Winterhaven Capsule Hotels

[Voss]

It seems a lot to live in 'nearby' homes outside the town itself, particularly in a point of light setting. Its also a lot for a village or even town, given the agricultural level. Feeding almost a thousand folk requires a lot of land.

A reasonable population would require cutting this population to about a third of whats list. ~170 people in the 17 buildings in town seems almost reasonable, with maybe another 170 in the outlying region. Even thats pushing it if they're in a hostile region. Much farther and you have to deal with travel times for the limited amount of food they can grow (and keep edible).

Really, it looks like someone pulled a random number out of their back passage and didn't put any thought into it.

 

[Torchlyte]

LOL I was gonna say something when I saw the numbers but was just too darn shy. I think the numbers aren't reflective of the buildings mentioned. No matter how we justify the merchants and their helpers, 50 ppl in a building is alot and would need to be massive. I could believe it if the outskirts had many many more buildings.

Same. The thing is, towns are a pain in the butt to actually try and stat out.

 

[mlund]

A reasonable population would require cutting this population to about a third of whats list. ~170 people in the 17 buildings in town seems almost reasonable, with maybe another 170 in the outlying region. Even thats pushing it if they're in a hostile region. Much farther and you have to deal with travel times for the limited amount of food they can grow (and keep edible).

I seriously doubt it. Assuming an agrarian society and the non-thatched-roof buildings in town making up places of business and homes of the merchant and artisan classes, you'd probably need at least 3 families of farmers for every such establishment. 17 "normal" buildings means over 50 surrounding farmstead families - and consequently a population of over 500 in the farmsteads counting the workers, their children, and their elders.

Frankly, any isolated settlement under 200 souls in a difficult / hostile frontier environment is going to die out within that generation unless more families move in from other parts. This isn't agrarian life in settled territories among the yeomanry and tenant farmers a few days carriage-ride from Victorian London. This is a savage frontier where strength in numbers is probably the only thing these people have going for them.

- Marty Lund

 

[2eBladeSinger]

From: Medieval Demographics

http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm

Population density for an agrarian society vaguely modeled on Medieval Europe would range from 30 to 120 people per square mile. Assuming Winterhaven falls somewhere in between that, the population listed roughly covers about twelve square miles of land, that's the town and the outlying areas. If I've got my maths right which isn't a given.

 

[Korgoth]

From: Medieval Demographics

http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm

Population density for an agrarian society vaguely modeled on Medieval Europe would range from 30 to 120 people per square mile. Assuming Winterhaven falls somewhere in between that, the population listed roughly covers about twelve square miles of land, that's the town and the outlying areas. If I've got my maths right which isn't a given.

Nice article!

Well, I guess Winterhaven just has a bunch of cottages outside the walls. Overall, according to Mr. Ross' figures, it would not even need 6 square miles of agricultural land to support it.

Not a sleepy little village, though. More like a proto-town.

 

[TheNovaLord]

800 cultists of in the sewers and catacombs beneath the town.

I thought this was D&D not WHFRP?

 

[mach1.9pants]

800 cultist? That is what I call a target rich environment- w00t!

 

[Primal]

I also noticed that the walls around the town seem to be made of stone and they are pretty *thick*. Now, I wouldn't mind if this was a city or metropolis, but to me it seems a bit odd if these 900+ people have actually built a true fortress-town among the wilderness. It would suggest that the people live in a truly dangerous region, which begs the question: if most of the people are farmers living in outlying farms, how do they survive? Of course, they could always seek shelter inside the town, but then the farms should huddle close to each other just outside the walls.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Could be the walls existing before and simply have been maintained by the townspeople. That way when danger does come their way they have a place of refuge.

 

[vagabundo]

Could be the walls existing before and simply have been maintained by the townspeople. That way when danger does come their way they have a place of refuge.

Looks to me like it was a castle that has been restored.

It would be in a farmers best interests to have somewhere very safe to hold up if a warband comes by. And don't forget the farmers markets.

The town would probably need some active patrols to visit outlying farms and a handful of paid rangers to scout for incoming dangers.

Of course this needs to be paid for by a tax on the famers market.