Tuesday, July 10, 2018

The party as a character

Characters make up a party of adventurers, but the party itself is a character, or at least something like it.  After all, the party is likely to outlive some (or all) of its original members.  Start by deciding what kind of party this is going to be:

Wilderness rangers. (John Buxton)

(You probably shouldn't roll randomly for any of these, but you could if you really want to.)

Purpose (d8)
1a small company of wilderness rangers, commissioned by the military
2a band of pirates/highwaymen, possibly operating under license
3an exploring expedition, sent to learn about a little-known country
4traveling entertainers, showmen, musicians, and storytellers
5hucksters and tinkers, a merchant company, salesmen demonstrating products on the frontier
6missionaries, evangelists spreading the word about the proper ways
7a rowdy gang of scavengers and prospectors, looking to strike it rich
8young, probably wealthy tourist-adventurers on a grand tour

The purpose of the party gives context, why you all came together and what sorts of adventures you may have had in the past, though it doesn't determine exactly what will happen in the future.  A company of rangers could end up running off to the gold fields to strike it rich.  A group of young touring students could get captured by pirates and join the crew.  This is a new world where you make your own destiny.

Pirates battling on the high seas.  (Jean Leon Ferris)

Every adventuring party needs funds, so decide how your party is funded:

Funding (d4)
1given a grant by your benefactor, expected to check in with results
2paid monthly by some authority, expected to follow orders
3supported by your own activities, with everyone sharing equally of the proceeds
4funded by donations from supporters, people grateful for your work

Some combinations are more sensible than others.  An exploring expedition is probably funded by a grant: from the tribal leaders looking for a new country to settle, from a scientific foundation wanting to publish a new map, from a mercantile company looking for new mining areas, etc.  Explorers funded by their own activities would be quite unusual, though not impossible if they're foraging off the land, hoping to pay back their debts by publishing a book about the expedition.

Fur traders.  (Robert Griffing)

And this doesn't say just how well funded you are.  The party could be very well equipped through generous donations, or they could be completely broke, scraping to get by.  As a general rule, the more money you start with, the more beholden you are to the ones who got you there.  Mo' money, mo' social entanglements.

Wealth (d4)
1well-funded by benefactors with high expectations of you
2enough to get you started on your way
3decently-equipped, in debt to powerful people who expect to be repaid
4broke, desperate, you've eaten things you're not proud of

Young aristocrats on a Grand Tour.  (Carl Spitzweg)

The party's relationship with the authorities will matter a great deal when they're looking for further support, whether from the superiors that sent them, or the ruling authorities of their homeland:

Authority (d6)
1loyal, obediently following orders
2wary of the way people are running things
3independent, with no concern for what anyone else thinks
4open rebellion against the authorities
5rudderless, looking for a new benefactor or goal
6secretly working for an enemy or someone unsavory


Shooting the rapids.  (Frances Hopkins)

Amongst yourselves you talk about what it's all about, why you stick together through tough times.  What would you emphasize in a recruiting speech, getting someone to join the team?


Rhetoric (d6)
1camraderie, bonds of friendship
2fame and reputation
3a fine life of wealth and luxury
4caring for those in need
5dutiful service towards a noble goal
6learning, knowledge, a deeper understanding of the world


This isn't just for building a good story: talking about what kind of party you'd like to be helps get everyone on the same page.  Figure out the way you'd like to go on an adventure together.

So what kind of party would you like to try?

3 comments:

  1. Independent, band of brothers running an exploration expedition on donations, in opposition to The Man and his eternal desire to ruin everything.

    By the by, do you plan on hanging out on G+? Think there are a lot of people who would dig talking shop with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To be honest, I don't really know what G+ actually is, or how you hang out on it. Got any pointers?

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    2. It is a bit unintuitive at first, so no worries.

      All you have to do is log in using your normal google login info and start following people. Their posts will show up in your feed, and you can go about commenting and chatting.

      The main difference between G+ and other social media is the ability to sort your posts into collections that people can sort through.

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