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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 4596076" data-attributes="member: 99">Alright, I'm getting down to some real world building working from the inside out.  Mostly right now I'm trying to nail down some of the economic and lifestyle considerations of the world I've created.Obviously the foremost among these is that trade between plateaus is made vastly more difficult by the distances involved and limited connectivity between them.  The wealth of an average kingdom will be primarily determined by how self sufficient it is (reducing the need for importing materials and finished goods) and/or whether it has surplus resources to export and how easily transportable these exports are.For example a plateau might have a lot of trees growing on it.  Wood will always be a valuable resource in this setting.  But it doesn't make a fantastic export because it's so heavy and bulky that transport is extremely difficult.  On the other hand, if they have a particular type of wood that is especially good for making bows then that plateau might export that material in small (but valuable) quantities.This also brings up the idea that it will almost always be more profitable and sensible to ship finished goods rather than raw materials.  The kingdom the PC's will start in (Semma) has a lot of sheep and prides itself on very fine wool.  They could (and probably do to a small extent) ship this wool to other plateaus.  But they also have a sizable population of weavers and tailors who turn the wool into finished cloth and clothing.  This would minimize waste at the destination and reduce transport costs as much as possible (I think).It also seems like it would encourage another theme:  Guilds.  With populations of craftsmen concentrated near the resource production areas, and with movement of the general populace more limited than in a normal world, it seems likely that there would emerge techniques and formulae that amount to "trade secrets" that might be closely guarded.  I've never run a campaign where this idea was a major theme but I'm leaning towards it for this one.  It sets up a host of mercantile entities that intermingle and frequently conflict with political power structures.So right now I'm at the point of deciding what sorts of resources the various nearby plateaus have available.  And this should point up some interesting trade relationships that can emerge from that interplay.One final thing that occurred to me while envisioning this:  Food is going to be an interesting comodity.  Given the small geographical areas and lack of arable land it seems likely that the diet of the average citizen will be pretty limited.  In Semma they eat a lot of mutton I guess.  Only the rich can afford to eat a wide variety of foods imported from faraway places.  Some foods might be extremely prized for their rarity to the point that it is illegal for any but royalty to eat them (maybe fish given that large bodies of water are few and far between).Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts as usual.</blockquote>

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