Population
Your population grows or diminishes at a rate of 1d20 (births) - deaths per season per 100 people. Deaths are calculated based on public health.
Food
You must feed your people. Each county will start with 8d2 fields. You can restore a barren field with 200 serfs over the course of one year.
Raise food stores in three ways:
Livestock
Livestock must be cared for by herders and milkmaids in order to breed, give birth, and produce food. Each animal’s produce (dairy, eggs, etc.) will feed five peasants for the season. Each slaughtered animal will feed four peasants.
Each animal requires two serfs to thrive. The population adjusts for every field of animals each season according to the chart below. For each absent serf, an additional animal will die.
Crowding in a single field will also affect livestock:
1-20: Spaced out. 1d4 births - 1d4-1 deaths
21-30: Average crowding. 1d4 births - 1d4 deaths
31-40: Crowding. 1d4 births - 1d4+1 deaths
41-50: Massive overcrowding. 1d4 births - 1d4+2 deaths
Crops
Alternatively, fields can grow crops. Ten grain planted will yield 4d4x10 grain provided each field is worked to the maximum year-round. Sixty workers per field are required all year. One sack of grain will feed six peasants for the season. Plant in the winter and harvest in autumn.
Fishing
If your county has a shoreline, you may use 200 wood to craft a harbor, and then 25 wood after that to craft a boat. Each boat, good for one year, can hold four fisherman, and each fisherman can bring in 1d4 measures of seafood per season. One measure of seafood feeds two peasants. Unlike livestock and crops, fish cannot be sold to a merchant.
Fallowness
Leaving a field fallow for one year will improve the soil. Harvests from such fields will include a 2d12 increase.
Happiness
Happiness is affected by rations, health, food, and conscription. For each point below 50, there will be a 2% chance a county will fall into rebellion.
Rations
None = -8 happiness, 80% chance of health decline
Quarter = -5 happiness, 50% chance of health decline
Half = -2 happiness, 20% chance of health decline
Full = +1 happiness
Double = +4 happiness, 40% chance of health increase
Triple = +7 happiness, 70% chance of health increase
Health
Diseased = -10 happiness, 2d20 deaths per 100 people
Sick = -5 happiness, 1d20 deaths per 100 people
Average = 0 happiness, 1d10 deaths per 100 people
Good = +1 happiness, 1d8 deaths per 100 people
Hale = +2 happiness, 1d4 deaths per 100 people
Taxes
Establish the tax rate for each county; it is a percentage of the population rounded to the nearest crown. The tax rate will affect the happiness of your people.
0% = +4 happiness
10% = +2 happiness
20% = +1 happiness
30% = 0 happiness
40% = -2 happiness
50% = -5 happiness
60% = -9 happiness
70% = -14 happiness
80% = -19 happiness
90% = -25 happiness
100% = -32 happiness
Conscription
When you raise an army, happiness decreases. You cannot conscript more than half of a county’s population in one season.
1%-10% = -10 happiness
11%-20% = -20 happiness
21%-30% = -30 happiness
31%-40% = -40 happiness
41%-50% = -50 happiness
Sending Supplies
You may send supplies to any county, including those of other nobles. You must specify the route (county to county) your supply caravan will travel. If your caravan passes through a county controlled by another noble, there will be a chance it the occupying noble will seize your goods (10% for no fortification up to 60% for a royal castle, with ten percent increments in between). If not intercepted, supplies will reach the intended destination in the next season.
Industry
Each county has a blacksmith for making weapons and a mason’s guild for building castles. In addition, each county has two of three industries: Lumberyards, Mines, or Quarries. Each laborer produces one measure per season.
Lumberjacks produce timber for manufacturing weapons and constructing castles.
Miners produce iron for manufacturing weapons.
Quarriers produce stone for constructing castles.
Castles
Castles can protect your county from invading forces. There are five variants:
Wooden Palisade
40 stone, 400 wood
200 masons
Garrison of 100
Motte & Bailey
80 stone, 800 wood
400 masons
Garrison of 200
Norman Keep
1000 stone, 200 wood
800 masons
Garrison of 300
Stone Castle
2000 stone, 400 wood
1500 masons
Garrison of 400
Royal Castle
3000 stone, 800 wood
2500 masons
Garrison of 500
Event Table
There is a 50% chance that a favorable or unfortunate event will occur in each of your counties, which can affect anything. You will be informed of any such circumstances when they occur.
Merchants
Two Merchants travel throughout the land. If one is in a county you control, you may do business with him. Prices are fixed (sell/buy):
Livestock- 12/24
Grain- 2/4
Ale- Population x 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 (for happiness bonus)
Timber- 1/2
Iron- 2/4
Stone - 2/4
Halberds - 13/26
Maces - 10/20
Swords - 23/46
Axes - 36/72
Bows - 16/32
Horses - 16/-
Armies
To build a weapon, you must delegate peasants as blacksmiths. You need one blacksmith per weapon type per four weapons.
Armies are paid at a rate of 20% wages per season
In battle, a 4 or higher is a casualty
Ratio for each weapon type is Iron / Wood
Peasants
Default - 50% of the population if the county is undefended.
1d4
Halberdiers
3/6
1d6
2d6 against Cavalry
Macemen
4/4
1d8
Swordsmen
10/3
1d10
Axemen
17/4
1d12
Bowmen
0/13
2d4 missile
1d4 melee
Defending bowmen get one free missile attack at the beginning.
Cavalry
Weapon cost + 4 grain
Can use any of the above melee weapons (Lancer, Sergeant, Knight, Raider)
Has a second attack at 1d4
Opposing infantry must get a 5 or higher to kill (a peasant must roll a 1 on a 1d8)
Weak against Halberdiers
Mercenaries
Each season, there is a chance that mercenaries will offer their services to you. They have a high initial cost and a high upkeep, but you will not have to furnish them with weapons, nor will enlisting them decrease the happiness of your people.
Spies
For 50 crowns, you may attempt to spy on any county. There is a 70% rate of success. Success means you will learn everything about that county’s present status, including garrisons and production. Failure means that your spy is caught and executed, but not before being tortured to the point of informing his tormentors of who sent him!
Battle
Units are listed on a spreadsheet in order of class (peasant to bowman).
Defense gets a position advantage- halberdiers will fight mounted units first.
Bowmen can only be attacked once the opposing melee force outnumbers the other.
Units attack each other simultaneously.
When a unit survives and kills his opponent, he moves to the next available combatant.
Sieges
A garrisoned castle must be breached before combat proper may begin.
Wooden Palisade- 1 turn to breach
Motte & Bailey- 1d4 turns to breach
Norman Keep- 1d6 turns to breach
Stone Castle- 2d4 turns to breach
Royal Castle- 3d4 turns to breach
During the turns the besieging force is using to break into the castle, enemy archers can fire freely upon the enemy, reducing their numbers. If no archers are present, battle begins normally.