fantasy and "medieval" economics
Oct. 18th, 2018 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrI just finished reading a short story set in someone's fantasy world.
Roughly medieval level, with multiple intelligent species and some magic (all I recall from this one was some healing potions).
So, some farmers are losing stock to some sort of big cats. Probably a group of them.
Some folks from the village who have relevant experience get together to go after them.
They search and finally find a dead cow (which seems to have been dragged there in some sort of cart). And they follow the tracks of the cats to a lair.
At the lair they encounter 13 of the big cats (types not specified, just "giant cats") and an extra large variety of orc (who is over by the cart which has a dead horse in the traces.
After a battle, our heroes manage to kill all the baddies with only minor damage to themselves.
They then go back to their "base camp" where the smith they'd dragged along repairs the minor damage to their weapons and gear (a nice touch, folks forget about that so often) and they use the potions to deal with wounds and bruises.
Here's where economics come into it. They left *all* the bodies out there.
Uh-uh. No way that'd happen. First of all, they'd attract a lot of scavengers, which is *not* something you want to encourage around farms and places with herds of animals.
Second, those hides are worth serious money. Even with the slashes, etc, large furs are useful. And sometimes decorative. So skinning the big cats is a no briner, even if they went back to base and came out later with a cart and some helpers.
Even the (probably badly damaged) hides on the dead cow and worse are likely good for *some* leather.
The meat of the cow and horse are likely unfit for human consumption. And the meat from carnivores isn't that great.
But at least *some* of it is almost certainly useful to feed to dogs and even pigs (remember, pigs are omnivores and will quite happily eat meat)
Heck some of the claws & teeth from the big cats may be valuable as decorations. Or for magical uses.
This is something that both writers and game masters need to keep in mind. A lot of stuff has value that modern day folks don't think of. Well, modern day *city* folks anyway.
Roughly medieval level, with multiple intelligent species and some magic (all I recall from this one was some healing potions).
So, some farmers are losing stock to some sort of big cats. Probably a group of them.
Some folks from the village who have relevant experience get together to go after them.
They search and finally find a dead cow (which seems to have been dragged there in some sort of cart). And they follow the tracks of the cats to a lair.
At the lair they encounter 13 of the big cats (types not specified, just "giant cats") and an extra large variety of orc (who is over by the cart which has a dead horse in the traces.
After a battle, our heroes manage to kill all the baddies with only minor damage to themselves.
They then go back to their "base camp" where the smith they'd dragged along repairs the minor damage to their weapons and gear (a nice touch, folks forget about that so often) and they use the potions to deal with wounds and bruises.
Here's where economics come into it. They left *all* the bodies out there.
Uh-uh. No way that'd happen. First of all, they'd attract a lot of scavengers, which is *not* something you want to encourage around farms and places with herds of animals.
Second, those hides are worth serious money. Even with the slashes, etc, large furs are useful. And sometimes decorative. So skinning the big cats is a no briner, even if they went back to base and came out later with a cart and some helpers.
Even the (probably badly damaged) hides on the dead cow and worse are likely good for *some* leather.
The meat of the cow and horse are likely unfit for human consumption. And the meat from carnivores isn't that great.
But at least *some* of it is almost certainly useful to feed to dogs and even pigs (remember, pigs are omnivores and will quite happily eat meat)
Heck some of the claws & teeth from the big cats may be valuable as decorations. Or for magical uses.
This is something that both writers and game masters need to keep in mind. A lot of stuff has value that modern day folks don't think of. Well, modern day *city* folks anyway.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-19 02:04 pm (UTC)I just finished a fantasy novel in which I made sure to mention that the characters were caring for their horses. I grew up around livestock - including horses - so already knew about feeding, watering, and grooming, including checking for burrs and sores. However, there's a wonderful article "A Horse is Not a Motorcycle" which helped me some, and which more fantasy writers need to read.
They were also having problems with the December weather (they're in the Alps, which makes this worse). Even with modern clothing that can kill. With oilskins, wool, linen, etc., well, they're eventually in trouble.
Verisimilitude isn't all that hard. Just needs some thought and perhaps self-education. Without it even an otherwise good story can fall flat.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-19 02:15 pm (UTC)Heh. Your comment about pigs reminded me of several things, all outside the purview of my first reply. However, they are all things writers of stories which have pigs in them should know.
In the "All Creatures Great and Small" books, at one point the older brother, Siegfried, acquires some pigs, and talks about using them for the disposal of household food waste, including breakfast sausage and bacon. Tristan: That's cannibalism! Siegfried: Is it? I don't care.
There are multiple instances of farmers being eaten by their own pigs. Usually after collapsing in the pen from a heart attack or stroke. Some murder mysteries have used pigs to get rid of the body.
Domestic pigs escaped into the wild undergo a strange transformation. Wild boars and sows are actually domestic pigs or their descendants.
In the novel I mentioned, the travelers come across a farm where workers are preparing to dip a fresh pic carcass in a large cauldron of heated water to scald the hairs off. "That's hot work on a cold day." "Master wants roast pork for Christmas dinner."
no subject
Date: 2018-10-19 08:34 pm (UTC)Heck, the old Chivalry & Sorcery sourcebooks have a lot of good info on things like how many people it takes to produce how much crops and how much of that they need for themselves.
Wool is interesting. Woven with the lanolin left in, it's damn near waterproof. Will definitely shed any rainstorm you are gonna run into.
And more normal woven wool acts a bit like a wetsuit if it gets soaked. it'll hold the water, letting you get it warmed up so you aren't losing as much heat.
Of course, that only works if the water *stays* there. If it's getting exchanged with new batches of cold water, you're hosed.
If you can stay dry and build a snow cave/igloo/whatever keeping warm isn't too hard.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-19 08:37 pm (UTC)And you will *not* have a rat problem near the pigpen. The dumb rats get eaten, the smart ones stay well away.
Feeding pork products to pigs is not the best idea because that can pass on some nasties.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-20 02:18 pm (UTC)I played C&S a few times, many years ago, but never had any of the books.
The problem in the novel is that they're being chased through rough terrain in bad weather - temperature alternating between a bit above and a bit below freezing, with frequent rain, sleet and snow - and traveling light. They're making what shelter they can at night - all are experienced wilderness travelers and have some magic to help - but after several days they're low on food and worn out. They finally decide on a change of direction to reach a healer's shelter one of them knows about.
They're using all the tricks, such as warming rocks by their evening fire and putting those in their boots to dry them overnight without burning them. Unfortunately, during a few nights they need to have a cold camp. Their own healer finally warns "We risk our health if we continue like this. Possibly our lives."
no subject
Date: 2018-10-20 02:23 pm (UTC)Oh! I just remembered an early computer text game with unreal economics. There were several variations with different names. You had peasants you had to feed, fields for raising crops, woolen mills, etc.
My Dad figured out that you didn't actually need the peasants to do work in the fields or mills. So, he starved them and lost points for having a low population, but gained more points by selling their food. *Headdesk*
no subject
Date: 2018-10-20 06:31 pm (UTC)But low food & folks looking for you rules that out.
Funnily enough, if they were on Mt. Hood, there are several places with hot springs they could shelter at and one spot with rocks warm enough to melt the snow well up the mountain! ("Goat Rocks" that the cinder "cone" bulge on the south side of the mountain)
no subject
Date: 2018-10-20 06:35 pm (UTC)I'd written some character generation programs and he kept getting unreasonable/impossible characters.
I'd set things up to only presnt choices that were available with current stats and abilities.
Turned out he was ignoring the choices and inputting other ones.
EG The choices on the menu were 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, & C.
He'd enter 5, or Z or something.
And that's how I learned to restrict input to the allowed choices...