Scum and Villainy

in The Black

THE GAME

  Scum and Villainy is a game powered by Blades in the Dark about the crew of a spaceship, trying to keep flying and make ends meet while under the iron-fisted rule of the Galactic Hegemony. There are heists, chases, escapes, unwise deals, blaster fights, deceptions, betrayals, victories, and high adventure among the stars.
We play to find out if our spaceship crew can thrive amidst the teeming threats of powerful criminal syndicates, warring noble families, dangerous aliens, strange mystics, ruins of lost civilizations, and each crew member’s own foibles and vices.  

Rules Reference

   

THE SETTING

  The year is 1261 since the founding of the Galactic Hegemonic Alliance. The Hegemony united the warring factions of the galaxy out of the Dark Age that preceded it. Near the center of the galaxy lies the seat of the Hegemon, who rules with the Grand Council—a consortium of powerful families, greedy merchant Guilds that control entire categories of technology, and the heads of powerful state-sanctioned Hegemonic Cults.
The Procyon Sector, however, is too many jumps away from the Core to matter to those important players. There are a few well-mapped Hyperspace lanes, four systems, and jumpgates to more and less fortunate parts of known space. This far out, there is less of a Hegemonic presence, and local powers include pirate queens, criminal syndicates, and legitimate corporate interests.
The worlds here are peppered with ruins of the Ur—an ancient civilization officially referred to as the Precursors—and mystics claim the flow of the Galactic Way lines are strong in the sector. Humans and aliens live and work side by side in common interest against both Hegemonic rule and the organized criminals that prey on the weak.  

Setting

 

THE PLAYERS

  Each player portrays a daring, conflicted space-opera adventurer who reaches boldly beyond their current safety and means. The players work together to bring life to their ship and their crew, and—with the oversight of the game master (GM)—decide as a group on the tone and style of the game, from swashbuckling space adventures to gritty crime.
The players take responsibility as co-authors of the game with the GM and make judgment calls about the mechanics, dice, and consequences of actions.  

Character Options