Finally on Adventuring Groups, Last One Promise

Get a Job!

[Apparently I hadn’t made the case against Adventuring Groups clear to myself up to this point, hence another rant.]

I’m talking about your characters, of course, your D&D ones specifically. Now, this might seem unnatural and awkward, but is only so in context of D&D, not other RPG’s, or real life.

In other game settings, the characters have professions: superhero, smuggler, trader, rebel, soldier, gunslinger, scientist, journalist, businessman, pirate, etc. Okay maybe in the White Wolf games, characters don’t have occupations, unless you consider being a vampire or a werewolf a full time job. (Being dark and brooding can take up a lot of time, but you’re not getting paid for it, unless you start a band.)

These characters, with different skill sets, form some sort of professional organization with a stated or implied purpose. The group’s function has a basis in the real world; past, present, or future. Even superheroes are essentially law enforcement or a defense organization. (Presumably, they keep secret identities so that they can earn a living, without whoring out their powers.)

In D&D though, the characters are adventurers. In the real world at any point in history, “adventurer” is a nebulous word, but it is always used in conjunction with a profession, like explorer, archaeologist, mercenary, or merchant. “Adventurer” is a gift word, like poet or lover. It’s something someone else calls you, in this case, after you’ve had adventures. The point is that it’s not a job.

Just to pick two literary fantasy examples. Conan was an adventurer. But he got that title while being a thief, a bandit, a pirate, a mercenary, and a soldier, and while in the company of other such people. The Fellowship of the Ring had adventures. They certainly went into a dungeon-like underground and killed Orcs. They’re even the prototype for the multi-classed, multi-raced adventuring group. (No Cleric though. They must have been using the 4e rules.) But, they weren’t looting all the way and looking for fights so they could level up. No, these guys had a purpose, a limited and sharply defined one. Their adventures came while pursuing that goal.

In either example, we see a company formed for a purpose and the characters joining to make it happen. The group may be part of a larger organization, like a warrior order, or perhaps just a couple thieves casing their next rich target. It could be a broad goal, like joining a pirate crew to plunder the seas, or maybe a narrow one, like a mercenary troop formed to escort a group of merchants to a destination. If the group has a narrow task and completes it, they can move on to getting another job, task, or quest, or even managing the consequences of their success.

Fortune or fate, incurred by the characters’ actions or perhaps outside of their control, may dissolve or evolve a long-standing group into a new group, like Conan’s horsemen raiders getting wiped out and while on the run, he ends up joining a group of pirates. Or, after the Fellowship to destroy the ring is broken up, Frodo and Sam decide to carry on, while Aragorn and the others focus on rallying Rohan against Sauroman.

[Well, this is at least a bit more coherent and convincing. What are my current thoughts on the subject? Standard Adventuring Groups are okay, I guess, but really, can we do at least a little better just strangers in tavern, gathered to investigate a rumor, or worse, a bunch of characters with voluminous, unrelated backstories before the adventures even begin?]

Your patience is about to be rewarded.  Next up is the Fantasy Island setting.  Yes, your characters will be sent to an island where all their dreams will come true.  Or will they? 

Wait. 

I misread that. 

Next up is the Fantasy Ireland setting.  Okay, that makes more sense.  I remember doing a whole 10 minutes of research on Wikipedia about Ireland, so I'm pretty much an expert on the subject.  Yeah, Fantasy Island would be way harder.  I'd have to stat up Mr. Roarke and Tattoo, because you know the first thing the players would do is try to kill them to take over the island.  How much XP for Ricardo Montalban anyway?  What's the AC of that white suit?  It's gotta be magical.  Nevermind, just have a pint of green beer ready for a belated St. Patrick's Day post.

Yet Still More on Adventuring Groups

[Okay, at last this thing starts to peter out.]


The DM’s complaint against a group with a job is obvious: adventures aren’t written that way. Well, now you don’t have to use any of those cheesy plot hooks to get the players to do something. I think most adventures may play out about the same way, but now there’s a distinct goal for the characters to work towards. Some change to the XP system may be needed to reflect this, as killing things and taking their stuff may no longer be appropriate.

From the players’ standpoint, they’ve lost some freedom of action. Moreover, they now have something to lose in adventuring other than their characters’ lives: their jobs and social status. Whenever they fail in a goal, or make a bad decision, it may directly effect them economically or worse. As freebooting adventurers certainly you could gain a bad reputation, but you’re not going any lower socially. As a group with a direction though, you may start off with legitimacy, authority, status, and even wealth.

With the directed group, there will automatically be a mechanism for cycling in replacement characters, as opposed to just finding random people in random places to replace dead members. A sandbox setting should come to life. Instead of the characters being a contaminant in a sterile system, they’re introduced as fully active participants in it.

How does this work with a big dungeon? Depends on why the group wants to go in. Looting and killing will probably still occur, but now there’s a goal and the group may need to show some results.

As the group becomes more enmeshed in the setting, their status in it will change, for better or worse. The group should be working towards a goal. It might somewhat vague and general, long term, or quite limited and specific. The group may dissolve upon the completion or resolution of the goal. They could become another kind of group, or find another goal for their existing one.

There should be a real threat of losing the group’s jobs or status based on the characters’ actions. Outside events and beyond the characters’ control can disrupt their status.

[That’s it. It just sort of stops there. I must have broken a fingernail or ran out of scotch. No, I don’t feel like adding to this or cleaning it up. Don’t go yet though, there’s still a little more on this topic.]

Still More on Adventuring Groups

[The promised blathering continues from the previous post.]


There’s no worthwhile direction in any version of D&D explaining how or why the players’ characters should become a group and go adventuring. Therefore, this is the implied setting of the game. Random people get together randomly and decide to go kill monsters and find treasure. This setup doesn’t happen in every game, or even any game, but that’s what most of them boil down to. A few tiny bits of motivation can be artificially grafted on, or the DM can create a big railroad setting. Doesn’t matter. The players have little say in it or it’s ignored.

By virtue of these directionless parties, all published D&D adventures have no real motivation for the characters other than a few lame, cheesy plot hooks. The players might not bite, after all their group has no motivation to do anything. So, the DM may have to force it or engage in some creative improvisation.

Adventures created by the DM suffer the same problem. He might create a sandbox, but can’t write in what the characters’ place in it is, since they don’t have one. How could they? No profession, no motivation, no objective that isn’t meta-gaming?

By giving no group direction to allow complete freedom of choice in adventuring, you’re actually forced into only one choice: a completely generic set of adventurers. With no inherent motivation in the group, the DM is forced to run a vanilla adventure with nothing in it that’s really personal to the characters.

A game which is trying to be all things to all players, ends up being nothing to everyone.

Group creation needs a seat at the gaming table, a prominent one and settled before the first adventure. Since there’s nothing concrete in a rulebook concerning this, anyone who agrees with this premise, is left to their own devices. Go Old School. After rolling 3d6 in order to make up characters, roll on another table of professions for the group. Maybe another to determine the characters’ relationship to one another, and another to give them starting motivation. Alternatively, the DM may pitch possible settings and the players pitch groups for the setting. Or vice versa. Or something totally different. The important thing is that there is agreement among the players and with DM about why the characters are together and what they’re doing.

The group doesn’t have to be stuck with a choice forever. In fact, there may be tremendous anxiety in keeping their jobs or social status, which is what motivates their adventuring.

[Wait. There’s more coming.]

More on Adventuring Groups

[My crusade against random adventuring groups didn’t stop with suggestions for fixing this “problem.” There are some blogish tirades to go with them.]

The standard setup for any D&D adventure more or less starts with, “A party of adventurers…” What are adventurers? Well, in fantasy literary terms, they may be bandits, raiders, thieves planning a big heist, swashbucklers saving damsels and even the world, killer anti-heroes, any or none of the above. In D&D terms, adventurers wander into dungeons, kill monsters, avoid traps, hoard gold, and level up.

What’s really the difference? Literary groups of adventurers always have some sort of motivation for risking themselves. It might be weak or implied, or it might be very strong and personal. They are driven by their circumstance or status into their profession. D&D adventurers are motivated by the acquisition of XP. Their profession exists to accumulate XP. Would you watch a movie or read a book with those kind of characters? No wonder WOW and Diablo and such have cannibalized tabletop D&D. They’ve distilled the game as written to its essence. This is certainly why some people outgrow the game.

The prototype for the D&D adventuring party, the Fellowship of the Ring, has something that an actual D&D party never has starting out: an objective. There was a reason why the Fellowship consisted of humans, hobbits, an elf, and a dwarf. (Okay, even if it was flimsy and they didn’t have a cleric.) It wasn’t until after Lord of the Rings achieved fantasy cannon status and D&D developed its own self-referential mythos, that Dragonlance and its derivatives became the multi-classed, multi-raced standard in fantasy literature.

The D&D adventuring party is completely directionless and unmotivated when they start adventuring, but for leveling up. “This isn’t a bug. It’s a feature,” you might retort. Characters have a complete freedom of action when they start. They can do whatever they want. This free form aspect to RPG’s is part of the appeal. But, it’s also a major limitation. This will take a minute to explain.

To be continued.  [With more blathering.]

Adventuring Group Adventures

[Still blathering on about adventuring groups. Here are some classic adventure ideas, recast with professional groups.]


Fortress on the Borderlands

A lonely fortress on the far frontier of human lands is imperiled. Tales are circulating of a loose confederation of humanoids gathering in the area. Their location, strength, and intents are unknown, but it is unlikely they’re meeting for peaceful purposes.

Law: Humanoid raids are looting the fief and taking prisoners. Track them down and recover what you can.

Mercenary: Bounties on humanoids are there for the taking.

Military: Your team is sent ahead to assess the situation. If a minor threat, disrupt it. If it’s a major threat, recon it and report back.

Spy: Find and infiltrate the humanoid encampment by any means necessary. Report back your findings, but remain undercover. Sabotage and sow dissention among the tribes.

Criminal: Rumors of plenty of spoils taken by the humanoids, including wealth and prisoners. Unverified tales of a cult temple in the area. Could have precious artifacts. Probably too many to fight, but Orcs are dumb. Could be quite a haul with the right knowledge and plan.


Gargle

A mad local wizard has been terrorizing the citizens. He is currently holed up in an abandoned keep.

Secret Society: Gargle is a former member. He needs to be eliminated. Also, destroy any evidence of his membership before the authorities catch up with him.

Warrior Order: The local authorities can’t handle Gargle. This is your initiation test to enter the Order.

Mercenary: The locals have put out a bounty on Gargle’s head. Your biggest threat may be the competition.


The Call

A seashore village is under a mysterious curse. Rumors abound of cult-ish activity and the presence demonic creatures.

Inquisition: It is unknown how pervasive this cult is. Investigate and take appropriate action.

Commercial: An ill wind has blown your ship into this harbor and a storm holds you fast. Survival and escape are the goals.

Treasure Hunters: There are rumors of pirate gold in the area. Also, tales of a strange valuable book.


Mega

A gigantic series of artificial underground tunnels and chambers has been discovered. A multitude of creatures lair within and all sorts of fiendish traps guard voluminous treasure. Who built it? Why did they build it? Perhaps the answers are below.

Wizard Order: Could this be the secret chambers of the long lost Arch Mage? Investigate for traces of his presence.

Military: Recon the first level and establish a beachhead for possible further explorations. Keep out the other treasure seekers.

Criminal: What a great place for a hideout. Get to know the locals. Negotiate with the smart ones. Eliminate the dangerous ones. If there’s some valuables inside, get the skinny on them, so a heist can be planned.


Tomb of Many Hoary Deaths

Dare you traipse into this obvious deathtrap, this meat grinder for heroes, for questionable gains?

Here at last is a scenario built for adventurers, as they are completely expendable in society. It’s hard to imagine anyone else with a job or status attacking this place.

Adventuring Group Campaigns

Since the characters are not being rewarded strictly based on booty and body count (though these things will certainly occur anyway), the adventuring group can be formed around a specific goal or vocation. They will advance in level by getting closer to achieving their goals and by fulfilling their job duties. The endgame for any of these scenarios may be enacted whenever the playing group wishes and should not be dictated arbitrarily by character level. Of course, the type of campaign can completely change direction as a result of play or a successful endgame, so never be too deterministic in planning adventures.

Agents of the Inquisition (Witchhunters): The characters are employed by the church. Their goal is to root out and combat supernatural evil. They may be assigned missions or assigned and area to safeguard. How they came into this job (especially thieves and wizards) may be an interesting bit of character backstory. At higher levels, they may be brought into the church hierarchy and involved in the politics, conspiracies, and demonic infiltration.

The King's Men: The characters are the personal agents of the King. They came to this job through either a very meritorious act directly for the king or perhaps some sort of patronage. The characters aren't necessarily just knights or warriors. This group could be compared to the Irish Fianna and Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. They may be headquartered in the royal court, stationed in an area, or a roving band in the field. Their missions or assignments may be protection, law enforcement, and investigation (phenomena, rumors of treasure). Or they may be involved in a special, specific quest for the king. At higher levels, court intrigues will be evident and eventually draw the characters into picking sides.

Rebels: The characters are part of a rebellion or a secret society against the king. Obviously, Robin Hood is an inspiration. For an Asian campaign, The Water Margin should provide some ideas. The characters are all outlaws, mercenaries, and even dispossessed nobles and bureaucrats. They have all been forced out of a respectable life and into a secret society in order to survive. They may be a hidden cell, taking orders from unseen superiors, or part of a band hiding in the wilderness. They will be acquiring funding, protecting members, and gathering intelligence. At higher levels, the end game is building enough power to overthrow the establishment.

The Long Journey: The characters are far away from home, either exploring unknown lands or lost in them. This voyage may be unwilling, such as that of Odysseus or Aeneas, and they are actually divinely prevented from returning home (or finding a new one). They may be returning from a long war, like the siege of Troy or the Crusades. They may instead be on a quest with a final goal in mind, like the Argonauts or Hercules' Labors (which would be a journey of tasks rather than distance).

The characters could also be explorers in the mold of Marco Polo or the various Spanish and Portuguese explorers of South America. They would be aliens in a completely unknown culture looking to establish trading relations along the way or trying to conqueror the civilizations and take their gold. At higher levels, the characters will, through their trials, have acquired enough power to achieve their final reward, such as nobility or founding a new colony. There's also the circumnavigation travels of Magellan and Drake.

Viking: The characters are Norsemen. The character classes shouldn't really change, except for the names (Barbarian-Warrior, Knight-Prince, Wizard-Priest) and a substitution of longship sailing skills over horsemanship. Raiding and pillaging hapless peasants is not the group's goal. Rather, they are a mercenary company, like that of Harald Hardradi, who fought in battles all across Europe, was part of the Emperor's personal guard in Constantinople, and eventually became king of Norway. There also interesting voyages of exploration to Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland (and perhaps more fanciful places).


I may as well mention here that I've made another large edit to Fantasy Core.  Basically, the Wizard seemed way underpowered.  I've upped the damage on some of the spells.  Wizards and Enchanters now get 3 spell check failures in an encounter before being unable to safely cast.  The other spell-using classes are still at 2 failures.

http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-rpg-thief.html (Minor skills edit)
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-rpg-wizard.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/11/fantasy-core-rpg-halfling-enchantress.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-spell-list.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-spell-list-continued.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/11/fantasy-core-rpg-high-level-spells.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/12/fantasy-core-rpg-witch-spells.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/12/fantasy-core-rpg-druid-spells.html

Adventuring Group Benefits and Drawbacks

[This is possibly extraneous bonus material for the listed professional groups, which honestly may or may not be of any real use.]

Players may call out a benefit and roll on it.  The DM may also call out a drawback, forcing a roll.  [I think this bit was from a previous incarnation of the rules.  Let's say a DC 12 for a minor call out, DC 18 for a major one.  Each character can pony up 1 XP to add +1 to the roll.]  There are benefits and drawbacks inside the group and as perceived outside the group.  Success means gaining the benefit or avoiding the drawback. Failure means consequences.

Being part of a group also means that there is a material benefit. There’s no roll. The group simply starts off with the benefit and is able to call upon it at appropriately available.


Military

Inside: Reinforcements (not always timely, but can be called upon)/Orders (little freedom of action when it comes to choosing missions)

Outside: Respect (of the uniform and duty)/Protest (but not by everybody, especially conquered peoples)

Material: weapons, armor, gear, supplies (though not always great or even appropriate)

Obligation: Must always stay in uniform, unless on infiltration mission.


Law

Inside: Backup (can call for other lawmen or raise a posse)/Accountable (must follow the law)

Outside: Authority (can order crowds and individuals, cause criminals to surrender)/Accountable (to the public, must respond to pleas for help)

Material: weapons, armor, gear

Obligation: Must always wear badge, unless undercover.


Criminal

Inside: Gossip (lots of information about other members and jobs comes your way)/No honor (fear of superiors and colleagues)

Outside: Contacts (can gather information off the street)/Wanted (by the law and even other criminal groups for crimes)

Material: Can fence stolen goods, hideout

Obligation: Must always report suspicious activity of members.


Wizard Order

Inside: Pact (the order is oath-bound to help other members, up to a point, determined by reputation and past deeds)/Rivalry (but still group of petty people with big egos, always looking to one up each other, up to even dueling)

Outside: Valued (the rich and powerful and otherwise, want your services)/Feared (but not trusted, outside relationships are seldom out in the open)

Material: Access to knowledge-books, maps, history

Obligation: Must always investigate occurrences of magic.


Warrior Order

Inside: Fraternity (pledged to aid one another, up to their own lives to save a brother)/Honor (that must be kept under penalty of death)

Outside: Prestige (everyone looks up to you)/Resentment (by the regular military)

Material: Excellent quality weapons and armor

Obligation: Must always wear uniform and uphold Order’s code.


Secret Society

Inside: Brothers (can aid you with information, contacts, items, weapons, magic and other items)/Secrets (things you know, things kept from you by superiors, things others would want to know, must be kept under penalty of death)

Outside: Envy (others would love to join your group)/Distrusted (by everyone on the outside)

Material: the group can get you infiltration and influence into other groups

Obligation: Must always wear insignia and acknowledge secret sign of other members, unless on an infiltration mission.


Merchant

Inside: Professional contacts (amongst other merchants and clients)/Cutthroat (guilds and other merchants want you out of business)

Outside: Schmooze and haggle (great at negotiating)/Distrusted (everyone thinks you’re just looking for a profit and screwing them in the process)

Material: wealth and goods

Obligation: Must always pursue any profitable business lead.