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<blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 5595980" data-attributes="member: 6669384"><p>Start with the idea that we're in an age prior to the advent of the tractor, the harvester, the threshing machine and the McCormic Reaper. A farmer will let 1/4 of his land "lie fallow" to "rest". That is, he lets it grow weeds so he can plow them under, and combine the organics back in as a simple fertilizer. </p><p></p><p>In Renaissance times and before, you needed to have between 80 and 90 percent of the population working on farms. The introduction of high yield crops like potatoes and modern corn changed this, and that allowed more people to pursue careers that didn't involve producing food, so tradesmen could start to produce a middle class.</p><p></p><p>Now we can add magic, and treat a Druid's <em>Plant Growth</em> spell like a good dose of fertilizer, but considering the cost of spell casting services it was very much beyond what could be justified. The increase in food production wasn't enough to pay for the spell. </p><p></p><p>In many areas the "increase in wealth" may be in the form of children being raised to bring more land under cultivation, expanding farm holdings. That only works in areas where there's unclaimed/uncultivated land to expand onto though. </p><p></p><p>So I can see the idea that "Farmer" isn't a listed Profession. For the economy of the game world to resemble a real medieval setting, he has to be a subsistence farmer, producing enough to feed himself and his family, with maybe 10% surplus to go to pay his taxes.</p><p></p><p>So how does that jibe with meals costing a silver piece a day, the same as his income? Non magical crafting has a cost of 1/3 the market price. So that poor meal costs him 3.333333 cp to prepare, and that difference lets him pay for clothing, gear, feed any children who aren't big enough to help work the land, and pay the local lord come quarter-day.</p><p></p><p>Note that, by the book, a loaf of bread costs 2 cp. So did a chicken, or a pound of flour. If we presume a similar price for vegetables, someone who could cook and cut their own firewood could feed a small family in relative luxury (bread, soup and meat) for a shade over half a silver piece, and that's if they bought the goods at full price instead of producing them themselves for a third of the price. </p><p></p><p>By the way, I wasn't exaggerating. Meat was a rare and special thing in medieval times, the kind of thing that happened at a Sunday meal (and sparsely then), so yeah, that really is a luxury lifestyle for a family of 4 by the standards of the medieval peasant. The kids get to argue over the drumstick.</p><p></p><p>Bread and meat 3 meals a day? They're living like kings, I tell you! On 6 cp a day. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Greenfield, post: 5595980, member: 6669384"] Start with the idea that we're in an age prior to the advent of the tractor, the harvester, the threshing machine and the McCormic Reaper. A farmer will let 1/4 of his land "lie fallow" to "rest". That is, he lets it grow weeds so he can plow them under, and combine the organics back in as a simple fertilizer. In Renaissance times and before, you needed to have between 80 and 90 percent of the population working on farms. The introduction of high yield crops like potatoes and modern corn changed this, and that allowed more people to pursue careers that didn't involve producing food, so tradesmen could start to produce a middle class. Now we can add magic, and treat a Druid's [I]Plant Growth[/I] spell like a good dose of fertilizer, but considering the cost of spell casting services it was very much beyond what could be justified. The increase in food production wasn't enough to pay for the spell. In many areas the "increase in wealth" may be in the form of children being raised to bring more land under cultivation, expanding farm holdings. That only works in areas where there's unclaimed/uncultivated land to expand onto though. So I can see the idea that "Farmer" isn't a listed Profession. For the economy of the game world to resemble a real medieval setting, he has to be a subsistence farmer, producing enough to feed himself and his family, with maybe 10% surplus to go to pay his taxes. So how does that jibe with meals costing a silver piece a day, the same as his income? Non magical crafting has a cost of 1/3 the market price. So that poor meal costs him 3.333333 cp to prepare, and that difference lets him pay for clothing, gear, feed any children who aren't big enough to help work the land, and pay the local lord come quarter-day. Note that, by the book, a loaf of bread costs 2 cp. So did a chicken, or a pound of flour. If we presume a similar price for vegetables, someone who could cook and cut their own firewood could feed a small family in relative luxury (bread, soup and meat) for a shade over half a silver piece, and that's if they bought the goods at full price instead of producing them themselves for a third of the price. By the way, I wasn't exaggerating. Meat was a rare and special thing in medieval times, the kind of thing that happened at a Sunday meal (and sparsely then), so yeah, that really is a luxury lifestyle for a family of 4 by the standards of the medieval peasant. The kids get to argue over the drumstick. Bread and meat 3 meals a day? They're living like kings, I tell you! On 6 cp a day. :) [/QUOTE]
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