Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #182

"Help, Help, I'm being Oppressed!"

Rights And Privileges In A Campaign Setting

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

SENT BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY With Compliments

From: Johnn Four, http://www.roleplayingtips.com
johnn@roleplayingtips.com

CONTENTS:
--> A Brief Word

--> This Week's Tips

1. Arms & Armor
2. Clothing & Jewelry
3. Forced Labor
4. Food
5. Legal Privilege
6. Religion, Education, & Magic
7. Wealth & Power
8. Consequences

--> Readers' Tips Of The Week:

1. Great Tracking Article
2. More on DM's Screens
3. Some Good PDA RPG Utilities
4. Two Websites For RPG Names

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

A BRIEF WORD

Email Thrashed, Please Try Again

--------------------------------
This week's issue is a little late because my email's been
down since Friday night. I'm not sure what the problem was,
and service still seems to be erratic. If you sent me an
email in the last three or four days, please resend and double-check that the new
message hasn't bounced either. I'm sure everything will be running smoothly again
very soon.

Cheers,

Johnn johnn@roleplayingtips.com

"Help, Help, I'm being Oppressed!"

----------------------------------
Nothing like a Monty Python quote to start an article, is there?

I think you'll like Jeremey's article this week. It provides some great, pithy
advice for both players and GMs about all the implications of how people are
*supposed* to behave in complex societies. You should be able to mine this article
endlessly for adventure cultural quirks, adventure hooks, and ways to get into
trouble. Enjoy!

John C. Feltz editor@roleplayingtips.com

"It's a GAME MECHANIC, not reality!"

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

"If you're a DM and running a D&D game,

you should have this book. Period."
~Monte Cook, from his first perfect 10 review

A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe has been praised like no other d20
supplement. Its content is up for three ENnies awards, including Best Setting
Supplement. Pick up your copy today at WWW.EXP.CITYMAX.COM or WWW.RPGMALL.COM and
you'll agree: it is simply the best.

http://www.rpgmall.com/product_info.php?products_id=32594

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

"HELP, HELP, I'M BEING OPPRESSED!"

RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES IN A CAMPAIGN SETTING

A Guest Article by Jeremey Davis

warlord1772002 @ yahoo.com
http://www.sanctum.com/surfers/btech

Johnn,

I was at a RenFest this past weekend when one of the lords

had a peasant accosted who was wearing finery above his station. That got me to
thinking about class warfare in general, and this is what rolled out of my head.

* * *

There will come a time in most campaigns where our heroes

will be able to ride into any town, burnished mail shining, weapons jingling,
adorned with amulets and rings galore. Then the town guard will promptly surround.
Are they authorized to carry those weapons? Have they paid taxes on their finery?
Are they lords that they dare ride horses through the town square? You see, to the
players their characters are heroes, but to the nobles of a city these new arrivals
are lowborn mercenaries at best, criminals and thieves at worst.

In most settings, from fantasy to sci-fi, there exist

members of an establishment who jealously guard their
position in society. They have rights and privileges not accorded the common
masses, whether through law, custom, or tradition. This can be a racial majority,
gender group, ruling caste, class of nobility, political faction, nationality,
writ-holding citizens, or any other group of easily categorized people. If the
adventuring party finds themselves in the group of the "have-nots," many
interesting situations can arise.

1. Arms & Armor

===============
The most obvious way an adventuring party stands out is that
(usually) they are armed and dangerous. At times in parts of medieval Europe and
Asia, it was a crime for a commoner to own a sword. In colonial America, slaves
were not permitted to bear arms without the express written permission of their
masters. Several oppressive regimes of the 20th century made confiscating all
civilian firearms a high priority when they established power. Even in modern
democracies, privately owned firearms are regulated and military hardware is
restricted to government forces.

What this means is that a party with weapons can expect to

be harassed by guards and security personnel, subjected to fines for lacking
permits and fees to acquire said permits, or even have their weapons confiscated
and be arrested as criminals.

2. Clothing & Jewelry

=====================
It was common throughout the late medieval world for strict laws to govern the
dress of the different classes. In England, sumptuary laws prohibited the masses
from wearing such things as clothing dyed violet, silk and velvet, or gold and
silver trim. In Japan, common men could not wear stockings, and common women were
forbidden jewelry of ivory or tortoise shell. During ancient times, women in some
parts of the Middle East only veiled themselves if they were married or if they
were noble, symbolizing their unapproachable status.

Party members who dress above their station might be taxed

for their excesses. Depending on the situation, they might
also find themselves ridiculed or forced to alter their
dress.

3. Forced Labor
===============
There is a long-standing tradition of those in power being
able to compel those of lesser station to do their bidding. Often they are well
within their legal right to do so. In the Roman Empire, any non-citizen could be
expected to carry the load of a legionnaire for one mile without pay. A medieval
commoner, even though a free man, could be forced to join a public work party to
build roads or bridges. During the colonial period, soldiers of the British Empire
could billet in any private home. The War of 1812 was largely started because of
the British practice of forcibly pressing civilians into service of the Imperial
Navy.

With many adventurers being strong limbed and healthy, they would be prime
candidates for impressed service. "You there, we need a set of strong shoulders and
don't tarry!"

4. Food
=======
Even something as simple as what a person could or could not eat was often
regulated by social norms or class distinctions. This could be direct, such as
feudal Japan, where a commoner might be permitted to eat rice, but not roasted
fish. Or it could be indirect, such as in Europe, where to poach on the lord's land
could mean death.

On a similar note, religious differences could also play a

part in the foods that are consumed. For the Muslims and the Jews, only a non-
believer would consume pork, and in many ancient religions only the priests could
consume the food offered in the temple.
What this means for the heroes is that what they choose to
eat could mean anything from public scorn and ridicule, to death for feasting on
the victuals of god or king.

5. Legal Privilege
==================
In the event of any crime, the treatment one could expect varies greatly based on
one's station in life. Where a nobleman in medieval Europe could expect some form
of trial by his peers, a common man could expect justice dispensed at the hands of
the local lord. If the actual offense was by a commoner upon a noble, the noble was
well within his rights to administer punishment on the spot. A feudal samurai could
slay a peasant for merely offending him, and probably get away with it. Even in the
modern age, where the wealthy can buy a team of experienced legal experts, one can
argue that justice favors the powerful.

Failing to respect your betters can often be painful or

fatal in most societies where there are massive class distinctions. Even if the
party has done nothing wrong, the rule of law will often be on the side of the
establishment.

6. Religion, Education, & Magic

===============================
Class distinctions reach into almost all aspects of life. Outside of religious
orders and private tutoring, a woman could not expect a formal education in
medieval Europe. Christian nobles sat in a special place when attending mass. Jews
divided themselves by gender when attending synagogue. In several religions, only
the priests could enter certain parts of the temple.

In a campaign this could be made even more severe. It could

be punishable for a commoner to be literate, or for one not
of noble blood to practice magic. Being ignorant of local religious practices would
be very little defense if the party transgresses.

7. Wealth & Power

=================
In modern times, money is almost synonymous with power. However, although the gap
between "old money" and "new money" has narrowed, it still exists. The historical
roots for this stem back to when the European nobility were the only ones with
money. Privilege and wealth went hand in hand.

Eventually, with the rise of the merchant class, common families found themselves
with a great deal of wealth. At the same time, noble families fallen on hard times
were often living with no more wealth than the title of their name. Thus
threatened, the nobility began the first traditions of the "old money" noble
families excluding the "new money" commoners from their circles of power and
influence.

Since a successful party will often acquire a great deal of wealth, many assume
that the rules of social strata no longer apply to them. Often times they will be
right. The local barkeep doesn't care where you got your gold. If you spend like a
noble, you're noble enough for him. On the other hand, walking into the palace in
your finest will not always guarantee an audience if you are of common blood. Also,
the local nobility might see it in their best interest to "teach a lesson" to those
who would dare to buy their titles. Of course, in some places you might be expected
to buy your title outright. That choice is entirely up to the GM.
8. Consequences
===============
Social orders exist for a reason. This can be a detailed and well thought out
background as to why the customs developed the way they did or the simple
explanation of "that's how it's always been." Either way, the system resists
change. If the party goes around flaunting their station, they are bound to run
afoul of the authorities. Aggravate enough of the powers that be and the party had
better be prepared to fight the entire system. Viva la Revolution!

* * *

Whatever the setting, it is possible to let the social structure of the game world
have an impact on the player characters. If they are noble (or citizens, or of the
Enlighten Caste), it may involve letting them have the privileges mentioned above.
If they are common (or non- citizens, or Bandit Caste), they should occasionally
feel their lack of status. Unless your theme is one of oppression and revolution,
it is usually enough to use the social system as a backdrop to add flavor to the
campaign. Adding those extra details can lead to a number of possible encounter and
role-playing ideas.

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

PT GAMES, INC. RELEASES RUINED KEEP

We are pleased to announce the release of Ruined Keep, an adventure of 7th-9th

Level. Set in the Kingdom of Paleon, Ruined Keep is the follow-up to Goblin Cave.
Check out our website for more information on Ruined Keep or for a free web
enhancement containing information about our Philosophy based campaign in the World
of Terra as well information on upcoming releases.

http://www.ptgamesinc.com

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

READERS' TIPS OF THE WEEK

1. Great Tracking Article

From: Rob
=========================
Hi Johnn,

I've been reading your newsletter for about a year now, and
I have to say I love it, so I am happy that I can make a
small contribution.

The January 2003 edition of Smithsonian magazine has a great article on the "Shadow
Wolves" of the Arizona State Police Department. They are a group of Native American
trackers who specialize in finding drug traffickers sneaking shipments across the
Arizona deserts. The article goes into great detail about how they manage to track
men across vast, seemingly unremarkable wasteland, and can be a great source of
color for any ranger/tracker PC or NPCs.

Hope you find it as useful as I have.

2. More on DM's Screens
From: Josh
=======================
re: http://www.roleplayingtips.com/issue180.asp

I've always found the standard screens much too tall. I make
my own out of large cardstock paper and reduce the height to about 6 inches (15
centimeters). This allows me to hide things and also get a clear view of the
battlemap without standing up.

Other gimmicks I use:

* Attach a small piece of paper with paper clips, facing me, with any PC skills
that I roll in secret (search, spot,
hide....) as well as flat footed armor class and will saves. This way I can
describe events according to a roll without first asking the dead giveaway "what's
your Will save?"

* I like to cut a flap in the bottom of the screen large

enough to allow dice to roll through. This allows players
to roll the "secret" rolls themselves. The player announces
he is searching or whatever and rolls the die through the
flap, out of his vision, I add the skill mod and we go from there. Every player
likes to roll for his PC's fate, and this allows the player to put their own mojo
on the roll while still concealing the result.

(Editor's note: Wow, cool, I love this one! A doggie-door

for your dice!)

3. Some Good PDA RPG Utilities

From: Christopher in Des Moines, IA ======================================
Roll Em http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=1258

Gamers Die Roller http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=14920

Chalk http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=11903

Barton http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=12467

Dice http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=7396

Dice Roller http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=15173

D&D Tools http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=36690

TS-Shadowdice http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=7055

PCGenView
http://www.pcgenview.com/
(Also available here are ACE Dice Roller & ACE XP Calc)

DiceMan http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=41378

Vampire Dice http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=44262

Loaded Dice (designed to increase variation)

http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=48524
4. Two Websites For RPG Names
From: Julia Pope
=============================
Johnn,

Here are a couple of website you might want to check out.

The first is:

http://www.kabalarians.com/html/surf-by.htm
The philosophy of the page is a bit nutty, but it contains about 500,000 names
subdivided into categories (mostly cultures). This is very convenient - you can
pick a culture for each society in your game and find plenty of consistent names
for NPCs.

The second page is http://jerryhill.tripod.com/

It is basically a whole lot of links. I mostly use the ones
in the Heritage section, which has info on how names are constructed in different
cultures. I especially use it for last names.

Anyway, hope these are of interest. Keep up the good work!

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

GMs! Tired of missing players in games?

Looking for alternative communication for traveling players?
Thinking about broadening your player base?
Email not fast enough? Sick of message boards?
Try the next big step in -your- games.
Enjoy the flexibility of the IRC medium. It's free!

http://www.darkmyst.org

We're everything you need, and more!

_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************

That's it for this week's issue.

Have more fun at every game!

Johnn Four
mailto:johnn@roleplayingtips.com