Streetvendor's Introduction II

I'll remind the reader that the following is a first draft, produced in parts over the last 24 hours.  It's not the final language that would occur in the Streetvendor's Guide; it's not necessarily the best language, politically, that should be used.  The below tries to address those issues that ARE going to arise throughout the book, and the sort of condemnations that are likely to arise as well.  Perhaps it's better not to address those condemnations at all; undoubtedly, it's better to address them in a language that's softer than the one included.  But writing is something like taking a car out for a spin.  We put it on the road to see where the problems lie, by driving it around and learning what's what.  All writing is editing.  Therefore, let's have no one assume that because I've written it here, in this manner, that that's how the subject is going to be addressed in the actual published work.

Beyond what's included here and in the previous post, there are other matters the introduction needs to include: the use of coins, the calculation of item weight, the durability of food and so on all need description ... but at present, I feel that getting into the items themselves will help me write a better introduction to these things at this time.  The knowledge is in my head, but it needs to be "tripped" into the open, since I haven't thought deeply about these things in a couple of years.

And so, to continue:

Research

With so many diverse things to know, the only practical means of learning all that’s needed is through the internet. Yet while wikipedia is a good source for discovering what things are, it generally skirts over the particulars of how things work. Corporate sites related to a given manufacture are far more reliable for providing a “recipe” for the various materials and substances that are folded together to make a given product.

These, however, naturally focus on things as they are made today. A fantasy goods list has special needs, since it must describe techniques and processes as they were performed once upon a time, at least as practically as such things can be learned. For this, searching through books written in the 19th century can be tremendously useful, since the details included there gives a closer perspective of what it might have been like in the 17th century or earlier.

Sometimes, alas, we must accept modern techniques as the only ones available to know. In most ways, we’ll never know for certain how many things long ago were actually done. We have a good source in historians who try to live as people once did, who observe and experiment with ideas that people in the 12th, 14th or 16th centuries must have. Such information is invaluable to the making of a book like this.

Effort shall be made to record frequently especially useful sources for goods and services contained in these pages, but it’s impractical and unnecessary to source every item. In some cases, as with clothespins or pottery jars, it’s so easy to type in a word and find a source instantly. With other things, such as the intrinsic details of a 16th century Indiaman, a single meaningful source simply doesn’t exist. The best that can be found are cursory facts that amount to nothing useful for a role-playing campaign. Thus, in many cases, hard material must be invented, with effort to keep details within the realm of believability.

Some things that did exist before the 17th century won’t be found in these pages, because those things don’t properly fit within the traditional fantasy milieu. Most notable among these things are cannon, arqubuses, flintlocks and other like weapons. Information about such things must be found elsewhere.

Unfortunately, much of what’s included is distinctly European in origin. This comes from the language in which the book is written, and that of the author, which limits the availability of sources somewhat. Moreover, Europe is a temperate northern continent, whose materials written on paper more than a century ago are still available for the modern reader and historian to interpret.

Much of this material exists because of its preservation by the forward-thinking Umayyad and Almoravid caliphates through the 12th century. Unfortunately, later Islamic cultures had a tendency to destroy written materials of Ancient and Medieval times through religious zealotry. Thus great detail about what people wore, or made, or traded, has been regrettably eradicated.

The Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia possessed rich and varied cultures that would be dearly sourced for objects, were that possible. The tropical climate is rather unsuitable to the survival of written records ... so once again, we know very little about those cultures, except what has apparently survived into the modern day. China, too, has had a long respectability with regards to the written word and the traditions of history. Unfortunately, most of what I’d like to know is written in a language I cannot understand, protected within a present-day culture that resists personal investigation with historians who might enlighten my limited European sensibilities.

When possible, objects and items from these other cultures will be included. But if it seems their number is greatly outweighed by objects that would be found in Britain alone, that’s only because generally available knowledge is had of the latter, and not the former.

Measurements

This book uses imperial measurements. Yes, this is less convenient for the modern user, but it should be understood that the metric system was a product of scientific enlightenment—and the substance and nature of a believable Medieval fantasy realm should not have “light” as its watchword. A fantasy is dark, it’s full of monsters, it’s dangerous and it’s mostly devoid of common sense. Those small pockets of reason that exist in the game world are yet subject to the ignorance and the great unwashed.

That it puts players at pain to puzzle out the difficulties of a measurement system goes towards reminding them what life must have been like in that age. Moreover, since numerous measurements—beyond pounds, quarts and acres—are sure to be unfamiliar to the player, we stand to learn more about our history and to appreciate our present all the more.

Methodology

Prices in this book are calculated using an in-house trading model that stretches throughout the Old World. The elaboration of this game model is outside this book’s sphere, but searching the author’s name and “trade” upon the internet will lead the reader to understand how the model works and what purpose it’s meant to serve. Within this book, it means only that the numbers for items are not produced ad hoc, but in fact follow a series of mathematical principles pertaining to actual production of raw materials throughout the world.

The initial price of any object comes from the raw material from which it’s made. If an object is made of several raw materials, then the physical weights of each material used are added together to make a composite whole. For example, a stone axe is made of 5.14 lbs. granite and a hardwood oaken handle weighs 1.25 lbs. The price of the whole axe, then, is the combined price of both these raw materials is added together. This price is then augmented by the weaponsmith’s labour, a method that’s outlined in Appendix I: Pricing Items.

Some items, such as metal that originates with mined ore, which must then be founded, then wrought, then alloyed with other metals, then worked by a smith, goes through numerous iterations and increases in price before becoming available in a market. The more iterations, the more costly something becomes. Perfectly ordinary objects can then be embellished with added engraving, embroidery, dyeing and ornamentation, increasing the price still further.

Further, while most objects have an ordinary value, the worth of an object is improved if it’s made to be of higher quality. Quality is measured in to five stages above “ordinary”: fine, highly crafted, excellent, brilliant and masterwork. And still beyond this, if an object is unique, a masterwork and also culturally significant to a wide audience, the object possesses a “halo effect,” increasing it’s asking price still further. Some objects are so expensive, and impractical to move, that they are owned by the state and can never be sold.

Rather than attempt to provide details for the quality of every object herein, Appendix I also gives information on how to calculate a higher price for objects in game—so that if the player asks for a “fine quality” sword, rather than an everyday sword, a price can be assigned. Furthermore, if the character asks for the sword to be engraved, fitted with gems, with a handle wrapped in silver filigree, then this can also be calculated using the instructions found under Appendix I.

Thus any sort of object can be “built” from the guidelines provided in this book, even things not conceived by its author. This is important, as I believe that players should be allowed to purchase anything that should reasonably exist in the game world, and the DM should be able to produce a rational price for that thing, without needing to draw a number out of thin air.