With everything that’s been going on with Wizards of the Coast and the drama surrounding their open gaming license for the self-proclaimed number one roleplaying game in the world, Dungeons and Dragons, a lot of players are looking for new tabletop roleplaying games to give a try. Those looking to disembark from the realm of fantasy and jump into a neon-noir cyberpunk adventure based upon, what this viewer believes to be, one of the greatest films of all time, one such option has recently hit the market from Swedish TTRPG veterans, Free League publishing! Blade Runner - The Role Playing Game follows in the wake of other IP-based TTRPGs from the company, such as their Lord of the Rings and Alien RPGs. Being a fan of the Ridley Scott masterpiece of cinema, as well as of TTRPGs in general, I jumped at the chance to dive in and check out how their take on the world of Blade Runner fairs. For this review, I was sent what Free League calls the Rep-Detect bundle, which includes the core rulebook, the starter set, and a GM screen. With that in mind, let’s dive in and explore this game!

What's Included

• Core Rule Book

  • The 240-page full-color hardback Core Rulebook, evoking the world of BLADE RUNNER in text, art, and graphic design.

• Starter Set

  • A 80-page condensed rulebook.
  • A 56-page booklet with a full-length Case File for Blade Runners to crack.
  • Four pre-generated characters to play.
  • A huge full color map of Los Angeles in 2037.
  • 26 full-color evidence handouts for the players, including crime scene photos, data files, documents, maps, and more.
  • A custom manila envelope for the players to keep their evidence in.
  • A Time Tracker Sheet.
  • 70 high quality custom cards for non-player characters, chase maneuvers and obstacles, and initiative in combat.
  • Eight engraved, transparent custom dice – two each of D6, D8, D10 and D12.

• Game Runner's Screen

  • A deluxe Game Runner’s Screen in landscape format for the official BLADE RUNNER RPG. It features beautiful art on the outside and a host of useful tables and important information on the inside, while keeping the Game Runner’s plans hidden from the eyes of inquisitive players.

The Core Rules

Starting with the core rulebook, the first thing I have to make note of is just how solid the design quality is. The core book is a sturdy hardcover, as is tradition for most TTRPG books, with thick pages full of art, world lore, and rules for the game. The reference art is all illustrated in a beautiful style that fits the 1982 film, offering a glimpse at this alternate-universe neon-noir take of Los Angeles, and the layout is designed in a sort of cyber-aesthetic that kept me consistently invested in the theme and world of the game throughout. For as much as I love the art and design of the book though, I do have some mild gripes with the build quality. As I mentioned at the start, the book itself feels sturdy enough, but I do have some pretty significant binding ripping at the front and back of the book. Nothing feels “loose” or falling apart, but these problems weren’t there when I received the book initially, and definitely came about as I was just using the book as intended. This does give me some concern for the long-term lastability of the book, as the core rule book is something that will naturally be referenced often when playing. As such, I feel like the core rulebook needs to be held to a high standard of quality so that it holds up as it needs to. It’s still fine as of the writing of this review, but for how long it’ll remain that way I do have concerns.

Blade Runner - The RPG uses Free League’s Year Zero Engine as a basis for the rules and mechanics of the game. The core rule book gives you a basis to start from, outlining the world that the game takes place in, your options for both creating and progressing your player-made characters in game, and rules for the more mechanical aspects of gameplay, such as combat, chasing criminals down, and using your tools and abilities to work the cases that this game revolves around. The game allows you to play as either a human or replicant, synthetic humans in the Blade Runner universe. No matter which option you choose, the game puts you in the shoes of a Blade Runner, specialized detectives once tasked with “retiring” replicants, though in this game taking on the role of protector for a new breed of replicants, as well as continuing to retire rogue ones. It’s these touches of world building that I love in the core rulebook, as Blade Runner fans will be excited to immerse themselves in a new, but faithful, take on the neon streets of Los Angeles. I’ll touch more on the actual mechanics outlined in the core rulebook later on in the review, but in terms of setting you up for success? This core book does a phenomenal job setting the tone, giving you the tools you need to start, and getting you ready to go.

Getting Started

For those looking for a bit more than just the basics to get started, the starter set has you covered, coming packed with resources for running a truly memorable and immersive game. Included in the set is a large, player friendly fold-out map of Central Los Angeles, a custom set of dice with game-specific markings for convenient and easy play, a condensed version of the core rule book, four pre-generated characters, cards for easy use in-campaign, and a pre-written case for your players to run through, including relevant handouts. Everything here is super high quality in the printouts, with the handouts, map and character sheets maintaining the design aesthetic from the main-rulebook that I loved. The condensed rules may seem redundant to anyone picking up both the starter set and the core-rules, but given that the core-book includes a ton of character building details that players may need to reference, having an extra set of rules on standby is definitely welcome. The dice, while not necessary, make things go much quicker when rolling for combat, skills, and chases given the game-specific markings on each die. And the pre-written case module makes picking up and going even easier, allowing both players and game-runners to get to the “good part” much quicker. In all, a great set for getting going on the game.

 

Finally, we come to a necessary tool for any game runner; the game runners screen. Serving as both a point of quick reference for the GR and a wall of privacy against player characters, all game masters need a wall of fear and ignorance. While on the surface level, any cardboard cutout of three-to-four sections will get the job done, a screen customized to the game you’re playing can help to not only set the tone at your table, but also to serve for quick-reference for key rules and aspects of the game that the GR needs to know. The Blade Runner GR screen offers just that; the player facing side includes more of that neon-noir game art that I love, while the game runner’s view includes references for combat actions and rules, skill and ability scores, injury and stress tables for the consequences of gameplay, and other resources the players can call upon when working a case. It follows the trend of being a sturdily-built accessory that makes setting up and running the game a much quicker, and easier, process, which this long-time game master appreciates, especially when working with a new and unfamiliar ruleset.

Playing the Game

So, we’ve gone through everything that comes with the set. Now it’s time to dig into the meat of any TTRPG; actually learning and playing the game. For this, I ended up doing a solo playtest by piloting the four starter set pre-gen characters, and guiding myself through the included case file. While this might not be the ideal way to play a TTRPG, it did allow me to experience putting the systems rules into action, and try out the game mechanics firsthand. The Year Zero engine is a D12 based system, requiring only the use of 6, 8, 10, and 12 sided dice for any actions the characters wanted to take, or checks they wanted to make. Of note here when playtesting the player mechanics, I had to stop and admire the investigation system built into the game; utilizing the resources you earn through playing, you can gain access to NPCs and resources from the various divisions of the LAPD, all of which will aid you in your case work. Being a detective, world building centered adventure, the Blade Runner RPG I found was a lot less “combat heavy,” and more keen to guide you through each case file and really make you put your detective hat on with a focus on investigation and deduction over simply retiring replicants. And combat, when it did come up, was a simple matter of choosing your one action and movement, and rolling accordingly. In all, from a player standpoint, the game really is set up to be an easy learn, so you can jump right into the immersive aspects and enjoy the fun part.

For the game runner, the published adventure, as is the case with most pre-gen modules, didn’t give an exact script to follow, but rather information on the various locations, plot points, and characters needed for the game runner to craft the story. All NPCs of note in the module had their stats, special traits, and pertinent backstory information readily available right inside the case file, making it easy for the game runner to reference at appropriate intervals. Maps for locations of importance were also included inside the small book, and the handouts included were not only helpful for the players working the case, but for allowing the GR to have a bit less on their plate. I also feel like the ease of picking-up on the rules and mechanics would really help out here, as well, as the game runner often serves as “rule master” for games like this, needing to answer questions and teach players when necessary. The simplified and streamlined nature of the mechanics and rules of this game means there’s less time spent teaching on the game runners part, and whatever rules do need clarification can be answered quickly and without much hesitation.

In all, I have to admit I’m impressed with Free League’s latest TTRPG adaptation.It brings to life the vibrant, dystopian world of Ridley Scott’s landmark film in a way that’s faithful and accurate to the source material, while being an immersive, fun, and easy to pick up roleplaying game. Fans of TTRPGs, Blade Runner, cyberpunk settings, and just fun games in general will find something to like here.

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