Encounter Idea 21 – The Soldier

Wars are fought, nations rise and fall, fortunes are won and lost and through it all stands the individual that protects the land and people on behalf of the government – the soldier.

Before introducing this individual to your role-playing group spend a few minutes to think about his appearance (armor, weaponry, unit insignia and so on) and whether he is a career man or simply serving the minimum tour required.

In addtion to thinking about those things you should also think about how the public in general views the military, are the supportive, afraid or indifferent? Do they consider it an honor to serve or is it required of the state or maybe both?

So how can you use this in your campaign?

– The soldier is a recruiter and approaches the party about enlisting. Of course if they don’t enlist a press gang (encounter idea #10) may show up in the area.
– The soldier is retired and is telling tales of campaigns from long ago. This is a good way to pass along historical information to the party.
– The soldier is newly enlisted and is showing off his shiny new uniform trying to impress those around him.

Remember that the soldier does not have to be a male figher type either – mix it up with female soldiers, non-warrior types such as mages, rogues, mechanics or medical individuals.

May your dice roll well.

Be sure to check out these additional encounter ideas