Lofgeornost
Feeling Martian!
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2020
- Messages
- 3,355
- Reaction score
- 10,050
I think it's a combination of:Exactly!
Why so many people don't do that, there's surely a reason that's just not readily apparent to me. Surely you'd even fight better if you're rested, fed and possibly clean?
- It doesn't fit that well with the fantasy fiction players may have in mind when they envision the game. The fellowship of the ring didn't bring a train of servants with them, Conan is often traveling alone, Elric is normally on his own or in the company of Moonglum only, etc. Or to reach farther back, in Arthurian romances the questing knights are generally solo, without even a squire.
- It can remove the spotlight from the player-characters, to some degree, and may become a bit of a hassle if a combat occurs. Instead of players just running their own characters, they have to deal with their n.p.c.s as well.
I know that, although OD&D had rules for hirelings and made it clear you really ought to have them for wilderness exploration at least, we almost never used them back in the 1970s. A pack of servants or helpers just didn't match what we wanted from the game.