Thursday 9 October 2014

A word on treasure in games...

"What do you mean all that only equated to 126 gold pieces...?"

So, having emptied out the years change jar and converted it from several kilo's of metal into useful coinage, I find that eight kilo's of assorted change equates to a little more than a hundred quid, and that led me to thinking...

What about all those adventurers, running around with this much coin in copper and silver, does it actually equate to some sort of meaningful reward when you've got to lug all this metal around, knowing it's not worth much, and then find somewhere that'll be happy to take it all, and then finally find out that you could have been working at medieval mcdonalds for more money than you've just managed to amass on the entire adventure...

Which brings me to the other point of treasure in an adventure, and the thought that for many adventurers, fortune and glory was supposed to have been the primary reason why everyone went out there and did things.  Indiana Jones notwithstanding, the point has always been to come away with more than you set out to, to do something and be rewarded for it, but as games change, so do the perspectives for which we go adventuring.

The latest sets of organised play have changes in the world order and a place in the new order as the rewards, and things like gold and goodies have taken a back seat compared to the chance to make a difference.  When we consider that many games were made just before the decade of decadence (that'd be the 80's) when the pursuit of wealth was everything, whereas now we're all aware of things in ways that people back then just weren't aware of, so the rewards for things have evolved along with our changing perspectives.

A question then, for all those reading, when you adventure, what is the reward you seek for your endeavours...?

The chance to right a wrong?
Gold and Beer?
Knowledge and advancement?
A chance to make things better?

Or something else...?