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Sociology of the murderhobo
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<blockquote data-quote="empireofchaos" data-source="post: 6911935" data-attributes="member: 6800918"><p>In my next post, I discuss the social class of adventurers. The word "adventure" was redefined in the 14th century. It used to mean "chance occurrence" or "miracle", but now it would mean "an exciting, risk-taking venture". A new social type - the adventurer - one who made his (usually) living from managing risk, or gambling, arose roughly at the same time. Obviously, those who can gamble are those who have something to lose. People who live on the edge of survival (i.e. the majority of the population in medieval-type settings) are notoriously risk-averse. So nobles are more likely to adventure than peasants, yes. But if you look at the list of backgrounds in the PHB, you'll find that most of them actually fit into middle classes of various kinds (artisans, merchants, soldiers, entertainers, etc.). These groups are less bound by social rules, and are trying to achieve upward mobility. They are the classes and professions where risk-taking is concentrated. Nobles, by virtue of being on top, have a lot to lose, but generally, they are playing a defensive game. It's not so much about what they do, but about how they do it - so manners, social graces, speech, appeals to rules and morality (at least in public) are more important to them. That makes them somewhat less fitting in a context (such as in most, though not all, fantasy games) where status and etiquette matters much less than in most other social situations. The nobles who become adventurers are probably scions of impoverished families, non-inheriting second sons and daughters, and so on. </p><p></p><p>That said - the Fellowship are not quite all nobles. Gandalf is somewhat of an outsider (though in some ways, he has a higher standing than a noble, but most people in Middle Earth aren't aware of it). The Shire, which provides almost half of the Fellowship members, isn't exactly an aristocratic society. The Bagginses are certainly elites compared to Sam, but they are closer to gentry farmers than nobles. Elvish society was also conceptualized as a non-class society. There are kings and rulers, but Tolkien sees them as more customary, than wielders of political power (though we don't have to agree with him). There is little sense of class divide among elves - no elvish serfs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="empireofchaos, post: 6911935, member: 6800918"] In my next post, I discuss the social class of adventurers. The word "adventure" was redefined in the 14th century. It used to mean "chance occurrence" or "miracle", but now it would mean "an exciting, risk-taking venture". A new social type - the adventurer - one who made his (usually) living from managing risk, or gambling, arose roughly at the same time. Obviously, those who can gamble are those who have something to lose. People who live on the edge of survival (i.e. the majority of the population in medieval-type settings) are notoriously risk-averse. So nobles are more likely to adventure than peasants, yes. But if you look at the list of backgrounds in the PHB, you'll find that most of them actually fit into middle classes of various kinds (artisans, merchants, soldiers, entertainers, etc.). These groups are less bound by social rules, and are trying to achieve upward mobility. They are the classes and professions where risk-taking is concentrated. Nobles, by virtue of being on top, have a lot to lose, but generally, they are playing a defensive game. It's not so much about what they do, but about how they do it - so manners, social graces, speech, appeals to rules and morality (at least in public) are more important to them. That makes them somewhat less fitting in a context (such as in most, though not all, fantasy games) where status and etiquette matters much less than in most other social situations. The nobles who become adventurers are probably scions of impoverished families, non-inheriting second sons and daughters, and so on. That said - the Fellowship are not quite all nobles. Gandalf is somewhat of an outsider (though in some ways, he has a higher standing than a noble, but most people in Middle Earth aren't aware of it). The Shire, which provides almost half of the Fellowship members, isn't exactly an aristocratic society. The Bagginses are certainly elites compared to Sam, but they are closer to gentry farmers than nobles. Elvish society was also conceptualized as a non-class society. There are kings and rulers, but Tolkien sees them as more customary, than wielders of political power (though we don't have to agree with him). There is little sense of class divide among elves - no elvish serfs. [/QUOTE]
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