Friday, July 20, 2012

This Thing I Won't Help You With (PWA 4.1)

Phantasy Warrior Advance: This Thing I Won'T Help You With (PWA 4.1)
This comes up in so many games, yet it also comes up quite a bit in the grim reality of life.  "Let me tell you about this thing that would totally help you in your current situation!  I could help you with it, but I won't.  I'll just tell you about it."  It is a surprising thing to me how often people do this in games and, to a certain extent, how much we let them get away with it.

There is something entertaining to me about bureaucracy in a fantasy realm.  Generally, most fantasy settings (in games and such) have a lot more in common with the modern world than any sort of medieval society, but I rarely see enough modern red tape.  Go to the weapon shop and buy a magical, automatic crossbow?  No waiting period.  Buy a boat?  No licensing or insurance requirements.  Of course, it would be a super-not-fun game if you had to go through that kind of stuff.  The very idea that you have to go to "hero school" or go through a "heroic apprentice program" to be a hero is absurd, but when you consider how much certification and sanctioning we do in the modern age, it only makes sense that being an adventurer or a hero would have the same level of bureaucratic nonsense.

Some people may be wondering what "Rule 6" is.  No, this is not a subtle reference to some sort of strange Internet meme or some pornographic oddity.  But, as the joke continues into the next comic, I'll wait a bit before revealing that.

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