Today we take mass production for granted. You go to a
big-box store and buy a rope out of a bin. There are tens of thousands of
identical ropes. Most fantasy settings are not set in an industrialize world.
That means each rope was made by hand. In a world of handmade stuff it was
common for a craftsman to sign their creation. For example, the rope maker
could use a few specially colored threads in the weave that made all the ropes
they made unique form all the other ropes. Samurai swords often have a
signature on their tang identifying the maker.
A World Builder can use this to make each and every item in
their world unique. A character goes to a merchant to buy a rope. The merchant
says, “I have two ropes for sale. One from the famed rope maker Connehorn for
52 gold, or one from the lesser known Reanderei for 50 gold.” Five Guys Burgers
and Fries uses this very idea in their stores when they write on the chalk
board what farm grew the potatoes they used for their fries.
This opens up new adventures. The party tries to sell a
sword they took off of some monster. The merchant says, “The famed smith Mance
forged this sword four centuries ago, where did you get this?”
Solid concept, I hadn't considered using it with lesser items. I'm not sure the sort of signs of make would be very obvious in a lot of cases and the idea of "the famed rope maker" seems a little silly. But I could certainly see using one's knowledge of local craftsmen to ensure or improve the quality of their purchases or as selling points by the merchants selling the good.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly one's ability to appraise the quality of goods could come into play when shopping to make sure the pick out the pieces of equipment that are made using the best techniques or by the best craftsmen even if their identities never come into play. A sloppy shopper could end up with equipment with minor flaws while a careful observer might get something that functions even better then expected (read as bonus/penalty or chance of breakage, etc.)
I picked rope because it is something you could find in a big-box store. The Walmart near me does not carry swords (it does carry guns).
ReplyDeleteGabriel,
ReplyDeleteBut if the adventures fine a prominent member of a villag bound and throat cut. Then they notice that the rope used has a distinctive thread running through it, they could trace that to the maker in the neighboring village. Just a thought!
I love possibilities, Jeffery.
Thanks