PDA

View Full Version : Pseudo-medieval times, loaded guys and a quest for revenge?



Jon_Dahl
2012-01-08, 06:15 AM
In my game a band of adventurers betrayed the merchants' guild and made them look very bad in front of the local nobles.

Our current campaign is set in Greyhawk and this merchant guild is a highly organized and ruthless. Their general alignment is LN as is the kingdom also.

I'm not too smart myself and I'm not very good with financial matters especially regarding to medieval times, so I'd be curious to hear about some measures that a merchants' guild would take on people who double-cross them?

Violations in general: Property damage, failing a mission, lying to guildmaster, breaking an oath of loyalty, damaging PR.

tyckspoon
2012-01-08, 06:27 AM
Blacklisting would be the obvious starting point to me. Everybody who is part of the guild and everybody who has to deal with the guild as part of their day-to-day livelihood? Has the party's description (and depending on magic level/effort the guild can put forth possibly an accurate image) and will no longer deal with them. Smiths won't work on their gear, taverns and inns won't give them a room or a meal, reputable shops won't take their treasure when they come to town to exchange the proceeds of their latest adventure for gold. If the party wants to carry out almost any kind of commercial activity in a region where this guild holds sway, they'll either have to go black-market or basically bribe the particular merchant to deal with them anyway.. and you can imagine how much extra you'd have to pay to get people to risk their own good standing with the guild.

Volos
2012-01-08, 10:55 AM
I agree with the blacklisting idea, but it could go even a step further. There may be some merchants or craftsmen who may actively go against the party rather than to refuse to give them service. Blacksmiths will warp their weapons or armor, innkeepers give them the keys to the stable rather than a real room, cooks will add unsavory ingredients to their meals, magic item vendors will give them cursed merchandise, and bards alligned with the guild will tell tales that will make the PCs hated wherever they go.

LibraryOgre
2012-01-08, 11:12 AM
Grab the book "Rise of a Merchant Prince" by Raymond Feist. It's a good look at some merchant consortiums, and why might happen if you've got a lot of financial power.

Brief versions? Blacklisting is good... even a few days where no one buys your goods would be pretty rough. Since they're LN (not LE), you may also have fines, or you may have problems with your business partners (especially in corporations, where several guild members can vote you down or out of your chair on a board).

Lord Tyger
2012-01-08, 01:54 PM
Is the merchant's guild made up of particularly vengeful individuals? If not, it becomes a question of how much it's worth to take their revenge. This could range from, "A little, I guess, but the damage is done and it's more practical to try and restore our fortunes than to throw more away on revenge," to, "Any amount, it's important to send a message as to what happens to those who cross us."

In the former case, blacklisting might work, or just generally the Adventurers find prices hiked up everywhere. In the latter case, assuming the classic "hire assassins" is impractical under their legal system, use every legal technicality at their disposal to have the adventurers fined, prosecuted, bankrupted and finally thrown into debtors prison. If the Adventurers have family or significant civilian allies, extend this to them. Maybe the farm the Fighter grew up on is suddenly foreclosed upon and his elderly mother is reduced to begging in the street, maybe the inkeeper who has been giving them their quests finds himself hauled before a court for serving dodgy sausages. The important part is to remain completely within the law, while driving the PCs to the point where they eventually refuse or are unable to comply with the fines or court orders, at which point the full force of the law comes down on them.