Adventurer - Revision history

Sdhjk at 14:42, 30 August 2025

2025-08-30T14:42:48Z

imported>Administrator: 50 revisions imported

2023-06-17T16:35:13Z

50 revisions imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:35, 17 June 2023
(No difference)

84.251.253.154: A lot of spelling mistakes fixed, among other things.

2023-06-04T20:05:39Z

A lot of spelling mistakes fixed, among other things.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:05, 4 June 2023
Line 27:		Line 27:
	Hence, the development of the murderhobo: [[Munchkin\|a character functionally hatched from an adventurer egg who shoots first, asks questions never, and doesn't give a damn about anything that doesn't fuel their progression of loot and EXP.]]		Hence, the development of the murderhobo: [[Munchkin\|a character functionally hatched from an adventurer egg who shoots first, asks questions never, and doesn't give a damn about anything that doesn't fuel their progression of loot and EXP.]]

	Murderhoboism is invariably a metagame effect. There are two general reasons as to why. ~~First~~ it can be a conscious decision by the player not to have attachments that a [[That Guy\|bastard DM]] could exploit [[Railroading\|to force a dramatic action]]. Secondly it ~~could~~ be a response of a player for whom the only interesting part of D&D is the combat~~, role~~ playing and fluff? Nah they love crunch, mechanics and big numbers, they made a character with enough DPR to one shot a lich and by GOD ~~there~~ going to use it! These two different ~~response~~ to ~~game play~~ need two slightly different responses. To head the first one off the DM needs to make it clear to the players that such things won't happen (unless you're rolling psykers in [[Dark Heresy]]). It's up to you, Mr. DM, to design the story so the players have ample opportunity to stop harm from befalling their loved ones, and in turn you can get NPCs that act as quest givers and sources of aid and support.		Murderhoboism is invariably a metagame effect. There are two general reasons as to why. Firstly, it can be a conscious decision by the player to not have attachments that a [[That Guy\|bastard DM]] could exploit [[Railroading\|to force a dramatic action]]. Secondly, it can be a response of a player for whom the only interesting part of D&D is the combat. Role playing and fluff? Nah, they love crunch, mechanics and big numbers, they made a character with enough DPR to one shot a lich and by GOD they're going to use it! These two different responses to gameplay need two slightly different responses from the DM. To head the first one off, the DM needs to make it clear to the players that such things won't happen (unless you're rolling psykers in [[Dark Heresy]]). It's up to you, Mr. DM, to design the story so the players have ample opportunity to stop harm from befalling their loved ones, and in turn you can get NPCs that act as quest givers and sources of aid and support.

	The second type of player is more difficult to deal with as they fundamentally have a different form of engagement to your game ~~then~~ other players. That's not inherently a bad thing and countless groups have that one player who tends to be silent when there's not a puzzle or combat to be had. The problem is when they act out and let it harm the enjoyment of other players by ~~murdohoboing~~ when other players are engaged with the story and narrative. In this case you should talk to the player on the issue, but at the same time if they keep acting out: don't be shy to drop kick them out the group for everyone else's enjoyment. In general fighting murderhoboism is win-win for everyone, even players with slight murderhobo ~~tendency~~.		The second type of player is more difficult to deal with, as they fundamentally have a different form of engagement to your game than other players. That's not inherently a bad thing and countless groups have that one player who tends to be silent when there's not a puzzle or combat to be had. The problem is when they act out and let it harm the enjoyment of other players by murderhoboing when other players are engaged with the story and narrative. In this case you should talk to the player on the issue, but at the same time if they keep acting out: don't be shy to drop kick them out of the group for everyone else's enjoyment. In general, fighting murderhoboism is win-win for everyone, even players with slight murderhobo tendencies.

	Alternately [[Just As Planned\|Or you could lean in to it.]] A hypothetical party of evil adventurers would probably default to some degree of murderhoboism and mercenary work without a longer term goal to direct ~~there~~ purpose toward, and to be fair some times be a cackling Skeletor villain with zero self awareness can be funny. Even so too much murderhoboism could also cause problems if the reaction to ~~those~~ murderhoboing is causes the players to stop having fun. Just be aware of the kind of game ~~your~~ trying to make and tailor the world,both in game and on a meta level, to what you expect will bring the most engagement to the players.		Alternately [[Just As Planned\|you could lean in to it.]] A hypothetical party of evil adventurers would probably default to some degree of murderhoboism and mercenary work without a longer term goal to direct their purpose toward, and to be fair some times being a cackling Skeletor villain with zero self awareness can be funny. Even so, too much murderhoboism could also cause problems if the reaction to the murderhoboing causes the players to stop having fun. Just be aware of the kind of game you're trying to make and tailor the world, both in game and on a meta level, to what you expect will bring the most engagement to the players.

	==Mercenaries==		==Mercenaries==
	[[image:Landsknechts.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|right\|Landsknechte; because Germans wanted to Pirate too but didn't have boats.]]		[[image:Landsknechts.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|right\|Landsknechte; because Germans wanted to Pirate too but didn't have boats.]]
	Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.		Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.

	The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Some, such as Francesco Sforza, even ended up as prominent aristocrats themselves. Needless to say, the aforementioned unreliability is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now (with some exceptions, of course).		The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Some, such as Francesco Sforza, even ended up as prominent aristocrats themselves. Needless to say, the aforementioned unreliability is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now (with some exceptions, of course).

2601:1C0:5001:5320:B5F3:D8BD:A6BC:B9A4: /* Murderhobos */

2023-05-23T02:21:57Z

Murderhobos

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:21, 23 May 2023
Line 19:		Line 19:
	One aspect of murderhobos that [[neckbeard]]s don't like to talk about much is that they were, and indeed still remain, largely a response to [[Old School Roleplaying]].		One aspect of murderhobos that [[neckbeard]]s don't like to talk about much is that they were, and indeed still remain, largely a response to [[Old School Roleplaying]].

	See, in the dim and dismal early days of RPGs, especially [[Dungeons & Dragons]], Roleplaying Games did not put much stock into, well, roleplaying. Gameplay was seen less as a form of collaborative story telling and more as a conflict between the DM and the players, something to be won. Nevermind that such a conflict is inherently tilted in the DM's favor, since he can always [[Rocks fall, everyone dies\|just drop rocks on all the players at any time he feels like]], making a "victory" by the DM not actually any accomplishment. This mindset was encouraged with competitive tournaments held at conventions to see who could complete a module in the shortest time and with the most gold and Experience Points. Most campaigns were just a series of dungeons crawls leading up to the final battle with the dragon on the twentieth floor, where the only NPCs were the enemies meant to be killed.		See, in the dim and dismal early days of RPGs, especially [[Dungeons & Dragons]], Roleplaying Games did not put much stock into, well, roleplaying. Gameplay was seen less as a form of collaborative story telling and more as a conflict between the DM and the players, something to be won. Remember old school D&D and it even older predecessor Chainmail spun out of table top wargames where there was a definitive loser and winner. Nevermind that such a conflict is inherently tilted in the DM's favor, since he can always [[Rocks fall, everyone dies\|just drop rocks on all the players at any time he feels like]], making a "victory" by the DM not actually any accomplishment. This mindset was encouraged with competitive tournaments held at conventions to see who could complete a module in the shortest time and with the most gold and Experience Points. Most campaigns were just a series of dungeons crawls leading up to the final battle with the dragon on the twentieth floor, where the only NPCs were the enemies meant to be killed.

	Even when the games moved out of the dungeons and into the wider world, some DMs kept this overly competitive mindset alive. The only difference between outside and inside was the size - everything and everyone was still part of Team "Destroy the PCs" and out for blood. That captured princess you just rescued? She's actually a [[Mimic\|shapeshifting monster]] and eats you while your guard is down. Those merchants you brought gear and food from? Swindlers whose stock is non-functional at best, and at worst sabotaged so it'll break at the worst possible time. That otherwise apathetic level 1 Commoner you just passed by the street? They'll happily rat you out to the BBEG's minions for a couple copper coins because you dared breathe in their presence.		Even when the games moved out of the dungeons and into the wider world, some DMs kept this overly competitive mindset alive. The only difference between outside and inside was the size - everything and everyone was still part of Team "Destroy the PCs" and out for blood. That captured princess you just rescued? She's actually a [[Mimic\|shapeshifting monster]] and eats you while your guard is down. Those merchants you brought gear and food from? Swindlers whose stock is non-functional at best, and at worst sabotaged so it'll break at the worst possible time. That otherwise apathetic level 1 Commoner you just passed by the street? They'll happily rat you out to the BBEG's minions for a couple copper coins because you dared breathe in their presence.
Line 25:		Line 25:
	Having an actual backstory made this even worse, as it amounted to generously providing the DM a list of people who would instantly recognize you, know all your weaknesses and abuse both without hesitation. The rare few friendly NPCs who weren't faking it were just ways to attack the PCs indirectly: Got a little sibling who idolises you? Boom - they've been kidnapped by [[Ogre\|Ogre]] [[Bandit\|bandits]]; better save them before they get raped! Got a family or a sweetheart back home that you're adventuring to raise money for? Boom - they just got unceremoniously murdered off-screen by the [[BBEG]]'s [[Assassin\|assassins]] to provide a cheap plot hook for an angsty revenge story! That [[Lamia child\|Lamia child you rescued from an untenable situation to raise as your own?]] Boom - she's always been planning to slit your throat in your sleep, and now you have to kill your adopted daughter!		Having an actual backstory made this even worse, as it amounted to generously providing the DM a list of people who would instantly recognize you, know all your weaknesses and abuse both without hesitation. The rare few friendly NPCs who weren't faking it were just ways to attack the PCs indirectly: Got a little sibling who idolises you? Boom - they've been kidnapped by [[Ogre\|Ogre]] [[Bandit\|bandits]]; better save them before they get raped! Got a family or a sweetheart back home that you're adventuring to raise money for? Boom - they just got unceremoniously murdered off-screen by the [[BBEG]]'s [[Assassin\|assassins]] to provide a cheap plot hook for an angsty revenge story! That [[Lamia child\|Lamia child you rescued from an untenable situation to raise as your own?]] Boom - she's always been planning to slit your throat in your sleep, and now you have to kill your adopted daughter!

	Hence, the development of the murderhobo: a character functionally hatched from an adventurer egg who shoots first, asks questions never, and doesn't give a damn about anything that doesn't fuel their progression of loot and EXP.		Hence, the development of the murderhobo: [[Munchkin\|a character functionally hatched from an adventurer egg who shoots first, asks questions never, and doesn't give a damn about anything that doesn't fuel their progression of loot and EXP.]]

	Murderhoboism is invariably a metagame effect. ~~It's~~ a conscious decision by the player not to have attachments that a [[That Guy\|bastard DM]] could exploit [[Railroading\|to force a dramatic action]]. To head it off, the DM needs to make it clear to the players that such things won't happen (unless you're rolling psykers in [[Dark Heresy]]). It's up to you, Mr. DM, to design the story so the players have ample opportunity to stop harm from befalling their loved ones, and in turn you can get NPCs that act as ~~questgivers~~ and sources of aid and support. ~~Fighting~~ murderhoboism is win-win for everyone.		Murderhoboism is invariably a metagame effect. There are two general reasons as to why. First it can be a conscious decision by the player not to have attachments that a [[That Guy\|bastard DM]] could exploit [[Railroading\|to force a dramatic action]]. Secondly it could be a response of a player for whom the only interesting part of D&D is the combat, role playing and fluff? Nah they love crunch, mechanics and big numbers, they made a character with enough DPR to one shot a lich and by GOD there going to use it! These two different response to game play need two slightly different responses. To head the first one off the DM needs to make it clear to the players that such things won't happen (unless you're rolling psykers in [[Dark Heresy]]). It's up to you, Mr. DM, to design the story so the players have ample opportunity to stop harm from befalling their loved ones, and in turn you can get NPCs that act as quest givers and sources of aid and support.

			The second type of player is more difficult to deal with as they fundamentally have a different form of engagement to your game then other players. That's not inherently a bad thing and countless groups have that one player who tends to be silent when there's not a puzzle or combat to be had. The problem is when they act out and let it harm the enjoyment of other players by murdohoboing when other players are engaged with the story and narrative. In this case you should talk to the player on the issue, but at the same time if they keep acting out: don't be shy to drop kick them out the group for everyone else's enjoyment. In general fighting murderhoboism is win-win for everyone, even players with slight murderhobo tendency.

			Alternately [[Just As Planned\|Or you could lean in to it.]] A hypothetical party of evil adventurers would probably default to some degree of murderhoboism and mercenary work without a longer term goal to direct there purpose toward, and to be fair some times be a cackling Skeletor villain with zero self awareness can be funny. Even so too much murderhoboism could also cause problems if the reaction to those murderhoboing is causes the players to stop having fun. Just be aware of the kind of game your trying to make and tailor the world,both in game and on a meta level, to what you expect will bring the most engagement to the players.

	==Mercenaries==		==Mercenaries==

1d4chan>Newerfag: /* Mercenaries */

2023-05-09T14:48:31Z

Mercenaries

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:48, 9 May 2023
Line 33:		Line 33:
	Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.		Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.

	The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Some, such as Francesco Sforza, even ended up as prominent aristocrats themselves. Needless to say, the aforementioned unreliability is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now.		The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Some, such as Francesco Sforza, even ended up as prominent aristocrats themselves. Needless to say, the aforementioned unreliability is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now (with some exceptions, of course).

	In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").		In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").

162.81.17.203: /* Murderhobos */

2023-02-05T07:45:42Z

Murderhobos

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:45, 5 February 2023
Line 19:		Line 19:
	One aspect of murderhobos that [[neckbeard]]s don't like to talk about much is that they were, and indeed still remain, largely a response to [[Old School Roleplaying]].		One aspect of murderhobos that [[neckbeard]]s don't like to talk about much is that they were, and indeed still remain, largely a response to [[Old School Roleplaying]].

	See, in the dim and dismal early days of RPGs, especially [[Dungeons & Dragons]], Roleplaying Games did not put much stock into, well, roleplaying. Gameplay was seen less as a form of collaborative story telling and more as a conflict between the DM and the players, something to be won. This mindset was encouraged with competitive tournaments held at conventions to see who could complete a module in the shortest time and with the most gold and Experience Points. Most campaigns were just a series of dungeons crawls leading up to the final battle with the dragon on the twentieth floor, where the only NPCs were the enemies meant to be killed.		See, in the dim and dismal early days of RPGs, especially [[Dungeons & Dragons]], Roleplaying Games did not put much stock into, well, roleplaying. Gameplay was seen less as a form of collaborative story telling and more as a conflict between the DM and the players, something to be won. Nevermind that such a conflict is inherently tilted in the DM's favor, since he can always [[Rocks fall, everyone dies\|just drop rocks on all the players at any time he feels like]], making a "victory" by the DM not actually any accomplishment. This mindset was encouraged with competitive tournaments held at conventions to see who could complete a module in the shortest time and with the most gold and Experience Points. Most campaigns were just a series of dungeons crawls leading up to the final battle with the dragon on the twentieth floor, where the only NPCs were the enemies meant to be killed.

	Even when the games moved out of the dungeons and into the wider world, some DMs kept this overly competitive mindset alive. The only difference between outside and inside was the size - everything and everyone was still part of Team "Destroy the PCs" and out for blood. That captured princess you just rescued? She's actually a [[Mimic\|shapeshifting monster]] and eats you while your guard is down. Those merchants you brought gear and food from? Swindlers whose stock is non-functional at best, and at worst sabotaged so it'll break at the worst possible time. That otherwise apathetic level 1 Commoner you just passed by the street? They'll happily rat you out to the BBEG's minions for a couple copper coins because you dared breathe in their presence.		Even when the games moved out of the dungeons and into the wider world, some DMs kept this overly competitive mindset alive. The only difference between outside and inside was the size - everything and everyone was still part of Team "Destroy the PCs" and out for blood. That captured princess you just rescued? She's actually a [[Mimic\|shapeshifting monster]] and eats you while your guard is down. Those merchants you brought gear and food from? Swindlers whose stock is non-functional at best, and at worst sabotaged so it'll break at the worst possible time. That otherwise apathetic level 1 Commoner you just passed by the street? They'll happily rat you out to the BBEG's minions for a couple copper coins because you dared breathe in their presence.

1d4chan>Newerfag: /* Mercenaries */

2023-01-26T20:28:55Z

Mercenaries

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:28, 26 January 2023
Line 33:		Line 33:
	Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.		Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.

	The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Needless to say, ~~that~~ is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now.		The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Some, such as Francesco Sforza, even ended up as prominent aristocrats themselves. Needless to say, the aforementioned unreliability is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now.

	In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").		In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").

1d4chan>Newerfag: /* Mercenaries */

2023-01-26T20:23:26Z

Mercenaries

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:23, 26 January 2023
Line 33:		Line 33:
	Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.		Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.

	The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]].		The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]]. And if the other side offered them a better deal, they were almost always more than happy to betray their now-former employer. Needless to say, that is one of the reasons why modern nation-states use their own standing armies to fight wars now.

	In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").		In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Mercenaries */

2022-11-24T20:49:25Z

Mercenaries

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:49, 24 November 2022
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	==Mercenaries==		==Mercenaries==
	[[image:Landsknechts.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|right\|Landsknechte~~, some of the more infamous mercenaries~~. ~~At least they get points for style!~~]]		[[image:Landsknechts.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|right\|Landsknechte; because Germans wanted to Pirate too but didn't have boats.]]
	Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.		Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Mercenaries */

2022-11-24T20:47:46Z

Mercenaries

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:47, 24 November 2022
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	Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.		Mercenaries are people who fight in conflicts for the sake of direct profit provided by their employer. In most fiction, they exist to provide a group of people who have military force capacity, while not being associated with particular political and societal factions. This means that most mercenaries are used for protagonists and anti-heroes, as it's much easier to create a believable and unique character without restricting them to a set group of beliefs of a faction. Equally frequently, the mercenaries are shown in the dark light as well, being pragmatic villains who have little of interest in anything besides money, thus allowing them to be the bad guys by doing anything and everything evil for the sake of wealth.

	The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for the looting.		The difference mercenaries have though is that they actually existed. However, real mercenaries tended to be amoral (often Swiss) pikemen who would serve as royal guards for monarchs too paranoid to trust their own people to not murder them. The ones that DID actually go and fight wars, they tended to be Germans and were often as not in it for [[Pirate\|the looting]].

	In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").		In many a game, the PCs are hired as mercenaries to provide services for someone, starting from removal of [[Giant_space_hamster\|Giant Space Hamsters]] from the cellar of a local noble, to poisoning the king during a banquet so his brother's cousin's sister can usurp the throne. And, since parties can range from [[Chaotic Stupid]] to [[Stupid Evil]] to [[Stupid Good]] (even at the same time), all characters can act towards a common goal without having to resort to fratricide because they can't agree on an approach to the situation (as most players use their status as mercenaries as an excuse to do things out of character, because "[[Derp]], [[Games Workshop\|Money]]").