Marines (IB)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark hack

Marines are ship-and-hab assault teams: boarding specialists, corridor fighters, and stabilization forces. They seize or retake vessels, clear decks, hold compartments, and keep the peace under arms. Your success depends on turning contracts and berths into leverage—being the crew called when someone must breach, secure, and stand the line.

As you rise in Tier, the stakes grow—harder targets, meaner corridors, and neighbors with heavier guns. For Marines, every op is a choice between diplomacy, deterrence, and decisive entry.

Heat & Wanted Level

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ | ☐☐☐☐

Credit

☐☐☐☐ | Vault ☐☐☐☐ | Vault 2 ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Special Abilities

1. Veterans: Each PC may add +1 action rating to Hunt, Finesse, or Survey (up to a max rating of 3).
2. Commission: When you advance your Tier, it costs half the usual Credit. You owe obedience to your sponsor/contracting authority.
3. Militia: When near your home habitat/ship, cohort gangs gain +1 Scale.
4. Ready Reserve: All of your cohorts gain the Thugs type for free (if they’re already Thugs, they gain the Elite quality).
5. State of War: While at war (−3 Faction status), PCs gain +1d to vice rolls and retain two downtime actions instead of one.
6. Steadfast: +1d to resistance rolls while operating near your home habitat/ship.
7. Teamwork: Each participant in a group action gains +1d to their roll.
8. Additional Playbook: Select another crew playbook. From now on, you can choose its Upgrades and Special Abilities. You gain immediate access only to the Crew XP track.

Crew XP

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 XP (or mark 2 XP if that item occurred multiple times).

1. Board, secure, and defend ships/habs—or stabilize volatile situations under arms.
2. Contend with challenges above your current station.
3. Bolster your crew's reputation or develop a new one.
4. Express the goals, drives, inner conflict, or essential nature of the crew.

Crew Upgrades

Starting Upgrades Secure Lair, Vice (Obligation), 2 of choice.

Marines Only Upgrades ☐ Berth Charter — −2 Heat on scores conducted aboard your contracted ship/hab sectors. ☐ Patron — +1 effective Tier in interactions with government/command. ☐ Barracks — Your Thug cohorts gain +1 Scale. An expansive training ground and armory allows for a larger, well-equipped company. ☐ Beacons — +1d Engagement when defending your holdings/assigned sectors. Vigilant sentries keep watch for threats and opportunities. ☐ Security Contract — +2 Credit payoff on scores that develop or protect your assigned areas. ☐ Command Post — Your stronghold where plans are made and detainees/spoils are secured. ☐ Garrison Stipend — During downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. Gain Credit equal to the highest result, minus your Heat. ☐ Rules of Engagement — Killing on a score does not increase Heat. ☐ Infirmary — +1d to healing rolls for your team; helps tackle health problems on-site. ☐ Seizure Orders — +2 Credit payoff on scores focused on boarding/capture operations. ☐ Detachment Pay — During downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. Gain Credit equal to the highest result, minus your Heat. ☐ Provost — +1d Engagement on Deception and Social plans. Authority tracks your people and grants limited cover. ☐ Supply Lines — +1d to Acquire Asset rolls. You have established contacts with distant suppliers. ☐ Legal Immunity — Reduce Heat by 2 per score. Sanction and writs grant your actions official cover. ☐ Turf — Reduces the Credit cost multiplier to advance crew Tier. (May be taken multiple times.) ☐ Allied Auxiliaries — +1d Engagement on Assault and Transport plans. Attached allies provide support.

Base: ☐,☐ Life support, ☐,☐ Independence, ☐,☐ Maneuver, ☐,☐ Hidden, ☐,☐ Secure.

Assets: ☐,☐,☐,☐ Investment — Reduces the base cost of improving Tier, before multiplication.

Installations: ☐,☐ Quarters, ☐☐☐☐ Training, ☐,☐ Vault, ☐,☐ Venue, ☐,☐ Workshop, ☐,☐ Hangar, ☐,☐ Prison.

Vehicles: ☐,☐ Shuttles (needs hangar), ☐,☐ Fighters (needs hangar), ☐,☐ Runabouts.

Quality: ☐ Documents, ☐ Gear, ☐ Implements, ☐ Supplies, ☐ Tools, ☐ Weapons.

Vices: ☐ Faith, ☐ Gambling, ☐ Luxury, ☐ Obligation, ☐ Pleasure, ☐ Stupor, ☐ Weird.

Cohorts ☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐ Cohort: (Max 2 per tier +1 for strong hold) ☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐ Add Elite, Edge, or Type to one cohort

Cohorts

Each cohort needs this data.

Name:

☐ Gang or ☐ Expert.

Type: ☐ Adepts, ☐ Rooks, ☐ Rovers, ☐ Skulks, ☐ Thugs.

Edges & Flaws: ☐ Elite, ☐ Fearsome, ☐ Independent, ☐ Loyal, ☐ Principled, ☐ Animal, ☐ Savage, ☐ Unreliable, ☐ Wild.

Damage: (☐ Armor), ☐ Weak, ☐ Impaired, ☐ Broken.