Troupe (IB)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark hack

A Troupe is a band of entertainers running a venue, touring the lanes, or streaming across the nets—circus rigs, zero-g dance, immersive AR theatre, live music, stunt crews, or variety shows. They captivate habitats and waystations, balancing spectacle with logistics, bookings, and fickle patrons. In space, every gig is a docked berth, a customs form, and a crowd to win—where showmanship turns into Credit.

Heat & Wanted Level

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ | ☐☐☐☐

Credit

☐☐☐☐ | Vault ☐☐☐☐ | Vault 2 ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Special Abilities

1. Made on Stage: Each PC may add +1 action rating to Consort, Rig, or Sway (up to a max rating of 3).
2. Crowd Pleasers: +1d on any Resolve action performed on stage or before a number of people to scale, p 221.
3. Ensemble: On a group action, multiple 6s from different rolls count as a critical success.
4. Fabulous: +1d on Resolve Resistance rolls.
5. Lounge: +1d to Gather Information about people.
6. Patronage: When you advance your Tier, it costs half the usual Credit. Who is your patron and why do they fund you?
7. Upstairs Allies: Count +3 Faction statuses as if they were Investment Crew Upgrades.
8. Additional Playbook: Select another crew playbook. You may now choose its Upgrades and Special Abilities. Immediately gain 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. Use creativity, showmanship, or performance to influence or entertain others.
2. Contend with challenges above your current station.
3. Bolster your troupe’s reputation or develop a new one.
4. Express the goals, drives, inner conflict, or essential nature of the troupe.

Crew Upgrades

Starting Upgrades Cohort (Rooks), Vice (Luxury, Pleasure, or Weird), 2 of choice.

Troupe Only Upgrades ☐ Performer Costumes — Distinctive but acceptable at Quality +2. ☐ Backstage Pass — +1d to Gather Information outside a score. ☐ Box Seats — +1d to Resolve action in your base and venues. ☐ Critical Acclaim — You may roll an additional downtime event after the first is known. ☐ Local Sponsors — +1d to Acquire Asset rolls. ☐ Dressing Room — Reduce Heat by 1 per score. ☐ Fans — +2 Credit payoff on scores that impress the common crowd. ☐ Headliner — +2 Credit payoff on scores that impress the upper crust. ☐ On the Road Again — +1d Engagement on Assault and Transport plans (tour moves, convoy protection, load-in/out). ☐ Stage Names — +1d Engagement on Social and Stealth plans (covers, disguises, persona work). ☐☐ Talent — All your cohort gangs add the Rook role. Those already Rooks become Elite. ☐,☐,☐,☐ Turf — Reduces the Credit cost multiplier to advance crew Tier. (May be taken multiple times.)

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.

Opportunities (IB)

1. A new spin-hab opens a flagship venue; secure the residency before a rival troupe does.
2. A luxury liner wants live shows during a high-risk crossing—hazard pay on offer.
3. A critic’s viral pan tanks your sales; flip them or outshine with a pop-up spectacle.
4. Customs seizes your effects as “hazmat”; spring the gear or re-stage with local kit.
5. A netstream deal demands “edgier” content—bend your brand or negotiate control.
6. An elite patron wants a discreet private show; the guest list is politically hot.
7. A festival’s main stage slot opens after an accident—can you mobilize in time?
8. A rival leaks your set list; counter-program with a surprise collaboration.
9. A habitat’s curfew limits nightlife; lobby for exemptions or stage “matinee raves.”
10. A meme storms the nets; capitalize with a remixed act before it burns out.
11. A sponsor offers a shipboard stage refit tied to exclusivity—golden handcuffs?
12. Crowd control fails at a packed dome; save face and fans without blaming security.
13. A famous headliner ghosts a gig; cover their slot and poach their audience.
14. A union dispute shutters loaders; hand-carry the show or broker a truce.
15. A surveillance-heavy polity censors your lyrics; slip the message or play it straight.
16. A zero-g stunt goes wrong on stream; crisis-manage, then come back bigger.
17. A pirate station offers untaxed air-time—great reach, bad neighbors.
18. A boutique effects house can triple your spectacle if you front materials.
19. A celebrity scandal splashes your name; lean in with a concept show or go quiet.
20. A historic theatre’s AI asks for a revival it curated a century ago—honor or modernize?