D&D 5E Landholds, what do you want out of it?

[MechaPilot]

So, I'm working on a landhold management system for 5e. It takes influences from Risk, Axis & Allies, and Civ V. I'm building the system to be as simple as possible while covering all the essentials of managing a landhold. I plan to have the potential for more layers of rules if people want to make it more complex.

My question to you is. . .

Assuming you wanted a simple landhold system, aside from conquest and defense (which I already have worked out), what aspects of managing a landhold would you consider essential enough to warrant inclusion in a very bare-bones management system?

Edit: For those of you who are mentioning other landhold systems that are already out there, can you please mention (in very broad strokes) what things they cover that you feel are essential to a bare-bones landhold system (apart from attack & defense). I appreciate your references to other systems that you feel are good, but I do have a limited budget, and I am trying to make my own thing here. So, I am much more interested in what aspects of landhold management you find necessary or highly desirable than I am in what system you would refer me to in lieu of creating my own.

 

[dagger]

Things that come up in our games in the past and in the last year:

Taxes - how much is generated and is the fief self sustaining?
Buildings - I need a church to Tyr, how much does it cost?
Underground - how much time and money does it take to build dungeons and the like.

Can PC/NPC casters help speed up the building of stuff (buildings, dungeons, whatever), and if so, how much faster? How much game downtime?

 

[Miladoon]

Control of an area resource or resources. Doesn't have to be granular but just enough to add importance and perhaps a variety of markets.

Would like to see this when complete.

 

[BoldItalic]

What do your players want? What do they find amusing?

 

[Derren]

Instead of costs etc. (Which only should come into play with big projects anyway) imo knowing who owns the property, who uses it and what obligation it entails.

It is more useful and fitting for most fantasy setting if the concern is not how much stones one needs to build a new church, but if the land the church is on is still owned by the nobles or the church itself and how building it affects the influence various factions have over the area.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Check out Adventurer, Conqueror, King.

 

[LordEntrails]

- available natural resources, how to exploit (mine) them
- agriculture or other production (grain, ale, crafts)
Those two should be aimed at providing/answer a basic is the landhold self-sustaining, and what are typical imports and exports

I would probably aim at outlining 6-8 categories for; resources, raw goods (including agriculture/farming) and finished goods. Then a simple measurement of how much is produced vs how much is needed and the value of such.

Also may want to address something like what percentage of the population is required to produce food and required goods for survival. That would point out how much free time for crafts, soldiers and nobles would be able to be supported.

 

[Ancalagon]

A potential pitfall of owning/controlling land like this is that the PCs can "outgrow" the land and its resources and challenges. A level 5 party defending a small barony are doing a lot of work. A level 15 party defending a small barony are essentially retired.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using EN World mobile app

 

[Eltab]

Can I improve the assets over time?
For instance, if I start with a forest, can I deliberately plant maple trees in it (to make syrup)?

A small business in a village - what happens when the village becomes a town? Does the business automatically grow with it?
How do I handle 'company hiring employees' vs 'family-run shop'?

I may be getting too detailed for what you want to achieve. Sorry.

You might want to find 3e Power of Faerun and look over the chapter 'Go Into Business'. It has done some of the work for you.

 

[Arilyn]

I would enjoy a system like this if there was a system for random events to come up. Large noble party settles in for a few months straining your resources, drought, nearby war and you are obligated to send troops, monster incursion, con man fleecing your villagers, etc. Of course, there would be good events as well, such as finding stash of valuables, surplus of crops, rise in prestige, land grants, etc.