tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008265055761096259.post2415377675428286836..comments2023-04-04T03:19:28.919-05:00Comments on Greathammer Gaming: A Psychological Dissection of AdventuringBuddy Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00834582086927715399noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008265055761096259.post-773367568617400142011-02-26T14:49:44.286-06:002011-02-26T14:49:44.286-06:00Always good to hear from you around here, Josh!
I...Always good to hear from you around here, Josh!<br /><br />I can definitely see where you're coming from, but what you're saying (and a few others in my game group and out, that I have talked to) isn't really what I picture a 1st level adventurer being.<br /><br />Yes, there must be a certain level of tolerance (for your party,) courage to face the dangers you've heard of, etc., and some of your group might know how to handle the tools of their trade through training, military experience, or what have you.<br /><br />I've heard from more than one soldier, however, that training and experience are two vastly different things. I liken the difference as that between someone who has been through modern military training, compared with those poor kids who were sent out with rifle and helmet to fight tanks in WWI. Nobody briefed them, they didn't know their enemy until they engaged, they weren't told about barbed wire hazards...they were pretty much sent to the meat grinder.<br /><br />I imagine a lot of low-level adventurers to be just that...not necessarily being sent out to their deaths, but most just don't know what's out there.<br /><br />A rebellious teen can choose to adventure just as easily as an ex-soldier, but only one of them would be bet on to survive more than a day or two.<br /><br />I guess I'm saying I see more precedence for the green adventurer. I like the idea of normal men and women going out and carving a path through the darkness. This is where I'm coming from, and it seems to be a stance that's hotly debated, not now, mind you, but on the net, in game groups, etc.Buddy Richardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834582086927715399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008265055761096259.post-63650343752534145232011-02-20T21:11:21.671-06:002011-02-20T21:11:21.671-06:00Excellent post dude. I think all your points are v...Excellent post dude. I think all your points are valid in the context of "we're not in Kansas anymore". The characters from the old D&D cartoon should be pretty traumatized. <br /><br />Adventurers / PCs on the other hand hail from a world where life can be hard. Death by monsters happen, one could compare it to a vehicle accident in our world. <br /><br />Ressurection & magic, while fantastic to us, is also something that happens in a fantasy setting, and while it may be uncommon to the average peasant, it still is part of that reality. <br /><br />As a beginning adventurer, I could totally see someone playing up the "tourist-y" act of Ooohs and Ahhs of seeing new vistas and witnessing amazing events. Trauma would definitely come into play at this point, and could be good for rp moments and charatcer development. The psychoses you list seem pretty accurate to me, but you could research the psychology of the 1st American explorers & settlers, as well as the soldiers from the civil war. The world back then would more closely resemble a fantasy setting (minus the magic of course).<br /><br />But at the same time, you could compare adventurers to our professional athletes. They've trained themselves, physically and/or mentally to be able to step out beyond the walls and safety of their city or go beyond the borders of their villages. They're expecting to have run-ins with beasts and bandits and know full well that it can be a life & death struggle out in the bush.<br /><br />So, I could see how a group or relative strangers could start out with a few words of courtesy and set out to do what they've all trained to do. That's their bond that goes beyond their class or race, they're Adventurers. Think of the movie Conan the Barbarian, Conan finds Subatai and they team up, eventually joining with Valeria when they all were breaking into the same place, so I can see that happening in D&D adventures since it's for their mutual benefit to do so.<br /><br />Now, anyone who lacks that "professionalism" could find themselves left behind in the bush or unable to find others to party with because of that reputation, and can go back to cleaning the stables. <br /><br />BTW, the narrative bits were awesome.<br /><br />-JoshDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com