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Having "Rangers" in your novel...

Ok. I'm guilty of this. I've put "rangers in my novel. Shoot me now. (or don't, I kinda like living)

I have included an order of people whose job it is too wander around the world, and kill crazed Blood Mages, draugr, bandits, kobolds, ect.
And yes, as you may expect, they are badasses. And yes, one does join up with the MC, his partner in crime and the two lads that they going to sell escorting.

But, because I like playing around with clichés and the like, the rangers hate being called rangers, they're greedy, only in it for the money, and run the biggest network of spies and intelligence through out the lands; they make money on the side selling information and news. *snort* do you think the MC just meets one in a tavern and doesn't have to pay for new? Ohh, and they only patrol through countries that pays hefty fees to them; why would they risk their lives for no money?

Anyway, that's my take on them. Anybody got anything similar?
 

Jabrosky

Banned
I have hunters whom you could say are similar to traditional rangers. Usually what they do is provide villages with game meat and other wildlife products, but they also protect the people from predators, bandits, and other perils. I am not sure if I would call them nomadic like your rangers though. They may travel around a bit in pursuit of game, but they would probably have stations at each village.
 

Guy

Inkling
Yeah. I haven't written it yet, but it's something I fully intend to use. My guys would spend maybe two months patrolling the wilds and two months on duty in a city, then rotate back to patrolling the wilds. They are paid for their services and negotiate their contracts, things like that.
 

Queshire

Auror
There's no formal organization in mine, but there's always that guy who makes his living off of the wilderness regardless of it being monster filled. They're often hired as guides for travellers traveling through their wilderness and have devised a set of marks like hobo marks to tell other guides what's in the surroundings. They're not super badasses in a fight either, they're just specialized in serving in the wilderness and they're really good at it.
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
I have such groups in a couple of my stories. There's plenty of historical precedent for rangers, and besides - they're awesome.

One story I'm in the planning off right now has rangers as many of the main characters. They keep the peace, as it were, between the main human settlement and the infinite, often-hostile wilderness beyond the farmlands. I'm still trying to decide if I'll come up with a name other than "rangers" for them.
 
Telcontar, they are awesome as characters, and that sounds like quite an interesting premise to a story, I wouldn't mind reading some of that. It does sound a bit like the Red Knight, an amazing novel, you'd probably like it.

In my story, the rangers don't actually call themselves that, they get pretty shirty if someone calls them a ranger; the real name of their order is the Arawn Danu, but as that's a bit of a mouthful, the common folk call them rangers.

And Guy (sounds so weird typing that, my names is actually Guy, not WeilderOfTheMonekyBlade *shocked gasps) , I think that's quite a cool thing going on with the rotations. I've got more specific roles. You've got the standard ones who just rock around the countrys, and then a group of the best, called the Deathwatch Guard, who watch this giant Park, imaginatively called the Great Park, which is this massive haven for Blood Mages and their Draugr minions. Ohhh, and my gypsy elves life there as well. Its a small world....
 
Hi,

I've got various types of rangers in my books. Mostly they're elven patrols. Humans would have outriders patrolling the land for threats eg brigands. Elves have rangers.

I think the danger you face with your rangers concept is that they border so closely on brigands that with a snap of someones fingers they would become criminals. You need some way of keeping them just this side of the law. Perhaps a warrior code such that they always obey those who pay them - i.e. mercenaries.

Cheers, Greg.
 

Motley

Minstrel
I don't understand why this is bad or the OP should be shot.

The rangers here sound a lot like mercenaries, which exist in the real world too. Or scouts, which have to exist in some form or another in a world to make political and military sense.
 

Queshire

Auror
@Motley: LOTR syndrome. Tolkein did rangers so everyone started doing it and now some people think they're cliche and stereotypical. A similar type of thing can be seen with Elves, Dwarves, and so on.
 
Thanks for all these posts, they've been pretty interesting to read. Far more interesting than Biology revision *yawn* :)

Motley, my reasoning for it being a bad thing, or my initial thinking it is, is basically as Queshire said, over done, and by many Tolkien clones, done badly. Or not badly, but with no real twist, nothing original.

I notice that some of you have mentioned that they are a lot like mercenaries, and that is true. There is some sort of oath that they swear to stay out of human conflicts and the like, but I haven't given it much consideration yet. And they cant be bought because they get paid really well as it is; there no point.

Their pay comes from selling information, and, more officially, from the order itself ,it comes from fees that countries pay to have the rangers patrolling the countryside, and the orders also has a monopoly on trading things, furs from the north, their own special breed of horses, stuff like that.
 
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GodArch

New Member
Merc?

Ok. I'm guilty of this. I've put "rangers in my novel. Shoot me now. (or don't, I kinda like living)

I have included an order of people whose job it is too wander around the world, and kill crazed Blood Mages, draugr, bandits, kobolds, ect.
And yes, as you may expect, they are badasses. And yes, one does join up with the MC, his partner in crime and the two lads that they going to sell escorting.

But, because I like playing around with clichés and the like, the rangers hate being called rangers, they're greedy, only in it for the money, and run the biggest network of spies and intelligence through out the lands; they make money on the side selling information and news. *snort* do you think the MC just meets one in a tavern and doesn't have to pay for new? Ohh, and they only patrol through countries that pays hefty fees to them; why would they risk their lives for no money?

Anyway, that's my take on them. Anybody got anything similar?
*cough* cough* Mercenary *cough*cough*
 

Trick

Auror
I actually have a group connected to the police/constables in my WIP who specifically patrol the wilderness and keep large predators out of certain areas. They also act as guides for the wealthy folks who hunt has a hobby in those same areas. The lack of natural predators makes sure there is always something to shoot at and since most of the snobs are not exactly crack shots, the Rangers keep them safe in a "the buck is running right at me!" situation. They are actually called Rangers but they are a division of the law, like trumped up park rangers, so it's less glamorous than some others on here. They're basically bad guys in my WIP though because my MC is a thief who at a few points illegally goes into the wilderness and hunts.
 
Yeah, I got a group in my WIP which live in the mountains and protect the realms from the Hillmen (Bandit style war tribes), but only if the rulers of the land give them monthly payments of food, clothes, Armour, weapons and warriors. (Imagine them a bit like The Night's Watch for GRRM A Game Of Thrones
 
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