Spence Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 So I have decided to sit down and map out the town my Fantasy Hero game will operate out of. The adventure uses one of the standard Fantasy Anime tropes. Smaller cities and towns are spotted throughout the Kingdom. Each is an island of safety in a hostile wilderness. Monsters abound and “Dungeons”, from small randomly spawning ones to large semi-permanent warrens dot the world. The primary method to cull the threat is the Adventurers of the Guild. The local lord (Baron, Duke, Count, etc) may maintain troops to protect the town itself and the near hamlets, but the true deterrence are the Adventurers. Adventurers are the Fantasy equivalent of Superheroes and as such don’t mesh well with following orders and prefer to freelance, though some Nobles and Knights are powered as well. There is no “King” just a lot of small independent “city-states”. The town I am envisioning is on the frontier of “civilization” and as such has a large guild presence. What I am looking for right now is a listing of businesses/services that would exist. Here is my initial list: Adventurers Guild Armorer Weaponsmith Leatherworker Blacksmith Tanner Weaver Farmers Market Butcher Carpenter Woodcutter Bowyer Fletcher General Store Apothecary Inns Taverns Clothier Cobbler Fish market I am looking for more ideas. I am not planning on putting all of them in, but I am trying you get a good starting point. There will be more than one of each business, and the town/city has been in existence for several hundred years and will have one or two if it’s own “dungeons”. The idea is for it to serve as a base from which the players party can adventure from. Mr. R 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninja-Bear Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Bakers and candlestick makers. Spence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. R Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Spence said: So I have decided to sit down and map out the town my Fantasy Hero game will operate out of. The adventure uses one of the standard Fantasy Anime tropes. Smaller cities and towns are spotted throughout the Kingdom. Each is an island of safety in a hostile wilderness. Monsters abound and “Dungeons”, from small randomly spawning ones to large semi-permanent warrens dot the world. The primary method to cull the threat is the Adventurers of the Guild. The local lord (Baron, Duke, Count, etc) may maintain troops to protect the town itself and the near hamlets, but the true deterrence are the Adventurers. Adventurers are the Fantasy equivalent of Superheroes and as such don’t mesh well with following orders and prefer to freelance, though some Nobles and Knights are powered as well. There is no “King” just a lot of small independent “city-states”. The town I am envisioning is on the frontier of “civilization” and as such has a large guild presence. What I am looking for right now is a listing of businesses/services that would exist. Here is my initial list: Adventurers Guild Armorer Weaponsmith Leatherworker Blacksmith Tanner Weaver Farmers Market Butcher Carpenter Woodcutter Bowyer Fletcher General Store Apothecary Inns Taverns Clothier Cobbler Fish market I am looking for more ideas. I am not planning on putting all of them in, but I am trying you get a good starting point. There will be more than one of each business, and the town/city has been in existence for several hundred years and will have one or two if it’s own “dungeons”. The idea is for it to serve as a base from which the players party can adventure from. I love this concept. Not to derail the thread, but How does this work? Also in answer to your question: Potter Glazier Dye maker Scribes Map maker Heraldry Specialist (Q: so what image do you want on your shield? A: A bar code) Brewer / Vintner Spence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 It’s not exactly a business (Let’s not hear the dissenting opinions.) but a Temple or Church of some sort is generally a part of small town life. You’re also missing some sort of Healer or Doctor’s office. Spence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archer Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 This was my response a couple of months ago for a town that was protected by a wizard's tower and which was at the edge of a forest. Quote Even though it's not on a major trading road, it's likely some trading company would have a major presence there. The locals have to produce something and need something else. And a business being able to ask favors from the wizard and point out your importance to the community as an inducement for her to grant it would be a powerful fringe benefit. Banking since it sounds like the place is stable financially. Heck, any place that's not in danger of being raided and has law enforcement is practically heaven so I'd expect every occupation to be there if the tower has been around long enough. There's likely a logging industry, particularly if there's a river to send the logs down. Though likely the wizard, the fae, or the local government limits the amount or types of trees which can be downed. Fishing if there's a river or lake along with docks and perhaps a port facility. Boatmakers if there's a port. Ferrymen if there's a river. Makers of sails, rope, nets, anchors, etc. Likely a monastery or large church presence if the place is as safe as you are telling us. Young monks need to learn their letters and numbers somewhere and better that it's somewhere safe. Perhaps a large scholastic presence if there's church-owned books which need to be transcribed from older languages to new. Winery for monks. Granary and mills. Glassworks if there's a beach for sand. Saltworks if there's an ocean. Saltery for preserving fish. Weavers for making grain bags. Crockers for crockery. Coopers. Tanners if there's good hunting in the forest. Bowyers/fletchers for the hunters. Cobblers and armor-makers if there's a steady supply of leather. Orchards. Chestnuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts since those are easily stored and are found naturally in many forests. Also the more typical fruit trees. Swineherding since pigs will eat acorns, leaves, and other forest debris. Quarry and stonemasons. Miners. Blacksmith. Apothecary Surgeon/dentist/barber Candlemaker Wainwright, wheelwright, carpenter Hostler, stableboy Innkeep, cook, maid, waitress Clerk (accountant), scribe Cockfights, dogfights, pit fights Soapmaker, basket-weaver, spinster, baker, teamster If the town is large enough, perhaps guildhalls for various guilds (comfortable meeting room, exclusive bar, maybe space for an out of town visitor, barkeep, guard, or storage for guild members who have inventory overflow). Spence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted March 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Mr. R said: I love this concept. Not to derail the thread, but How does this work? I am dusting off my Campaign Cartographer and will be mapping out the town. I simply haven't found one that I like so far on the internet or places like Drive Thru, either too big or too small. They either have zero fortifications or have huge stone walls. I am not looking for a castle or a metropolis. So I am back to the old if you can't find it then make it. I have actually come down to making two separate towns, the one right on the frontier and the second deeper in the "safe" that is the primary trading partner. Beyond the smaller frontier town is the vast, mostly unexplored wilderness. Just as a working title call the smaller one Outpost and the larger Town. So I am trying to get my brain in gear and to do a rough sketch I can use to begin mapping. I am thinking of the Outpost having somewhere around 3 to 4 hundred residents with close to that surrounding in hamlets or cots. The Town to have a couple thousand residents and about that again in smaller surrounding communities. Overall terrain to be gently rolling forested hills with small lakes and streams. One major river along which that I plan on setting the towns. Just rough right now, but once I narrow down the establishments for the Outpost, I will fill out what is missing in the Town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. R Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 3 hours ago, Tjack said: It’s not exactly a business (Let’s not hear the dissenting opinions.) but a Temple or Church of some sort is generally a part of small town life. You’re also missing some sort of Healer or Doctor’s office. Even better to combine both Temple of Laosha, Goddess of Healing! (don't forget to pay your tithe as she knows how to hurt you also!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesguy Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 If you don't have a way to 'map' your world (including continents, kingdoms, and settlements of all kinds) you might want to consider WorldOGrapher which I have been using for a long time. It has actual child mapping capability. You can also adjust the configuration to include races, languages, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Stables. You need lots and lots of stables. Think of them as being the old equivalent of parking lots, parking spaces, and gas stations. How many of those are in a town? People needed MANY places to put their horse when not riding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Is there a militia under the control of the local lord keeping order? Or is it a sheriff and a few deputies? In addition to the blacksmith, perhaps a tinsmith, silversmith and maybe a goldsmith? A jeweler? A clockmaker/watchmaker in town might make for a fun anachronism. A toymaker could be in the larger town. It sounds like there was once a king or emperor ruling over things, but that kingdom must have shattered somehow in the past. Civil war? Orc invasion? Assassination of the entire royal family? Here’s some less savory ideas, but add adventuring potential. Perhaps the larger town has a Thieves Guild for the local ne’er-do-wells? Are thieves branded as such if caught? Does slavery exist in the region? Perhaps some non-humans (beast people like cat folk, for example) get this treatment instead of other humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Here are relevant paragraphs from Medieval Demographics Made Easy, by S. John Ross: ---------------------- Merchants and Services In a village of 400 people, just how many inns and taverns are realistic? Not very many. Maybe not even one. When traveling across the countryside, characters should not run into a convenient sign saying "Motel: Free Cable and Swimming Pool" every 3 leagues. For the most part, they will have to camp on their own or seek shelter in people's homes.Provided they are friendly, the latter option should be no trouble. A farmer can live in a single place all his life, and he will welcome news and stories of adventures, not to mention any money the heroes might offer! Each type of business is given a Support Value (SV). This is the number of people it takes to support a single business of that sort. For instance, the SV for shoemakers (by far the most common trade in towns) is 150. This means that there will be one shoemaker for every 150 people in an area. These numbers can vary by up to 60% in either direction, but provide a useful baseline for GMs. Think about the nature of the town or city to decide if the numbers need to be changed. A port, for instance, will have more fishmongers than the table indicates. To find the number of, say, inns in a city, divide the population of the city by the SV value for inns (2,000). For a village of 400 people, this reveals only 20% of an inn! This means that there is a 20% chance of there being one at all. And even if there is one, it will be smaller and less impressive than an urban inn. The SV for taverns is 400, so there will be a single tavern. Business SV Business SV Shoemakers 150 Butchers 1,200 Furriers 250 Fishmongers 1,200 Maidservants 250 Beer-Sellers 1,400 Tailors 250 Buckle Makers 1,400 Barbers 350 Plasterers 1,400 Jewelers 400 Spice Merchants 1,400 Taverns/Restaurants 400 Blacksmiths 1,500 Old-Clothes 400 Painters 1,500 Pastrycooks 500 Doctors 1,700* Masons 500 Roofers 1,800 Carpenters 550 Locksmiths 1,900 Weavers 600 Bathers 1,900 Chandlers 700 Ropemakers 1,900 Mercers 700 Inns 2,000 Coopers 700 Tanners 2,000 Bakers 800 Copyists 2,000 Watercarriers 850 Sculptors 2,000 Scabbardmakers 850 Rugmakers 2,000 Wine-Sellers 900 Harness-Makers 2,000 Hatmakers 950 Bleachers 2,100 Saddlers 1,000 Hay Merchants 2,300 Chicken Butchers 1,000 Cutlers 2,300 Pursemakers 1,100 Glovemakers 2,400 Woodsellers 2,400 Woodcarvers 2,400 Magic-Shops 2,800 Booksellers 6,300 Bookbinders 3,000 Illuminators 3,900 *These are licensed doctors. Total doctor SV is 350. Some other figures: There will be one noble household per 200 population, one lawyer ("advocate") per 650, one clergyman per 40 and one priest per 25-30 clergy. Businesses not listed here will most likely have an SV from 5,000 to 25,000! The "Magic Shop" means a shop where wizards can purchase spell ingredients, scroll paper and the like, not a place to buy magic swords off the shelf. -------------------- Dean Shomshak Christopher R Taylor, archer and Steve 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndianaJoe3 Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 I found this a while ago.http://www.svincent.com/MagicJar/Economics/MedievalOccupations.html Hermit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Quote When traveling across the countryside, characters should not run into a convenient sign saying "Motel: Free Cable and Swimming Pool" every 3 leagues. For the most part, they will have to camp on their own or seek shelter in people's homes This bears repeating; the standard pattern for travelers in times past was to stay at someone's home. In fact, in the frontier, up until around 1900 it was very standard to put someone up at your home when they were passing through. Hospitality and being welcoming to travelers in need was not just a virtue, but a feature of many myths and legends of horrible punishment by the gods/God for not doing so. You didn't look for an inn to stay at unless it was a standard byway or fairly large community. You stayed at someone's house. Usually travelers would repay the hospitality by doing repairs, cutting wood, drawing water from the well etc, even providing meat from a recent hunt. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Depending on the movie rating of your setting for adult content, even a small town might have someone partaking of one of the world's oldest professions, perhaps even with an official or hidden 'House of pleasure' aka a brothel just a day distant if not in the town itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninja-Bear Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Was Alchemist mentioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCUBA Hero Posted March 27, 2022 Report Share Posted March 27, 2022 On 3/25/2022 at 11:17 PM, Spence said: I simply haven't found one that I like so far on the internet or places like Drive Thru, either too big or too small. They either have zero fortifications or have huge stone walls. I am not looking for a castle or a metropolis. So I am back to the old if you can't find it then make it. I have actually come down to making two separate towns, the one right on the frontier and the second deeper in the "safe" that is the primary trading partner. Beyond the smaller frontier town is the vast, mostly unexplored wilderness. Just as a working title call the smaller one Outpost and the larger Town. So I am trying to get my brain in gear and to do a rough sketch I can use to begin mapping. I am thinking of the Outpost having somewhere around 3 to 4 hundred residents with close to that surrounding in hamlets or cots. The Town to have a couple thousand residents and about that again in smaller surrounding communities. You may want to look at Harn for inspiration. 300-400 is a large manor; 2000 could be a large keep and it's holdings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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