D&D General Sandbox style: Rumors say a +1 sword is in a cave nearby. Go get it?

[Umbran]

Absolutely. A former King's lost sword is way more important regardless of what the mechanical bonuses are on it.

That sword should be more important. The actual value to the character depends on how much you trust the GM to actualize that importance.

 

[Umbran]

It's absolutely worth getting it in any OSR-style game, including Shadowdark.

With respect, that's not a valid conclusion, unless Shadowdark has strict limits on encounter and adventure design.

In general, whether it is worth getting *depends on the risk". If there's a huge ancient red dragon and its minions sitting on that sword... maybe not worth it.

 

[Umbran]

My grandpappy says that his brother Earl was an adventurer. He went off and fought in the Grell Wars, and came home with a magic sword. People kept trying to steal it, so grandpappy said Earl hid it in a cave. Earl died a decade ago and gramps kind of forgot about it for a while. An owlbear family moved in a couple of years ago, and he thinks we're old enough to know about it and make our own choices. Do we want to go see if my great-uncle Earl's sword is still there? If it is, we could sell it, or Fred Strongarm could use it. Don't tell my mother.

Good?

Yes. A story that comes with some level of trust, with an idea about what the challenges ahead are - a character can choose based on that.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Look, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

I will go to my grave thinking that 'Moistened Bink' is the greatest non-Star Wars Star Wars character name ever created.

 

[SkidAce]

As a first level pc if I heard there were cookies in a near by cave I’d go check it out!!

Yup.

 

[Reynard]

And I'm saying that, in playing a role, I am not responding to shorthand. In that role-play, the details matter.

There is no accounting for preferences. I don't consider immersion to be a particularly important part of play.

It isn't like a +1 sword generates performance remarkable in and of itself. It should not, on its own merit, be a particularly legendary blade, or something that generates rumors.

It let's you hit monsters that you can't otherwise. That's remarkable.

 

[Shardstone]

I can say that I love giving magical weapons stories, but as a player, I hate it when I get a hyped up weapon and its just a +1. Would love for something creative to match the weapon's history as opposed to a mediocre +1 bonus.

 

[Bill Zebub]

My grandpappy says that his brother Earl was an adventurer. He went off and fought in the Grell Wars, and came home with a magic sword. People kept trying to steal it, so grandpappy said Earl hid it in a cave. Earl died a decade ago and gramps kind of forgot about it for a while. An owlbear family moved in a couple of years ago, and he thinks we're old enough to know about it and make our own choices. Do we want to go see if my great-uncle Earl's sword is still there? If it is, we could sell it, or Fred Strongarm could use it. Don't tell my mother.

"Grandpappy, do you know what kind of powers this magic weapon possesses?"
"Eh, what's that? Speak up, boy!"
"Magic sword! What kind?"
"Oh, it's just +1."

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I can say that I love giving magical weapons stories, but as a player, I hate it when I get a hyped up weapon and its just a +1. Would love for something creative to match the weapon's history as opposed to a mediocre +1 bonus.

To be fair, it’s nice if cool swords could be upgraded over time. How many first level characters start with their ‘great, great grandfather’s family sword’ only to ditch it for the first magical dagger that comes along.

On the other hand, they can have lots of worth for future plots if the story gives the weapon a worth outside of its magical properties.

 

[J-H]

"Grandpappy, do you know what kind of powers this magic weapon possesses?"
"Eh, what's that? Speak up, boy!"
"Magic sword! What kind?"
"Oh, it's just +1."

"The sword magically makes your swing just a bit faster, and the edge is magically sharp and durable. It doesn't rust and you don't have to sharpen it after every battle."
There, it's a +1. Slightly more likely to hit, slightly sharper, and it doesn't rust.