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!

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!

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

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)

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!

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!