Witch Trials Resurrected: Netflix's New Program Breathes Life into Salem's Dark History

A new Netflix program on the Salem witch trials has been released, shedding light on one of the darkest chapters in American history. The program delves into the events of 1692, when a wave of hysteria overtook the town of Salem, Massachusetts, leading to the imprisonment, torture, and execution of numerous individuals accused of witchcraft. The main focus of the program is to provide a comprehensive and accurate retelling of the Salem witch trials, showcasing the complex factors that contributed to the witch hunt and its devastating consequences. Through a combination of expert interviews, historical documents, and dramatized reenactments, the series seeks to bring the audience closer to understanding the social, religious, and cultural context in which these trials occurred. One of the main points emphasized in the program is the role of fear and superstition in driving the witch trials. In 17th-century New England, Puritan religious beliefs and fears of the supernatural were deeply ingrained in society.

It really just depends on the game world.

I don t believe in every town having a magical mage-mart on every corner with infinite supplies of everything or the ability to order it with instantaneous shipping via teleport. In my airship game, the continents float in mid-air and thus slippers of spider climbing and rings of feather falling are common enough that they could, if they wanted, buy them in virtually ANY port they come across.

In 17th-century New England, Puritan religious beliefs and fears of the supernatural were deeply ingrained in society. This environment created a breeding ground for suspicion and accusations, with even the slightest deviation from societal norms being interpreted as evidence of witchcraft. The program also explores the political dynamics of the time, as well as the personal rivalries and power struggles that fueled the accusations.

Do you REALLY let PCs buy Magical Items?

I've noticed repeatedly comments in various threads by players and the game developers that buying magical items is common place.

Now, Pathfinder Society ASIDE (please), how many GMs out there really have players buying magical items like most of us buy appliances at the local store?

A simple Yes/No is good, but comments and advice are appreciated :)

Yes. (Assuming they have access to a big enough city for what they want to buy, every exact thing they want may not be available instantly, etc. -- but basically, yes.)

The main problem with not (unless you try very hard to correct for it) is that scarcity of magic item choice impacts weaker characters more than stronger characters. I'd rather not kick the argument of which classes those are and why, but you can find numerous other threads about that piece of it around if you're curious.

Or, if you want to put that argument aside for a moment, it impacts characters that have a harder time crafting what they want more than characters who have an easy time crafting what they want -- and RAW, even with literally no downtime crafting still happens.

I big cities, I allow players to buy more "common' magic items, or custom order better/unique magic items from resident mages.
In other words, pretty much, yes.

In large cities? Yes. Depends on the value of the item, sure, but some things are simply that common. In my airship game, the continents float in mid-air and thus slippers of spider climbing and rings of feather falling are common enough that they could, if they wanted, buy them in virtually ANY port they come across.

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Yes. Most of the time they're not a problem, but if they get too greedy, then I just have the seller tell them that he doesn't have what they want, but for a 'small fee' will start a search for it. You need to, as others have said, mind the city's limitations on availability, too.

I actually wrote a program to generate magical items for sale in cities, based on size/value. It's all from the Magic Item Compendium tables.

Then, I print out 'Visit 1', 'Visit 2', 'Visit 3' lists of pregenerated lists. If I think it's a city they'll visit often, I just print out a list before each game.

Then, when they reach a city and start looking around, and let it be kown they're looking for stuff, people crawl out of the woodwork offering things, shopkeepers pull out he special stuff, and they go shopping.

If they want a specific item and can't find it, they have to commission it at a large enough city, or make it themselves.

Yes I allow my players to buy magical items according to the rules in the core book. That said I think it takes away a lot of the wonder from magical items (as do the crafting system), but the game is balanced around pc's having a certain amount of magical gear according to their level. If you remove the pc's chance of getting magical items you will upset the games balance and the pc's might not be able to handle appropriate challenges as written.

I've noticed repeatedly comments in various threads by players and the game developers that buying magical items is common place.

Now, Pathfinder Society ASIDE (please), how many GMs out there really have players buying magical items like most of us buy appliances at the local store?

A simple Yes/No is good, but comments and advice are appreciated :)

Thanks!

Ken

Personally, I don't have 'ye olde magic shop' but weapons shops/blacksmiths are stocked with magical items. usually they have mostly items under +2 or less value, with a total if 15-20 objects higher. all of these items are rolled randomly before the session. They can special order a particular item if they can wait for 3D6 weeks (rerolling 1s if they are asking for anything particularly hard to find)

Depends on the Campaign setting.

It really just depends on the game world.

Depends on where they are.

For example, the party of adventurers I'm running was just in Daggermark, home of both the Assassins' Guild and the Poisoners' Guild. I told them that if they wanted any alchemical substance or poison, now was the time to pick it up, because the shopkeepers would happily sell it to them, and the only problem with getting anything would be running out of stock, not something being illegal.

Later, they got into a town with a Coliseum and big business with gladiator stuff. I told them that anything related to that, including all reasonable healing magics, would be for sale with no trouble. Anything beyond that, ask.

I don't believe in every town having a magical mage-mart on every corner with infinite supplies of everything or the ability to order it with instantaneous shipping via teleport. But if a city is known for a certain good or a certain business, all the items related to that should be available there.

Yes but it's not like running down to Target to pick up a fancy wand. You need to go to the right places to begin with:

1) Arcane scrolls, potions, wands: wizard schools, libraries, local wizards
2) Divine scrolls, potions, wands: places of worship
3) Everything else you need to search for. The Diplomacy DC is equal to the caster level of the item. You gain a bonus equal to the Economy modifier of the settlement. You are limited to the purchase limit of the settlement. If you want to find something that would be beyond that limit, then the DC increases by +5 for every settlement size difference. So if you are in a Thorpe and are looking a Manual of Bodily Health +4, then the DC is 17 + 35 = 52. If he is looking in a Large Town then the DC is 17 + 15 = 32. This will only give him an idea of who may have the item he seeks. It doesn't mean that he will automatically get the item.

I don't have magic item shops. Just because you may have found someone with the item doesn't meant that person is willing to just cough it up for the Blue Book value. You may be able to haggle or negotiate to adjust the price. This is where role playing comes in handy but it I don't want to spend more than a few minutes shopping so I let the player speak his piece and then we do a quick Diplomacy roll to see how well you did. Usually the owner is Indifferent. If the owner is Unfriendly then the cost increases by 10%. If the owner is Hostile then the price increases by 25% or more. If the owner is Friendly, the cost is reduced by 10%. If the owner is Helpful then the cost is reduced by 25% or more.

The items that are spectacular and wondrous and interesting? You find those, hidden away in dark crevices or temples, being used by malcontents or monsters, left behind by ancient peoples. It doesn't mean that normal magic items can't be interesting.

When it comes down to it, describing the bracers of armor +1 the wizard bought as a strand of 108 prayer beads or maybe a collection of gold-stamped cat charms helps ground the magic in the game and less in the book. Besides the snazzy description I can give a cloak of resistance +1, after a long time of gaming, no one is excited or bedazzled or even struck in awe by a +1 to AC or to saves. It takes the really special stuff that you can use creatively to get people's gears turning ("You mean this gauntlet actually has screwed itself into my wrist. and I can fire my fist as a grappling hook? You mean it has a mind of its own, too? And an eye on the back of the hand I can see out of?!").

I've actually had players gush more over completely mundane items than magic items. In a recent game, for his heroism, I had the members of the Varisian community make him a sturdy trench coat with the Varisian saying for 'Good luck' (Let me live) on the back. You'd think he didn't even get full access to the city's armory as well by the amount he treasured that jacket.

But even snazzing items up with cool descriptions or minor cosmetic features can backfire. Like.
"That item's an upgrade for you-- why don't you use it?"
"Oh. You described it as a pair of rubber yellow gloves and I think that looks stupid."

Yah you betcha! Have since I started running games back in 2nd edition. If I didn't, I'd have players taking all the craft feats and making them at half price, so by allowing them to purchase them in large enough cities I'm keeping them from getting even more than what they can already.

Sure you could house rule the feats aren't available, but all you're doing is messing with the game balance. The designers made the game assuming an average wealth per level worth of items, by not allowing item purchases, you're either screwing your players out of treasure by giving them items they can't/won't/don't want to use, or you're picking out treasure specific for each PC, and if you're doing that, why not just let them buy what they want to begin with.

If they decide to keep an item that was handed out, they're better off than selling it and buying something else, since they have to sell it for half the market value. So while they might be able to get something that will work better for their character by buying it, they're having to use more resources in order to do it, so it balances out in the end, at least in my eyes.

Yes. There are spellcasters that deal in magic gear, and can procure items on request. But I can decide when and what the character can get.

Yes, although it may take time and effort to seek out a particular item; it's not like going to the grocery store for a dozen eggs.

We're doing the Shackled City campaign and we're all about 9th level. Think we've bought a single wand of cure light wounds once and that's about it.

We don't tend to have a lot of liquid currency to turn into magic items, and then of course there is the dying.

Considering the rules for making magic items that have been in effect from 3.0 to 3.5 to Pathfinder, it honestly stresses suspension of disbelief if there ISN'T a significant magic item economy. Even if magic items are as rare as great masterworks of art are in our world, there's STILL a significant economy for them.

In the case of cleansing washes, the water used can be sent down the drain while visualizing the negative energy washing away. You can also flush it down the toilet. Make sure any bits of herbs have been strained out and never send oils down the drain. Depending on your septic situation, you may need to make special considerations with salt and products that may disturb its natural digestive cycles. Floor washes may be sent down the drain or tossed out the door with conviction.

It delves into the role of prominent figures such as Reverend Samuel Parris and his contentious relationship with the town's residents, which played a significant role in fanning the flames of the witch trials. Overall, the Netflix program on the Salem witch trials offers a comprehensive and engaging exploration of this dark chapter in American history. By presenting a balanced perspective, it provides viewers with a deeper understanding of the societal factors that led to the devastating events in Salem. Through its mix of historical analysis and dramatic storytelling, the series aims to ensure that the lessons of the witch trials are not forgotten, reminding us of the dangers of unchecked fear, prejudice, and ignorance..

Reviews for "The Betrayal of Innocence: Netflix's New Program Spotlights the Salem Witch Trials"

- Emily - 2 stars

I was really excited to watch this Netflix program on the Salem witch trials, but I was ultimately disappointed. The storyline felt rushed and superficial, and the character development was lacking. It felt like the writers were more focused on creating sensational scenes rather than telling a well-rounded and historically accurate story. I also found some of the acting to be quite mediocre, which really took away from the overall viewing experience. Unfortunately, this program fell short of my expectations.

- Mark - 1 star

I can confidently say that this Netflix program on the Salem witch trials is one of the worst I've ever seen. The acting was cringe-worthy, and the dialogue was incredibly cheesy. The plot was all over the place and lacked any real depth or substance. It was evident that the producers were more interested in creating over-the-top drama rather than presenting an accurate portrayal of the historical events. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this one.

- Sarah - 2 stars

As someone who has always been fascinated by the Salem witch trials, I was excited to see a Netflix program dedicated to this topic. However, I found this particular program to be incredibly disappointing. The pacing was off, with certain scenes dragging on while others felt rushed. The historical inaccuracies were also quite frustrating, as they took away from the authenticity of the story. While there were some redeeming qualities, such as the atmospheric setting, overall, I wish I had spent my time watching a more well-executed adaptation of the Salem witch trials.

The Salem Witch Trials Reimagined: Netflix's Program Challenges Preconceived Notions