Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Confectioner's Shop


This table is fairly straightforward also, though I imagine most of the things here don't make it into a typical campaign.  A candy shop in general seems like a bit of an anachronism in a medieval setting, but most everything on this list has been around for a long, long time.  The peppermint candy would not be the cane twist that is familiar, but a candy flavoured with peppermint has been around since the 17th century.

As with the carver's shop, the items here are handily found in the pockets of enemies as a small level treasure for low-level characters ... who it might be said could only sell them off to people in the street or otherwise if they have the willpower not to eat them.  It's an interesting concept to suggest that the player has to balance his desire to sell off the pear slices for the needed 18 s.p. against the character's natural weaknesses.

But then, many games don't have characters suffering for the sake of a few silver pieces.  I have to say, for one of the parties I'm running off line, where everyone in 1st level, it isn't easy to stave off the tremendous hunger I impose upon my adventuring, fighting, mountaineering outdoor-living players with the income they have.  Food, at least in the campaign's beginning, is a huge consideration.

Plus, there's also the argument that some players should have to spend a certain amount on sweets just to feel happy ... but then happiness is rarely a concern among the penny-pinching power-player type.  Ever think of what a miserable life characters must live 'down on the ground?'

Anyway, let's bury this table and move on to something more interesting.

5 comments:

  1. I don't play the paupers and pikemen style as you do ;) so small amounts of money are not a great concern for various in game reasons but the candy shop was a conceptually very interesting addition.

    I like it.

    As for PC's needing to spend money to be happy, most PC's are assumed to be high functioning sociopaths and as such, the excitement and stimulation of adventuring is what keeps them going.

    People usually tolerate them because they are very dangerous , they spend money, mostly live far away from civilized people and sometimes take care of more serious threats (like say a beholder or something)

    Better they be stabbing Orcs than townies.

    Now sane PC's (the occasional adventurer type) do need to spend some money on happiness. I roll into cost of living usually but in a more detailed game with the right players an occasional trip to get some cholat can be a lot of fun.

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  2. Alexis, It's true that the best truffles come from Perigord.

    But Perigord truffles are mushrooms, and I don't really expect them in a confectionery shop.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle_(fungus)

    Surely you mean chocolate truffles :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_truffle

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  3. Also I lament lack of honey-based sweeties! :D

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  4. Then, just wondering, why are confectioner's shops selling shroomy truffles in your campaign? Is that an historical practice?

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  5. Confection, definition: a fancy dish or sweetmeat; also: a sweet food.

    Truffles are small delicacies which serve no special nutritional purpose. They are treated as a 'candy' by rich people. I need to accord them to some shop, I wanted to limit as much as possible the number of shops that my world presented, and I have no other shop which would suitably serve. The confectioner seemed a better option than the grocer.

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