The term "Adventurer" is really dumb, and I wish it was dropped already.
They really should be called Mercenaries since that is basically what they are, but instead they put themselves in harm's way in more perilous situation than that is considered normal for a mercenary job, I swear I blame Neverwinter Nights for the term to make it sound really dumb.
(Moderator please lock this topic, this is getting ridiculous).
(Moderator please lock this topic, this is getting ridiculous).
Post edited by Kaliesto on
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It just seems like too much of unrealistic random behavior for anyone without some kind of "real" purpose to go out and "adventure" if they had to do so.
Most of them aren't even freelancing through quests and either waste their time in taverns, break into other people's properties, or aimlessly journey around in a means of self-discovery.
NB, RL Bear Grylls describes his occupation as "Adventurer".
Now, focusing on the topic at hand, I think there is difference between adventurer and mercenary - the fist doesn't have to be motivated by money. For example, traveling paladin can and most likely will help out other people in his adventure, but generally won't ask for any reward. Mercenary, most of the time, would want to just make a living, and that's understandable.
So basically, being mercenary is about making a living, while being adventurer can be about something else than money. Thrill of adventure and discovery, some self-imposed mission and so on.
Even Ancient Rome had its fair share of NEET's it seems.
The only thing I can think of is "not evil evil things" from Angel, but that seems quite wrong.
That said, I do find it cringeworthy when it pops up in-game... if someone were to describe themselves that way IRL, I personally would roll my eyes and mentally give them another title (probably only four letters long). What? Went on a gap year to Thailand, did you? How original of you.
I have a similar reaction to "the party".
Although I think there have been and are people in the real world who could be characterized accurately as adventurers.
However, "Adventurer" is a blanket term that can cover both Explorers AND Mercenaries.
I do wonder if there is some cultural/national bias coming in here. To me (English) it seems perfectly natural and reasonable to call someone and adventurer, both in fantasy and real life. To be disparaging about such people sounds like geek prejudice against non-geeks.
And to refer to a "party" meaning a group of people who travel together, for that matter. The coach party visited the Tower of London.
As a teacher, I have lead parties of school children on trips. And yes, it is a good idea to gather them before venturing forth. Leaving one of the little monsters behind is generally considered undesirable.
On the other hand exploration is as old as life itself. Whenever the Explorer seeks for resources (loot), researches on the field (questing), or tries to establishes new ways. I think the term fits like a glove.
Just to double-check my own perceptions I did an internet search on Ranulph Fiennes and Walter Raleigh. Both are prominently described as adventurers, which is what I expected. Nor would I have the slightest problem with someone in real life describing themselves as an adventurer - if indeed they were used to going on adventures.
It's a self ascribed title, and as such strikes me as inherently pretentious. I've a good friend who has done 6 of the world's 10 highest peaks and a number of other trails and similar (he goes every couple of years as a charity thing)... he doesn't descibe/define himself by these things... he does that by what he does the other 10-11 months of the year. They're just things he's done.
U.K. British and done a jaunt or two myself here btw.
As for your friend, from what you've said his main occupation is clearly not adventuring, so why should be describe himself as an adventurer? Contrast that, however, with someone like Ranulph Fiennes whose main occupation (at least in later life) has been adventuring.
I recognise that this isn't the case for all applications of the word.
I mean I am not trying to say their annoyance is wrong or anything, although I do disagree with it.
It gets really annoying hearing the word "Adventurer" in the most cringe worthy tone, and it starting to feel more like a mockery of DnD than anything actually serious. NWN & NWN (MMORPG) just went violated that word over, and over again in the most terrible tones, and usage in writing. The other problems with "Adventurer" nowadays that is now being used in almost every sentence in DnD games from villagers, and to whatever, and to me that signals incredibly lazy writing, it is like they couldn't come up with anything other than reminding you that you are a "Adventurer" over, and over again.
Also you have stereotype characters like one in Temple of Elemental Evil that really make a mockery of a Adventurer with that writing in it (Oh? You want to go out adventuring do you? How about not sounding like a moron first?).
Other (Somewhat related for writing):
When you have villagers, and other characters spouting the same lines to you over, and over again like "Well Met" that signals to me the game developers didn't care to put in any soul into their work, but this is not the case so much for BG & IWD, but more of a issue with NWN. I just don't want to see a trainwreck like that again in future DnD games by making every character say the same thing over, and over again, it is unrealistic & pretty annoying.
The core issue I'm trying to get here is that certain terms & writing are feeling more like a running gag that never stops, and it also baffles me that every character must say "well met" for the 100th time.
Conclusion:
Though I don't really agree how Adventurer is applied in the dnd World, I just wished they came up with something better than that term.
Back when BG was first written, voice over in computer games was rare and minimal. No one would have considered recording dozens or different greetings, even if it made sense. And NWN is a toolset. You want NPCs to say something different? Write it yourself.
I understand that, but the point I was trying to make that not every person is going to say "well met", and especially evil aligned characters, the term "well met" was so overused in voiced lines or in writing that it created a unrealistic atmosphere with the characters, and I'm well aware that most cultures have their own greeting (I'm not ignorant on this, apologies if it seemed like I was first).
There is a lot of Synonyms that could have been used to diversify the cast of characters in voiced lines, and other standards for evil-aligned characters, but they were very underused because some reason "well met" must be pounded to the ground for everything.
Well Met, Well Met, Well Met, Well Met, Well Met.
WELL MET
WELL MET
WELL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
It haunts me so much.
However, that's also why I feel like using the word mercenary, which is even more restrictive than adventurer, would run into the same kind of trouble very fast. A writer that can't handle the word adventurer will not be better prepared to use mercenary. Less common synonyms like freelancer, freeboter, sellsword or the like might do better, but it would still run into the above problem plus a feeling of overuse of slangish terms.
Finally, as for people using the word adventurer to describe themselves in the modern age, just big fucking lolz. No. Just no. Non-jokingly calling yourself that is a huge mark in the pretentious douchebag book.