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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaro" data-source="post: 3417857" data-attributes="member: 48965">Yeah but I've had some real hard-ass mercenaries in my campaign that I wouldn't classify as heroes except in the Black Company sense of the word.  Some of them might have even went for getting hired by the ruler to squash the minor rebellions and keep peace.  But your right it sets up a problem, but moreso IMHO stresses the mood of the place and forces the characters to "experience it".   See these encounters don't necessarily stress a mood or theme in the story.  They don't accomplish that because they could be interjected into any campaign and give you no clue as to what the atmosphere of said campaign is.  Here are some I think fit a little better for what I'm trying to convey.Ravenloft: A fog-shrouded caravan of gypsies who appear out of nowhere and upon seeing the PC's shout dire warnings and whisper prophecy of death and madness to come.  They flee, with horror in their eyes, if the PC's approach, fading away into the fog.(Sets a mood of doom and mystery.) Dark Sun: In the middle of the dessert, the PC's come upon a group of men who are all dead, save one.  The lone survivor is clutchig a waterbag, which has a cut along it's bottom and is now empty.  When the PC's approach him he will croak at them about his water and how he deserved it, because he was strong enough to take it, before finally expiring from his wounds.(Sets a mood of desperation and savagery) I don't think this is bad design or aggravating,( and are often a staple of the fantasy stories I have read).  Overused, yes I can see it being a poor substitute for progressing the story, but during times like the OP stated, like traveling long distances, I don't think it subtracts anything from the game and, if done right, can give a richer experience to the players.  This is all dependant on the type of players you have, if all they want to do is fight or aren't interested in the campaign worlds themes or mood, then yes these types of encounters are a waste of time.  I take it as a complement that my players do enjoy an encounter like this once in a while.  I guess if you aren't trying to convey anything but "vanilla fantasy" then these types of encounters are less necessary, but I think if you have certain expectations in regards to the feel of your particular campaign world they can work alot better than giving the PC's a hand out or a quick description.  Of course YMMV.</blockquote>

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