New type of resources: Herd

[Angaros]

I know there is an "herd of animals" entry in the Mannish Resources listing but I was thinking about something a bit more elaborate. I was reading Thor's entry on the nerdyc boards where he describes one of the characters of the game having a cattle herd and thus being considered a wealthy man. This ought to work well for any medieval-like environment. There are no specifics in my head yet but here are some ideas to get the discussion started.

* The Herd has a size exponent (shade is irrelevant). The actual number of animals it represents ought to vary depending on type of animal, but it isn't really important since it's an abstract mechanic. I was thinking that each step on the Herd exponent scale roughly doubles the size of the herd.

* The Herd counts as Property when calculating resources. The main reason for having animals is, after all, to produce wealth or food. Simply add the Herd exponent to your Resources. Counting the rp's it costs would work too i guess, but the following ideas might be harder to incorporate.

* Each maintenance cycle, you must pass a Herding (or equivalent) test in order for the herd to live well. If you fail, you get taxed as per the Resources mechanic. Rebuilding the Herd is done via the Get a Job mechanics. The Obstacle for the Herding test is equal to the Herd size exponent. For large herds you need help. Makes sense. This assumes the character has access to grazing grounds for his herd.

* Ideas for herd sizes:

B1 -- What a villein might have: a cow, a handful each of pigs and sheep and a few chickens.
B2 -- What a wealthier freeholder might have: same mix as above but twice as many.
B3 -- What a manor lord ought to have to support his own household
B4 -- Landed nobility for whom animals are important (shires where sheep are a vital part of the economy for instance)
B5 -- Either a huge herd or just very lucrative animals: pure-bred horses come to mind.
B6 - B10 -- dunno... animals that can make you crazy-rich. Famous horse-stables, etc.

- - -

The reason I started thinking about this was that for some characters (who ought to have large resources), affiliations and reputation aren't too fitting. Herds won't drive the story forward as Aff. and Rep. does ofc, but it might be liked by the sims out there. :) So, comments anyone?

[Ozark Tim]

The reason I started thinking about this was that for some characters (who ought to have large resources), affiliations and reputation aren't too fitting. Herds won't drive the story forward as Aff. and Rep. does ofc, but it might be liked by the sims out there. :) So, comments anyone?

If you want examples of herds dictating story, start with the Bible and wind up with Zane Grey.

[Thor Olavsrud]

Hey Jocke,

I like the idea, but can you explain why you see a need for this to be beyond the Resources ability? Buying a herd (or several herds) already counts toward Resources according to the Resources list. If you buy up grazeland (or a farm) and herds, why should the herds be tracked separately? How do you imagine it being used in play?

[Angaros]

Actually I didn't think about the fact that animals were part of property already (like a farm or manor). But property doesn't account for people with less than normal relations between house/land and wealth. I'm thinking of animal breeders for instance or nomads etc. It is ofc, up to the group/GM to assess the number of rp's needed to account for a certain type of property (which could be anything), but using more detailed rules, herds can be brought into play in a more tangible way.

The most immediate idea that pops up would be playing in Khelataar using BW. Khelataar is an old Swedish RPG now out of print (might be made avaliable soon again tho). It's an iron age setting, very down to earth, on a sparsely inhabited island in a clan-dominated society. The importance of familial connections, material wealth through land and animals etc. is closely tied into the setting. There are few full time warriors -- most clansmen are farmers, herders or fishermen and some know how to wield a sword or an axe when needed. Herds would be an important measure of wealth and power. The fact that they are vulnerable (if not properly tended to) and often favored targets for raids and similar between clans makes them an interesting focus piece. Poisoning, killing and stealing animals from your foes is the way war is done between farmers. Land is difficult to destroy and hard to conquer and then hold. I'll have to think more about this, because you're right, if the rules are to be complicated it has to pay off during play. The rules need to create interesting situation and support the creativity of the players and GM.

Now I'm off to celebrate the fact that I just got a job! Hoo-ah!