Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Economics part 1

Assumptions:
 The average household of 5 survives on 1 sp per day. This provides bread, cheese, milk, eggs, ale or wine, firewood, and leaves a little left over each week for buying cloth, salt, honey, meat, or other luxury items. It also covers taxes.

 1 sp a day for 6 days a week(nobody works on sundays!) equals out to 312 sp per year, or 3120 cp.
In my campaigns I also usually introduce half-pieces(hp), which are worth 1/2 a cp, for a total of 6240 distinct units of currency available to a family of 5 each year. However, for purposes of this article, I will stick with cp.
 From this information, we can figure that the average person requires 624 cp to have an "average" lifestyle.


We're also assuming that it takes 5 acres to support a single individual in a similar fashion(2 acres crop, 2 acres pasture, 1 acre other(stuff to be replanted the following year, winter feed, etc). As such, we can assume that 5 acres will generate 624 cp a year in terms of goods, or roughly 125(124.8) cp a year per acre.(Note: I could go a lot more detailed on how to generate a village farm is run, but frankly, Harn-Manor has already done that, and I'd just be ripping them off).

After figuring out how much your farmers produce and consume, you'll be able to figure out how much actual surplus they have. This surplus may be used to feed/clothe towns and cities.

Next time; How to generate production!

Monday, November 29, 2010

City Generation

Ok, sorry for the delay in posting folks, holiday issues, illness, the upcoming move to another continent, and lack of internet conspired to make this post a little late.


The space a city takes up is determined mostly by the actual amount of people living there. As such, I recommend  taking a slightly more organic approach. creating a few villages, the gobble them up as you need space. If however, you're starting the campaign from scratch, I recommend the following table:


1d12
Space needed for Households
01
1/10 acre per household
02-03
1/8 acre per household
04-06
1/5 acre per household
07-09
¼ acre per household
10-11
1/3 acre per household
12
½ acre per household
The table above counts for more than the actual building where the family lives(and possibly works), but also covers roads, public facilities(such as fountains/wells, gov't institutions, etc).
To determine the population of a city, roll on the following:


Roll
Number of Households
01-20
1,400 + 2d100 households
21-40
1,600 + 2d100 households
41-60
1,800 + 2d100 households
61-80
2,000 + 2d100 households
81-99
2,200 + 2d100 households
00
Roll on Large City Table


Large City Table
Roll
Base
Multiplier
Modifier
01-04
2,400
1d4
+1d100
05-07
2,800
1d6
+2d100
08-09
3,200
1d8
+5d100
10
3,600
1d10
+1d1000
To use the Large city chart, you take the base, multiply it by the result of the multiplier die roll, then add the modifier(like all such charts, you make seperate rolls for each part!)


You then use the same formula used for the creation of towns(second method).


Please note when determining the numbers of a household, some of the members may actually be apprentices. More on them in posts to come!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Town Generation Method 2

I'm not happy with the previous town generation method. I'm not overly happy with this one either, but this one does allow for a slightly better spread. I'll be posting the City generation method later today, and perhaps discuss the mapping of all these settlements tomorrow(with additional notes on economics in the days that follow).

To use this method, you first determine the size of the town's land and Soil Index as normal(roll on the village size chart). Keep the Soil index handy for determining final population. You'll need to pick from the following based on village land size to figure out which multiplyer to use for later.

Size of Town Land

Size Index

Small

0.75

Average

1.00

Large

1.25


You then roll on the following table to determine the Base number of households present in the town.

4d20

Result

04 – 05

200 + 2d20 Households

06 – 08

240 + 2d20 Households

08 – 10

280 + 2d20 Households

11 – 14

320 + 2d20 Households

15 – 19

360 + 2d20 Households

20 – 25

400 + 2d20 Households

26 – 32

440 + 2d20 Households

33 – 50

480 + 2d20 Households

51 – 57

520 + 2d20 Households

58 – 63

560 + 2d20 Households

64 – 68

600 + 2d20 Households

69 – 72

640 + 2d20 Households

73 – 75

680 + 2d20 Households

76 – 77

720 + 2d20 Households

78 – 79

760 + 2d20 Households

80

Roll on Large Towns

Large Towns

1d10

Result

1-4

800 + 2d100 Households

5-7

1,000 + 2d100 Households

8-9

1,200 + 2d100 Households

10

1,400 + 2d100 Households


The next part you do is roll on the following table.

2d6

Trade Index

2

0.75

3

0.80

4

0.85

5

0.90

6

0.95

7

1.00

8

1.05

9

1.10

10

1.15

11

1.20

12

1.25


Modify the Trade Index with the following modifiers:

Infrastructure:
Well Maintained and Patrolled Roads nearby: +0.05
Average Roads nearby: +0.00
No roads nearby: -0.05
Ocean nearby: +0.10
Major River nearby: +0.05
Taxation and Restrictive Laws:
Non-existant: +0.10
Light: +0.05
Average: +0.00
Heavy: -0.05
Severe: -0.10
Society is:
Organized/Lawful/Law abiding: +0.05
Disorganized/Chaotic/Anarchy: -0.10
Local Situation:
For every year of War that the immediate area has endured: -0.10
For every year of heavy to severe brigandage/raiding the area has endured: -0.05

You then determine the population with the following formula:
Base # of Households x Modified Trade Index x Soil index x Size Index = Total # of Households

Friday, November 26, 2010

Bottom Up World Creation Part 4

Generating Towns
First, a town sits on roughly the same amount of land as a village in terms of political land for use and wild lands found within its domain. Use the Size of Village table from before(found here). You also make the determination of what land is usable based on the same criteria as for a village .

While the population index remains the same, the factor changes. In addition to the changed Population Factor, there’s one more stat you need to worry about. The Trade Index. The trade index is in effect, a measure of the trade that occurs in a town.

2d6

Trade Index

Population Index(Factor)

2

07.00

0.5 Wilderness(35)

3

08.00

0.6 Wilderness(34)

4

09.00

0.7 Wilderness(33)

5

10.00

0.8 Rural(32)

6

11.00

0.9 Rural(31)

7

12.00

1.0 Rural(30)

8

13.00

1.1 Rural(29)

9

14.00

1.2 Urban(28)

10

15.00

1.3 Urban(27)

11

16.00

1.4 Urban(26)

12

17.00

1.5 Urban(25)

Modify the Trade index using the following modifiers.

  • Well Maintained Roads +0.05
  • No Roads -1.00
  • Ocean Port: +1.00
  • Major River Port: +0.10
  • Taxation Level: Non-existant +0.10, Light +0.05, Average: +0.00, Heavy: -0.05, Severe: -0.10
  • Local Alignment: Chaotic: -0.10, Lawful: +0.05
  • Local Situation:Every year of War: -0.10; Every year of major bandit activity: -0.05

Using the following formula, you are then able to determine the number of households in your town.

(Total Usable Acres/Population Factor) x Land Quality Index x Trade Index = Total number of Households(round down)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Bottom Up World Creation, Part 3

Populating the Settlement
Most settlements are going to have a church of some variety. Each household gives a 5% chance to have a priest and a shrine. Anything over 100% gives a chance of a church instead of a shrine. Anything over 200% gives a chance of a Temple or Cathedral. If there are conflicting religions, determine which religion is dominant. Use the normal percentages for the dominant religion for their churches. For the minor religion, it depends on how the dominant religion gets along with it. If the religions are friendly towards one another, multiply the base percentage by 0.75. If the Dominant religion is neutral towards the minor religion, multiply the percentage for the minor church by 0.5. If it's hostile, multiply by 0.25 instead. If the minor religion is illegal, the multiplier is 0.1.

Populating Steadings
Unlike villages, steadings offer a greater opportunity for strangeness, as such, a DM may choose to roll on the following chart when populating a Steading

1d00

Result

Description

01-70

Homesteader

Roll on households as normal to determine populations.

71-85

Religious Commune

Either a Monastary/Abbey, Druid Circle, or Cult Compound, depending on the nature of the campaign. Roll 2d4 instead of 1d6 to determine population. Young Adults and younger are either orphans, prisoners, or acolytes in training. Generally found on the outskirts of another settlement.

86-93

Hermit/Survivor

Either a ranger, druid, or just someone else looking to stay away from others. Alternately this steading may hold the sole survivor of some sort of invasion or other disaster. Population: 1

94-98

Monster

Some monsters live by pretending to be something they’re not. Lycanthropes, Hags, or even a polymorphed dragon may find it easier to pose as freemen living on their own.

99-00

Wizard

Well, a wizard needs to build a tower somewhere, right? Roll on households as normal, results over 1 indicating the wizard’s family or apprentices and other servants.


Populating the Household
To determine the population of a household, roll 1d6 for basic population. Roll on the following chart for the modifier to the roll. If you roll a 6 on your basic population roll, roll again on the chart to determine how many extra people live there.

Roll

Base Die Modifier

Extra on a max roll

1

-1

+1d6-1

2

+0

+1d6-1

3

+1

+1d6-1

4

+1

+1d6

5

+1

+1d6

6

+2

+1d6+1

This population determines the total number of persons living in the household, including dependents such as infants and those too old to work. If you're looking for a quicker means of generating population, perhaps because you're just after an idea of your population averages for multiple settlements, just assume 5 people per household. A result of 0 on the table indicates that the buildings for a household exist, but no people live there.

Yes, But who are these people?
For determining who exactly lives in the household, you may roll on the following chart. Keep rolling until every person is accounted for.

1d100

Result

Qty

Age

Profession%

Class%

01-04

Venerable

1d3-1

89+2d20 years

10%/50%

5%

05-12

Old

1d3-1

60 +1d20/1d10**

10%/60%

3%

13-32

Middle Age

1d3-1

40 + 1d20 years

10%/60%

2%

33-60

Adult

1d3-1

15+ 1d20/1d10**

10%/75%

1%

61-80

Young Adult

1d3-1

12+1d3 years

5%/50%

NA

81-92

Child

1d3-1

2+1d0 years

NA

NA

93-00

Very Young

1d3-1

1d3-1 years*

NA

NA

* = On a roll of 0, roll 1d(# of months in year)-1 instead. If that roll indicates a 0, do the same but for weeks, etc.

** = First roll 1d3. If the result is 1-2, roll the 1d20 as is. If the result is a 3, roll the 1d20 + 1d10.

Profession%: This is the chance that the individual is a member of a non-agriculture related profession. The Number before the / indicates those living on steadings or in villages, while the number after the / indicates those who live in towns or cities.
Class%: This is the chance that the individual has at least 1 level in a class.

More to come!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Bottom Up World Creation, Part 2

The Size of Villages
This generates the size of the political division of the village's lands which includes the fields, woodlands, and other less-than-arable-lands that the village may claim for itself. While this was initially used to develop manorial villages, it will function for most types of agrarian settlements. Larger settlements may be generated, but they would likely be quite rare.

Table 1.a: The Size of the Village

1d000

Size of Village

001 - 071

Roll on Table 1.b Small Villages

072 - 214

1,200 + 1d00 acres

215 - 357

1,300 + 1d00 acres

358 - 500

1,400 + 1d00 acres

501 - 643

1,500 + 1d00 acres

644 - 786

1,600 + 1d00 acres

787 - 929

1,700 + 1d00 acres

930 - 000

Roll on Table 1.c Large Villages

Table 1.b: Small Villages

1d000

Size of Village

001 – 015

116 + 4d20 acres

016 – 045

200 + 1d00 acres

046 – 090

300 + 1d00 acres

091 – 150

400 + 1d00 acres

151 – 225

500 + 1d00 acres

226 – 315

600 + 1d00 acres

316 – 421

700 + 1d00 acres

422 – 542

800 + 1d00 acres

543 – 678

900 + 1d00 acres

679 – 829

1,000 + 1d00 acres

830 – 000

1,100 + 1d00 acres

Table 1.c: Large Villages

1d000

Size of Village

001 – 145

1,798 + 2d00 acres

146 – 235

1,998 + 2d00 acres

236 – 320

2,198 + 2d00 acres

321 – 400

2,398 + 2d00 acres

401 – 475

2,598 + 2d00 acres

476 – 545

2,798 + 2d00 acres

546 – 610

2,998 + 2d00 acres

611 – 670

3,198 + 2d00 acres

671 – 725

3,398 + 2d00 acres

726 – 775

3,598 + 2d00 acres

776 – 820

3,798 + 2d00 acres

821 – 860

3,998 + 2d00 acres

861 – 895

4,198 + 2d00 acres

896 – 925

4,398 + 2d00 acres

926 – 950

4,598 + 2d00 acres

951 – 970

4,798 + 2d00 acres

971 – 985

4,998 + 2d00 acres

986 – 995

5,198 + 2d00 acres

996 – 000

5,398 + 2d00 acres


The Size of Steadings
Steadings tend to be small. While larger Steadings could exist, such places tend to be the starts of villages. Anything smaller than this though and you're more into hunter/gatherer territory than any sort of true settlement. Unlike the village generation method, these acres are entirely those that are built upon, planted, or used as pasture.

Table 2. The Size of Steadings

1d00

Size of Steading

01-40

1d6 x5 acres

41-70

2d6 x5 acres

71-90

3d6 x5 acres

91-00

4d6 x5 acres


Hides and Households
Now that you've determined the Physical size of your settlement, you'll want to know how many households and how many hides of land are present. To do this, the first thing you must do is figure out how much land is actually used and how much is allowed to remain "wild". This is already done for steadings, but villages require an additional process.

The first thing you'll need to determine is what the basic terrain and climate band types are. You should know based on your map, but there are also random generators presented in the 1st edition DMG, World Builder's Guidebook, as well as the spiffy random map generator Hexographer. To determine how much of the land is used you first find the least favorable % based on the terrain:

Grassland, Coastal: 75%
Light Forest: 65%
Medium Forest, Hills: 55%
Heavy Forest: 45%
Swamp, Desert: 35%
Mountain: 25%
High Mountain: 15%

You then modify percentage as follows:

Super-Arctic: -30%
Arctic: -20%
Subarctic: -10%
Temperate: +0%
Subtropical: +10%
Tropical: -10%
Super-Tropical: -20%

You then multiply the result by the Land Quality and Population Density Index. If you haven't decided on how dense the local population should be or how good the soil is, then the following table is presented. Please note, the descriptors in the Population Density Index Column do not mean the same thing as normal. an Urban village is one that is in a relatively well settled area within a close proximity to a town or city. A rural density is one where the area is less developed, with no nearby towns or cities, and wilderness means it tends to be on the border somewhat.

Table 3: Land Quality and Population Density

2d6

Land Quality Index

Population Density Index(Factor)

2

0.75 Barren

0.5 Wilderness (45)

3

0.80 Poor

0.6 Wilderness (44)

4

0.85 Poor

0.7 Wilderness (43)

5

0.90 Poor

0.8 Rural (42)

6

0.95 Average

0.9 Rural (41)

7

1.00 Average

1.0 Rural (40)

8

1.05 Average

1.1 Rural (39)

9

1.10 Good

1.2 Rural (38)

10

1.15 Good

1.3 Urban (37)

11

1.20 Good

1.4 Urban (36)

12

1.25 Fertile

1.5 Urban (35)


The resulting % should be lowered or raised to be within the 5% to 85% range. Roll a 1d10 for additional variation, and the result is how many acres are used for agriculture or dwellings by the local populace.

Using the numbers generated above, you may then determine number of households. Use the following formula For BOTH Steadings and Villages:
(Total Used Acres / Population Factor) x Land Quality Index = Total number of households(round down)

To determine the number of Hides, remove total used acres, and replace with the total acres rolled for the village.

More parts to come!