Mercenary units were common in the pre-gunpowder era, and we hear their stories in some modern science fiction. Wouldn’t they show up in RPGs?
Yes, mercenaries were motivated by cash, but they had to maintain a good reputation or no one would pay them (and sometimes didn’t pay them even if they remained loyal!). Mercenaries were more likely to abandon their employers before a battle, rather than during. And after all, even allies sometimes switched sides, or locals betrayed their city to besiegers. I doubt that the possibility that mercenaries might change sides was often a strong worry for those who hired them.
Mercenaries might end one contract and then change sides, perhaps selling their services to the highest bidder. Events around such a possibility could be adventures in themselves. Even if mercenaries didn’t betray their employers in battle, they could be sufficiently undisciplined to loot and pillage the theoretically friendly area they were living in.
Typically, in a miniatures or board wargame there would be a die roll at some point to determine whether mercenaries abandoned a battle, or even switched sides. I’m not a fan of make-or-break die rolls, which may be why I rarely use mercenaries in RPGs.
At times an entire nation (such as the Swiss) might be thought of by contemporaries as mercenaries. In a fantasy world there may be species who are natural mercenaries. The commander of a company could become famous, of course, but even the Catalans prospered through several leaders before controlling the Duchy.
Being a mercenary is more of a lifestyle, and with it a flexible ethos that likely doesn’t mesh well with lawful- or good-aligned characters, particularly when and if an evil employer dangles a hefty reward. Mercenaries are often as much rivals as they are enemies, the less-ethical versions of adventurers who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Of course, depending on your campaign, this might be the preferred tone and style of the game.
Life as a mercenary tends to be brutal and short, lending itself to some playstyles more than others. Most important, mercenary companies tended to be large, so large groups of hirelings lend themselves to this kind of game -- something more prevalent in earlier editions of D&D and only returning recently in 2024 with Bastions.
Still, the general default of heroic fantasy is emphasis on the "heroic," so mercenaries usually don't take center stage. But as Glen Cook's Black Company demonstrates, it's entirely possible. We can say, then, that mercenaries may add interest to a campaign, but will rarely become a big part of it - unless the player characters are members of a mercenary company!
Your Turn: How do mercenaries factor into your campaign?
Meet Your Merc
Mercenary companies usually originated with troops from a specific region, but recruiting was typically a constant activity wherever the company went. Over time (with travel) it might become a group of diverse nationalities.- Mercenary companies were common in Roman, Greek, and Persian times, not as much in the Middle Ages (perhaps partly because there was a lot less actual money available). Xenophon's "Ten Thousand" (described in the Anabasis (March Upcountry)) are one of the most famous mercenary bands, whose employer (a pretender for the Persian throne) died in battle, leaving the mercenaries with no choice but to fight their way out of Persia. The Hellenic successors to Alexander the Great often used mercenaries. Much of the ancient Carthaginian army was mercenaries. Some of the late Roman Empire armies were practically mercenaries, with their own commanders – “barbarians” from across the border.
- Americans might be most familiar with the Hessian mercenaries working for the British Crown in the Revolutionary War. Hesse was an independent state in what is now Germany; the kings of England were originally from Germany (Hanover).
- William of Normandy’s invading army included many Flemish (now Belgium) mercenaries. The Flemings were hoping to get rich from a successful conquest of England, perhaps “the jackpot” for mercenaries.
- Mercenaries known as the condottieri dominated Italian warfare around the time of the Renaissance. The condottieri were sometimes known as soldiers who didn’t do much actual fighting but a lot of maneuvering. Niccolo Machiavelli (author of The Prince) hoped that Italian city states would raise their own armies rather than depending heavily on mercenaries. They didn’t, and ultimately Italy fell under French, Spanish, and later Austrian control.
- The Swiss didn’t stand out on the European stage until their spirited defense and ultimate win over their masters in late medieval times. Swiss pikemen then became known as the finest mercenaries in Europe, derived from their victories over Austrian knights. To this day, Swiss mercenaries guard the Pope.
- The Varangian guard of Byzantium was an example of individual mercenaries mostly from Scandinavia joining together to become a famous unit. Harold Hardrada, the Norwegian king who died at Stamford Bridge before Hastings, had been a Varangian.
- Possibly the most famous mercenaries of fantasy are Glen Cook’s Black Company, which existed in its world for centuries (and at least 10 novels). I’m not giving too much away when I say the Black Company epitomized the opposite of war as sport; and also found themselves fighting for a cause rather than for money, and later controlled a large country. In 2004 Green Ronin issued The Black Company Campaign Setting (d20) that includes a long synopsis of the books in its more than 300 pages.
Unreliable Allies
How often did mercenary companies switch sides before their contract is fulfilled? It certainly happened; but if it were common, who would be foolish enough to hire mercenaries?Yes, mercenaries were motivated by cash, but they had to maintain a good reputation or no one would pay them (and sometimes didn’t pay them even if they remained loyal!). Mercenaries were more likely to abandon their employers before a battle, rather than during. And after all, even allies sometimes switched sides, or locals betrayed their city to besiegers. I doubt that the possibility that mercenaries might change sides was often a strong worry for those who hired them.
Mercenaries might end one contract and then change sides, perhaps selling their services to the highest bidder. Events around such a possibility could be adventures in themselves. Even if mercenaries didn’t betray their employers in battle, they could be sufficiently undisciplined to loot and pillage the theoretically friendly area they were living in.
Typically, in a miniatures or board wargame there would be a die roll at some point to determine whether mercenaries abandoned a battle, or even switched sides. I’m not a fan of make-or-break die rolls, which may be why I rarely use mercenaries in RPGs.
Making the Big Bucks
In the extreme, a mercenary company became a big player in the politics of the time. The Catalan Company in the Byzantine Empire’s days of weakness in the early 14th century, unusually large on arrival (5,500? soldiers) gradually became an independent power, ultimately controlling the Duchy of Athens for decades.At times an entire nation (such as the Swiss) might be thought of by contemporaries as mercenaries. In a fantasy world there may be species who are natural mercenaries. The commander of a company could become famous, of course, but even the Catalans prospered through several leaders before controlling the Duchy.
Adventurer or Mercenary?
There’s a fine line between an adventurer—who often searches for adventure in the hope of acquiring treasure—and a mercenary, who gets paid by someone else to perform a specific task. The two certainly have overlap: how many adventurers have gotten a reward for performing a task?Being a mercenary is more of a lifestyle, and with it a flexible ethos that likely doesn’t mesh well with lawful- or good-aligned characters, particularly when and if an evil employer dangles a hefty reward. Mercenaries are often as much rivals as they are enemies, the less-ethical versions of adventurers who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Of course, depending on your campaign, this might be the preferred tone and style of the game.
Life as a mercenary tends to be brutal and short, lending itself to some playstyles more than others. Most important, mercenary companies tended to be large, so large groups of hirelings lend themselves to this kind of game -- something more prevalent in earlier editions of D&D and only returning recently in 2024 with Bastions.
Still, the general default of heroic fantasy is emphasis on the "heroic," so mercenaries usually don't take center stage. But as Glen Cook's Black Company demonstrates, it's entirely possible. We can say, then, that mercenaries may add interest to a campaign, but will rarely become a big part of it - unless the player characters are members of a mercenary company!
Your Turn: How do mercenaries factor into your campaign?
