version of En Garde! but it's still very limited, demanding a lot of both players and referees if they play it for any length of time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does place Flashing Blades firmly into the do-it-yourself camp of RPGs and thus very much out of step with contemporary trends and tastes within the hobby.