Why Every D&D Party Needed Hirelings...
Today on the Black Notebook...
Hirelings were never just background characters in AD&D 1st Edition. They carried torches, guarded the camp, hauled treasure, and sometimes saved the entire party from disaster. In this episode of The Black Notebook, I look at why hirelings were an expected part of the game, how they changed the way adventures played, and why so many modern groups have left them behind. If you've ever wondered why old school parties seemed so much larger than today's adventuring groups, this episode explains why.
I think they are valuable and add flavor to the campaign, do you think hirelings are useful, even in modern D&D games, or just a waste of coin?
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Never really used hirelings and henchmen, but my D&D experience is 3.5. But I see the potential value in them.
Excellent episode.
When I played AD&D we never used hired help, no henchmen or hirelings, if ever we'd use multiple characters and Charisma was the dump stat.
However, I think this was because we only ever played standard modules, and if you consider that then there is probably no need for hired help, either because the module is unconcerned with the logistics of travel or because it forced NPCs on the players.
I really only started with hired help when I played Basic edition during the revival period and in campaign style adventures, one group went hard into hired help and had a small army of specialists to set up camp outside the treasure trove and guard the wagons whilst the party made repeated trips to gradually clear out the dungeon.
Since then, I've always been keen to get retainers/henchmen, having a high Charisma is now desirable, I quite like having a little army. However, most DMs I play with aren't so keen, limiting the availability or making it difficult, which is a shame.