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Worlds of Design: The Problem with Magimarts
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<blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 9316289" data-attributes="member: 9254"><p>This, this, a hundred times this. </p><p></p><p>The last d&d campaign I ran, the low level adventurers could buy one or two healing potions from the mid-sized town as they were all people were willing to spare against emergencies, <em>but</em> there was an alchemist who could make more...given time. So they would put in an order for the next batch of potions, with a caveat of if they don't pick it up in a month, the crafter will sell them and remake new as they didn't want to have much inventory, which could mean delays.</p><p></p><p>Recurring NPC established. All are happy.</p><p></p><p>When they came back a few quests later a few +1-ish items they didn't want, no one in town wanted the items but the alchemist told them to either go to capital city (far away) or to the annual fair that happens in a few weeks in the next county over. Alchemist gives them a letter of introduction and they head off to find an invitation-only auction run by the temple of the merchant god.</p><p></p><p>There they are allowed to be part of the private bidding auction, where they manage to get one or two things and sell most of their unwanted.</p><p></p><p>The priests are willing to act as brokers for disposing of their other unwanted items, making discreet inquiries and providing a degree of authentication.....for an honest price, of course. </p><p></p><p>For items like scrolls and potions the party seeks, the temple was willing to reach out to crafters they knew, like the party's first alchemist, to see if any would take a commission. Again, with an fee for the priests for their honest days of work.</p><p></p><p>During their adventures they established a network of known brokers (of various levels of honesty/trustworthiness). </p><p></p><p>More recurring NPCs of various backgrounds to act as adventure hooks. "Protect a shipment of potions", "find out what's destroying the forest that is source of healing-potion ingredients", "bodyguards to the Duke of Gribble to and from t Flan so he can buy a Lyre of Building to repair an aquaduct before the harvests are ruined"</p><p></p><p>Later, when they have a weird-powerful Mcguffin, they refuse to sell to anonymous randos and no one they could trust had the cash. One of their allies suggests they gift it to a noble they trusted and basically hope karma came back to them.</p><p></p><p>Off to Gribble they go. The Duke is grateful and gifts them some lands near the spooky woods. Because everyone knows adventurers aren't afraid of spooky woods. The PCs aren't displeased (not ecstatic about it, but not displeased) so they spend some money on hirelings to set up a small farm. Then, when the PCs inevitably fight off some threat from spooky woods, the Duke knights them. It's the bottom of the nobility, but it's still nobility and does come with a few perks like inferred respectability. </p><p></p><p>When someone comes to the Duke to try and buy said McGuffin and doesn't take no for an answer, the PCs are called on to hunt down the thieves.</p><p></p><p>The Duke directs one of his Barons to entrust the PCs with a very useful magic item to assist in their mission. It seems that rather than having some hard to secure vault of "emergency" magic items, the Duke distributes such things to his knights and nobles, who will naturally guard "their" loot and by being distributed there's no one high value target.</p><p></p><p>This also introduces a network of (mostly) trustworthy allies-of-allies where you might be able to borrow a powerful thing for a quest...or be asked to loan out one of <em>your</em> things for someone else's quest. (Think museums loaning each other relics, or one army sending weapons to an allied army)</p><p></p><p>So many recurring NPCs, plot hooks, opportunities for player engagement, rewards of all types (status, reknown, loot, items), and all from accepting that magic item commerce exists.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="kigmatzomat, post: 9316289, member: 9254"] This, this, a hundred times this. The last d&d campaign I ran, the low level adventurers could buy one or two healing potions from the mid-sized town as they were all people were willing to spare against emergencies, [I]but[/I] there was an alchemist who could make more...given time. So they would put in an order for the next batch of potions, with a caveat of if they don't pick it up in a month, the crafter will sell them and remake new as they didn't want to have much inventory, which could mean delays. Recurring NPC established. All are happy. When they came back a few quests later a few +1-ish items they didn't want, no one in town wanted the items but the alchemist told them to either go to capital city (far away) or to the annual fair that happens in a few weeks in the next county over. Alchemist gives them a letter of introduction and they head off to find an invitation-only auction run by the temple of the merchant god. There they are allowed to be part of the private bidding auction, where they manage to get one or two things and sell most of their unwanted. The priests are willing to act as brokers for disposing of their other unwanted items, making discreet inquiries and providing a degree of authentication.....for an honest price, of course. For items like scrolls and potions the party seeks, the temple was willing to reach out to crafters they knew, like the party's first alchemist, to see if any would take a commission. Again, with an fee for the priests for their honest days of work. During their adventures they established a network of known brokers (of various levels of honesty/trustworthiness). More recurring NPCs of various backgrounds to act as adventure hooks. "Protect a shipment of potions", "find out what's destroying the forest that is source of healing-potion ingredients", "bodyguards to the Duke of Gribble to and from t Flan so he can buy a Lyre of Building to repair an aquaduct before the harvests are ruined" Later, when they have a weird-powerful Mcguffin, they refuse to sell to anonymous randos and no one they could trust had the cash. One of their allies suggests they gift it to a noble they trusted and basically hope karma came back to them. Off to Gribble they go. The Duke is grateful and gifts them some lands near the spooky woods. Because everyone knows adventurers aren't afraid of spooky woods. The PCs aren't displeased (not ecstatic about it, but not displeased) so they spend some money on hirelings to set up a small farm. Then, when the PCs inevitably fight off some threat from spooky woods, the Duke knights them. It's the bottom of the nobility, but it's still nobility and does come with a few perks like inferred respectability. When someone comes to the Duke to try and buy said McGuffin and doesn't take no for an answer, the PCs are called on to hunt down the thieves. The Duke directs one of his Barons to entrust the PCs with a very useful magic item to assist in their mission. It seems that rather than having some hard to secure vault of "emergency" magic items, the Duke distributes such things to his knights and nobles, who will naturally guard "their" loot and by being distributed there's no one high value target. This also introduces a network of (mostly) trustworthy allies-of-allies where you might be able to borrow a powerful thing for a quest...or be asked to loan out one of [I]your[/I] things for someone else's quest. (Think museums loaning each other relics, or one army sending weapons to an allied army) So many recurring NPCs, plot hooks, opportunities for player engagement, rewards of all types (status, reknown, loot, items), and all from accepting that magic item commerce exists. [/QUOTE]
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