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(TFT) GM screen possabilities?



This is from a previous post.

The Bendwyn map
1 hex is 20m sts.
20 meters = 65.6167979 feet.
The map shows an area 35 by 51 hexes or 700 by 1020m or roughly 2,296.58793 feet by 3,346.45669 feet.

Philadelphia was the first city in America planned as a grid (or planned at all), the original Wm. Penn plan for Philadelphia in the 1680's was to have 8 properties per block, per side, the "Greene Country Towne", which was what determined the planned size of the block. This was to be surrounded by 80-acre "gentlenman's estates". An old Philadelphia city block is approximately 400-425 feet per side, which means an entire city block is roughly 3.5 to 4 acres, and there are about 13 blocks in a mile.

An approximation of this block-scale on the Bendwyn map is 6 by 7, 20m hexes, or 42 hexes, or 6 mega-hexes per city block, giving 42.5 city blocks across the full area. With 16 total lots per block and about 10 hexes for roads, alleys and other public access each lot is about 2 hexes or 800 square meters equaling 8,611.12833 square feet; a reasonable residential lot size by modern u.s. standards. Setting each acre at 14 hexes, or 2 mega-hexes is 3 acres per block, or 127.5 acres per Bendwyn scale map, with a city blocks land costing 3 to 5s ~1100.

This is half of old Paris in 1575 in area, one more page would cover the whole of the walled portion of the city.
Paris held a population of two to three hundred thousand at the time.


Magic & technologies effects on genera and players view of game-tools is what this one is about.

In building a functional version of Bendwyn suitable as a basic model of a "typical" medieval village sufficient for inclusion into projects like the Goblin 'port' I note the following.

Bendwyn simply doesn't fit the bill as typical for a village.
We should be thinking town, or more properly burgh, billing for Bendwyn.

Consider the following groupings.

Homestead - The first pioneers in a new area, as well as pastoralists and other nomadic type humanoid groups establish homesteads. Homesteads are the structures associated with a single family or small group of families. These structures are frequently constructed closely together around a resource area or, in more dangerous locations, easily defensible terrain. As the population increases and more specialized buildings begin to appear in the area this tendency to cluster for safety and/or convenience results in hamlets appearing.

Hamlet - A group of structures housing ten or more families near a building/s associated with the primary production of the area. A small hamlet in a grain based agriculture system could be a dozen family groups clustered around a grain mill. In feudal type societies a hamlet qualified as a village when it became large enough to build a church (~30 to 35 families minimum). In nomadic cultures this is tribal groups normal size with the primary production being more associated with the workforce available rather than specific structures, although smoke tents, etc. still apply.

Village - Villages will typically house from a few hundred to a few thousand people and typically have several structures supporting the primary production of the region. One or more public structures like churches, pub's or town halls are also required but markets beyond general type stores are lacking.

Town - In medieval times a town required a fence or palisades as opposed to burghs which lacked such a structure. Towns and burghs both require a market or shopping district.
Stages of town growth might be;
Infantile towns, with no clear zoning
Juvenile towns, which have developed an area of shops
Adolescent towns, where factories have started to appear
Early mature towns, with a separate area of high-class housing
Mature towns, with defined industrial, commercial and various types of residential area

City - Traditionally a city requires a cathedral. Most cities require some form of charter as well.

Metropolis - 2 or more cities that have grown together. These dense urban areas require high agricultural yields.

Megalopolis - Judge Dread, R.A.H. 'Strip Cities', etc.



Now you'd think that I'd not need to mention those last two but magic throws the whole mix into it IMO. Unless I intend to dictate how a fantasy world is supposed to be then I have to allow for whatever somebody else can conceive. I don't have a lock on imagination.

HOWEVER. while I don't control another persons imagination NEITHER is mine controlled by another, gamemaster title or not.

I propose that several "genera's" in RPG's can only exist in lieu of certain magic/technology. For example, frontier style "swashbuckling" or "old west" type genera's cannot have advanced travel or communication spells/tech readily available w/o destroying the "flavor" of the campaign. If communication can move faster than the fastest Figure and it's mount, or large loads of raw materials can be moved w/o player Figure assistance then the frontier "vibe" isn't sustainable as quick as a thinking player messes with trade or economics.

Now Figures can be limited socially to the extent that only a very few in an area would be able to marshal the resources needed to "violate" the genera.

Maybe this?

Slaves - Humanoids of this class have no rights or standing in the societies law. These beings are literally chattel in the same fashion as any other livestock.

Serfs - Humanoid serfs are legally tied to the land on which they are born. This gives a serf population certain growth aspects that are somewhat crop-like.

Peasants - Members of this class have a basic 'goods for services' relationship with the Privileged class where the goods and labor they supply goes to support the lord and men at arms who provide protection to the peasants. This class can also participate in basic economics like selling a surplus or earning a wage for extra labor.

Workers - This class holds a certain amount of legal autonomy in their movement and finances. In societies lacking lower classes these humanoids fill most production jobs.

Professionals - Members of this class possess Talents qualifying them for jobs outside of the traditional production chain. Doctors, lawyers, actors,. any profession that doesn't involve the production or refining of raw materials to a great extent.

Privileged - Members of this class hold distinct legal and social advantages not enjoyed by the population as a whole. In societies with a slave class, slave owners are among the privileged class. As is so often pointed out (mainly by privileged writers who could afford to record such observations) privileged does not equate to a life untouched by troubles.

In a civilization in many ways greater than that of what it left to its future Rome used around 90% of its workforce just to support its daily life.
This would mean we need only account for the 10% of Bendwyn



I use the idea of Fame, Fortune and Happiness for purposes of NPC motivation, or moral. Groups of NPC, the infamious Unit, derive their moral from more (regular) or less (irregular) like minded goals (spelled out in the Units Charter). This manifests physically in the buildings needed to house the Units members and activities.
The loose affilations between buildings and moral factors are;

Fame
Housing for Units/Population

Fortune
Business fronts for Units/Population

Happiness
Venues for Units/Population

Fame beats Fortune
Fortune beats Happiness
Happiness beats Fame


Buildings will produce a bivailant (+/-) value for "happiness" depending upon the ratio of its Societal Values and its Cultural Bias toward Habit or Novelity.

Habit (Authority, Productivity, Spirituality) : Novelity (Creativity, Prosperity, Knowledge)

Directly opposed opposites are;
Constraint : Authority / Creativity

Support :  Productivity / Prosperity

Access : Spirituality / Knowledge


Societal Values
There are a total of six values that you either promote or supress to create the city of your dreams - or nightmares.

AUTHORITY (Habit)
Opposite - Creativity
Opposed -  Prosperity, (s) Knowledge
Alligned - (s) Productivity, Spirituality


CREATIVITY (Novelity)
Opposite - Authority
Opposed - Productivity,(s) Spirituality
Alligned - (s) Prosperity, Knowledge



KNOWLEDGE (Novelity)
Opposite - Spirituality
Opposed -  Authority, (s) Productivity
Alligned - (s) Creativity, Prosperity


PRODUCTIVITY (Habbit)
Opposite - Prosperity
Opposed - (s) Creativity, Knowledge
Alligned - Authority, (s) Spirituality


PROSPERITY (Novelity)
Opposite - Productivity
Opposed - (s) Authority, Spirituality
Alligned - Creativity, (s) Knowledge


SPIRITUALITY (Habbit)
Opposite - Knowledge
Opposed - Creativity, (s) Prosperity
Alligned - (s) Authority,  Productivity


In a situation of empire, etc., a players Figure is likely to maintain control over several types of cities at once, some productive and others prosperous for example. I will mention here that the vast number of RPG'ers tend toward Habbit (things have always been this way and will always be this way or "MY RPG will ALWAYS be in a fantasy community just like Hobbiton").


Depending on how the 10% of Bendwyn's power structure is "aligned" helps tell me how they deal with "outsiders" like a group of strange adventurers showing up for treasure.

So when I start looking at limiting factors like this I start thinking that BECAUSE I have to limit A LOT of more high-powered magic/tech to maintain a "players can write checks with their mouth that their ass can back up" play environment I also have to limit the players access to traditional game-tools to represent the lack.

Consider.

W/o access to some kind of informational spell/tech giving me real-time google-earth images of the "battlefield" my players shouldn't get to look at the "map" during a battle. it ought to be more like blind chess. with my player not sure if his bishop took that knight w/o a report getting through from the bishops "Unit". a PERFECT "mission" for a "1'st level" Figure.
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