Funkmaster Rick
Explorer
I like a good, even mixture of narrativism and simulationism in my games.
Magic must always be kept in mind, especially when determining the history of your world prior to the game. One of the major benefits is in limiting the damage of natural disasters, which in a true medieval society could take out cities and sometimes aid or cause the collapse of some countries, as well as permanently affecting trade for thousands of miles.
Not to mention that magic can solve a fair range of political and technological problems. Whereas the Mayans and Inca never developed the wheel due to a lack of horses, a wizard might be able to summon horses, or even create them, and change that country's entire technological progression. Once you start doing the work, you'll notice that a lot of ancient cultural memes get changed or become unnecessary.
Superstition will often be present in low-magic, low-tech settings, but with somewhat radically different focuses; even in such a setting, no educated man can truly deny that the gods are real. Regardless of everything else, unless you're playing in Krynn, miracles happen somewhere every day. That's got to have a profound effect on the cultural and social landscapes. Not to mention, most D&D settings seem to imply a certain modern freedom of religion - and it makes a sort of sense, too, when you consider the absolutely VAST numbers of deities and worshipable powers. So while the churches together might be powerful, the politics around that are MUCH more complicated; you don't get as many opportunities for crusades or inquisitions when there are so many churches, many with conflicting agendas, to get in your way.
And then there are adventurers. There are lots of ways to fit them into your world or have them arrive organically in it, each with its own set of connotations and social requirements. In any standard D&D game, a party of high-level adventurers is a force to be reckoned with, especially politically. This is as it should be, especially in a realistic world. In a lot of ways, an earlier comment about D&D games being more akin to the Wild West than medieval Europe applies heavily here.
Lastly, monsters. Having bandits in the area could be a major problem for trade, often necessitating military patrols to thwart them. But angry beholders? Obviously, if something can be done about angry, rampaging monsters, it will be done. But what if it can't be? Well, that town's not going to trade well. Might be they have to raid neighbours for food and livestock. The effects of most monsters will radiate outwards, with people living closer to them being harder of heart and less good, generally.
All that being said, I don't make it easy on my adventurers; the more languages they can speak, the better for them. They'd better learn soon how to use a moneychanger or a hawaladar. And everyone charges some kind of tax; in kingdoms fallen on hard times or run by less-than-sterling men, you can expect taxes on nearly everything.
But overall, I think there should be a somewhat modern sense of globalization approaching on the horizon; with wizardly spells facilitating speedy communication over vast distances, and scying spells that can see you no matter where you are, there are going to be aspects of the modern information age permeating any good setting.
A lot of things to think about, but very rewarding if done right.
Magic must always be kept in mind, especially when determining the history of your world prior to the game. One of the major benefits is in limiting the damage of natural disasters, which in a true medieval society could take out cities and sometimes aid or cause the collapse of some countries, as well as permanently affecting trade for thousands of miles.
Not to mention that magic can solve a fair range of political and technological problems. Whereas the Mayans and Inca never developed the wheel due to a lack of horses, a wizard might be able to summon horses, or even create them, and change that country's entire technological progression. Once you start doing the work, you'll notice that a lot of ancient cultural memes get changed or become unnecessary.
Superstition will often be present in low-magic, low-tech settings, but with somewhat radically different focuses; even in such a setting, no educated man can truly deny that the gods are real. Regardless of everything else, unless you're playing in Krynn, miracles happen somewhere every day. That's got to have a profound effect on the cultural and social landscapes. Not to mention, most D&D settings seem to imply a certain modern freedom of religion - and it makes a sort of sense, too, when you consider the absolutely VAST numbers of deities and worshipable powers. So while the churches together might be powerful, the politics around that are MUCH more complicated; you don't get as many opportunities for crusades or inquisitions when there are so many churches, many with conflicting agendas, to get in your way.
And then there are adventurers. There are lots of ways to fit them into your world or have them arrive organically in it, each with its own set of connotations and social requirements. In any standard D&D game, a party of high-level adventurers is a force to be reckoned with, especially politically. This is as it should be, especially in a realistic world. In a lot of ways, an earlier comment about D&D games being more akin to the Wild West than medieval Europe applies heavily here.
Lastly, monsters. Having bandits in the area could be a major problem for trade, often necessitating military patrols to thwart them. But angry beholders? Obviously, if something can be done about angry, rampaging monsters, it will be done. But what if it can't be? Well, that town's not going to trade well. Might be they have to raid neighbours for food and livestock. The effects of most monsters will radiate outwards, with people living closer to them being harder of heart and less good, generally.
All that being said, I don't make it easy on my adventurers; the more languages they can speak, the better for them. They'd better learn soon how to use a moneychanger or a hawaladar. And everyone charges some kind of tax; in kingdoms fallen on hard times or run by less-than-sterling men, you can expect taxes on nearly everything.
But overall, I think there should be a somewhat modern sense of globalization approaching on the horizon; with wizardly spells facilitating speedy communication over vast distances, and scying spells that can see you no matter where you are, there are going to be aspects of the modern information age permeating any good setting.
A lot of things to think about, but very rewarding if done right.
But 20 years ago I did, and around about 5th level noblemen were getting beheaded, democracies were formed, and my players were forging coins, running real estate schemes and creating multinational corporations. Oh, and inventing gunpowder. 
