Saturday Q&A (mar 9)

Maxwell in California writes,

Do you ever have game towns that enforce a law where weapons may not be openly carried (except by nobles, soldiers, or other people with special privileges)?

I ask because, while encountering and overcoming friction is central to playing the game, I think this scenario would be quite likely to make players bristle. I’m curious if or how you’d run it — and if so, whether you would, within the urban environment, deliberately provide some spaces of “breathing room” where players could try to get away with open carry. A description from an old post of yours, don’t know which, comes to mind: you suggested that an area of town with burnt or dilapidated housing could serve to stage a fight for a few rounds, before the NPCs scattered, knowing the authorities would arrive.

I’m imagining the knock on effects of a “no carrying weapons” law: thorough searches of property at the town gates; an outcry and swift arrival of the guards if a PC insists on wearing his sword belt into the street; players brainstorming how to smuggle the party’s best magic weapon to some crucial spot … as DM, I could get much mileage from a privileged NPC drawing his sword and threatening an unprivileged NPC in plain view of all.

Answer: I have used the rule of restricting player weapon use according to local ordinances, though I don't do it often. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but there is an understanding in the medieval world that anyone who can afford proper weapons is likely a member of the upper classes, or potentially in service of another lord, and therefore beyond contestation. I'd argue the only reason ever to have such an ordinance would be a situation where the town was in relative chaos, factions were fighting in the street, and the city magistrate was desperate in his or her attempts to establish order.

But note that the Montagues and the Capulets, among other rakes of the most civilised part of the world, Italy, were naturally expected to be carrying weapons with which to duel and such. In my opinion, it's far more likely that an ordinance would exist that stated where fighting with weapons could take place, thereby allowing enemies to blow off steam, than to actually restrict the weapons themselves. Thus, the authorities would arrive to stop fighting in the wrong places (see Dumas' The Three Musketeers), or perhaps on the wrong day (no fighting on holy days and such), or even the wrong time (morning please, certainly not after tea has been served!).

Finally, as far as threatening unprivileged persons, the point is that they're unprivileged. It's quite possible they wouldn't possess even the right to live ... though why a rational person would injure or kill such a person is quite outside standard practice for the period. Even in D&D, it could bring a lot of trouble from a privileged person if we happen to injure a cherished servant or the only gong farmer in the neighbourhood, it gives no treasure, a miniscule amount of experience and is quite ridiculous. It takes a 21st century person with a penchant for sadism gained from modern times and media to think this is a "thrill." As a DM, you'd be in your rights to say to a player intending to do such, "Um, no, you can't bring yourself to do it; you have a rational thought and it stops you." Or some such limitation. Think of it like not being able to jump a two inch wall in a video game, because it's not a part of game play. On the other hand, if you prefer your characters to have the freedom to create trouble for themselves, and don't wish to restrain them, let them have at it. The worst it can do is turn the campaign into a cartoon.

OhioHedgehog writes,

After a search of the blog and the wiki I've found very little about tattooing (which has suddenly become "a thing" at my table.) Wondering if it will be touched on in the Street Vendor's Guide? The background provided by following your posts about virtually everything else equip me with the wherewithal to create/design what I need on my own so I'm just curious.

Answer:  I hadn't intended to include tattooing as a service.  A quick search tells me that tattooing in the Medieval-Renaissance periods was typically done by individuals who'd acquired the skill, but who had no traditional location or shop where they might do it.  It may have been possible that individuals offered tattoos as a broader range of services, but actual prices would probably have been negotiated on an individual basis.

Creating the tattoo without modern equipment involved repeated puncturing of the skin with a hand-held needle to create the desired design.  It's possible that a light mallet was used for this purpose, to tap the needle in to improve the experience for the tattoo artist, who could thus be more precise since it would ease pressure on his or her hand.  Pigment and dye was then rubbed into the punctured skin; this could be done before or after the skin was penetrated.  Healing was dangerous because it would have been more difficult to keep the area clean and prevent infection ... something that wasn't much of concern among extremely isolated tribal peoples in the era, since they were wholly immune to any infection that might have occurred in their region of habitation as a result of hundreds of generation, even thousands, of continuous occupation.

As far as the Streetvendor's Guide goes, one must realise that even in this day and age there are many who resist the notion that tattooing is either healthy or commendable.  In many cases, open display of tattoos is treated as evidence that a person is either irresponsible or prone to self-indulgence, leading to preconceptions that may stand in the way of a person's financial or career success.  Much as I hate to admit it, by including tattooing in the Guide, regardless of how it's intended, could create the same sort of negative response that I'd receive if I included, say, slavery or a price to have someone murdered.  Comparing this against the actual benefit of including nine lines with a tattoo price on page 213 doesn't seem like much gain overall.  So I don't believe I'll be including it.

 _____

Thank you for your contributions.  Been such an annoying week, I'm sorry I'm only answering these questions today, and not some days ago on Patreon.  My apologies.

If readers would like to reply to the above, or wish to ask a question or submit observations like those seen here, please submit  to my email, alexiss1@telus.net.  If you could, please give the region where you're located (state, province, department, county, whatever) as it humanises your comment.

Feel free to address material on the authentic wiki, my books or any subject related to dungeons & dragons.  I encourage you to initiate subject material of your own, and to address your comment to others writing in this space.