Post by klingor on Mar 30, 2013 13:38:13 GMT -5
Hi,
I've started this as a result of all the interest in my 'Revisiting locations' thread, to the extent that it seems to merit a thread in its own right.
My own views are
1) A vendor is not going to stock items for which there is no demand, so the range available will be different between a village store, the shops in a town and the markets in a city. The larger the population, the more likely that specialists will find it worthwhile to stock or produce rarer/more expensive items as they will expect to find a buyer for them. They would also be able to gain access to sufficient amounts of raw materials so as to mass-produce items cheaply
2) Consider the process involved in making an item.
It may require some common ingredients (available anywhere), some special ingredients (common in some areas eg marshes or forests but very rare in others) and even specific exotic ingredients eg dragons blood.
It then requires someone with the knowledge and equipment to put these ingredients together to produce the finished article.
Furthermore, even if all these requirements are met, then unless there is the expectation of a buyer, the item won't get made as the resources will be channelled into making something for which there is a demand.
3) Villages and settlements (eg mining camps, logging camps) will have raw materials (appropriate to their environment) available cheaply and in bulk. Some basic items may be available if there is someone has the skill to make them eg a smith or a baker but others may have to be brought in from outside (cf Crown of Kings)
Towns will have higher-end specialists eg armourers, apothecaries, herbalists etc. They will have all basic items readily available, may have some exotic items/ingredients available, and there is a good chance that any given item can be specially commissioned if it is not immediately available.
Cities are where it all comes together. Whatever you want, there is someone who has it or can get it for you. Specialist shops will be here in abundance. Basic items will cost more as raw materials are not immediately at hand, but raw materials will be processed to produce more specialised equipment at a cheaper cost because the most skilled practitioners are to be found here.
Economies of scale also apply here. Higher-level craftsmen can turn out items more quickly and of better quality from the same raw materials. As there are more of them, they will be competing on price as well.
Overall, I think this is a fascinating area to explore. In a campaign, a group could spend some time on an expedition simply to gather raw materials. They could then use skills/talents to produce items themselves or negotiate deals with specialists who would produce these items for them. It also would flesh out the business skills in LAW and (even more) TFT/ITL making them much more relevant and valuable to have.
Cheers
Colin
I've started this as a result of all the interest in my 'Revisiting locations' thread, to the extent that it seems to merit a thread in its own right.
My own views are
1) A vendor is not going to stock items for which there is no demand, so the range available will be different between a village store, the shops in a town and the markets in a city. The larger the population, the more likely that specialists will find it worthwhile to stock or produce rarer/more expensive items as they will expect to find a buyer for them. They would also be able to gain access to sufficient amounts of raw materials so as to mass-produce items cheaply
2) Consider the process involved in making an item.
It may require some common ingredients (available anywhere), some special ingredients (common in some areas eg marshes or forests but very rare in others) and even specific exotic ingredients eg dragons blood.
It then requires someone with the knowledge and equipment to put these ingredients together to produce the finished article.
Furthermore, even if all these requirements are met, then unless there is the expectation of a buyer, the item won't get made as the resources will be channelled into making something for which there is a demand.
3) Villages and settlements (eg mining camps, logging camps) will have raw materials (appropriate to their environment) available cheaply and in bulk. Some basic items may be available if there is someone has the skill to make them eg a smith or a baker but others may have to be brought in from outside (cf Crown of Kings)
Towns will have higher-end specialists eg armourers, apothecaries, herbalists etc. They will have all basic items readily available, may have some exotic items/ingredients available, and there is a good chance that any given item can be specially commissioned if it is not immediately available.
Cities are where it all comes together. Whatever you want, there is someone who has it or can get it for you. Specialist shops will be here in abundance. Basic items will cost more as raw materials are not immediately at hand, but raw materials will be processed to produce more specialised equipment at a cheaper cost because the most skilled practitioners are to be found here.
Economies of scale also apply here. Higher-level craftsmen can turn out items more quickly and of better quality from the same raw materials. As there are more of them, they will be competing on price as well.
Overall, I think this is a fascinating area to explore. In a campaign, a group could spend some time on an expedition simply to gather raw materials. They could then use skills/talents to produce items themselves or negotiate deals with specialists who would produce these items for them. It also would flesh out the business skills in LAW and (even more) TFT/ITL making them much more relevant and valuable to have.
Cheers
Colin
