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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 3261121" data-attributes="member: 48692">This is a fantastic idea.  There are all sorts of possibilities here: -The Epic Exploration Campaign: The king of this small kingdom may not have much of an army, but he probably has good sea power.  And he'll put that sea power to use by searching out new resources, new alliances, new trade routes, new lands, anything and everything like that.  Some areas may be conquered, others be allied with.  Just like Columbus (an Italian who sailed for Spain) or John Cabot (real name Giovanni Caboto, an Italian who sailed for the English), ambitious players seeking wealth and prestige can go off on these voyages.  The king finances the journeys in return for ultimate sovereignty or alliance with the explored areas, and the adventurers get peerages and a share in the wealth they attain.  This lasted for centuries, ranging from Columbus, Pizarro and Cabot through to Francis Drake and Magellan and as late as the 19th century with Cecil Rhodes and Dr. Livingstone exploring Africa.  In every case, the sponsoring countries gained phenomenal wealth and power-why should your king be any different?  Your late medieval campaign world is ideal for this, since by then seafaring technology had improved to the point that Columbus could sail to the New World, even though it'd be extremely dangerous-which is what you as DM want, after all.  Your players could be pioneers who'd change the world forever.  As to who they meet along the way, whether they fight or ally with the cultures they come in contact with...that's up to you.  -The Expansion Campaign: Since the beginning, D&D has offered adventurers the chance to develop their own followers and fortresses.  In real life, historical kings would give peerages to those who performed great services for them, so ambitious adventurers will obviously go this route.  By clearing a place out, setting up towns and a military presence, and then pledging allegiance to a ruler, the adventurer gets the prestige of becoming an aristocrat and noble, and the benefit of having his title recognized by a true and powerful monarch.  The monarch, for his part, gets additional resources and tax revenue, has fewer monsters roaming around, and a powerful ally to call on in times of trouble.  A country reeling from the effects of civil war or a destroyed aristocracy has plenty of opportunities for ambitious adventurers.  A weakened monarch might offer great patronage in return for allegiance...and your players can respond.  If the Wars of the Roses had taken place in a campaign setting, the Lancasters and the Yorks would no doubt have offered rich rewards for powerful adventurer-types who might want to join their cause.  -Preparation for Active Expansion/Getting Them First: Adventurers could function as the equivalents of the Mossad or the C.I.A., destabilizing their government's enemies in preparation for power-grabbing by the monarch.  A government that is organized and ready for battle is a much stronger foe than one that is already suffering from internal strife and confusion...which adventurers can easily cause.  Take the current Forgotten Realms, for example.  Cormyr is currently reeling from its recent war with a red dragon and its minions, and the new Princess Regent is using adventurers to take care of many situations and problems within the kingdom.  Now, if Cormyr were to invade and conquer, or even simply loot, Westgate or Sembia, that could go a long way to getting Cormyr back on its feet.  But destabilizing Cormyr's rivals is necessary for an invasion, both weakening the enemy and giving Cormyr time to re-establish itself.  Now, who better to destablize and damage the governments of Sembia and Westgate than all those adventurers?  Alusair and Caladnei might send them to assassinate prominent nobles and officials, to commit economic terrorism through attacking caravans or merchant ships, to stir up monsters and forment rebellion and strife...anything and everything that can be done to cause chaos until Cormyr is ready to invade.  (And yes, I think Cormyr is quite capable of this.  The idealists among the Harpers might protest, but I think the more realistic ones would know that this is the way the world works.  Besides, someone like Storm Silverhand might be happy to help cause misery for the Sembians, for example...)That's just one example of how a government can use adventurers to one-up its enemies.</blockquote>

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