Difference between revisions of "Hârn Encyclopedia Hârnica 03"

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Encyclopedia Hârnica EH3

This issue we present our first Hârnic castle, an article on manors stressing fief management and economics, and the second of seven atlas maps for the Kingdom of Kaldor.

CG 6003 Encyclopedia Hârnica 3

• • EH3 Has original Hârn Manor Article that became HârnManor ~ Discussion
  • Pages from CG 6003 - Encyclopedia Hârnica 03.pdf

Olokand (Kaldor)

• The Royal Castle in Northwest Kaldor

Manor

The article on Hârnic manors is a new direction for us; a combination rules and environment article. In our experience, fief management is a much neglected part of fantasy role playing which players enjoy once they try it. GM's can use this article at two levels:

1. Using on the Tenant Household routine, and the index of settlements in Atlas Hârnica, the background for any character born in a rural area (most should be) can be generated right down to the level of which houseold the PC is from. Such character detail is always interesting to players and can be helpful to the GM, who can run through the management routine by himself, now and again, generating fate and economic worth for the PC's birthplace and household. Such events may influence the character's future options and decisions.
2. Assuming you have a PC fiefholder or manorial bailiff (how you do this is up to you), most players love to count their pennies and fief management will keep the busy doing just that while you dream up their next quest. Manorial economics are surprisingly complex; the interdepenent details can be overwhelming. Our experience is that a complex "money machine" approach to fief management will not endearyou to your players. We have chosen to simplify the economics in favour of a more personal approach to tennant/lord relationships. Our players love it.

Manor Economics

Manorial economics are surprisingly complex. They can be dealt with at various levels of complexity and abstraction depending on the degree of authenticity desired by the GM and players. This system is intended to provide procedures of medium complexity that will give the feel of fief economics without being incomprehensible.

The system works by filling out budget forms each game year at harvest time; on Hârn this is around the end of Azura, the seventh month. Normally, the GM will only require budgets for manors held (or governed) by player characters. If a regular budget is required for very large holdings, although not may players will achieve this status, then it might be easier to complete the procedure for one year only with average weather and yields, and thereafter to assume that all revenues, service, etc. will stay the same, with optional yearly variations.

The Basic Procedure

We have provided two budget forms, designed to be photocopied as needed. These are the Tenant Household Form (THF) and General Budget Form (GBF). The THF records data on the tenant households in a fief; the GBF is a general assessment of the fief's welfare and is used to compute revenues, changing land use, budgeted expenditures, etc. Since this is a budgetary system, factors tend to change. Work in pencil and keep an eraser handy. Step by step procedures are given for filling out the two forms, to be done in the exact order specified below:

1. . The General Data section in GBF.
2. . The Tenant Household Form.
3. . The Revenue section in GBF
4. . The Household Budget section in GBF
5. . The Fief Budget section in GBF

General Data

1. GROSS ACRES

   The total amount of land in the fief specified in Altas Hârnica indices. This acreage will only vary if land is ceded or annexed.

2. WASTE ACRES

   The number of acres (usually swamp, heath or precipitous rockfield) that have no agricultural value and cannot (with the available technology) be made useful. Determine acreage as (3d6)% of [1].

3. WOOD ACRES

   The total acres of woodland and forest in the fief. Hunting is the most important source of meat for the lord's table. All woods are considered to be private property of the fiefholder. Determine acreage as (3d6 + 10)% of [1]. This acreage will decrease if woods were cleared in last year's fief budget.

   Option: increase woods acres 1% each year to allow for natural growth.

4. CLEARED ACRES

   The total number of cleared acres on the fief suitable for pasture and growing crops. This is equal to gross acres minus the sum of waste and wood acres. This acreage will increase if wooded acres decrease, and vice-versa.

   SUM: Cleared Acres = Gross Acres - (Waste Acres + Wood Acres)

5. LABOUR POOL (LP)

   The additional labour on the fief that is available for hire. Determine by the following formula: (Cottars x 120) + (Half-Villeins x 60) days. This calculation must wait until you have filled in the THF. The GM may wish to add 5-10% more to account for a small amount of labour available from villeins, freeholders, and migrant workers. The labour pool may change if households increase or decrease, or if the status of tenants is altered.

   Option: the GM may wish to establish a minimum labour pool (50%) because some tenants are very dependent on being hired to supplement their income. If the lord does not hire this minimum amount of labour, the welfare of his smaller tenants will suffer, which is best reflected by modifiers on the tenant fate table; cottars (-10), half-villeins (-5).

6. LAND QUALITY (LQ)

   A numerical index designed to reflect the fief's soil fertility and climate. LQ is provided in Altas Hârnica. It is generally considered a constant, or a variable that changes very slowly at GM discretion. LQ is used to modify crop yields.

7. FIEF INDEX (FI)

   A numerical index designed to reflect the quality of capital investment in the fief (roads, bridges, barns, granaries, oexen, ploughs, irrigation, etc.) which modifies revenues. The FI index should begin at 1.00 and is subject to annual change up or down. Factors which will influence the FI index are fief maintentance and fief improvement, both controlled by the lord. The GM can assign reasonable modifiers to the index to reflect the effects of plague, war, pestilence, floods, etc.

8. WEATHER INDEX (WI)

   A numerical index deisgned to reflect the effect of weather on crops during the year for which the budget is being completed. Weather may be known to the GM or randomly generated on the following table. Roll 5 times on the table (once for each month in the growing season), add the results, and divide by 5 to get the average WI.

Tenant Households

If this is the fiefholder's first year, a household generation procedure is necessary; in subsequent years the THF will be modified by tenant fate rolls. Each line on the THF represents a single tenant household. There are sufficient lines for fifty households; if more are needed, use the second THF. The columns headed STATUS, ACRES, LABOUR [B], and KIND [C] record the "contract" between tenant and lord. The LABOUR [D] and KIND [E] columns on the right are used to to record temporary changes to the contract and miscellaneous data. Players have the option of filling in a new THF each year (recommended) or changing the existing THF as appropriate.

Household Generation

Using the number of rural freeman (RF) and Serf (SF) households specified in Atlas Hârnica indices for this fief, write this many family names in the HOUSEHOLD column, starting with rural freeman. The use of family names is optional; households can be referred to by number if desired. Ignore urban freeman (UF) households if given in the Atlas Hârnica index; very few manors will have any.

The next step is to generate the occupation of each RF household on the table below, and randomly assign the acres held by each, within the range specified. Write the occupation in the STATUS column. If an occupation is duplicated, ignore it; write "farmer" in the status column (holding the same range of acres) instead. Exception: there can be two or more Yeomen.

Except for Yeomen (see below), rural freemen pay an annual rent of 2-12d kind per acre for their land. If 2d, they also owe labour of 2 days per acre; if 3d, they also owe labour of 1 day per acre. Rents can be modified by the LQ index if desired. A miller also pays 240d kind (for milling rights) and other guildsmen pay 10-60d kind for business rights; these extra amounts are added to the normal kind/acre rent. A priest (if any) implies there is a church on the fief (probably Peonian) and he/she may live rent free (60% chance) or pay a token rent of 1d kind per acre.

Yeomen

A yeoman dies not usually owe rent for his land; he renders military service to the fiefholder. Based on the acreage held, the GM should assign the military service owed, from the table below.

Write the abbreviation given in the column [B]. There is a 10% chance that a yeoman household will also owe a token rent (1d Kind/Acre).

Serf Households

These fall into three broad classifications: Cottars who hold 1-5 acres; Half-Villeins who hold 10-20 acres, and Villeins who generally hold 25-35 acres. Most of this unfree peasantry will owe labour to the lord for their land. This is usually 60 days plus 3-5 days per acre each year. Most will also owe token kind, mainly pasture and timber rights, but also including such things as small amounts of milk, eggs, cheese, etc. The table below uses 4 days LABOUR* per acre and may be modified at GM discretion.

Option: there is a 20% chance that villeins will also hold an extra 5-30 acres "freehold" on which rent of 4-12d acre is paid. If so, add the acres and kind to columns [A] and [C] for these tenants.

Totals columns [A], [B], and [C]. These are used in calculating the fief's revenues. In subsequent budgets, the tenant fate routine (following) will generate changes to tenant obligations.

Tenant Fate Table

The welfare of each tenant household is subject to change, prior to the revenue calculations each year. This table can generate permanent and temporary (valid only for one year) changes to a household's obligations. Permanent charnges are recorded in columns [D] and [E] as +/- labour or kind. Example: a permanent change in kind owed would be made in column [C]; a temporary change in kind owed (e.g. 15d more) would be noted as +15 in column [E]. Both negative and positive numbers are written in columns [D] and [E]; be careful when totalling them. If the same THF is being used from year to year, columns [D] and [E] must be erased before the tenant fate generation begins.

The tenant fate routine involves negotiation between tenant (played by the GM) and the lord. The fiefholder is at liberty to grant all, part, or none of each tenant petition. If the lord is unreasonable in his conduct (GM discretion) there is a 40% chance the tenant will take some illegal action (GM discretion). When rolling on the Tenant Fate Table, the GM should modify each roll depending on the current [WI] and [FI].

Example: if the [WI] is 1.10 (+10) and [FI] is 0.98 (-2), add 8 to each roll.

Also see LABOUR POOL option.

IDEA: This area on a fief could be used in conjunction with loyalty to the lord, a modifier to the relationship to him/her, that can be used for player event hooks. List IDEAS under each entry for the HOOK IDEA.

01-05 ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

Tenant's will suffer total social and economic collapse in 1-6 months unless the lord provides a subsidy of 20d kind per acre, with a minimum of 200d kind per household. If the lord agrees, subtract subsidy in column [E]. If not, the family ceases to exist (starvation, abandonment, of land, etc.) and is purged from the THF.

05-30 TENANT HARDSHIP

Tenant's household is experiencing some economic hardship. The tenant clanhead petitions the lord for relief. The lord has two options: [1] demand full labour/kind owed and risk economic collapse. [2] Subsidize tenant to alleviate hardship. Re-roll on sub-table. In each case the tenant asks for temporary concession or subsidy. If a tenant petition is refused, the chance of economic collapse is shown in square brackets on the right.

Concessions made are noted in columns [D] and [E]. The GM may wish to negotiate variations to the above petitions on behalf of the tenant. The lord has the right to demand a permanent change to the contract if he makes any concession. This might be a small reduction of tenant acres for the same obligations, or additional labour/kind for the same acres. The GM must decide if the lord's demands are reasonable, possibly 5-15% change based on the concession made. If not, the tenant would still accept, but there is a 50% chance of economic collapse.

31-38 HERIOT

The head of the tenant household dies. The family should pay heriot (death duty) to the lord, traditionally their best animal, but in practice a tax of 6d + 1d per acre kind. Heriot is entered in column [E].

39-40 WARDSHIP

The tenant clanhead has died leaving a widow or minor as heir; mark "W" in the status column. During wardship, the family holding will be held in trust by the lord. Most lords exploit these situations. Reduce column [D] and [E] by amount of labour/kind owed, but also add to [E], 60d + 10d kind per acre. On subsequent budgets, roll 1d6 for each wardship household. If 5 or 6, the wardship ends (the heir has inherited, or the widow has remarried) and the holding returns to normal contract obligations (no heriot is due). If 1, the household suffers economic collapse. Otherwise, the wardship continues with the same benefits to the lord as last year.

41-70 AVERAGE YEAR

Tenant is able to meet his obligations.

71-95 TENANT PROSPERITY

Tenant has had a good year. There is an 80% chance the tenant will petition the lord for an increase in acres. Any acres granted by the lord must come from his unused acres in the last fief budget. Tenant land that has just become available due to fate rolls can not be used for this purpose because the actual timing of economic collapse, etc may really be some time in the future. Re-roll on sub-table below for specific petition.

An increase

New Households

A

Updating the THF

A

Revenues

A

Household Budget

A

Fief Budget

A

TENANT HOUSEHOLD FORM

A

GENERAL BUDGET FORM

A

Atlas Hârnica

• A
  • A

A

• A
  • A

Notes

• A
  • A