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My players tend to hire a fair number of hirelings, both men-at-arms and torch-bearers. What often happens is that the men-at-arms do quite a bit of the fighting (and dying), but then the PCs come away with all the XP. My understanding is that it's only retainers (henchmen) that receive shares of XP and treasure, while hirelings just get their agreed-upon wage. But something about this doesn't smell right to me. If you want the hirelings to share in the dangerous stuff, then you shouldn't come away with all of the reward when you didn't take all the risk.

So, should I just keep going as is (all XP and treasure going to PCs, hirelings just get their wage) or am I misunderstanding how this is supposed to work?

If the PC's use the hirelings to do most of the work- then the XP should be reduced accordingly. Also hirelings should behave smarter- they wont take the brunt of all the fighting while the PC's hang back & direct from the rear. If the hirelings are treated badly they could abandon the party at a critical time, possibly with some of their "pay". At the very least, word of the poor treatment will spread and the party will find it very difficult to find replacements. Or they will demand a hefty fee & payment upfront.

In B/X, hirelings won't go 'adventuring', they are hired soldiers (who will guard, invade, defend, etc.). Only henchmen/retainers will go adventuring. Therefore, torch-bearers and men-at-arms would both be henchmen/retainers, with all the benefits and restrictions.

kipper wrote:In B/X, hirelings won't go 'adventuring', they are hired soldiers (who will guard, invade, defend, etc.). Only henchmen/retainers will go adventuring. Therefore, torch-bearers and men-at-arms would both be henchmen/retainers, with all the benefits and restrictions.

If that's so, then I have been doing it wrong. Is there something in the LL books to that effect?

Edit: Indeed there is (LL 46-47), and I've overlooked it this whole time, dammit.

Check out the very cool Labyrinth Lord Minions rules here http://www.lordkilgore.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Labyrinth-Minions.pdf, from Lord Kilgore.

I run these and add some extra stuff; all men at arms cost 100 gold pieces up front to hire. All adventurers want this AND all of their equipment supplying in my campaign. This has a number of positive effects. As well as draining player coffers it helps to stop the players using these guys as fodder so much because they are expensive to replace.

I like it. I've been using Greg Gillespie's Meatshields generator, but this will come in handy too.

So, do torch-bearers get a share of XP too, or is it only the ones involved in fighting?

I run it like this: adventurers get half shares of XP, men at arms get none and can never advance beyond their 0 level human fighter status. I do allow the players to outfit them with better equipment than they arrive on the scene with and force them to outfit adventurers they recruit. Adventurers also demand a full share of treasure to join up. Torch bearers gain no xp, flee from battle if under threat and are really there to carry things.

Yep, that's how I'm doing it now. Back in the day we never used hirelings and henchmen (and did all kinds of other wacked out stuff) so in a way this is still newish to me.

I say they share in the risk/danger, so they share in the XP! That means they will soon become classed.