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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="XO" data-source="post: 2925337" data-attributes="member: 24452">It's a Game, with Real Life ParallelsEither people (NPCs) decide to move forward as entrepreneurs, and have done so for some time, or they do the previosu for a short spell, or they have remained steeped in minimalist views. Such choices within the campaign may be cultural and thus, regionalized. They may influence the whole setting.The premisce of a world appearing out of nowhere at a time X with thousands of years of history and a "setting intelligence" or "setting knowledge" equivalent to zero-level is preposterous. How many contemporary city dwellers believe bears will spew poison at them? Oh, bears don't spew poison?Some elements within a game CAN be spontaneous. Aberrations could arise as composites of will, dreams, imaginations, mixed with environment, latent magic, and stray magical energies. All aberrations? Depends on the campaign you wish to run. The world then becomes DEFINED by its ecology, well known to participants, and its spontaneity, chaotic and largely unknown to the participants.As to power level, D&D presumes that if an individual is willing to be an entrepreneur, takes risks and has a little luck, they will likely have success within standard settings. In other settings, meeting all of these conditions may allow you to live while others die. Everyone will take to a life of adventuring, right? In the same was as everyone in America refuses a standard job to do their own thing as en entrepreneur?Oh wait a minute! There are degrees of "jobs", and degrees of "entrepreneurship". Starting a new computer company to compete with Dell sounds like a major ordeal. The competition is established, entrenched, and loaded with resources. The pay-off is a long shot. Buying a franchise (such as opening a Dairy Queen) is more promising, but typically calls for drudgery not unlike having a job, with risk thrown in for good measure.Detaining the power creep ties in with the body count. If no one ever dies, or gets horribly crippled, if no excruciating pain is involved in getting your arm sliced off and regorwn, then, everyone around the adventurers will be a veteran.People want a reasonably good life, with reasonable expectations of continuance, and minimized effort. The blacksmith might bang away all day long. Does he? Only if a surge of business comes his way. Should the temporary surge become the norm, he'll slow down. His competitor may have decided to smith only masterwork items. Another decided to shoe horses. Sick of weapons. Variety strikes a pose!A setting in conflict strives for survival. A setting at peace strives for betterment. The medieval equivalent works if confined to a short period in history, and no available magic. If books are needed, they will eventually be printed. The Guttenberg invention is nice. "Pop, chug, zing" printing is even better: magic moves things forward.</blockquote>

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