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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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