PCs and Ruling Domains

[lordphynix]

My players recently expressed an interest in playing in a higher-level campaign with the intent to establish and rule domains. Where their desire for some bookkeeping came from I don't know but everyone is interested in attempting this.

I have taken the time to convert over the Test of the Warlords module for my game world and I need some help in finding a bit more information.

The 2E DMG has a list of costs for soldiers and a secondary list for Common Wages (table 65 pg 150 in the black bound book). In the example on that page they show costs for things not in that list such as armorers, weapon-smiths, and so on but has prices for them generated anyways. I don't understand how they were determining such prices to begin with or why it would list some and not all?

So I figured I'd see if anyone has ever compiled such a list of costs for professionals and other necessary servants/hirelings/henchmen that would be necessary to run a kingdom or if there is a supplement in any edition besides Basic and 4E that would have some lists I could look at.

 

[Jacob Marley]

Check out the Birthright Campaign Setting. IIRC, there are a number of rules in it on the running of personal domains. Ruling your own domain was to be a major feature of that setting. If you are planning on running the game in 2nd Edition, this campaign setting may be right up your alley. Otherwise, I would suggest looking at A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe as a source of inspiration. While the rules are designed to work with 3rd Edition, they are easily transferable into other editions.

 

[Rhun]

I have taken the time to convert over the Test of the Warlords module for my game world and I need some help in finding a bit more information.

I've done this same thing. Test of the Warlords is a fun module for the DM that can convert it and run it!

So I figured I'd see if anyone has ever compiled such a list of costs for professionals and other necessary servants/hirelings/henchmen that would be necessary to run a kingdom or if there is a supplement in any edition besides Basic and 4E that would have some lists I could look at.

I have a list, based on the monetary system I use in my campaign world (which is roughly similar to the actual pay from medieval Europe). I probably can't post it until next week, though, as I'm going out of town and I don't have the info with me right now.

And (as Jacob noted) you absolutely need this book: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Medieval-Society-Western-Europe/dp/0972937609]A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe.[/ame]

"A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe solves age-old dilemmas like: How much does it cost for my PCs to repair the formerly-orc-infested abandoned keep they want to use as a home base? What would happen, politically, were the PCs to set up their keep? How big is my city of 15,000 people? How many buildings are in my city? What do all the NPCs do? How do I start my PCs on the road to becoming kings? Just how much does a king earn a year anyway? What about just a regular noble? How big is a kingdom of 5,000,000 people? How many cultivated acres does it take to feed them? How should I map towns, cities, and smaller communities within my kingdom? What type of government should I use for my kingdom? How does magical religion really work? Just what do those NPCs do with all their time?"

 

[lordphynix]

One of my gamers has all the Birthright materials that I can look through so I'll check those out. I've never heard of the Magical Medieval Guide so I'll have to see if I can locate a copy at my local Half-Price.

Thanks for the recommendations guys from the sounds of it the MMG will have more information that I'll have to be prepared for later anyways. Right now the biggest area I'm having a problem with right now was the cost per month for employing hirelings. Since the 2E DMG lists Common Wages and then 5 categories but the example on the same page lists things like "Master Armorers, Armorers, Master Bladesmiths, Castellans, Heralds" yet the prices for those things do not fit any of the Common Wage categories based upon what they are being paid.

I could base the prices on those things from the example but that leaves me a little high and dry in regards to other high and low officials, other types of professional or skilled workers, and whatnot. I was going to use some of the pricing from the Basic D&D stuff, that found in the Companion Set but some of those costs seem excessively pricey.

It's frustrating that information is so incomplete.

 

[irdeggman]

One of my gamers has all the Birthright materials that I can look through so I'll check those out.

I bet that's where the idea/desire came to run domains.


Check out the link in my signature to go to the Birthright.net site.

A lot of the rules are there on their wiki, as well as a 3.0/3.5 update.

 

[lordphynix]

Thanks I'll check it out.

 

[Magesmiley]

You mentioned the basic version for rules, so I'm guessing that you took a look at the Companion level supplement for the basic edition, which had had quite a few rules on running kingdoms and whatnot (which Test of the Warlords was written to use the rules for). Bruce Heard wrote up a number of additional articles on some of the problems with those rules which were either published in Dragon or were posted to the Mystara mailing list. I think that the Vaults of Pandius website has copies of the latter, and some references for the former.

There were some articles in Dragon presenting a 3E version of some of the Birthright style rules. Issue numbers are escaping me at the moment.

The Arms and Equipment Guide and the Stronghold Builder's Guide probably has the most useful 3.X references that you'll find.

Finally, Paizo's Rivers Run Red adventure has some Kingdom rules for Pathfinder that might be helpful.