Would a typical D&D town allow adventurers to walk around?

Primitive Screwhead · Sep 6, 2014

APGM said:
In closing, you guys aren't looking for realism.
<snip>
You do humanity a disservice to treat the common folk of your campaigns as hapless and perpetual victims.

Not quite on the mark.. and welcome to the board BTW.

I am looking for a way to present the standard DnD adventurer festooned with weapons and dripping gold from his over-full pockets with the fictional medieval barter/coin/feudal world of DnD.

So you are right, not looking for realism at all.

The common folk are simply that. Common folk. As a dragon would say, they are very nice and crunchy with ketchup. Common folk in DnD need uncommon folk to fight back against all the magical/supernatural/aberrant things that exist. If the Common folk were not helpless in the face of the unknown, the PC's would be 'Heros'. So yes, they tend to be hapless and perpetual victims of the big nasty powerful things that live around them.

Lalato · Sep 7, 2014

I saw a lot of words. And a couple of insults. If you want me to read your words... Maybe try to start without insulting people.

GSHamster · Sep 7, 2014

APGM said:
You do humanity a disservice to treat the common folk of your campaigns as hapless and perpetual victims.

You are ignoring the power disparity between adventurers and common folk.

Let's say a dragon came to your village and wanted something. Do you know what common folk do in this situation? They offer up their daughters as sacrifices to appease the dragon.

Now, adventurers are the people who kill dragons. How much further would the common folk go to appease them?

Sunseeker · Sep 7, 2014

It really depends on if they had the armed might to say "NO" to 4-5 well-armed, arguably much more well trained, much more wealthy persons than themselves.

They could try the "cold shoulder" approach, but lets face it, some small town of <50 people is still going to have a few outcasts, stupid children and greedy jerkwads who are going to see the party as a way for them to gain wealth, power and status within their town.

They could try to fight the party, but I suspect that wouldn't end well.

They could attempt to treat the party poorly in a passive-aggressive manner, raise prices on them, say the inn is always full even when obviously not. Tell the adventurers they're out of food when the harvest is just coming in, etc...

And of course it depends on the party. If a villager comes up to you and says "before you enter our town and use our services, you must speak to the village elder and perform great tasks of taskiness!" you are left with three basic responses:
1: agree. Kill some sewer rats, get town favor.
2: threaten/assault the villagers until they give you what they want.
3: leave.

What action is preferable depends on your DM. If every town you come to demands you perform tasks to gain their favor and every villager would rather die than help you find out how far it is to The Rock of Awesome, then options two and three aren't going to be much use, unless you would like to become a roving band of marauders. It's probably also your DM's way of telling you to do what he says or go find a different game.

In the end I think it's about balance. Most towns are going to be happy to do business with travelers, especially well-armed ones, because good weapons means good money. You're only really going to find towns demanding you preform tasks in very cloistered societies. You need to learn the Special Code to enter the Vault of Secrets, and the Special Code is only taught by the Cryptic Order. You want to find out how far it is to the city of Cliffwall, Timmy the Butcher probably isn't going to raise a fuss that you didn't talk to the village elder when you just dropped 10gp in his face on meat worth half that much.

It really depends on what you want to know and who you're asking. Secret knowledge is secret for a reason. General information is likewise general for a reason.

Umbran · Sep 7, 2014

APGM said:
I say this with all the love and understanding I have, but you guys are all idiots.

This is *all* the love and understanding you have? With *all* of it, you still start the post with an insult? Really?

You realize that opening with an insult, you engage the audience's emotions and ego, rather than their rational minds? If you're looking to get folks to listen to your logical points, this is a bit of a blunder in your rhetorical structure.

Moreover, you realize that EN World's Rule #1 is, "Keep it civil."? Insulting folks is not civil.

Ineffectual, and getting moderation attention just for the first sentence. Please don't use this kind of approach next time.

APGM · Sep 7, 2014

Primitive Screwhead said:
The common folk are simply that. Common folk.

Not so! Adventurers are not made of finer clay than other mortal men. What one man can do another may emulate equally well. That was the entirety of my point. Consider the American frontier during the westward expansion. Separated from settled lands by more than mere time and distance, individuals by necessity had to be capable of performing feats of engineering (windmills, housing, wells), agricultural cultivation (planting, nurturing, harvesting within appropriate times and conditions) medical treatment (you would have to foal your own livestock and help bear your young), carpentry (if you didn't bring, you wouldn't have it otherwise) all in addition to the skills necessary for basic survival and sustainability coupled with the fortitude and ability to fend off the many threats to lives and livelihoods they would doubtlessly encounter. Most sought to increase their odds by traveling in numbers, but there was no guarantee of success either way and they each knew individually their ultimate success would rely upon the strength of their own minds and hands. In any cataclysm you will find survivors, and their stories will delight you with the sheer indomitable spirit of our species.

Specialization is for insects.

As to the few of you whom objected to the language of my very mild rebuke. . .Take offense if you wish. Challenges come in many form: some are to your ego, some to your ability some may even be mortal. If you are honest you will admit there is something odd about individuals whom crave the excitement of contending with dragons, gods and great adversity but whither before mere words. You should know before you say anything further, the etymology of the word comes from the Greek and denotes individuals of common origin, their prejudice like that shown here, suggested a certain inherent ineptitude -specifically an unrefined intellect for such individuals were believed to be bankrupt of cultural currency and general education. What you identify as slander is in fact irony. The feeble arguments and ideas offered here were very much lacking, I found the word very applicable and I am saddened for those whom could not appreciate it. I say it with love and understanding because being human, and subject to the same flaws, foibles and imperfections of my brothers, I too am often an idiot. If there is a difference, I suppose, it is in that I would rather know when I am being an idiot.

There are worse things to be I think, like a humorless prat in a position of nominal authority seeking to censor expression for the sake of protecting people from unkind ideas.

Lalato · Sep 7, 2014

I take no offense from ideas. I take offense from being called an idiot. The irony is rich that you don't seem to understand that very simple concept.

Remathilis · Sep 7, 2014

APGM said:
As to the few of you whom objected to the language of my very mild rebuke. . .Take offense if you wish. Challenges come in many form: some are to your ego, some to your ability some may even be mortal. If you are honest you will admit there is something odd about individuals whom crave the excitement of contending with dragons, gods and great adversity but whither before mere words. You should know before you say anything further, the etymology of the word comes from the Greek and denotes individuals of common origin, their prejudice like that shown here, suggested a certain inherent ineptitude -specifically an unrefined intellect for such individuals were believed to be bankrupt of cultural currency and general education. What you identify as slander is in fact irony. The feeble arguments and ideas offered here were very much lacking, I found the word very applicable and I am saddened for those whom could not appreciate it. I say it with love and understanding because being human, and subject to the same flaws, foibles and imperfections of my brothers, I too am often an idiot. If there is a difference, I suppose, it is in that I would rather know when I am being an idiot.

There are worse things to be I think, like a humorless prat in a position of nominal authority seeking to censor expression for the sake of protecting people from unkind ideas.

I say this with all the love and understanding I have; you're an idiot to argue with the moderators when he tells you to knock it off, and refusing to do so is a ban-able offense. You're post has been reported, and you can go find another messageboard more open to your debate technique.

Morrus · Sep 7, 2014

APGM said:
There are worse things to be I think, like a humorless prat in a position of nominal authority seeking to censor expression for the sake of protecting people from unkind ideas.

Oh, go away.

Sincerely, from an idiot and humourless prat. [Edit - turns out it's not an alt of another poster.]

Brian M · Sep 8, 2014

I was enigma5915 until my account was banned. I did not make the above posts or in any way have anything to do with them. I can only assume I was banned because I share an IP address. The offender in question is a friend of mine. And uses my internet regularly. I however took no part in this debacle other than to warn him to watch his comments and be polite. But banning me for another's offense is as rude as it gets. I've been a fan of this site and user for 14 years. I was not even asked if this was me, it was an assumption and was in error. I find it ironic to tell someone to be polite and then treat me this way when I was not involved. Feels crappy man. Sorry for the language. But I thought this was a cool place.