d20: Bard's Gate, I have it

[Odhanan]

I really don't care if you want comparisons or not. I'm not suggesting that a $35 product will have the same level of information etc. I was asking, if what Nightfall has seen to date for Ptolus seems worth the $120, was there an equivalent ratio of relevant info and goodes in Bard's Gate.

Impossible to answer, since Ptolus isn't out yet.

 

[Nightfall]

I must be blind or something but I didn't see Ed's name in the credit listing. That being said, I'm reasonable sure Tree is right. It certainly looks like Ed's work.

 

[catsclaw227]

I must be blind or something but I didn't see Ed's name in the credit listing. That being said, I'm reasonable sure Tree is right. It certainly looks like Ed's work.

I don't have my book in front of me, but I am quite sure it's Ed. His style is quite distinguishable and I recall seeing his name in there somewhere.

 

[Ycore Rixle]

25,000? Is it supposed to be a big city? I'm asking because in tons of products - from Player's Guide to the Wilderlands to the Eberrons Core Settings, both of which I love and use - I have issues with population numbers. I grew up in a town that was 10,000 in the winter and 30,000 in the summer. And it was without a doubt a very small town. But maybe Baldur's Gate is supposed to be a very small town?

I'm way too tired to go look up numbers, but wasn't Paris in the millions in the late middle ages? Weren't Rome, London, Constantinople, Venice, all vastly larger than what we commonly see listed as population numbers for D&D cities? I'm sure people will correct me if I'm wrong.

Aw, maybe I'm just feeling grumpy tonight. Let me finish by saying that I am going to buy Baldur's Gate soon. It looks great. I just couldn't resist posting about this population pet peeve of mine.

 

[catsclaw227]

25,000? Is it supposed to be a big city? I'm asking because in tons of products - from Player's Guide to the Wilderlands to the Eberrons Core Settings, both of which I love and use - I have issues with population numbers. I grew up in a town that was 10,000 in the winter and 30,000 in the summer. And it was without a doubt a very small town. But maybe Baldur's Gate is supposed to be a very small town?

I'm way too tired to go look up numbers, but wasn't Paris in the millions in the late middle ages? Weren't Rome, London, Constantinople, Venice, all vastly larger than what we commonly see listed as population numbers for D&D cities? I'm sure people will correct me if I'm wrong.

According to Wikipedia: France in the Middle Ages:

France in the Middle Ages was the most populated region in Europe (and the third most populous country in the world, behind only China and India), although there were great differences in density between the populated north and the relatively unpopulated south. In the 14th century, before the arrival of the Black Death, the total population of the area covered by modern day France has been estimated by some at around 20 million (this would again be the population of France in the 1600s). Paris, the largest city in Europe, may have had upwards of 200,000 inhabitants. The Black Death killed an estimated one-third of the population from its appearance in 1348. The concurrent Hundred Years' War slowed recovery. It would be the early sixteenth century before the population recovered to mid-fourteenth century levels (see Demographics of France).

Also. I imagine that a town with 25,000 would seem smaller if it is rural and spread out, but to put 25,000 in a walled city, it would certainly feel "bigger". There aren't any scale markers on Ed's excellent fold-out map, but by extrapolating the size of Rogue Island's Slip Gallows Abbey (120ft wide at widest point), I estimated the city at it's widest point east/west to be about 4 miles. Fitting 25,000 inside a four-mile diameter city would feel busy, for sure.

 

[Odhanan]

I can tell you three things regarding the population numbers:
- 25,000 inhabitants in a medieval city of Europe is indeed high
- Bard's Gate is not an actual historical city

As a side note the map does not represent a 25,000 inhabitants town for me. It looks in fact much smaller on the paper, but that's no big deal to me.

 

[catsclaw227]

As a side note the map does not represent a 25,000 inhabitants town for me. It looks in fact much smaller on the paper, but that's no big deal to me.

I can see your point. In my opinion, Tent City would be much bigger than the map implies. I will likely double or triple the size.

 

[Treebore]

Me to. Actually I guess i would be third.