Hello folks. I’m the first to admit that I love a dark and gritty horror tabletop role playing game like Call of Cthulhu or Vampire the Masquerade. But there are times in life when you just need a break from that. Or from your favorite fantasy game involving elves and whatnot. Maybe you want to run around an office as a Nepo Baby, reminding everyone who your father is. Or you need a game where you can let the perfectionist side of you shine. If you are looking for a fun game that is easy to learn and great for a good time, I highly recommend Interns in the Dark by Adam Yee.
Before I go any further, I just want to say, I have no affiliation with this game in any way and this is in no way sponsored content. I just really enjoyed it when I got to play it so I wanted to share it with all of you.
What is Interns in the Dark?
Interns in the Dark is a tabletop role playing game. It utilizes the same rule set Blades in the Dark uses. In case you don’t know about Blades in the Dark, it’s basically a heist TTRPG. It’s a lot of fun to play and easier to pick up than something like Dungeons & Dragons.
Interns in the Dark flips the script on that game and makes it more of a comedic take on a heist quest. A couple of weekends ago, I got to play a session at Big Bad Con and it was one of the highlights of the convention for me. I’m not going to go over rules extensively here but I’ll tell you some basics and you can decide if it’s something you want to get for your own gaming table.
The premise of Interns in the Dark
You live in a place filled with highly successful businesses called The Bay. No matter what your character does in the game, they start working for a soul sucking mega-corporation. You might work for The Jungle, Metabook, Trinance, Ghougle, or Stonks Inc. Or your GM may decide to make their own. These companies are super innovative. At stealing each other’s intellectual property.
When you go to work, you are an innocent intern who is crucial to the success of your company. Succeed and you may be rewarded. Fail and there will be consequences.
The characters of Interns in the Dark
There are several archetypes you can play.
The Jock
Pretty much what it sounds like. You’re into sports and you’re athletic. Also good at teamwork.
The Weeb
Embrace your inner anime fan with this one. Lean into the weird and have a great time.
The Techie
Love gadgets? You’ll fit right in. You are obviously good at tech skills.
The Perfect
We all know someone like this. If you don’t then you are the perfect. You get the job done and done right no matter the cost.
The Nepo Baby
You have connections and everyone knows it. Because you constantly remind them.
The Empath
You’re way good at all the feels. And it helps you make a lot of friends.
The Mascot
You dress up in a costume. People may not know who you are but they instantly recognize your outfit.
A session
A play session of the game can run from 2-4 hours usually with 3-5 players. Making a character is easy if you’ve played any TTRPG before. If you haven’t, it might take you 30 or so minutes to figure it out.
You can play single one shot sessions to have a nice break between your other games. But you can also play a longer campaign with the book over multiple sessions.
It’s really up to you how your group plays but if you need a good dose of humor these days (and who doesn’t?) this is a great one to add to your bookshelf.
When I played, I was the mascot and we got away with our heist after a bunch of tech bros who took on the characteristics of all the U.S. ex-presidents landed their cybertrucks on top of our U-haul. But there’s no telling how a game of yours might turn out.
How can I get a copy of Interns in the Dark?
Want to start for free? Get the quickstart rules here. This is an independent TTRPG creator though, so consider giving a donation at least.
Want just the PDF? That will cost you $25. How about the softcover? That will run you $40. You can get both versions right here.
Personally, I recommend the softcover. It’s a completely reasonable price for any TTRPG book. The art is a lot of fun and it makes it easy to flip through. But needs vary so grab whatever version makes the most sense for your table.
Other than the book, all you need are some character sheets and 4 six sided dice for everyone at the table. No need to run out and get super fancy dice. (Of course that’s always fun to do though, so no shame if you still decide to do that.)
In Conclusion
I’ll probably post more about this game on occasion and get into mechanics and whatnot. But for now, just trust me, it’s a lot of fun, especially if you just need a lighthearted break now and again with your gaming group.
Have you played this one? If so, what character archetype did you play and did you succeed at your mission? Let me know in the comments.
Looking for something a little more serious?
I know a fun game involving interns is not for everyone. If you would rather play a great cosmic horror game, in my book, you can’t go wrong with Call of Cthulhu.
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