Villages 2 - Community - Balance Of Powers: A5E

# Population Density Village populations are among the smallest of all settlement types. They can be as small as just a few families up to, in rare cases, around a thousand people. The amount of people in a village is tied closely with its **age** and opportunities for work, as villages are founded by individuals intent on utilising the local resources, later populating the area with family and friends. External forces and hardship types, such as war or disease, may impact a village’s population. | 1d20 | Population Density | | ----- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-2 | **Skeleton.** There are only enough people here for the village to function at its most basic level. (+2 to *Crime* roll) | | 3-6 | **Sparse.** People are living here, but not many. They are able to handle all tasks that need doing but, perhaps, with some difficulty. (+1 to *Crime* roll) | | 7-14 | **Populous.** There are enough people here for the village to manage all tasks without difficulty. (+0 to *Crime* roll) | | 15-18 | **Dense.** The village seems to have a large amount of people for its size. There are many hands available to help with any work that needs doing. (-1 to *Crime* roll) | | 19-20 | **Congested.** The village has as many people in it as it can hold, and camps may be cropping up on the outskirts. There are plenty of hands available to help with work but, unless the work is very large-scale (such as quarrying), there may be at least some idle people. (-2 to *Crime* roll) | ^cecf9a # Demographics Depending on where the village is, and its proximity to other destinations, one might find different people within its borders. The table below presents different distributions of fantasy races that could be residing in your village. These races can be whatever you like, however we suggest using the locations and regions near the village as a reference for what the race or races might be. | 1d20 | Demographics | | ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 1-5 | **Only One.** 100% primary race. | | 6-10 | **Only Two.** 60% primary race, 40% secondary race. | | 11-14 | **Normal Distribution.** 50% primary race, 25% secondary race, 15% tertiary race, 10% other. | | 15-17 | **Wide Distribution.** 20% primary race. All others reasonably well represented. | | 18-19 | **High and Low.** 80% primary race in high social standing, 20% secondary race, in lower social standing. | | 20 | **Ever-Changing.** No discernible distribution. Racial diversity seems random, with no sense of organization or numerical dominance. | ^f00743 # Disposition Villages, being relatively small groups of people, tend to have very unifed overall dispositions. Their attitudes can be the result of recent events, past history, regional issues, or tensions common in the area. | 1d20 | Disposition | | ----- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-2 | **Hostile.** Locals seem very unfriendly toward visitors, and would likely make out-of-towners feel unwelcome. This could manifest as coldness, passive-aggressiveness, or even violence. | | 3-6 | **Unfriendly.** Locals don’t care much for visitors, looking upon them with contempt, fear, or suspicion. | | 7-14 | **Neutral.** Locals are standoffish, or perhaps hard on the outside, but can be friendly, if you get to know them. | | 15-18 | **Friendly.** Locals are generally friendly, welcoming, and slow to take offense. | | 19-20 | **Open.** The locals actively enjoy visitors, and their culture incorporates this. Just about anyone is welcome. | ^833be8 # Law Enforcement Since villages are rural communities, formally established ofcers or organizations are rare. You are most likely to see a group of the locals who have taken it upon themselves to enact order, but likely have little, or no, ofcial sanction. | 1d20 | Law Enforcement | | ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-3 | **None.** This could be good or bad, depending on one’s point of view. Good if the folk are honest enough that policing is unnecessary, but bad when you need to call for help. (-2 to *Crime* roll) | | 4-10 | **Disorganized Rabble.** The quintessential village mob, with little to no organization. This is usually formed on the spur-of-the-moment to address a particular issue. (-1 to *Crime* roll) | | 11-14 | **Organized Rabble.** Perhaps better than the alternative, this group has guidance and leadership in the form of an individual, or small group. They may or may not be competent. (+0 to *Crime* roll) | | 15-18 | **Sheriff.** A single, officially sanctioned sheriff looks to maintaining order within the village. If they require additional help, they request it from the villagers, who may assist in a temporary capacity. (+1 to *Crime* roll) | | 19-20 | **Sheriff and Deputies.** A sheriff and a handful of deputies, who are officially sanctioned authorities, maintain a firm hold on the village. They maintain civility in an official capacity. (+2 to *Crime* roll) | ^375f15 # Leadership Village leadership can sometimes be formal, but can also be organic or unorganized. | 1d6 | Leadership | | --- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | **No Leader.** The trading post operates with no leadership, which could lead to unresolved disputes. | | 2 | **Natural Village Elder.** The village recognizes a wise individual, and informally acknowledges them as an authority figure. | | 3 | **External Ruler.** The village owes fealty to a ruler who is located outside the village itself. | | 4 | **Local Council.** Prominent members of the community were chosen to lead the village collectively. | | 5 | **Single, Elected Leader.** The locals democratically voted for their current leader. | | 6 | **Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune.** The members of the village take turns as a sort of executive ofcer for the week. | ^a7f44a # Population Wealth The wealth of a village may present differently to that of other settlements. Being typically rural communities, obtaining large quantities of expensive and ornamental possessions may be more difficult, simply due to lack of availability, and may not be a priority, whether or not one has the coin. In well-trafficked areas, a wealthy villager, or village leader, could potentially have a collection of things, purchased from, or traded with, traveling merchants. In more remote villages, a wealthy individual might own more land, or have more animals. A village where business is booming might also attract traffic to the region from traveling merchants, or adventurers looking to make good coin for their wares. Consider how the **resource** from Step 1 may affect the population wealth. For example, if the resource is mining, and the population wealth is ‘prosperous’, then perhaps the mine produces precious metals instead of just iron ore. Another example might be if the resource is livestock, and the population wealth is ‘impoverished’, the livestock may have contracted an illness, or may have been stolen, and the community has yet to recover. | 1d20 | Population Wealth | | ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-2 | **Destitute.** Most of the population consistently lacks the barest essentials of what they need to survive. (-2 to *Crime* roll) | | 3-6 | **Impoverished.** Around half of the population struggles to carve out even a meager existence. (-1 to *Crime* roll) | | 7-14 | **Average.** Most of the population have enough to live a modest life. (+0 to *Crime* roll) | | 15-17 | **Prosperous.** Most of the population has enough to live a good life and, of them, a fair amount can even live comfortably. (-1 to *Crime* roll) | | 18-19 | **Wealthy.** The villagers are well off, perhaps even able to indulge once in a while. (-2 to *Crime* roll) | | 20 | **Affluent.** The villagers have plenty of disposable income and want for absolutely nothing. (-3 to *Crime* roll) | ^ccc59d # Crime Villages have the benefit of being relatively unattractive to criminals (at least, for the typical reasons). A thief is rarely going to waste their time stealing sacks of grain in a backwater village when towns and cities are nearby, ripe for the picking. Also, as previously mentioned, villagers likely all know each other, and one is less likely to steal from, or cheat, a friend or family member, without adequate cause. Crime is likely to be rare and, if and when it does occur, swifly dealt with. Depending on a community’s size and the frequency of criminal activity, a certain group or groups may be linked to the crimes, such as a local trouble-making family, or gang. The community may well be familiar with them, which could mean that, while crimes take place, they are also resolved quickly. | 1d20 | Crime | | ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-2 | **Average.** Theft or mild violence can happen from time to time. Best to keep an eye out. (+3 to *[[Urban Encounters]]* rolls) | | 3-5 | **Uncommon.** Crime does not occur often but, when it does, it is a noteworthy occurrence. (+2 to *[[Urban Encounters]]* rolls) | | 6-10 | **Rare.** Most villagers have had no personal experience with crime, and few know people that have. (+1 to *[[Urban Encounters]]* rolls) | | 11-20 | **Little-to-None.** Most, or all, of the villagers believe the village is totally safe, and certainly haven’t experienced any crime personally. (+0 to *[[Urban Encounters]]* rolls) | ^9a5ee5