Nyeshet
First Post
1 10% // apprentices
2 15% // journeymen
3 20% // sr journeymen
4 25% // masters
5 15% // sr masters
6 10% // grandmasters
7 5% // sr grandmasters
8+ //rare, often unique NPCs
Commoners: serfs, slaves, menial laborers in cities, etc (pop % varies greatly by locale)
Experts: most other NPCs (70-80%, varies inversely with Commoners)
Warriors: most NPC combatives (1d10% of a pop, ~5.5%)
Aristocrats: rare, usually less than 1% of the pop, often a variance of Expert is used instead
Adept: not used, a mix of Expert and a level or three from a PC casting class is used instead
In urban (rural) areas:
NPC classes: ~80% (~90%)
PC classes: ~20% (~10%)
As for medieval demographics, understand that typically one or more villages would owe a (substancial) tithe to the nearest fortified locale, be it the castle, the city, etc. A citystate typically controlled all the lands at least within the sight of its walls - which was often at least enough to feed its own population in typical years. In times of famine the city often suffered.
Recall also that until the modern age, cities were population sinks. The number of deaths exceeded the number of births. For whatever reasons, cities tended to have negative population growth, and they needed the occasional immigrants just to keep a stable population. That was one of the reasons cities emptied so swiftly during times of trouble. Not only was no one migrating into it, not only was the death rate higher due to famine, plague, whatever, and not only were people leaving the city in droves (to search for food, a healthier place to live, etc), but it also had lost its illusion of having a self-maintaining population. Even without the troubles its population would be falling simply because its immigration had been cut off.
Typically, the rural population was about 80-90% of the whole population prior to modern times. In some times and areas it was closer to 95-98% of the whole population. Cities were merely places of uncommon density of the population, places between / along the borders of various lord's lands where escaped commoners, artisans, merchants, etc would gather for mutual benefit (including protection from the local lords, who otherwise might attempt to reclaim the lands a town was upon). They tended to higher mercenaries (sometimes landless knights, sometimes prior bandits now put to 'honest' work) to protect their towns from lords, bandits, etc.
As for how much land was needed per person per year, I have been told that 1-2 acres is a typical answer. Not sure of its validity, but that is the only answer I know that comes to mind.
2 15% // journeymen
3 20% // sr journeymen
4 25% // masters
5 15% // sr masters
6 10% // grandmasters
7 5% // sr grandmasters
8+ //rare, often unique NPCs
Commoners: serfs, slaves, menial laborers in cities, etc (pop % varies greatly by locale)
Experts: most other NPCs (70-80%, varies inversely with Commoners)
Warriors: most NPC combatives (1d10% of a pop, ~5.5%)
Aristocrats: rare, usually less than 1% of the pop, often a variance of Expert is used instead
Adept: not used, a mix of Expert and a level or three from a PC casting class is used instead
In urban (rural) areas:
NPC classes: ~80% (~90%)
PC classes: ~20% (~10%)
As for medieval demographics, understand that typically one or more villages would owe a (substancial) tithe to the nearest fortified locale, be it the castle, the city, etc. A citystate typically controlled all the lands at least within the sight of its walls - which was often at least enough to feed its own population in typical years. In times of famine the city often suffered.
Recall also that until the modern age, cities were population sinks. The number of deaths exceeded the number of births. For whatever reasons, cities tended to have negative population growth, and they needed the occasional immigrants just to keep a stable population. That was one of the reasons cities emptied so swiftly during times of trouble. Not only was no one migrating into it, not only was the death rate higher due to famine, plague, whatever, and not only were people leaving the city in droves (to search for food, a healthier place to live, etc), but it also had lost its illusion of having a self-maintaining population. Even without the troubles its population would be falling simply because its immigration had been cut off.
Typically, the rural population was about 80-90% of the whole population prior to modern times. In some times and areas it was closer to 95-98% of the whole population. Cities were merely places of uncommon density of the population, places between / along the borders of various lord's lands where escaped commoners, artisans, merchants, etc would gather for mutual benefit (including protection from the local lords, who otherwise might attempt to reclaim the lands a town was upon). They tended to higher mercenaries (sometimes landless knights, sometimes prior bandits now put to 'honest' work) to protect their towns from lords, bandits, etc.
As for how much land was needed per person per year, I have been told that 1-2 acres is a typical answer. Not sure of its validity, but that is the only answer I know that comes to mind.
