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D&D - Mediaval Social, Political & Economical Structure.
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5596550" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>Understanding the political and social character of pre-modern societies is not easy, in my experience.</p><p></p><p>For most RPGing purposes, I think you can go a long way by focusing on a few broadbrush contrasts, rather than minutiae.</p><p></p><p>What characterises modernity? - inquiry, social mobility, a very high importance placed on (at least formal) freedom, voluntary transactions as integral to economic and social life.</p><p></p><p>So to get a pre-modern feel, just reverse all this - intellectual conservatism, status as the predominant determinant of social role, duty far more important than choice.</p><p></p><p>Also, every time a social situation would be resolved by an administrative arrangement in the modern state - police, prisons, taxation authorities, ambulances, standing armies etc - assume that in your mediaeval world it has to be solved by the local and private exercise of power: local courts, militia rather than armies, personal enforcement of legal claims rather than police, etc, etc.</p><p></p><p>No doubt there's a high degree of stereotype and simplification in the general picture that this paints, but for gaming purposes I think it's the easiest way to proceed that is also likely to produce results that are experienced by the players in the course of play.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 5596550, member: 42582"] Understanding the political and social character of pre-modern societies is not easy, in my experience. For most RPGing purposes, I think you can go a long way by focusing on a few broadbrush contrasts, rather than minutiae. What characterises modernity? - inquiry, social mobility, a very high importance placed on (at least formal) freedom, voluntary transactions as integral to economic and social life. So to get a pre-modern feel, just reverse all this - intellectual conservatism, status as the predominant determinant of social role, duty far more important than choice. Also, every time a social situation would be resolved by an administrative arrangement in the modern state - police, prisons, taxation authorities, ambulances, standing armies etc - assume that in your mediaeval world it has to be solved by the local and private exercise of power: local courts, militia rather than armies, personal enforcement of legal claims rather than police, etc, etc. No doubt there's a high degree of stereotype and simplification in the general picture that this paints, but for gaming purposes I think it's the easiest way to proceed that is also likely to produce results that are experienced by the players in the course of play. [/QUOTE]
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