Blade Runner’s second case file makes you feel like Rick Deckard

Free League’s Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game came out of the gate strong in 2022 with a fabulous core rulebook and a stellar starter set, both of which we’ve heaped praise on here at Polygon. And we’re not alone in our celebration of Free League’s work, which received multiple industry awards. But I think that the newest boxed set, Case File #2: Fiery Angels, might be my favorite piece yet, mainly because it makes me feel like Harrison Ford from page one.

[Ed. note: What follows contains light spoilers for the opening moments of Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game – Case File #02: Fiery Angels.]

Image: Free League Publishing

While MythBusters alum Adam Savage has long been the champion of Blade Runner nerds thanks to his passion for Rick Deckard’s powerful sidearm, I’ve always been a bit partial to the mysterious Voight-Kampff machine. While this boxed set doesn’t come with one, you can almost hear it buzzing and whirring between the lines of Fiery Angels’ softcover adventure booklet, which kicks off right in the middle of a high-stakes “empathy test” inside the LAPD Tower. Naturally, things go about as well as they do in the films, with the suspect leaping to his feet and throwing detectives around like cordwood. After the coroner carts away the corpse(s), it’s up to the players to solve the mystery of where the replicant came from. What results is a tight, four-to-six-session adventure that suits the source material just about perfectly.

True to form, Free League’s production is excellent, with lots of moody art, characterful mugshots, and a handful of maps that evoke the look of CRT screens. There’s even a big manila envelope to hold all the evidence. It’s the same kind of quality that’s gone into its other lines, including Vaesen and The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game.

Image: Free League Publishing

Best of all, however, is that this case file and the original that launched with the starter set in 2022 are connected, with the promise of another case file dropping before long. So while you may not have the time for a weekly game of Blade Runner that spans years, you can be assured of perhaps 10 to 12 great sessions of play total, supported by top-tier materials in a setting your players should already be familiar with.

Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game – Case File #2: Fiery Angels is available now as a digital file, granted in advance of the physical release which arrives at friendly local game stores and online on April 2.

Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game – Case File #2: Fiery Angels was reviewed using a retail copy provided by Free League Publishing. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.