The Magic-Walmart myth

[Quasqueton]

Whenever someone talks about a preference for, or a setting is, low magic, they always comment, "there are no Magic-Walmarts" (or Magimarts, etc.). This kind of statement makes no sense.

The setting suggested in the core rules has no "Magic-Walmarts". Greyhawk has no Magic-Walmarts. I'm not real familiar with Eberron or Forgotten Realms, but I don't think they have Magic-Walmart-style stores either.

The only times I've ever heard of anything like a Magic-Walmart in a D&D campaign, it was in a 1984 Dragon magazine, and when I played one game session with a new DM around 1991. Both of those were aberrations from the norm.

So, saying your preference/setting is low magic "with no Magic-Walmarts" is like saying your preference/setting is low power -- no god killing PCs. 99% of everyone's preference and setting qualifies as low magic if the definition is "no Magic-Walmarts."

Is "high magic" defined by the existence of Magic-Walmarts? If so, there are very, very few high magic settings. Other than the two strange situations I mention above, I've never seen or heard of any.

So why does this phrase and comparison exist as a measuring stick? If a DM was trying to entice me to his game by saying it was low magic because there are no Magic-Walmarts, I'd have laugh. "So, it's just like Forgotten Realms, then?"

Quasqueton

 

[Luthien Greyspear]

Magimarts in FR

Actually, the latest published version of the Forgotten Realms does have magic marts. The Red Wizards have set up their "embassies" to be like big magic bazaars where you can order, or even get off the shelf, any magic item you're willing to pay for. This gives them a foot in the door to affect the economies of the nations they're trying to take over, and power over the individuals who desire magic items that can't be had elsewhere.

All in all, that's very much like a big box corporation.

 

[Quasqueton]

All in all, that's very much like a big box corporation.

Okay. (And that's a cool plot set up.) But since that set up is notably different than the norm, still, defining "low magic" as "no Magic-Walmarts" means low magic is the normal level of magic. If Magic-Walmarts equal high-magic, then saying, "low magic means no Magic-Walmarts" is the same as saying, "low magic means not high-magic."

Quasqueton

 

[Sound of Azure]

Actually, the latest published version of the Forgotten Realms does have magic marts. The Red Wizards have set up their "embassies" to be like big magic bazaars where you can order, or even get off the shelf, any magic item you're willing to pay for. This gives them a foot in the door to affect the economies of the nations they're trying to take over, and power over the individuals who desire magic items that can't be had elsewhere.

All in all, that's very much like a big box corporation.

Heh. I remember visiting the Super Thay-Mart in Waterdeep in (doomed) game last year.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I think the phrase "no magic Wal-Marts" is to indicate that players should not expect to be able to buy whatever magic items they want simply because they have enough money to buy one according to the rules. It does not by itself create a low-magic setting, but it is one indicator of the level of magic: magic items being rare enough to not be able to fuel a cottage industry in the buying and selling of them.

 

[Aeric]

I think the idea of a "Magic Wal-Mart" came about when lazy DMs looked at the list of magic items in the DMG, saw the prices next to them, and decided that they would be available on demand, off-the-rack, in any community that could support the cost. What no one seems to take into consideration is the XP cost. Where is this army of high- to mid-level casters who are slowly killing themselves by mass producing magic items? At best, a non-adventuring wizard should be able to produce one high-end item per year, or a couple of potions and scrolls.

Take into consideration how many high- to mid-level casters there are in a typical campaign world, minus the ones who are adventurers or otherwise not interested in spending all their time making magic items, and the Magic Wal-Mart idea goes away really quick. All it takes is a little common sense.

Of course, this also begs the question, "what happens when the PCs roll into town looking for a place to unload their unwanted magic items?" If there is a thriving population of adventurers, say a city located near a large number of ruins or other popular adventurer destinations, then the idea of a second-hand magic item shop isn't that far-fetched. This assumes a steady stream of adventurers, however; sooner or later, that dungeon is going to be completely cleaned out, and there won't be any more adventurers to buy or sell the items. Business dries up.

I could see a travelling merchant specializing in second-hand magic items. He might even be a bard, using his knowledge of legends and rumors to find the most popular adventuring hot-spots at any given moment and setting up shop in the nearest settlement. It would certainly be fun to have such an NPC as a recurring character in a campaign.

 

[Blackrat]

Yeah, well FR does have these. I think it has been ditched since 3e but wasn't there a thing called Auroras Emporium wich was kinda magic item mail order corporation in FR in the old days.

 

[Quasqueton]

I think the idea of a "Magic Wal-Mart" came about when lazy DMs looked at the list of magic items in the DMG, saw the prices next to them, and decided that they would be available on demand, off-the-rack, in any community that could support the cost.

Are these real DMs or hypothetical DMs, like those Pun-Pun characters that everyone complains about but no one ever actually sees in a game?

Quasqueton

 

[Bayushi Seikuro]

I don't know that the Red Wizards in the Forgotten Realms really count as a Magic-Walmart in my eyes.

Their 'embassies' sell magic items at 10% off list-price, true. However, the real purpose of the embassy is: 1) it makes money, 2) it gives their apprentices ways to hone their skills in crafting magic items in a useful way, and 3) most importantly, let's them actively engage in operations against foreign countries/city-states.

That last one is the key; their citizens can retreat to the compound and be protected. If the city wants to make an issue, the Wizards will be more than happy to pack up and move to a different city-state.

 

[Andor]

Huh. I don't think I've played in a 3.X D&D game yet where the GM seriously (or even trivially) limited the availability of magic items. Neither have we ever had any trouble selling items no matter what they were. This is with multiple GMs in multiple settings.

Is it really common for GMs to limit MI sales to add verisimilitude to the world? While this would actually be a plus for me as a player I've yet to see it.

Sadly, the force is with Wal-mart.