- -----Original Message-----
From: Kai Beste
To: birthright@MPGN.COM
Date: Friday, October 30, 1998 8:50 AM
Subject: Re: [BIRTHRIGHT] - More Bards!!!


>> Further, in my games, thieves do not typically hold guilds, Guilders do.
>> Guilders are a rogue Class unique to Cerilia, and ARE specialized in the
>> large-scale operation of business interests.
>
>That's an interesting point Mark brought up. What exactly is the
>difference in mentality between guilders and thieves? I suppose
>guilders tend to legal operations and trade and are the wealthy,
>influential upper middle class (German Hanse, venice merchants,
>Marco Polo...), and are normally prepared to cooperate and form
>agreements.
>On the other hand thieves do more smuggling and black market
>business, maybe even protection rackets (though that idea might be
>too modern). They are more shadowy figures, stick to the underworld,
>and generally are a thorn in the side of any regent. They might tend
>to use browbeating before diplomacy. But then, maybe not.
>I don't think all guilds have to be held by guilders. Some of them
>might be operated by thieves (hmm... Orthien Tane maybe?). They just
>operate in other areas and use other tactics. A fighter regent could
>end up protecting a guilder from incursions from a thief. This idea
>could go a long way to fleshig out the different guilds. At the
>moment I have about 5 or 6 different guilds operating in my PC's
>realms, and I'm still looking for a way to make them distinct and
>recognisable so that the players remember them (wasn't El Hadid the
>guy who... :-).
>
>comments anybody?
>
>Kai
>

With regard to protection rackets, I don't think it fits. I mean, in
this type of society, the government IS the protection racket. I don't think
Mr. King would like Mr. Thief Gangster moving in on his turf. he he he he...