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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pming" data-source="post: 7752448" data-attributes="member: 45197">Hiya!As a DM who started RPG'ing in 1980 (first DM'ed game in '81...never stopped... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ), 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. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />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. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />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</blockquote>

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