Saturday, 9 May 2020

The why of villages

According to British crime dramas, you're 900% more likely to be murdered in a sleepy little countryside village than anywhere else in England. But when you've been on the road for weeks and supplies are running low, they can be a godsend.

So what makes this village tick? What do they do all day, what's their background, what are they secretly ashamed or proud of? Will they sell you supplies and wish you a safe journey, or will someone knife you in your sleep as a potential threat to her victory in this year's rhubarb pie baking contest?

The main source of income is:

  1. Farming
  2. Fishing
  3. Mining
  4. Hospitality for travellers on a nearby trade road
  5. Craft - smithing, cooping, wagon-building, etc.
  6. Forestry

An important nearby resource is:

  1. A forest where game can be hunted
  2. A bridge or ford
  3. A marsh where bog-iron can be collected
  4. A clay pit
  5. A bat cave where guano can be harvested
  6. A medicinal/culinary herb that grows wild
They offer adventurers (roll 3 times):

  1. A blacksmith
  2. Horses for sale
  3. Dried food, lamp oil, rope, arrows
  4. Healing
  5. Cleric services
  6. Guides

They are led by:

  1. A minor noble family
  2. A council of business leaders
  3. An elected mayor
  4. A clan chief
  5. A governor assigned by the kingdom
  6. An informal group of village elders

Who is/are 'advised' by:

  1. A wealthy family stripped of a noble title generations ago
  2. A secret council of 'concerned' citizens
  3. A bandit clan with a nearby secret camp
  4. A coven of witches
  5. A whispering presence
  6. A spy for the ruler

The citizens are:

  1. A single race
  2. Two or more races living together
  3. Several races and immigrants
  4. Mixed and include a small population of highly unusual creatures 
  5. Mixed and include many exotic creatures
  6. Mostly exotic creatures

An unusual feature is:

  1. A ghost in the ruler's chambers
  2. A fairy market every full moon
  3. A law against killing cats
  4. An inn built into an old ruin
  5. A barred and shuttered building no-one is permitted to enter
  6. An unusual town official - witch finder, sword examiner, nose-measurer, plague doctor, etc.
A nearby threat is:

  1. The beast in the woods
  2. The goblin camp
  3. A border war
  4. An ancient curse
  5. A growing cult
  6. A feud between two influential families
They don't talk about:

  1. The leper colony their grandparents' generation burned down
  2. The smuggling tunnels under the oldest houses and what they're used for today
  3. The deal they made with an evil sorcerer during a hard winter
  4. The massacre that happened decades ago
  5. The unusual religion they practise
  6. The reason for the sunset curfew

(Thanks to Spwack of the Slight Adjustments blog for the generator code.)

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