An Army in the Dungeon

Dungeons & Dragons' roots stretch all the way back to wargaming and it has a subtle influence on play that's sometimes forgotten today. Early D&D relied heavily on henchmen and hirelings, who often rounded out a group that could number as high as 20 members. This sort of play affected the kinds of D&D, from expectations on mortality rate to distribution of treasure.

Picture courtesy of Pixabay.​

Hirelings​

Hirelings were hired soldiers of a variety of types, the true cannonfodder who were risking their lives for coin. Hirelings were governed primarily by how much the PC could spend, but Charisma played a role in attracting them. Additionally, PCs could attract more by establishing a stronghold.

Morale was an important part of managing hirelings. Rather than make these NPCs suicidal drones who did whatever the PC wanted, morale was introduced to provide a mechanic to manage them without requiring the DM to control all of their movements. A PC who abused his hirelings risked them quitting.

Henchmen​

Henchmen were non-player characters who had a wide range of abilities, like player characters. They could be just about anything, but their loyalties varied by their relationship with the PCs.

The distinction is significant. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons often presented classes in Dragon Magazine that were considered too powerful for players to use but could make interesting henchmen. This practice gave rise to the "NPC class" which was often used by players anyway, from anti-paladins to death masters.

Henchmen were a part of regular play -- they gained experience points at a slower rate than PCs, but they still advanced -- and were thus these additional characters were usually run by the player herself. In this regard henchman served a variety of roles, including as backup PCs should the PC die. As an extension of the PC, the number of henchmen were dictated by the PC's Charisma stat. Henchmen filled important support: healers, torchbearers, and baggage carriers who took loot out of the dungeon while the PCs continued on.

How it Affected the Game​

A mass of people moving through a dungeon changes a lot of dynamics in adventure design. Loot that could be pried up, that was heavy, that was not easy to carry, could be relegated to hirelings. Traps could be numerous because few PCs would put themselves at the front of the party. Non-combat characters like wizards could use their henchmen and hirelings to fill in their own combat weakness. Henchmen and hirelings were part of the army-building that was D&D's roots, as we discussed back when "name level" was a goal for PCs to aspire to. Peter V. Dell'Orto, who co-wrote the GURPS supplement, Henchmen, said:

Personally, I think the "meatshields," "mine detector," and "potion drinker" approach shows the wargaming roots of D&D. In a persistent wargame setting, it makes perfect sense to risk your least experienced and least valuable resources on the unknown. In a game growing out of a tabletop wargame, where you are moving your characters like pieces and promoting them between expeditions when they do well and survive . . . doing anything but expending your pawns and husbanding your queens and bishops and rooks and such would be foolish.

Henchmen and hirelings complicated the game considerably from an inventory and character management perspective, something that would likely not be nearly as feasible for later (and more complicated) editions of D&D. Encounters were freer with cash as well, because it was assumed to be spread out among the (very large) party. James Maliszewski explains:

The very fact that Grenadier produced an entire boxed set filled with torch bearers, guys toting treasure chests, and even a "potion tester" (he's figure E in the image above) tells you far more about the way D&D was played back in the day than I ever could. Old school D&D was not a game in which a small band of hyper-competent heroes braved the dangers of the world with only their swords, spells, and wits to protect them. No, they had a veritable army of hirelings and henchmen to assist them and these guys all got a share of the loot in exchange for their assistance. Considering that the life expectancy of a hireling could be measured in minutes in some cases, those that survived the dungeon certainly earned their share.

Although we don't use them nearly as much today, henchmen and hirelings were an important transitional step between PCs as leaders of armies and PCs as heroes. As D&D became more focused on the party and less about the army, they fell out of favor.

 

[Koloth]

We rarely used hirelings/henchmen. They wanted real money. OTOH, mules, donkeys and sheep, were frequent companions. Mules and donkeys to carry supplies and loot. Sheep to poke in the butt with the ever present 10' pole so the sheep found the pit, lurker above, piercer, or other trap/monster. Plus the livestock had the benefit of we could eat the ones that didn't make it.

 

[R_Chance]

People are still willing to quote James Maliszewski for articles as if he is an authority? Really, after what he did, people are still down with that? Ok then...

Is this about Dwimmermount? Which was, eventually, finished, albeit by Alexander Macris? Or is this something else?

 

[Mistwell]

What did he do?

I had a long answer to this typed up...and then I deleted it.

I guess the short of it is I personally don't think he's a trustworthy source for this kind of information. It's not that I think he's a bad human being, I just don't think he can be relied on to provide accurate information concerning old school D&D. There are, in my opinion, much better sources for this sort of information from people who were actually playing D&D back in the "old school" days he's writing about.

For further details, I leave you to your own Google search.

 

[Salamandyr]

I had a long answer to this typed up...and then I deleted it.

I guess the short of it is I personally don't think he's a trustworthy source for this kind of information. It's not that I think he's a bad human being, I just don't think he can be relied on to provide accurate information concerning old school D&D. There are, in my opinion, much better sources for this sort of information from people who were actually playing D&D back in the "old school" days he's writing about.

For further details, I leave you to your own Google search.

I did a search...it seems there was something with a Kickstarter?

The thing is...provenance of the information aside, it's largely accurate based on everything I have read and what I remember from gaming back then. That sort of information is heavily implied in the 1e DMG, though it must be said that Hirelings will not generally enter a dungeon. They're there to stand around outside guarding the horses while the PC's and their valient hemchmen/loyal retainers depending on your edition did the real work. At a certain level, most players in Gygax's game appeared to have mostly soloed, playing as squads; Maure castle was Gary playing both Mordenkainen and Bigby, until Mord got killed and Bigby ran and got Gary's other henchmen. Tomb of Horrors was obliterated by Robilar driving a tribe of orcs in front of him (I always wonder if this was the impetus to Robilars alignment shift to Lawful Evil).

And when I get my 1e campaign up and going "real soon now", that's how I plan to run it. PC's, their loyal henchmen (also known as "backup PC's"), with hirelings there to hold the door.

Charisma will go from a stat that really should be removed from the game back to its true place as "the GOD stat".

(it should be noted that by the 80's, I think most people who learned the game from the books rather than from the OG's did NOT play it this way, and generally thought needing to play multiple characters was a regrettable necessity rather than "good roleplay").

 

[pming]

Hiya!

As a DM who started RPG'ing in 1980 (first DM'ed game in '81...never stopped... ), I can say this about Henchmen and Hirelings: They were useful when they were useful. They were a total burden/PITA when not useful.

Most of the time, however, they were of the former (re: useful...very useful!). Not so much when the PC's are hired to go to some island nation and now the PC's have to decide to pay a LOT of money to keep them here on the main land until they return...or pay EVEN MORE money to get all of them on a boat (or boats) to bring them with.

We found that hirelings were very expensive, overall, quite demanding, overall, but very useful for specific tasks. A recent BECMI game I ran a few months ago had the PC's clearing out some bandits and wererats in The Haunted Keep (with expanded "west tower" and dungeon). They got a big hoard of silver, copper and gold. They couldn't carry it all back to town (about 7 hours away, walking). They packed enough out to be able to pay for a couple draft horses (I think they downgraded to mules), a 4-wheeled wagon, and 4 hirelings to help pack it out and manage the horses. It was a two-trip affair...in stead of a, fourteen step? I think it worked out to something like that. The four hirelings were well paid....enough to not have to worry about working for a couple years.

Henchmen, however, are VERY nice to have....if you treat them well and the DM uses the rules in the DMG (1e or Hackmaster4 is what I'm talking about). Henchmen, back in 'the day', were a part of the party...part of the PC's, really. When a beloved Henchman died or got really messed up, the party as a whole would pretty much bend over backwards and move the Seven Heavens and Prime Material Plane to get that Henchman back. When it was impossible, well, lets say that the Henchman's family was set for life. Back in those days, Players would actually get all teary-eyed when a Henchman died. That's called "emotional attachment to a bunch of numbers on a sheet" for those who don't know.

PS: My main group through the 80's, 90's and some up to current date, would have a Party number about 6 PC's, 3 or 4 Henchmen, and anywhere from 0 to 20 or so hirelings. Add in a dozen horses, a couple donkeys, a wagon or two and yeah...money, Charisma, Alignment and RP'ing was what kept it all together.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Hussar]

People are still willing to quote James Maliszewski for articles as if he is an authority? Really, after what he did, people are still down with that? Ok then...

Did a bit of a google search. Still not sure what the issue is. My google fu failed.

 

[TerraDave]

BTW There was a third category: followers.

Actually for us it started out (in 1974) as a small group of PCs. They didn't have henchmen and couldn't afford hirelings. Besides, what sane mercenary is going to go into a dungeon? That's a damn sight more dangerous than a regular war

Sometimes you made a friend (NPC) who might adventure with you at times (as an equal), but the large numbers came much later when you were strong hold building, fighting wars, etc. Henchmen were recruited at fairly high levels (for the PC). Torchbearers / human "mules" early on were unreliable, running away screaming with your light or sometimes decamping with your cash... animals were as bad. Something about the smells of a dungeon upsets them

*edit* We were wargamers btw, straight from Chainmail to D&D. Resource management for us (in the beginning) was about food, water, and weight carried. Not henchmen or hirelings. That came later.

I am sure that reflected many gamers experiences.

Lots of tables early on did not use henchmen, and certainly not hirelings. They did not know what they where, or get the point. But they might later on, if they where exposed to that playstyle. And later editions supported this sort of thing. 3E had the leadership feat. It was certainly used in play.

 

[jasper]

I was given that set around Nov 1982 along with 3 broken boxes of other Grenadier minis. Some are still unpainted today. The fact they produce dungeon dressing minis just means some of us will buy anything with a D&D label on it. Through the thread you have first person accounts of them being used and not used. So I think those people who loved Dungeons and Accounting (okay loved the extra super detail) used them. Some just had our back up pc holding the horses.
ps. A sun sword, two trees, and 100 days of iron rats will keep 10 henchmen alive in a portable hole with enough oxgen for 20 days.

 

[Ratskinner]

A lot of DMs I knew diluted XP for the presence of hirelings, often giving them half shares. That drastically cut down on the hirelings expenditures.

 

[ddaley]

This... our groups back in the day had what I would consider to be followers... somewhere between hirelings and henchmen.

BTW There was a third category: followers.



I am sure that reflected many gamers experiences.

Lots of tables early on did not use henchmen, and certainly not hirelings. They did not know what they where, or get the point. But they might later on, if they where exposed to that playstyle. And later editions supported this sort of thing. 3E had the leadership feat. It was certainly used in play.