Gretik
03-16-2013, 05:27 PM
I've got a game coming up that is going to be done online and will have a fair few players, only some of whom will likely be interested in doing much in the way of managing manors. While the book of the manor is a great read and full of cool ideas, it will probably be too slow for what we need, so I thought I'd have a bash at writing an abridged method of calculating earnings.
The key things I've gone for are speed and simplicity, while still allowing for players who want to tend to their demesnes the opportunity. Hopefully, it should also still result in some cool roleplay.
Every manor, be it near a village, town or city, has a wealth, glory and defensive score.
The peasants or towns people of that manor will have a hate (landlord) passion.
If there are any vassal knights in residence, they will have a loyalty (lord) passion as well as an 'expected standard of living', i.e., poor, standard, rich or superlative.
During the economic circumstances phase, the player rolls the stewardship skill for each of his or her manors stewards, modified for the weather, banditry, war and the like.
On a fumble, a manor produces only 1/4 of it's normal wealth.
On a fail, a manor produces only 1/2 of it's normal wealth.
On a success, a manor produces it's normal wealth.
On a critical success, a manor produces 1.5 times it's normal wealth.
The player then must determine how richly they and their vassal knights will be living, subtracting the requisite amount from the wealth generated.
If a vassal knight and his family are forced to live at a standard of living lower than they are used to, their loyalty (lord) passion is reduced by 1.
The player (or the GM on the behalf of his vassals) can choose to 'squeeze' the peasants, granting an additional £1d6.
Squeezing can be done up to 3 times a year, with all of the checks to personality traits as outlined in book of the manor.
This increases the hate (landlord) passion of the peasants at any manors 'squeezed' by 2.
If the player voluntarily reduces the level of wealth he and or his vassals (GM's discretion) receive, the hate (landlord) passion is reduced by 1 per level of wealth.
I haven't quite worked out how I'll use hate (landlord yet). (Lowering it is reasonably well covered in book of the manor, though.)
During bad years, this means the players must do a balancing act between their vassals and their peasants needs.
(Especially since knights can inspire their loyalty (lord) in battle, surely that's more useful than the standard of living of a few paltry peasants?)
For those players who want to improve their manor(s), they must spend their winter phase cajoling peasants, safeguarding caravans of supplies and generally making sure things get done.
It costs a number of pounds equal to the current wealth, glory or defensive value score to increase that score by 1.
A knight who wishes to increase his manors in such a way must decide what they are trying to build, which is where the book of the manor comes in as a source for inspiration.
That gets role-played out as the players winter phase scenario, with whatever skill rolls the GM feels are necessary.
I think I'll stick with the cataclysm/calamity rules from book of the manor, because they're cool and slot in more or less seamlessly.
(It's worth pointing out that by the time the players earn manors in my 410AD game, things will likely be very bad all over the country, but most knights will have become accustomed to a poor standard of living. It'll take a period of peace for them to begin to get used to the creature comforts.)
The key things I've gone for are speed and simplicity, while still allowing for players who want to tend to their demesnes the opportunity. Hopefully, it should also still result in some cool roleplay.
Every manor, be it near a village, town or city, has a wealth, glory and defensive score.
The peasants or towns people of that manor will have a hate (landlord) passion.
If there are any vassal knights in residence, they will have a loyalty (lord) passion as well as an 'expected standard of living', i.e., poor, standard, rich or superlative.
During the economic circumstances phase, the player rolls the stewardship skill for each of his or her manors stewards, modified for the weather, banditry, war and the like.
On a fumble, a manor produces only 1/4 of it's normal wealth.
On a fail, a manor produces only 1/2 of it's normal wealth.
On a success, a manor produces it's normal wealth.
On a critical success, a manor produces 1.5 times it's normal wealth.
The player then must determine how richly they and their vassal knights will be living, subtracting the requisite amount from the wealth generated.
If a vassal knight and his family are forced to live at a standard of living lower than they are used to, their loyalty (lord) passion is reduced by 1.
The player (or the GM on the behalf of his vassals) can choose to 'squeeze' the peasants, granting an additional £1d6.
Squeezing can be done up to 3 times a year, with all of the checks to personality traits as outlined in book of the manor.
This increases the hate (landlord) passion of the peasants at any manors 'squeezed' by 2.
If the player voluntarily reduces the level of wealth he and or his vassals (GM's discretion) receive, the hate (landlord) passion is reduced by 1 per level of wealth.
I haven't quite worked out how I'll use hate (landlord yet). (Lowering it is reasonably well covered in book of the manor, though.)
During bad years, this means the players must do a balancing act between their vassals and their peasants needs.
(Especially since knights can inspire their loyalty (lord) in battle, surely that's more useful than the standard of living of a few paltry peasants?)
For those players who want to improve their manor(s), they must spend their winter phase cajoling peasants, safeguarding caravans of supplies and generally making sure things get done.
It costs a number of pounds equal to the current wealth, glory or defensive value score to increase that score by 1.
A knight who wishes to increase his manors in such a way must decide what they are trying to build, which is where the book of the manor comes in as a source for inspiration.
That gets role-played out as the players winter phase scenario, with whatever skill rolls the GM feels are necessary.
I think I'll stick with the cataclysm/calamity rules from book of the manor, because they're cool and slot in more or less seamlessly.
(It's worth pointing out that by the time the players earn manors in my 410AD game, things will likely be very bad all over the country, but most knights will have become accustomed to a poor standard of living. It'll take a period of peace for them to begin to get used to the creature comforts.)