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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nharwell" data-source="post: 74620" data-attributes="member: 1099">A few points....(1) People seem to be confusing caste with class.  Although there are some similarities, a caste-based society is quite different from a class-based one -- and medieval Europe was most definitely not caste-based (compare to India or Japan).(2) If you're indeed using a feudal setting (rather than the default "high renassaince" of most published WOTC worlds), consider the following:  people will  be poor, only the "lords" really have any wealth.  There is no middle class -- towns are not significant at this point in history, as the "merchant class" hasn't really developed.  Guilds are not significant forces, if they exist at all -- most crafts are master-apprentice.  These are significant variations from a "traditional" D&D setting.  You can play in such a game (and I have), but be aware of the changes you need to make.(3)"Adventuring" is not a concept that fits into such a setting, certainly not if the PCs are commoners.  They would most likely be tied to their lord's land as serfs.  You might be able to use them as knights or agents of their lord, but then they're not strictly "commoners" (this is the method that generall works best in this type of game). If they are truly independent "adventurers" of some sort (mercanaries, thieves, gypsies, etc.), then they do not fit into the standard social hierarchy.  While this will give them some independence, they will generally be looked upon with suspicion or outright hostility by "normal" folk.(4) Now even in a more traditional D&D campaign, there will be class differences that should be recognized.  But it's very unlikely that PCs will be typical commoners -- in fact, I'd argue that the nature of the game (and the fact that PCs aren't of the "commoner" class) necessitates that. They will probably be either people of some status or wealth, or outside normal societal conventions (note: there are disadavantages to this, though not as much as in a truly feudal setting). Cities and towns are much more developed in a standard D&D game -- historically, by the Renaissance, towns often had a great deal of independence from the local nobility, as the king enjoyed the benefits of taxing their wealth. Since most PCs aren't farmers, craftsman, or soldiers (with some exceptions), they will not be completely at the mercy of landed or titled nobility.</blockquote>

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