Disposable Bandits: Difference between revisions

Groups of bandits are very popular picks for the lowest power human([[:Category:Fantastic Sapient Species Tropes|oid]]) enemies in the [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]] in fantasy and [[Post Apocalyptic]] fiction. Their motivation is straightforward and requires little explanation, they can come from anywhere, and, while armed combatants, bandits rarely have significant combat skill and generally only have actual training if they began as [[Dangerous Deserter|military deserters]] (in which case their training is generally still minimal) making them some the weakest willing combatants possible. Even more importantlyimportant is that, unless [[Just Like Robin Hood|they style themselves as champions of the poor]], bandits [[Outlaw|have absolutely no legal or social protection]] and [[Asshole Victim|the only people who have a problem with killing bandits are other bandits]], so the heroes are free to slaughter them as they wish. These factors make bandits excellent [[Starter Villain]]s and [[Random Encounters]]. Random encounter bandits are especially frequent in [[An Entrepreneur Is You|trader simulator]] type games as they provide reason to include combat, with space based ones using [[Space Pirates]], while those focused on naval operations use the normal kind of [[Pirate]]. [[Wide Open Sandbox]] games are fond of this trope as well, since bandits provide an easy target for the player to kill without angering any factions, and it [[Impossible Item Drop|makes sense]] for them to drop usable equipment.

* Generic, unaffiliated, pirates are a common [[Random Encounter]] when sailing in ''[[Sid Meier's Pirates]]'' and can be hunted as a way to gain booty without taking on a national government. One unique aspect of the game's implementation is that ships encountered are not automatically identified, and sticking around to identify a ship decreases the odds you'll be able to get away or have initiative in the fight, but attacking straight away runs the risk of biting off more than you can chew and attacking other-wise non-hostile targets, possibility to the extent of starting a fight with a nation.