Excerpt: Fallcrest

[mach1.9pants]

Dragon-lance.

All right, enough already!

 

[MindWanderer]

What we need are random adventure generators.

Or this.

What strikes me the most about Orest is that even though he's numerically a level 8 monster, his abilities aren't even close to a level 8 PC. Having only one at-will makes sense for an NPC. I don't know what the level of that encounter power is, although I suppose it could be level 7 power (it does grant combat advantage for a round, after all). No utility powers at all, and of course no dailies. I'd infer from this that to create a class-levelled NPC, you grant them all the class features, one at-will, and one encounter power of a PC of their level... but if that's true, an enemy party of NPCs would be a dangerous fight.

 

[Fifth Element]

My only problem with the name is the temptation to call it Falcon Crest.

 

[AllisterH]

My only problem with the name is the temptation to call it Falcon Crest.

I wonder if there's a Knot's Landing nearby

 

[The Little Raven]

My only problem with the name is the temptation to call it Falcon Crest.

As The Oerth Turns...

 

[Spatula]

What strikes me the most about Orest is that even though he's numerically a level 8 monster, his abilities aren't even close to a level 8 PC. Having only one at-will makes sense for an NPC. I don't know what the level of that encounter power is, although I suppose it could be level 7 power (it does grant combat advantage for a round, after all). No utility powers at all, and of course no dailies. I'd infer from this that to create a class-levelled NPC, you grant them all the class features, one at-will, and one encounter power of a PC of their level... but if that's true, an enemy party of NPCs would be a dangerous fight.

No more so than an enemy party of same-level monsters, I think. Monsters, after all, typically have one or two at-will attacks (one melee, possibly one ranged) and one to three encounter powers, plus potential monster traits (shifty, mob attack, goblin tactics, etc.). Or pretty much what the magic item vendor has. Realistically you're not going to be able to make use of all of a PC's abilities in one fight, and running a group with so many encounter options available to each member is difficult for most people to juggle.

 

[drjones]

Maybe you could post one of your towns so we mere lay-people could glimpse the genius required for a non-lame town?

Mine is like Great America but with a lot more booze, gambling and whores. I call it 'Les Veguoos'.

 

[Nikodemus]

Historically the ratio of farmers to city dwellers is about 9 to 1. In the US city populations didn't exceed rural populations until (I seem to recall) the 1950's. So to have better than 50% of the population as urban dwellers rather than food produces implies some factor that greatly enhances food production. Incidently this is also the same reason that having 5% of the population under arms is enormous. (Although Green Knight is correct, it's about 3% if you include the rural population. Which is still large.)

Those numbers may be true as a general pattern, but they certainly aren't universally applicable. If you look at 14th century Florence (which, is a highly urbanized area, but also gives the clearest picture of population figures) the city has a population of roughly 100,000 people (pre plague). The countryside surrounding Florence contains roughly 80,000. The highly urbanized Italian city states could have an urban population that exceed that of the countryside, as long as they imported significant quantities of foods.

So the population ration in Fallcrest seems a tad high, but not exceedinly so. It just relies on merchants to bring in food. Fortunetly, it finds itself located on valuable trade routes.

 

[Andor]

Mine is like Great America but with a lot more booze, gambling and whores. I call it 'Les Veguoos'.

I'm gonna build my own town, better than yours! With blackjack and hookers! [/bender]

 

[Andor]

Those numbers may be true as a general pattern, but they certainly aren't universally applicable. If you look at 14th century Florence (which, is a highly urbanized area, but also gives the clearest picture of population figures) the city has a population of roughly 100,000 people (pre plague). The countryside surrounding Florence contains roughly 80,000. The highly urbanized Italian city states could have an urban population that exceed that of the countryside, as long as they imported significant quantities of foods.

So the population ration in Fallcrest seems a tad high, but not exceedinly so. It just relies on merchants to bring in food. Fortunetly, it finds itself located on valuable trade routes.

Err... yeah. Importing food doesn't change the ratios, it just geographically displaces the farmers. It also means you must have some kind of cash flow that allows you to keep buying more food.

Whether or not Fallcrest has that flow, and if it can trade for food is up to the GM. As written the fluff seems to imply there is a lack of trade currently. But of course the GM will alter things to suit his own campaign, and whether the food is produced magically or imported there are adventure and plot possibilities with some impediment to food production/importation.

At any rate we seem to agree that 900 farmers on their own cannot feed 1300 people without some kind of supplement.