of Dice and Dragons

In most role-playing environments the heroes come home, tell their tales, spend their money and then they are off again onto the next adventure.

The question then has to be asked, what repercussions are there on the community? In a lot of cases they may not be good - higher costs as more money flows in along with higher taxes. Parents concerned about their children wanting to take up the ‘adventuring life’ instead of staying home to help on the farm or in the family store. The increased crime rate as thieves move in and bandits attack townsfolk on their way in or out looking for the riches to be had.

Take all that and sprinkle in a little presuasion and you have a mob on your hands and that’s something that every party should be wary of.

When confronted with a mob like this the party has to deal with things with a bit more tact. They can just open fire on all those people (unless they’re playing from the evil slant) that wouldn’t be right. How could they be heroes and protectors of the weak when they gun down (fireball, charge, etc.) the very people they are trying to help? An interesting situation to have to role-play out of.

You should also keep this in mind from the other side of the coin as well. I played a character once, a wizard/thief, who was acutally responsible for creating a mob. There were strange things going on and wanting to bring down the local mages’ guild he built on those fears and with a little prodding turned the whole town on the guild who then proceeded to burn the guildhall to the ground - a very memorable experience and enjoyable session.

I would like to thank the members of the gmmastery Yahoo group for inspiring this post.

May your dice roll well.

Be sure to check out these additional encounter ideas

We’ve all see them and I think everyone finds that when a juggler is performing well it is an enjoyable experience. As the party is walking through town have one begin a performance or have a member of the party notice it and be drawn to it based on what they are juggling.

Some things to consider for objects:
- Balls
- Knives or swords
- Torches
- Helmets (appropriate to your setting)
- Hankerchiefs
- Metal hoops
- Stones

Work your imagination on this and I’m sure you can come up with any number of objects.

While the juggler himself is an interesting side trip you could use this to introduce new elelments or help along parts of your story.

- There’s a pick-pocket in the audience who may or may not be discovered, possibly much later, “Where’s my money pouch?”
- They recognize the juggler as a former adventurer they know, “Let’s go have a drink and catch up?”
- One of the objects the juggler is performing with has a magical aura picked up by the group.

Have some fun with this one, after all the game should be fun for both the GM and the players.

Be sure to check out these additional encounter ideas

Regardless of the role-playing system you play, no matter the genre or time there are always those that live by hiring themselves out to do the “dirty work” of others. Sometimes it is service in the military, a elite unit, or just a job where their skills are the ones needed. This encounter could present an opportunity to pass along information or as the seed for an adventure.

Keep in mind that mercenaries do not have to be the “fighter” type; change things up with a wizard or a holy man. Making that change should cause a fair amount of interesting conversation especially if you turn the stereo-types on their side.

So, what can you use this encounter for:

- The mercenary is looking for work and heard the party may be looking to hire someone on
- While enjoying a mug of their favorite ale, the party overhears the mercenary telling tales to those that will buy him another round and will gladly do so for the party as well (great for dropping adventure hooks to the party)
- The mercenary is pulling a team together to handle an assignment and based on their reputation thinks the party would be a good fit
- The party is sitting at their favorite inn and the mercenary stumbles in, bloody from battle and looking for other to help him “finish the job”

Be sure to check out these additional encounter ideas