We have always tread the borderland, or how do I build/run a mercenary campaign?

[whisperwind1]

Hey all, so i've been thinking about this for a while, but could never really figure out how it would work. See I'm a fan of the mercenary idea, characters who aren't just murderhobos, but professional swords-for-hire who fight in wars for coin. I like this idea of mercenaries being the force that helps define the outcome of wars, and history through their jobs. In video games the idea works very well (examples include Spectral Force 3, Bladestorm and of course the Mercenaries games), and it even allows for personal storylines for the characters. But my question is, how can I translate that to an RPG game/setting?

Its easy enough to say the setting is a fractured collection of nations (a former empire perhaps) or even a single nation in civil war, but how do I capture that sort of factionalism that makes mercenary stories identifiable? I mean how do I make these factions/countries equally appealing to work for, because they're not all going to be morally grey "who cares I just take their coin and don't ask questions" types? If you think about it, every side has an ideology and beliefs that puts them in the right or vilifies a certain rival or enemy (it doesn't flatter them at least). So how do I make the "Evil Empire" or "Barbarian Horde" a no-less legitimate employer for mercenary PCs than the "Holy Kingdom of X"?

Another aspect is how to keep the backdrop interesting to the PCs. Civil conflict or war is fine and all, but there's the Only War problem of "go here, complete objective, await further orders" rinse and repeat. Assuming that the PCs are mercenaries who don't care (enough) about the various causes of their employers (We're descended from this legendary Hero and we will kill the demonic empire for GREAT JUSTICE!), what can be done to keep them engaged? Perhaps introduce a personal plot that concerns the PCs personally, that they can pursue along with the grander political story? Or just include a bunch of fun(ny) NPCs from various factions to keep them company and play up the extended family aspect of the mercenary company?

Lastly, and this is very likely the first thing my players will complain about, but how do I make the PCs feel important (read stroke their egos) while still being mercenaries? I know my players, and someone will probably bring up that they'll essentially just be unsung bag-men for whatever faction, with no investment or relevance to the overall narrative. The argument that "But its your story guys" doesn't fly with this i've learned, because personal RP fulfillment aside, some people want tangible proof that they're bigshots, and mercenaries are generally not bigshots in high fantasy. How can I throw them their badass power-fantasy bone and still respect the theme of what i'm going for? How do I make the players feel that yes, even if they are sellswords without thrones, armies or princesses to wed, they are still integral to the story and its development?

[Mystia]

While I have never tried to run a campaign like that, I think it should be quite fun, and besides those problems you have noted, it shouldn't be too hard... There are numerous ways to keep them feeling like mercenaries, since some different options should be open for them because of that condition, and, most importantly, would also help define what kind of mercs they are. For example, if they're hired by Kingdom A to attack Kingdom B, but when they arrive there, King B makes an offer to pay double what A is paying, will they take it and turn on their former employer? Or are them honorable mercenaries, which will fulfill their contracts and keep their word? And if they're fighting a seemingly losing battle - will they just up and run away once it's clear that the fight isn't worth what they're being payed for, or will they still stand their ground? Those are things that plain adventurers don't even have got the chance to consider usually, since they're after greater good (or evil) and things like that.

You also have to consider how different employers will employ their services. Some want to hire mercenaries in the traditional sense - an extra force, to add to the numbers of the kingdom's army, and be used on the battlefield. Another will want to use the mercenaries as a distraction on the battlefield itself, so that they can spare losses for the army while they launch an attack from the flanks. Other employer will use them in an even more deceptive way - they will secretly hire the mercs to go and do the real dirty job for them, you know, things no ruler wants to see written on the history books as being their deed.

Or maybe they are not even to be used on the war - "A red dragon is attacking the countryside, but the kingdom is too busy fighting elsewhere! Certainly the mercenaries would accept the king's coin to take care of the winged fiend?" Many standard adventure ideas can be adapted to fit for a mercenary's job, and since people expect them to be just interested in coin, they're certainly getting many "evil" offers in the beginning, which is great to help them establish an identity. I think that having a great diversity on their jobs and their very employers already helps in keeping it fresh and fun. I believe that Complete Warrior has got a few ideas for missions (or battlefield objectives) that could be easily adapted to fit a mercenary company.

Last, regarding they feeling accomplished for their deeds, don't forget that great mercenary companies are just as likely to get famous (or infamous) as is a small group of murderhobos that pillages old tombs. Since mercenaries are, well, soldiers for hire, it's important that they get fame to be hired by important employers, and the more famous they are, the more coin they're getting for it. And of course, important people of said group also get famous themselves, be it for their deeds on the battlefield, legendary tactics, or whatever. This is why their involvement shouldn't be easy to hide - because they don't want it to be. They won't wield their employer's banner, they will use their own. They need to make clear which things they did and didn't do, so that future employers know what they're capable of. GoT has some examples of famous merc companies with famous leaders, like the Golden Company (http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Golden_Company) or the Second Sons (http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Second_Sons). Overall, they are going to be famous, but shouldn't aim for individual fame - they want their group to be famous as a whole, so that people will admire, fear and respect them just by seeing their banner.
Aand I'm spent on ideas for now, but sure, I think that you should exploit the "family" aspect of the merc band, as in, they're mostly people with nowhere else to go, or that know no other way of living, etc.
Btw, nice reference over there on the title :smallbiggrin:

[whisperwind1]

Lol yeah it seemed like an appropriate thing to put in the title.

Ok I see, that's pretty cool advice. Although I'm still thinking about how to develop the various employers to be distinct from one another, because that's pretty key. The PCs might be mercenaries but the people they work for are probably the likes of Kings, Dictators, religious heads and basically the gamut of fantasy/political/military archetypes. I want it to feel like every faction in the setting has this worthy ideal, this thing that necessitates war and sacrifice to achieve. Its supposed to feel like the mercenaries are on the outside looking in to what each faction sees as their own, high fantasy D&D campaign. It seems like a fun way to highlight how a merc, without the trappings of traditional heroic adventurers, would see what PCs usually try to do. "Geez these people are crazy about that lawful good god of theirs. Crusades and standing against orcs? Whatever floats their boat I say, as long as the pay is good!"

It'd also be fun to work in rival mercenary companies, who are either up-and-comers like the PCs or regiments of renown. Usually there's a fight between PCs and rivals, but in this case, they'll probably end up working together on the same side, which should be cool. Maybe for social challenges the PCs could get into a bidding war for a particular contract, or need to compete with another company for the lion's share of loot after a successful raid.

[Telonius]

One possible situation: Kingdom A (who's hired the mercs) and Kingdom B are about to conclude a peace treaty. An interfering, up-and-coming duke accuses you of trying to scuttle the negotiations, and tries to frame you for doing exactly that.

[whisperwind1]

One possible situation: Kingdom A (who's hired the mercs) and Kingdom B are about to conclude a peace treaty. An interfering, up-and-coming duke accuses you of trying to scuttle the negotiations, and tries to frame you for doing exactly that.

Yeah but that would make things personal, and it might cause the PCs to politically align themselves with Kingdom A just to get back at this guy. Unless you mean that they need to recoup their street cred to work for either kingdom again? Like I said, the PCs are mercs, and thus only involve themselves with the affairs of their employers as much as they are paid to. How does the Duke plan on explaining why a random mercenary company would care about scuttling peace negotiations with the two Kingdoms? It seems like a political move that could potentially cause the PCs to forego mercenary work for this vendetta (which is counter to the campaign mission statement).

[Telonius]

Yeah but that would make things personal, and it might cause the PCs to politically align themselves with Kingdom A just to get back at this guy. Unless you mean that they need to recoup their street cred to work for either kingdom again? Like I said, the PCs are mercs, and thus only involve themselves with the affairs of their employers as much as they are paid to. How does the Duke plan on explaining why a random mercenary company would care about scuttling peace negotiations with the two Kingdoms? It seems like a political move that could potentially cause the PCs to forego mercenary work for this vendetta (which is counter to the campaign mission statement).

I'd imagined the duke being part of Country A. The Duke would explain that the mercs would be out of a job if peace were concluded. The Duke doesn't actually care about whether they're at peace or not, just that he's trying to gain more prominence and power at the expense of anybody who's been associated with the party up to that point. (And naturally, he'd agree to lay off the public outcry if the party were to do a simple little favor for him...) Not really a "primary conflict" sort of thing, just a side intrigue.

[whisperwind1]

I'd imagined the duke being part of Country A. The Duke would explain that the mercs would be out of a job if peace were concluded. The Duke doesn't actually care about whether they're at peace or not, just that he's trying to gain more prominence and power at the expense of anybody who's been associated with the party up to that point. (And naturally, he'd agree to lay off the public outcry if the party were to do a simple little favor for him...) Not really a "primary conflict" sort of thing, just a side intrigue.

Oh I see, I guess that makes sense.

Now here's another question about running a mercenary campaign, should there be a framework organization? I mean should there be like a mercenary liaisons outfit that gets folks contracts (like an adventurer's guild for sellswords), or is it more sensible to have them just hang out at a tavern and have the emissaries for various employers show up and announce contracts? I'm unclear on how this worked historically, so I was hoping to get something believable (or at least, that plausibly explains why contracts for every major faction find their way to the PCs' ears.)

[Snowbluff]

King A sends them to kill King B.
King B offers to pay them up front to kill King A.
They accept the payment, kill King B, and then kill King A.