Meat Shields are Off the Menu

[netmike65]

I'm re-reading the rules after a long gap. Loving them again.

Last night, I spotted something that must've evaded me before - BFRPG is the only OSR-styled game where the mechanics don't offer assistance to lowly first level characters - I'm talking henchmen and hirelings of course.

Page 39 tells me that my soon to be dead party can't bolster their ranks with a retainer until they're second level. Fair enough too. So I check out mercenaries on page 41; yep, I can have a hat full of those guys but they won't go with me into the dungeon so I don't think I'll bother.

I'm really keen to know what the thinking was behind this since first level play is a suicidal lottery if your band of heroes doesn't have back-up. Sure I can change the rules to choose my style but I'd still like to know why this OSR mainstay was canned for BFRPG.

Thanks
Mike

[spaceLem]

I didn't have any retainers in my BF game this summer, but in the OD&D game I ran in Nov/Dec I just said retainers would work for a half share, and would refuse to go first down the corridor. Given a 50% share, that will mean NPCs are only a level behind the PCs.

Level 1 PCs need help more than anyone else, and next time I run BF, retainers will accept a promise of % share of treasure (however they'll still need to be provided with equipment, which must be paid for).

[chiisu81]

Page 39 tells me that my soon to be dead party can't bolster their ranks with a retainer until they're second level.

Huh. That's something new I've learned. I'm sure B/X and LL don't have this restriction.

[Dimirag]

Retainers can be up to 1/2 level of their hiring character, as there are no 1/2 level nor 0 level retainers it becomes an impossible thing to hire at 1st level, retainers will work under superiors and not equals.

This does not prevent the characters to "hire" or make arrangement wit other npcs, maybe they take the place of the retainers or the npc are treated as full characters for xp and treasure gaining.

[quozl]

Page 39 tells me that my soon to be dead party can't bolster their ranks with a retainer until they're second level.

Huh. That's something new I've learned. I'm sure B/X and LL don't have this restriction.

Yep, their rules are that retainers cannot be higher level than the PC hiring them.

[Longman]

I like the rule, personally.

For a new group - especially one with a new GM - it makes sense to keep it limited to the PCs, for the first session or two. It will stop things getting overly complex and it will also mean the whole first session isn't taken over with character generation and logistics.

The time to be hiring retainers is when you all come back, no one dead, with your first big haul. That's when everyone in the area would realize that going with you was a viable prospect.

Until then...why would they do it?

[Solomoriah]

Thank you, Longman, for expressing eloquently what I was unable to put into words!

[quozl]

That does make sense.

[Dimirag]

The time to be hiring retainers is when you all come back, no one dead, with your first big haul. That's when everyone in the area would realize that going with you was a viable prospect.

But even with the first big haul the PC's can still be 1st level (lot of money, little XP situation), and sometimes you arrive to a new location with it...

To me there is no set time for that, there is the suspected necessity and the real necessity of hiring, and for retainers, they'll care for money, objective and leadership, and newbies don't get to call the shots.