Joking around in the comments, Vic aka Bjorn said he'd donate to charity for each decapitation he pulls off. Or seek a sponsor.
I mentioned Boris the Half-Ogre, run by Borriz Borrizman's player Aaron, wielder of the throwbar and the genius behind the insight into the origins of dungeon dwellers. He had a large selections of cheap-quality weapons to start with. So much so we started joking that he was sponsored by Cheap(tm) brand weapons, and would do commercials for them, have "Cheap!" logos on his shield, etc. Like our Corporate Car Wars days, only with less clones and linked VMGs and more Resurrection spells and broadswords.
I have to wonder, has anyone ever gone as far as to have corporate sponsors for fantasy adventurers? Either in a joking fashion like we have, or a more serious?
I'm not talking, "tasked by the crown to expunge the evil of (whatever of where ever)" but rather "Talroc's fireballs are brought to you by BW's Bat Guano. BW, when your fireball really counts."
The amusement value alone might make this worth putting some serious thought into. Plus, you'd get some great adventuring behavior. "Kill it with fire!" "I can't, my sponsor is Frost-eez Liquid Ice Grenades! They'd cut off my funding!"
I have not pulled it off in a campaign, but I have shuffled in others I've designed but not run. Actually, I guess the one evening session in SLA (via GURPS of course) counts, since only SLA Industries products are approved for use by Tunnel Rats.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea though; maybe next time I run a fantasy game I'll slide something like that in. Cheers!
The injection of modern-looking corporate advertising would probably put too large a hole in the wearing-a-historical-looking-hat conceit of DF for me to enjoy it, but I suppose there's room for clever people equipping violent people with their products in hope that they'll thereby gain a reputation, turning the clever people into rich people. Since dungeon delving happens well out of sight of the public, though, and Ye Kinge's Olde Watche is probably more concerned with the slime monsters climbing out of the sewers than they are consumer protection, I can see a lot of lying going on as well. Sponsor hands delvers a sack of potions or what-have-you and some money, the delvers go and kill things, and come back to sing the praises of the sack of potions, even if they tossed the sack of useless bottles in a hole just past the first bend in the road, because, hey, some money.
ReplyDelete"This month's public bread is provided by the Capitoline Brotherhood of Millers. The Brotherhood uses only the finest flour: true Roman bread, for true Romans."
DeleteXcrawl is an entire setting based on the idea
ReplyDeleteXCrawl seems like kind of a mirror of the idea - that's adding fantasy to modern sports with all of the trappings. I'm talking about adding the modern trapping of corporate sponsorship to fantasy.
DeleteBut yeah, it's a natural twin to the concept. Boris would approve. (Boris's approval is brought to you by Iron(tm) Rations.)
The Murik clan replenishes exclusively using POUT! energy drinks. They give you wings. And 4 FP.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Llama that it would take some negotiation to make the concept fit most settings. One way of doing it, though, might be for authority figures to officially sponsor expeditions - like the story about Columbus with Ferdinand and Isabella.
ReplyDeletePerhaps successful expeditions would be received in a formal ceremony where they recount their heroic deeds (done in the sponsor's name) and monsters slain, and show off their trophies and treasures. (And, of course, donate a share of said treasure to the sponsor). Not-entirely-successful expeditions could double up the triumphal ceremony with a solemn funeral. It's positive press and low-risk income for the sponsor, a nice spectacle for the populace, and the party gets equipped with some baseline of weapons, armor, and other tools.
If you wanted a more corporate feel, perhaps the sponsor isn't a political entity but a guild or other commercial entity?
I've a vague recollection I've seen something, perhaps in an eastern light fantasy, but I can't recall a specific case that is an exact match.
ReplyDeleteOn the production end, these manufacturers would need to be producing a lot. We are probably talking some form of mass production. It probably needs to be relatively cheap.
This form of advertising probably requires celebrities competing in the public eye, or at least where the market can see.
As far as the buyers are concerned, we are probably talking a wealthy society, with a widespread demand, who maybe use it so that it wears out fast.
My most plausible serious explanation has a few factors. A wealthy society with much of the population being bottom tier adventurers who hunt for the table, ala rural American poor. A widespread system of arena matches, where higher tier fighters get sponsorships, like the Roman Empire. Spontaneous generation of monsters. A decent industrial sector. Probably some place outside of that for adventures that would be fun to play or read about.
Silly might be a better choice than doing all the world building around making the one gimmick work
True. But I like all the thinking you put into what the world would need!
DeleteEmily Dresner has some articles/blog posts that cover this sort of thing very well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.critical-hits.com/blog/category/critical-hits/columns/dungeonomics/
I'll take a look, thanks.
DeleteNo, I've never had a character with sponsor (in a fantasy game, Car Wars and Supers don't count)... but now I want to.
ReplyDelete"I don't always die, but when I do, I use The Good Church of Good's Resurrection Spells!