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<blockquote data-quote="Tom Cashel" data-source="post: 1986494" data-attributes="member: 321">A lot of game worlds are predicated on the notion of an &quot;adventurer culture.&quot; PCs are treated like heroes, and eventually, demigods. There are shops that cater to their needs. Magic is a tool, like anything else (unlike every mythic tradition, the use of magic in D&amp;D has no inherent negative consequences). When adventurers come to town, they are treated with fear and respect. While this sort of world may be a logical extension of the rules, it is not the only logical extension of the rules.And it bores the heck out of me.While skimming an essay on rpg.net today, one line stuck out.Consider a world where &quot;adventurer&quot; is not an acceptable occupation. Adventurers' lives are nasty, brutish and short. They wander the wilderness, hardly ever bathe, and trouble follows them like flies follow a horse's arse. They are prone to acts of horrible violence. They get into brawls and wreck taverns. Some of them steal on a whim. Some of them rationalize their stealing by killing evil beings and taking their stuff. But whether Paladin or Cutthroat, they're all thieves as far as upstanding citizens are concerned. The overwhelming majority of citizens would never consider risking their lives to run off on a dangerous &quot;adventure.&quot;So does anyone run a game like this? Have you tried it in the past? What is it like when the PCs are pariahs?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tom Cashel, post: 1986494, member: 321"] A lot of game worlds are predicated on the notion of an "adventurer culture." PCs are treated like heroes, and eventually, demigods. There are shops that cater to their needs. Magic is a tool, like anything else (unlike every mythic tradition, the use of magic in D&D has no inherent negative consequences). When adventurers come to town, they are treated with fear and respect. While this sort of world may be a logical extension of the rules, it is not the [I]only[/I] logical extension of the rules. And it bores the heck out of me. While skimming an essay on rpg.net today, one line stuck out. Consider a world where "adventurer" is not an acceptable occupation. Adventurers' lives are nasty, brutish and short. They wander the wilderness, hardly ever bathe, and trouble follows them like flies follow a horse's arse. They are prone to acts of horrible violence. They get into brawls and wreck taverns. Some of them steal on a whim. Some of them rationalize their stealing by killing evil beings and taking their stuff. But whether Paladin or Cutthroat, they're all thieves as far as upstanding citizens are concerned. The overwhelming majority of citizens would never consider risking their lives to run off on a dangerous "adventure." So does anyone run a game like this? Have you tried it in the past? What is it like when the PCs are pariahs? [/QUOTE]

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