The Social Graces, the Great Adventure, and the Big Roleplay

[Jack7]

One thing I'd really like to see 5th Edition address is the social elements of the game (read this any way you want, but by that I personally mean - ), that is to say, how do the characters react to the society they are in and how does that society react to them? I mean you supposedly have very powerful men and women running around doing things like slaying monsters and saving damsels and cities in distress, likely growing wealthy, and their only interaction in their society is as mercenaries or dungeon explorers? They'd have no greater societal impact, and society would expect nothing more of them than, "be a perpetual adventurer of the bizarre?"

Now I know much of this will be world building, but I'd like to see ideas about heritage, nobility, titles, land and keep holding, social status and obligations, kingmaking, and others get addressed, even if only in outline form, so that DMs can develop worlds where the players can role-play something other than Wizard or Warlord. And can adventure at something other than "dungeon delve" or "monster fight scenario."

I have nothing against either, just don't think your experiences in life should be limited to that kinda thing, even if you're nothing more than a fictional character. To me, if the greatest impact I had in my world and the most important thing my world thought of me was, "monster-hunter" (no matter how thrilling that job may be in the short-run), that'd be a real grind and a mighty small aspiration. I'd certainly hope, no matter how odd the world I inhabited, that I'd have far greater ambitions than that.


So, assuming you're with me, and you'd like to see the opportunities for characters to become something other than a mere monster-fighter, or dungeon-creeper, and you'd like to see the term Adventurer include the idea of being an "Adventurer at any and everything," and you'd like to see the Role-Play possibilities writ large in 5E, then how would you do it and what would you think needs to be included?

How would you approach subjects like Social Status and Interaction, large-scale Role-Play, and wide-ranging Adventure handled in 5E?

 

[Number48]

Although the games are far to different to port anything over wholesale, I would like to see D&D to take some cues from Houses of the Blooded. That game is all about the social game, jockeying for political position, and even managing your lands.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, from that game informer interview

What Is The Next Dungeons & Dragons? - Features - www.GameInformer.com

DMs have a similar process they can go through, adding optional rules to flesh out their campaigns. Those options can range from creating a unique list of races or classes for a setting, to adding in special rules for things like managing a kingdom or waging a war.

But I think people are putting too much emphasis on social status. I mean, my ancestors were Normans - they were basically Norse raiders who invaded part France and decided to settle there as rulers, then a few hundred years later, invade England and Ireland and rule there. To a certain extent, feudalism is all about might is right.

 

[Jack7]

Whereas it is true TJ that your Norse ancestors had to conquer by force of arms any territories they took by war, but to take a thing, and to hold a thing, are two very different things.

Once taken you need traders and architects and builders and merchants and so forth. To actually run and operate a town, province, or nation.

In addition you must have leaders, and administrators, and Dukes, and Princes, and Knights, in holding an area who are far more than just men-at-arms. They must be fair and capable and efficient executives on a whole range of issues, and it is only natural for many places, especially basically Feudal or near Feudal areas to look to strong and capable and respected men not only to defend an area, but to organize and administer and prosper it.

Your Norse ancestors would have been complete failures at conquering and colonization had they not been good at many things other than mere warfare. The Picts were good at guerilla warfare, but the Romans were good at warfare and administration because they were organized. Able to be good at far more than just conflict. This is why the Romans ruled a huge Empire, and the Picts remained basically tribal fighters.

Even Vikings and Huns eventually settle in areas, stop their roaming and raiding, become leaders, and administrators. Unless you are killed in battle no one ever spends their entire life at war. You just can't do it, age alone will suppress you. Even Beowulf sat the throne for years before his last battle.

Men can and do though, as they rise in fame and prominence, also gain notoriety in social status and reputation.

They advance at far more things that just the line of battle. And that's my point, I'm hoping the game will allow adventure "paths" (if you will) on a whole host of fields, not just the battlefield.

Though I understand your point, and hope it will be true that DMs can modularly "add-in" any social status or kingdom management rule set they like.

I guess what I'm asking is what would you, and others, like to see in that regard? What you like to see something like the AD&D suggestions, something similar to another system, something wholly new?

What do others want to see in this regard?

 

[kinem]

BECMI had a system for ruling a domain (listing things that modify population happiness and thus productivity, etc.)

I'd like to see options for things like that, and maybe similar rules for business and armies.