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In the design of my own setting, I've run into the problem of explaining the fact that people are willing and able to make a living by travelling about in a disorganized fashion, wielding sword and spells, performing strange and dangerous jobs for temporary patrons and in general avoiding honest work. What is it in a world that makes adventurers plausible? Now, I don't want to go with the "because there are a lot of dungeons with plenty of treasure lying around"-route, but instead make the role of the adventurer something connected to the economy and politics of the world.
This has made me analyze what a correct description of the typical party of adventurers is. What I came up with was a small group of mercenaries, usually with special skills (such as infiltration or use of magic). So, in what sort of setting would these groups be in demand? And in what sort of setting would it actually be a plausible alternative to learning a proper trade and earning money the traditional way (at the same time, I don't want the world so weighted in the adventurers favour that people ask themselves "why isn't everyone doing this?").
I've been thinking about some sort of economic and political crisis, making honest work less profitable and small wars common. When there is little work to find in the "background colour" business, younger children (who don't get much inheritance and has an even smaller chance of making ends meet if they keep on working in the family business) and impoverished commoners are forced to take up more unorthodox ways of supporting themselves. Those who are completely out of luck become beggars or poorly paid laborers, others become criminals, mercenaries, or, yes, adventurers.
And there is a demand for both mercenaries and adventurers. Constant wars are waged between small lords, who seek support from the two major religions who at this time are clashing. In these wars, the adventurers are the elite teams, with special skills needed for assassinations, recon or infiltration of a rivaling noble's court. Of course, some of them have higher ambitions, trying to use the political and economical tumult to their own advantage and maybe rise to rule their own lands. The periodic and disorganized nature of these little wars makes the life of the adventurer subject to drastic changes. Of course, there are greater battles, between the major nations and religions. The unfortunate adventurer risks being drawn into the gigantic war machine of the major forces, where death awaits those who cannot make a crafty escape. Of course, such escapees need to travel far away, and perhaps seek employment somewhere else...
As you might have noticed, this vision is heavily influenced by both the Thirty Years War and the Depression of the '30s. But it is still incomplete. I don't really have any ideas for the cause of the current economic crisis and political unrest. Ideas for this would be welcome. If it matters, I'm thinking of the world as being at about 15th century level when technology is concerned -- gunpowder weapons are still crude, the mounted knights are on their way out and exploration fo the world has just begun. On a social level, however, I'm inspired by cultures outside of Europe. For example, I've imagined the level of bureaucracy in the larger countries (some of which have now splintered into warring fiefdoms) to be similar to that of imperial China. The world also has a considerably more developed banking system than our own world at the time. On the other hand, some aspects of society are less modern -- the concept of tribes still hasn't died out in the minds of the nobility, and many alliances and religious conversions are determined on the basis of allegiance to a particular clan. I ncertain areas, these clans might have stratified into something similar to castes -- particular clans being associated with particular functions.
What I need is, in short, ideas for how this turbulent state of affairs came to be. Please note that most of what I've written about the setting is open for some reinterpretation -- my setting is still a raw and unformed thing. Other forms of feedback are also welcome, especially if they concern how to put the concept of the adventurer (which is a concept I love dearly, though I think that it has been sadly stripped of it's exciting status by endless reiteration) in a social context.
In the design of my own setting, I've run into the problem of explaining the fact that people are willing and able to make a living by travelling about in a disorganized fashion, wielding sword and spells, performing strange and dangerous jobs for temporary patrons and in general avoiding honest work. What is it in a world that makes adventurers plausible? Now, I don't want to go with the "because there are a lot of dungeons with plenty of treasure lying around"-route, but instead make the role of the adventurer something connected to the economy and politics of the world.
This has made me analyze what a correct description of the typical party of adventurers is. What I came up with was a small group of mercenaries, usually with special skills (such as infiltration or use of magic). So, in what sort of setting would these groups be in demand? And in what sort of setting would it actually be a plausible alternative to learning a proper trade and earning money the traditional way (at the same time, I don't want the world so weighted in the adventurers favour that people ask themselves "why isn't everyone doing this?").
I've been thinking about some sort of economic and political crisis, making honest work less profitable and small wars common. When there is little work to find in the "background colour" business, younger children (who don't get much inheritance and has an even smaller chance of making ends meet if they keep on working in the family business) and impoverished commoners are forced to take up more unorthodox ways of supporting themselves. Those who are completely out of luck become beggars or poorly paid laborers, others become criminals, mercenaries, or, yes, adventurers.
And there is a demand for both mercenaries and adventurers. Constant wars are waged between small lords, who seek support from the two major religions who at this time are clashing. In these wars, the adventurers are the elite teams, with special skills needed for assassinations, recon or infiltration of a rivaling noble's court. Of course, some of them have higher ambitions, trying to use the political and economical tumult to their own advantage and maybe rise to rule their own lands. The periodic and disorganized nature of these little wars makes the life of the adventurer subject to drastic changes. Of course, there are greater battles, between the major nations and religions. The unfortunate adventurer risks being drawn into the gigantic war machine of the major forces, where death awaits those who cannot make a crafty escape. Of course, such escapees need to travel far away, and perhaps seek employment somewhere else...
As you might have noticed, this vision is heavily influenced by both the Thirty Years War and the Depression of the '30s. But it is still incomplete. I don't really have any ideas for the cause of the current economic crisis and political unrest. Ideas for this would be welcome. If it matters, I'm thinking of the world as being at about 15th century level when technology is concerned -- gunpowder weapons are still crude, the mounted knights are on their way out and exploration fo the world has just begun. On a social level, however, I'm inspired by cultures outside of Europe. For example, I've imagined the level of bureaucracy in the larger countries (some of which have now splintered into warring fiefdoms) to be similar to that of imperial China. The world also has a considerably more developed banking system than our own world at the time. On the other hand, some aspects of society are less modern -- the concept of tribes still hasn't died out in the minds of the nobility, and many alliances and religious conversions are determined on the basis of allegiance to a particular clan. I ncertain areas, these clans might have stratified into something similar to castes -- particular clans being associated with particular functions.
What I need is, in short, ideas for how this turbulent state of affairs came to be. Please note that most of what I've written about the setting is open for some reinterpretation -- my setting is still a raw and unformed thing. Other forms of feedback are also welcome, especially if they concern how to put the concept of the adventurer (which is a concept I love dearly, though I think that it has been sadly stripped of it's exciting status by endless reiteration) in a social context.
