作者 主题: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?  (阅读 43898 次)

副标题: A Magical Medieval Society:WesternEurope

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有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 于: 2005-10-28, 周五 20:35:22 »
目录
前言:有关设定的概念
 性别
 交流
 种族
 阵营
 魔法的影响
 Welcome and Thank You
第一章:有关劳动者
 庄园体系
  庄园综合结构
 庄园行政体系
  行政主管
  管理人员
  劳动者
 隶属于庄园的农民
  法律地位
  劳役义务
  庄园的垄断
 村庄
  布局
  自治
  耕作
  收获
  劳作日历
  庄园中的其他工作者
  城堡
 有关庄园的魔法
  魔法使用的普遍程度和对魔法的熟悉程度
  农民
  有用的法术
  冒险点子(附录五提供了更多有关庄园的冒险点子)
第二章:生成庄园
  庄园的统治者
  封建制度与土地的获得
  中世纪的思想习惯
  PC获取土地
 开始生成庄园
  哪些属于我?
  庄园的定义
  地理
  生成单个庄园
  庄园规模
  可耕地
  人口
 生成庄园的收入
  收入来源
  经济作物
  庄园具有的权利
  收入调整
  生成支出
  庄园的雇员
  领主的个人雇员
  范例:正义战队的领地
  计算收入
  计算支出
  利润
  角色扮演
  生成多个庄园
  庄园Worksheet
第三章:有关幻想中世纪城市
 起源
 统治者的兴趣所在
  流动的财富
  防御工事
 农民的兴趣所在
  自由
 城市自治
  行会
  市议会
  司法
  税收
  公民的权利与义务
 城市的类型
  公社
  由领主建立的城市
  受领主特许的城市
  自由城市
  城市国家
 布局
  街道
  建筑物
 基层行政区
  农贸市场
  水源
  公共浴室
  医院
  宗教场所
 重要的建筑物
  城墙
  城门
  主要的市场
  专门进行某项交易的市场
  大型宗教场所
  市政厅
  行会会堂
  图书馆
  大学
 城市需要关注的
  规模与人口
  火灾
  卫生状况
  瘟疫
  物资储备
  犯罪
  与乡村的联系
 权力中心
  手工业行会
  商业行会
  法师行会
  盗贼行会
  宗教组织
  城市贵族
  市议会
  城市的宗主
  君主
 城市的社会性
  冒险者
 贸易与经济
  价格
  市场
  货币与交易手段
  银行业
  复杂的商业行为
 城市中的魔法
  对魔法的熟悉程度
 魔法的效果
  稳定
  城市的财富
 魔法在城市中的使用
  防御
  征税
  司法
  建筑
  公共服务
 城市中的施法者
  组织结构较松散的施法者职业
  魔法与工艺
  魔法与法律
第四章:生成城镇
 具体的城市
  人口的数量和密度
  规模
  平均建筑物数量
  金币限额
  现金
  支付给宗主/君主的贡金
  魔法资源
  基层行政区
  分配建筑物
  绘制基层行政区和城市的地图
  建筑式样
  权力中心
  Influence Points
  Unabsorbed Influence Points
  Dividing Influence Points
  权力中心的现金
  职业
  行会
  城市Worksheet
  权力中心Worksheet
第五章:经济模拟
  复杂经济体系
  转卖行为的社会关联
  购买的实例
第六章:有关信仰
 多样性
 守护神
  守护神地位的确立
  城市的守护神
  地区的守护神
  王国的守护神
  容忍性
  低容忍性造成的社会效应
 教会与封建体系
 教会与哲学
  魔法
  神迹
 教会与社会
  宗教场所
  布道与指引
  劝使改宗
  仪轨
  圣日与庆典
  慈善
  其他社会角色
 教会与政治
  免税
  转让
  宗教法规
  授职
 教会与财政
  什一税
  庄园收入
  魔法
  腐败
 组织形式
  中央集权的等级制度
  地方分权的等级制度
  宗派主义
  修会
  范例:一个中立善良神祗的教会
  教阶制度
  社会等级
  不隶属宗教组织的牧师
  哲学体系的牧师
  导师
  德鲁伊
  One Order
  秘密社团?
  寻找德鲁伊
  德鲁伊的选择
  邪恶的宗教
第七章:有关统治
 封建体系
  封土制
  封臣的义务
  封君的义务
  封土的类型
  封君封臣关系的个人性
  对未履行义务者的控诉
  多重封君封臣关系
  主要封君
 土地上的六项权利
  臣服与效忠
  骑士军役
  支持金
  社会权利
  司法权
  有关封建体系的事件
  更多的复杂性
  封土转让
  封土的分布
  复活死者的法术
 封建体系的范例
 贵族
  共性
 君主
  神授的君主能力
  与土地的联系
  多个拥有神授能力的人
  作为君主权力一部分的政府
  君主政体的类型
 政府的发展
  土地管理
  君主政体中的宗教
  金库
  法庭
  行政官僚系统
  衡平法院
  议会
  外交
 法律的发展
  法律的本质
  法庭的方方面面
  庄园法庭和封建法庭的程序
  特许法庭的程序
  教会法庭的程序
  皇家法庭的程序
  魔法与司法
  犯罪与惩罚
  执行
  逃犯
生成王国和贵族
  一般信息
  规模
  人口
  人口密度
  城乡人口所占比例
  处于耕种中的土地面积
  庄园
  城镇数量
  社群的位置
  范例王国Cresson
  政府
  政府的类型
  君主的力量
  直辖地
 贵族
  数量
  庄园
  Cresson的精英
  收入
  庄园收入
  税收收入
  军役免除税收入
  矿业收入
  来自城镇的收入
  Cresson的收入
  王国Worksheet
附录一:人口统计
  人口统计Worksheet
附录二:生成魔法资源
  以廉价获得魔法
  积存魔法
  生成贵族年度魔法收入的范例
附录三:幻想中世纪君主模板
附录四:建筑物系统
 新建
  第一步:建筑类型
  第二步:布局、墙壁和地基
  第三步:高度
  第四步:建筑材料
  第五步:建筑材料的运费
  第六步:风格
  第七步:最终花销
  第八步:建筑所需的时间和人工
  第九步:魔法调整值
 修缮
  重建
  内部/外部改建
  扩建
  翻新
  拆除与拆旧盖新
  关于建设城堡的建议
  地下的建筑
 魔法
  法术
  奇物
  非人类建筑者
  补充说明
  范例一:简单的大礼堂
  范例二:扩建大礼堂
  范例三:大礼拜堂
  建筑物类型
  建筑材料
  风格
  建筑物Worksheet
附录五:幻想中世纪杂项
  Hattighar为获得特许状而支出的费用一览
  城市特许状样品
  自由城市特许状样品
  Nagar的租约样品
  免税许可
  行会章程样品
  普通税费范例
  幻想税费范例
  冒险点子概要
参考书目
幻想中世纪小测验
Legal Stuff
« 上次编辑: 2005-10-28, 周五 20:39:33 由 G.I.W »

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有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #1 于: 2005-10-28, 周五 20:39:53 »
这是不是原来在阿瓦隆翻译的那本?
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

离线 G.I.W

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有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #2 于: 2005-10-28, 周五 21:56:27 »
对。

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #3 于: 2013-01-30, 周三 15:27:30 »
好有爱的东西,决定战
而且出第二版了,楼主那版已经过时了

转自
http://www.baidu.com/link?url=mi5IGJqjJ4zBBpC8yDF8xDh8vibi_VFeCmFBb91J2cS8OklzTSdyq19mQ83soy4Q2FTVQ9e
http://www.lkong.net/thread-665434-1-1.html


《一个魔法中世纪社会:西欧》第二版

简介:设定概念   

  这本书帮助创造一个在第三版游戏规则下的泛西欧中世纪世界。这不是一个战役设定集,也不是一本列举了统治者、强大人物和历史事件的历史书,这本书能够为你创造的世界添加一些中世界的气息而无需你亲自体验生活在一个真实的中世纪世界里的感觉。这册书提供了大量的与中世纪的西欧有关的资料:空间系统;社会的群落和区分;贸易和经济;法律和司法;以及标准的中世纪心态。这本书模拟了,但不是复制了真实的中世纪欧洲。
    然而,这本书并没有讨论服装;风俗;神秘学;游戏;竞赛;语言学;或是任何其它独特的战役设定的详细说明。它没有提供所有的用于创造一个复杂的魔法中世纪社会的必要信息,这些是GM自己的世界的特权。这些补充材料只是为GM扩展自己世界的深度提供有用的信息和工具。
    第三版游戏规则的一些基本核心假设与中世纪社会不太兼容,因此,GM们需要自行决定他们的魔法中世纪社会该如何运行。

性别
    在中世纪时期,尽管有着浪漫的骑士精神和骑士的存在,但并不以性别平等而著称。然而,中世纪社会并没有现在想象中那样的充满歧视性。女性能够在中世纪社会找到像行会会员、大地主以及女修道院院长这样的职位。有些社会在一些特定的职业角色上有性别要求,但有时也会允许女性从事那些要求由男性从事的职业。把复杂的性别问题放到一边,第三版(规则)假设性别之间的能力差异并不存在,也就是说,一个女性战士能和男性战士用一样的力道挥舞自己的武器。
    在中世纪,宗教观念对女性的歪曲是另外一个性别上的问题。在第三版中,并没有天生的夏娃或麦当娜,这并不会移除所有历史上性别限定的角色,但可以让一个GM在他的世界里加入更多的性别平等。
    在第三版的范围里,女性能够在社会中获得怎样的地位呢?如果使女性与男性大致上平等会对许多历史上的女性概念产生影响。女性统治者可能更普遍,甚至在一些国家会是常例。女性可以拿起武器成为武装力量的一部分。一个女性的社会和战斗势力可能存在并杀死任何胆敢冒犯这些持剑小妞们(sword-carrying chicks)的人。宗教机构可能把女性吸收进他们的阶层,女性学徒会和男性一样容易被接受。因为第三版的平等的性别设定,GM们决定的是社会角色而不是历史上的性别角色。这意味着,如果GM们喜欢大咪咪的女招待或是等待拯救的美少女的话(于是玩家角色们可以屠龙并偷它们的宝藏),就意味着他们的魔法中世纪社会里对女性的看法和历史上的没什么不同。

交流
    第三版里魔法中世纪社会交流的方便,无论在书写还是口头上,都远远领先于历史上的社会。首先,由于远见卓识的好处,很大一部分的社会人群都是受过教育的。即使在一些小村庄,不包括野蛮人和平民,也有平均十五个识字的人。其次,所有人使用同样的语言,包括了精灵、矮人、侏儒、半身人以及许多其它的地精种。这并没有排除地区口音和俚语的区别,但所有人都可以通畅的彼此交流。这避免了一些可能的有趣情景,比如说不同语言的国王和王后,用各自一知半解的母语共同维持一段稀里糊涂的婚姻。每个人都掌握同一种语言就相当于中世纪时的欧洲人都讲的是拉丁语,即使是下层平民。这两个因素改变了魔法中世纪社会的进程。提高的识字率使得社会受教育程度更高,而同一种语言也让不同种族、城市和国家之间的交流更频繁。可以认为在这种情况下贸易和城市的兴起相对于真实历史将会更早和更普遍。更多的思想传播促使了技术、宗教和创新的发展,改变了魔法中世纪西欧社会的社会组成。

种族
    本书主要考虑了人类以及人类之间的交互作用。这是因为人类是历史上中世纪唯一存在的种族,而关于其它种族(精灵、矮人、半身人、地精、半兽人、半精灵)人们有许多不同的解释。我们的基本假定是一个种族不是决定性因素的社会,这当然与可能的实际情况不同,但能让GM们在自己的战役里灵活补充自己关于种族的点子。这也让GM们能够很容易的改变种族关系以适应他们世界里的不同地域,而不用改变本书的内容。如果有一个种族在一个地区被憎恨而在另一地区受到欢迎,本书可以同时用在这两种情况下。

阵营
    阵营可能是第三版里最棘手的问题。每个GM和玩家都对什么是守序善良和守序邪恶有自己不同的见解。因此本书不涉及这方面问题。我们相信在我们描述的魔法中世纪社会里的基本阵营是守序中立。法律和秩序维持了社会的正常运行,因此大部分的魔法中世纪社会对道德的看法建立在维持社会结构上。这种心态解释了他们为什么不愿接受变化——好的东西总是需要有秩序的,而变化总会扰乱秩序。(修改:旧有的被认为是好的东西总会倾向于维持秩序,而变化总会扰乱秩序。)

魔法的普及
    魔法是这样一个中世纪社会里最难解决的因素。治愈魔法,lyres of building(建筑之里拉琴,感谢噗逗同学的翻译),与神的交流,以及每个小镇都有一个能治愈疾病的人,这些都很难用中世纪的思维解释。很多设定都直接简单的把魔法安在了历史的中世纪时期里,但实际上魔法改变了一切。 
    为了解决魔法的问题,我们的第一个假定是社会在魔法的影响下演变和发展。靠着聪明才智以及对人性的保留,这种补充是基于对历史信息和趋势的推断完成的。
    我们的第二个假定是在魔法中世纪社会里的大部分魔法是世俗魔法,而非冒险魔法。大部分的人们都选择呆在自己的社区里而不是在外游荡,因此,一个真实的社会会把魔法和打造的魔法器具用在日常生活上。富有的人会在日复一日的生活中使用更多的世俗魔法,而不是冒险魔法。魔法的使用更集中于农业、医药、手工艺、体力工作和娱乐,而不是地牢冒险。我们的第三个假定是把魔法看作一种科技。尽管有人认为把魔法和科技一样看待会减少魔法的神秘感,一个在核心规则下在魔法的普及中发展出来的社会不太可能把魔法看得那么神秘。强大的魔法仍然十分神秘,但低级魔法却是众人皆知的,除非在与世隔绝的地方。
    任何一个在魔法影响下成长起来的社会对魔法的态度和对其它形式的科技是相似的。魔法和三田轮耕制,磨麦的水磨坊,建筑高楼用的杠杆和滑轮,锻造金属的神奇“魔法”,砸塌城墙的投石机,没什么两样。魔法是一种有用的工具,这并不会减少中世纪科技的神秘感。例如,铁匠经常被看作魔法师,因为人们并不明白铸造学背后的科学原理,而铁匠们小心的守护打铁的秘密并添加了一些仪式性的毫无意义的动作来掩饰。魔法中世纪的人们接受了魔法在生活中的存在,但这不意味着魔法中世纪社会有着乐于接受新事物的现代思维。
    我们的最后一个假定是魔法给中世纪社会带来了社会变化。传统意义上,中世纪社会被分类三大类人:劳动的,祈祷的和战斗的。在中世纪,负责战斗的那部分人通常就意味着统治者。而魔法建立了一个新的力量源泉并把自身植入了社会的每一个层面,从而打乱了这种三为一体的局面。这种补充设定把魔法全面的渗入整个社会,而非把所有的改变集中在一两处。

欢迎与感谢
    欢迎来到魔法中世纪社会:西欧!我们希望这些信息能够提供你无穷的关于战役和冒险的点子。我们希望附录里的关于庄园、城镇、王国、建筑和短期经济模拟器的生成系统能够给你的想法提供一个平台。我们尝试尽量使所有的系统与真实的历史资料相吻合,并加入我们自己的设定。希望你们能感觉它们对你们有帮助,非常感谢,开始享受吧!





第一章:劳苦大众

尽管第三版主要关注的是冒险方面的内容,但在每个战役设定里也暗示了劳苦大众的重要性。劳苦大众是那些在社会中从事生产和再生产工作的人。他们构成了人口的主体,基本上有90-94%。他们在田地里为了食物、饲料、饮水和衣物辛勤的劳作。他们不仅仅是为了自己的生存和更好的生活而劳作,也为那些并不生产食物的人提供食物和原料。城市社区,武装游民和小型的军队都依靠这些劳作的人获取食物。居住在城镇里的人们,在镇子的周围种田,但不可能支持一个人口密集的大城市的需要。军队和这些劳作的工作更是彻底隔绝。一个一般意义上的魔法中世纪的设定是一个农业社会,除非气候和地形导致其它的变化。
注意:尽管在这里显示是一个清晰和理想状态下的形态,实际中的魔法中世纪庄园可能有很多区别:大小;生产力;居住条件;建筑;及人员。就像所有的魔法中世纪里的东西一样,它们是概括性的,但社会也是由例外来定义的。请参照第二章:生成庄园,近看庄园的多样性。


庄园系统

  中世纪农业社会的基础是庄园系统。庄园是领主,或是缺席领主(Absentee Lord,指不居住在这个庄园里的领主)的乡下地产,他们对这块土地以及土地上的佃户有一些特定的权利。这块土地(的权利)通常被分为采邑(benefice),一揽子的田地,建筑,以及由其他领主给与用于交换军事支援或金币的权利。这块土地可能包括了防御建筑、农场、矿场、石矿场、牧草地、树林、沼泽、河流、磨坊及村庄。如果包括了一个村庄,那么这个村庄里的居民就都是领主的佃户,并因受领主的保护而承担义务。一些农民拥有自己的田地,但仍需要在农忙时为领主的田地提供劳力。如果领主的采邑上没有村庄,领主可能会修建一栋庄园或城堡,一个社区会在其周围建立起来,以获得其保护和开垦周边的土地。大部分农业基础的社区只会发展为一个小村庄的规模,而有一些可能成长到小型或大型城镇的规模,从而进化成一个城市的中心。一个领主可以拥有不止一个的庄园,且每个庄园可以包括不止一个村庄。大部分的庄园是比较小的,通常不到640英亩,或一平方英里。乡村社区通常彼此相距在1-2英里之内,而大一些的有着市场或市集能够买卖多余产品的村庄或镇子,通常会在那些小社区的周边五英里之内。

庄园复合体
  在每个庄园中,领主把土地按照他的不同的利益进行划分。这包括了:一栋庄园住宅;仓库;葡萄田;果园;花园;蜂巢;鸽舍;牲畜;以及每一件属于领主的东西。即便是一个缺席领主也会有一个庄园复合体。复合体中建筑的质量和数量取决于领主的财力和勤勉程度。
  庄园主屋:每一个庄园都有一栋主屋,即使那仅仅是一栋普通的大房子。主屋由石头建成,一般两层楼高,管家(收租人,管理人,bailiff)和其他重要的人员也住在里面。在大的庄园里,贴身侍从住在邻近的小房间里,而在小庄园里,他们就只能睡在大厅里。一般的侍从是从村庄里雇佣的。每一栋主屋在一楼都会有一个大的会议室,或者叫大厅,是庄园法庭、丰收或节日宴会举行的地方。如果领主住在主屋里,他的房间一般应该在二楼,以为他和他的家人提供隐私。厨房是一栋分开的建筑,由走道相连。而存储了面包、黄油和酒的食品储藏室通常就在大厅旁边。衣橱既远离大厅,也不在楼上。(?Garderobes are also off of the great hall,as well as upstairs.)(修改:厕所离大厅和二楼住所都隔得很远。)不像庄园里的其它大部分建筑,主屋不仅仅是用于农业生产的,它的主要功用是社交。它是重要人物主持工作,来宾休憩,以及乡巴佬们只有在好心老爷的准许下才准进入的地方。如果主屋是领主的主要住所,那么它的奢华程度和食物的精美程度就证明了主人的财力和社会地位。
  小教堂:所有的庄园复合体都有着一个为领主,他的家人及宾客准备的小教堂。这个小教堂是一个设在主屋里的独立的小房间,用于祈祷。在某些魔法中世纪社会里,一些虔诚的领主甚至可能设置多个小教堂以供奉不同的神灵。这个私人小教堂把领主和前去村庄教堂的村民区分开来。想要获得更多的关于乡村宗教的提示,请翻第六章:侍奉神灵的人。
园圃:在庄园复合体内是领主的园圃。领主的园圃当然比农民屋后的菜园要大得多。可能超过数英亩的庄园园圃种植了各种各样的蔬菜、水果和药草。尽管由雇员和农民照料,庄园园圃的支配者只是领主,供他消费、出售或赠送。在富裕的庄园里,领主可能会坚持装饰自己的园圃来显示自己的富有和奢华。比如使用不实用但美观的好的泥土就肯定是一种奢侈的标志。鸽舍:在庄园里,鸽子是领主饲养的鸟类。农民猎捕其它鸟类作为晚餐,但只有领主能够享用鸽子肉。鸽舍有18英尺高,圆柱状,10英尺直径,通常是石制,能同时饲养多达1000只鸽子。茅草的屋顶和空旷的出口能够让鸽子随意进出。除了提供美味的食物,鸽舍还为园圃提供了肥料。一些庄园把鸽舍的底部用于存贮多出来的谷物。
  仓库:工具、犁、簸箕、连枷和其它各种庄园全年都可能用到的东西需要有地方存放。当谷仓和其它建筑都没有空间时,庄园会修建仓库。它们可能是任意大小,任意材料,就像现在我们的车库一样。
  谷仓:谷仓由农民看管,存储了谷物和冬天的饲料。它也是领主的牲口冬天生活的地方,也作为领主的马厩。庄园的谷仓非常的大,可能达到5000平方英尺。谷仓的第一层是石制的,还有不完整的第二层是木制的。
  面包房和酿酒房:有些庄园在复合体内有着专门的面包房和酿酒房。它们通常靠近厨房和配套设施,制造和桶装葡萄酒,如果庄园种植葡萄的话。
  村庄:在庄园复合体之外的是不同大小的乡村社区。根据核心规则书II,小村庄(Thorp)是最小的乡村社区单位,村庄(Village)是最大的单位,而“哈姆雷特”(Hamlet)介于两者之间。有些庄园可能在它们的领地里有小型或大型的镇子,这是最小的城镇社区单位。村庄居民居住和劳作在领主的复合体外围的土地上,他们一般只会在寻找工作,参加庄园法庭,以及一些特殊机会,比如丰收或节日宴会时被准许进入庄园复合体的范围。庄园复合体是在日常存在中从物质上和社会上被区分开的。


庄园的管理机构

  管理一个庄园需要各类的长期雇员。领主们让行政官员来帮助他们管理庄园。每个庄园都有常年履行自己职责的管理人,而庄园的房屋也有自己专门照看的仆人。一个领主和他的家庭成员居住的主屋,则有更多的仆人和专业性的人员满足他们的日常要求。一些像城堡一样的庄园还会有武装力量存在。庄园的规模和支持能力决定了它需要什么样的和多少的雇员。

行政管理人员
管家(steward):对庄园(事务)的日常关注并不是由领主亲自进行的,而是由他的雇员们和雇工们。管家就是领主最重要的和首选的下属。管家监管着领主的所有庄园,管理所有庄园的帐务,管理主宅,在庄园法庭上代表领主行使村庄级的司法权,在领主不方便时接待前来拜访领主的上流人士,以及为每个庄园挑选分管家和庄头(bailiff & reeve)。管家知道应该花多少钱和如何花钱来取悦一位到访的骑士和他的扈从,知道每一座庄园出产什么,知道应该为领主的主屋购买多少的葡萄酒,知道领主和领主夫人每年在服饰上花多少钱,知道哪些分管家在收租的时候可能会瞒天过海中饱私囊(skim off the top)。管家是领主和他的庄园之间的生命线(lifeline)。管家全年奔走在各个庄园之间,检查庄园的状况并出席庄园法庭(manorial court),有时也叫(hallmote,一种中世纪的乡村法庭)。管家有随员和书记官随行,他们记录下法庭上的剥夺收入(incursion income,脑补翻译)。管家和他的书记员们通常每年走访每个庄园数次,每次待上一两天。有很多庄园和领地的领主可能会同时雇用多个管家,而那些住在自己唯一的一个庄园里的领主可能就不需要请管家。一般来说,就算只有一个庄园的领主也需要请个管家以防自己有事外出。一个贵族领主有时必须要外出为自己效忠的上司履行军事义务、担任顾问职务、上战场或陪同上司政治性或社交性的出访。领主们大多会雇用管家来处理那些日常的琐碎事务。
  张伯伦(chamberlain,内侍):领主通常会在主庄园及其它重要的庄园里雇用内侍。内侍照看大房间并协助管家服侍主人的家庭。他要确保不会有人偷走银器,餐桌布是干净的和保藏好的,并开除那些偷懒的或是笨手笨脚的仆人们。
  救济官(almoner):此种仆人保管领主要分发给穷人的施舍品和礼物。老牲口,剩的食物,旧衣服,以及少量可口的食物会适量的分给穷人。尽管大部分的庄园会施舍穷人,但不是所有的都有救济官。领主的主庄园肯定会雇用一个救济官,大的庄园也可能会雇用救济官。用于救济穷人的物资可能大致占到庄园年收入的1-5%。这点小钱让领主和农民的关系得到改善,降低了农民起义的风险,也使得领主们的良心稍安。
  
管理者
在每一座庄园,管家都会选择一名分管家作为管理者,然后分管家会从农民中挑出更多的管理者来构建出部分的庄园的管理机构。
  分管家(bailiff):每栋庄园都有一名分管家,分管家一年到头都作为领主的代表待在庄园里。分管家要么是来自富裕的农民家庭,要么是贵族的非长子,在管家的推荐下被领主聘请。分管家住在庄园主屋里——一栋在农民的篱笆泥屋中鹤立鸡群的石屋。他和他的家庭从领主那里获得食物、毛皮、衣服、马饲料、薪水和礼物。
  分管家对于管家而言就像管家对于领主一样。分管家看顾领主的财产安全,他们还要注意食物、饲料以及别的庄园供应品不被盗,记录庄园的支出,在市场上出售庄园的剩余产品和牲口,并为庄园购买必需品。一名分管家的购物清单可能如下:200个烛台、200张白纸、8个车轴、3辆马车、50磅铁、三块大磨盘、两桶柏油、厨房炊具、做黄油的新工具、工具房的金属支架、修屋顶的茅草和石板、和30只鸡。在他的支出清单中还包括了接待贵宾的费用,其中不仅包括了贵宾的食宿,还有贵宾带来的所有随从的食宿,他们的马的食宿,他们的鹰犬的食宿。分管家还要负责保护村庄和村民不受外来的危险威胁,有时还要贿赂路过的军队让他们去别的村庄就食。和管家一样,分管家也有许多手下,包括serjeant(很难翻译)和macebearer(持杖者)来监管工作和收割,护林人来制止偷猎和照看树林,以及农事官(脑补翻译。Granger,你能想起什么?格兰杰检验?步行者的当家球星?还是赫敏•格兰杰小姐?)来防止谷仓里的谷物和存储品被盗或损坏。尽管不是所有的庄园都有这些管理人,但它们至少会有一个庄头。
  庄头(reeve):庄头是庄园的官僚体系中的下一环。庄头每年都会被选出,从九月底的收割结束和开始履行他的职责。庄头也是村民的一员,在经济上和社会地位上都比分管家更贴近农民群体。庄头会被免除他的劳动义务,从庄园获得膳食,一些庄头还会得到用金钱或粮食支付的薪水。有些农民会长期担任庄头,而有些被挑中担任庄头的农民则宁愿花钱摆脱这份职责,因为他们希望避免这个职务带来的社会纠纷。庄头的主要任务是确保让那些有劳动义务的农民为领主贡献劳力。他还要决定什么样的劳动工作是需要的,以及什么时候需要。他安排耕地队伍,建篱笆,驱赶和圈养牲口,收集粪肥,修理领主的建筑物,以及所有其它庄园里的工作(请参照表I.3,劳动日程)。管家不在的时候,庄头也负责出售庄园的生产剩余。他还要负责庄园大部分的财务工作。在收割结束之后,他要把财务报表呈给分管家,最后由分管家呈给管家或管家的书记员。这份报表应该包括收的租子,未缴租人的名单,出售谷物、牲口及其它生产品的收入状况。它还应该包括由庄园送去领主处的食物和货物数目,付给工匠的报酬,庄园里现有的谷物和牲口的清单,以及所有购买的东西。庄头要以各种可能的方式计算谷物和牲口:庄园现有多少;领主应获得多少;丰收的福利要消耗多少;多少剩余的可卖到市场上;本年多出多少新牲口;牲口的年岁;从宰掉的牲口能获得多少兽皮。为了防止庄头贪污,一些领主会为每个庄头设置一个要上缴的谷物和牲口数量的定额,当他们没能从庄园里榨取出领主认为应该能得到的利益时,领主会让庄头自己补上差额。
  Beadle and Hayward(小吏,一个管农事,一个管牲畜,暂翻为农事吏和牲畜吏):农事吏和牲畜吏是庄头的助手,在经济上和社会地位上都低于庄头。即使庄头、农事吏和牲畜吏都被免除了劳动义务,后两者的财产通常比前者要少。农事吏和牲畜吏的薪水比庄头要少,并从庄园获得部分膳食。农事吏为播种保存去年收获时获得的种子,在农田里协助庄头的工作,监督农民们除草、收割、耙地、犁地及播种。农事吏还负责收取由乡村法庭决定的罚款。牲畜吏负责关押没看管好的溜出来啃领主庄稼的牛羊并惩罚它们的主人,还要看管关住牲口的篱笆栅栏。在一些小庄园,这两个职位经常合而为一。劳工每座庄园都有一个由领主以金钱或其它形式付给报酬的长期的劳动力群体。这些劳工们是居住在领主领地上的农民,通常都有自己的土地。这些劳工们会承担那些领主不敢交给一般的农奴去做的任务。他们伺候领主的土地,保护领主的利益,并增加领主的生产性收入。领主给这些长期劳工谷物、金钱、免除劳动义务、给与一部分让(其他)农民为他们的田地义务劳动的权利、或任何以上的组合来作为劳动报酬。这种劳工包括了农夫、马车夫、牧羊人、挤奶女工、牛倌(这个看起来很眼熟)、养猪人和监工。

农夫
农夫负责领主九成田地的翻耕工作。拿着犁的隶农完成剩下的一成工作,而其他有劳作义务的农奴做些像是耙地、敲碎土疙瘩和锄草之类的工作。一个庄园的每30英亩耕地需要有一个农夫。
  马车夫:马车夫是庄园的送货人。他们从或往市场运送谷物和其它货物,从庄园给领主送货,并执行其它各种送货任务。马车夫通常待遇不错,因为他们很容易在中途动手脚贪污领主的财产,所以需要保证他们的忠心。马车夫对于有多个庄园的领主尤其重要,这些领主需要许多的马车行驶在他们的庄园之间。
  牧羊人:牧羊人有很多的职责。他们要看管领主的羊群、关栏羊群、为田地在羊栏里收集粪肥、照顾生病的羊和在春天给羊剪羊毛。庄园里的每100只羊需要有一个牧羊人。
  挤奶女工:挤奶女工为领主的奶牛和母羊挤奶。她们为庄园制作黄油和奶酪,其中的一部分上供给领主,而剩下的会买到市场上去。她们还要看管家禽和收集禽蛋,并为那些庄园的其他长期劳工准备午饭,通常是肉汤。取决于拥有的牲口数量,一个庄园一般会雇佣1-5个挤奶女工。
  牛倌和养猪人:牛倌和养猪人在庄园里要做各种零散的需要特别注意或让可靠的人去做的工作。他们是庄园的所有长期劳工里最不需要特殊技能的,收入也最少。尽管有些庄园会为这两个职位分别雇佣人手,大部分还是会只雇一个人来负责所有的动物饲养工作。如果一个庄园没有多少羊也没有雇佣牧羊人,牛倌和养猪人也会负责养羊。除了负责把牲口从牧场赶到畜栏里,他们还负责修理围栏和篱笆。
  监工:大部分的庄园只有一些果树,一个种植农产品、亚麻和草药的园圃,以及一些出产蜂蜜和蜡的蜂巢。但如果一个庄园有大量此类的出产,就需要监工来管理农工并防止偷窃。那些拥有橄榄林、果园、葡萄园或者其它经济作物的庄园也需要此类的监工。
  家仆:家仆是一群没有自己的土地而依赖工资生活的农民。一些庄园以提供食宿作为他们部分的报酬,另一些则完全以谷物或金钱的方式付酬。这些仆人包括了清扫房间和厕所的女仆和清洁工;负责马厩和马匹的马夫(marshal and groom,元帅和新郎最早都是喂马的);送信的信使;做琐碎小事的男仆;洗衣的洗衣妇。在厨房里,屠夫、养鸟人、厨师、调味厨师、酒仆(butler)、膳食官(pantler)、酿酒师、面包师、上酒人、分配人、种果人,和他们的助手们屠宰、准备并提供食物给所有在庄园里用餐的(上等)人。小一些的庄园家里可能不需要这么多的人工,而一些大的则可能有更多仆人。


庄园里的农民

  如果没有农民们在土地上辛勤工作并上缴租(rent)、费(fee)、贡(fine)、税(toll andtax)等,庄园的领主这个职业就丧失了大部分的吸引力。在领主的保护下,所有居住在领地里的农民都是领主的佃户。农民个人的法律地位则决定了他对领主负有多少劳动义务,以及领主的司法权多大程度上适用于他。

法律地位
自由民,也被称为自耕农(yeomen),拥有他们自己不属于领主的的土地。尽管自由民也有在农忙时为领主的田地干活的义务,但不需要承担别的劳动义务。领主制定的费和贡并不落到自由民的头上,虽然他们也需要缴税并会指控侵犯领主财产。更多的,自由民会向领主宣誓效忠以获得安全保护。这确保了农民保有他们的土地,而且农民在领主那里的合法身份。当自由民向领主宣誓效忠之后,他们就有责任承担和遵守领主制定的税务和规章已获得领主提供的安全保护。如果自由民向农奴或吏奴购买了土地,这片土地的前主人所要承担的劳动义务就要落到购买土地的自由民身上,但只限于交易的这块土地的义务。劳动(义务)是与土地相联的,而非人。非自由民,也被称为农奴或隶农,身处领主和庄园法庭的管辖之下。他们要承担领主规定的贡和费,以及大量的劳动义务——大略为每英亩耕地贡献五天的劳动量。身为隶农不意味着就是奴隶,非自由民有权购买、出售和继承土地和牲畜。特别的,他们还可以不需由领主批准的结婚和给嫁妆。尽管不是所有的非自由民都可以自由结婚,但他们中的大部分可以,通常要为此缴税。农奴和隶农也享受一些自由民的待遇。然而,他们的非自由身份在想向上爬时是一个很大的污点和障碍,并且如果他们不幸的有一个暴虐的主人,就只能够祈祷了。

劳动义务
所有领主的领民都有为领主的田地劳动的义务。义务的多少取决于领民的社会地位和他们的财产多寡——财产越多,义务越多。农民对领主的义务包括了:耕田、收割、搬运领主地里的蔬果、晒干草、照料领主的牲畜,以及为领主的葡萄园、果园、鸽舍和蜂巢干活。领地里的修理和建筑工作是农奴要承担的另一项劳动义务。这些包括了修理领主的犁耙、鞍具和工具,以及拆卸和重建沟渠、围栏、栅栏和篱笆以防止牲畜进入田地。当领主想要修建建筑的时候,他会提供材料给隶农和工匠。当有复杂的建筑工程或是庄园劳力紧缺的时候,还需要雇用外来劳力。也有些农民用金钱抵偿自己的义务,这些金钱可以用于购买流浪者、在村庄中雇佣劳力或是从城市中雇佣短工。非自由民要承担更多的像税费一样的义务,一个例子是表I.1-税和领主的权利上显示的内容。很多最穷的农民的此类费用会被取消,因为他们除了自己的房子和菜园之外就没有任何的财产了。

庄园垄断
除了法律地位之外,所有领主的领民还必须要依附于庄园里领主的垄断。大部分庄园和村庄都有共用的磨坊和炉灶。很多庄园还把所有的羊养在一个羊圈里,从而方便为领主的田地积肥。领主还禁止家庭制衣与制革,让领民们必须使用他的设施,就像公用炉灶和磨坊一样。运营那些庄园的公用磨坊、炉灶、制革工坊和制衣坊的自由民要为承包了领主的产业而向他缴税。司法是另一项庄园的垄断。领主的法庭系统有权判决小的罪行或过失,而大的案件,像是叛逆和谋杀这类的通常应由国王法庭处理。对农民的剥夺收入和对民事调解的收费都进入了领主的金库。这不是说领主能对农民予取予求,但他们的确有公认的优先权。


村庄

  村庄的形状各有不同。有的是放射状的,房屋和公共绿地在中间,田地在外围;有些是像街道村庄一样,沿着道路或河流线状分布。多中心的村庄有不止一个中心,而十字路村庄围着中心的绿地组成一个X。一些村庄组合了多种样式,大杂烩一样的抹灰篱笆房围绕着狭窄肮脏的街道和沟渠遍布的田地。除开各种不同的布局,房屋通常都挤在一起,面朝内部,田地要更远一些。房屋聚在一起是出于安全和社会的原因。房屋的屋后通常会有一个小小的种植蔬菜和草药的菜园。

自治
尽管领主在庄园中实行收税和垄断,他通常也会允许村民在一些特定事务上自治。村民们在领主的法庭上组建陪审团。一旦陪审团员们,被集合起来的村民们,和领主的管家达成了一致意见,法庭就会作出裁决,书记员会记下惩罚措施。法庭还是农民们提出他们之间的纠纷以及对领主未尽到其义务的行为表达不平的地方。农民需要缴纳法庭费,即便这个案件是在法庭外被解决的,并且很少有对针对领主的投诉的判决会对农民方有利。这不仅仅是因为公然的压迫,还决定于庄园系统的社会结构。领主的被社会公认的特权使得任何寻求赔偿的农民想要获得领主违法的证据十分的困难。农民自己决定的最多的议题是耕作。无论个人的身份如何,整个社区都聚在一起制定关于耕作的规定并达成一致。农民的主要群体决定了种植什么作物,以什么比例种植,对犁地、播种、收割、拾穗及搬运收获等工作的限定,何时进行工作(不能在暗中进行以防止偷窃),以及何时让牲畜在收获后的田里放牧。他们还要决定对浪费种子、偷窃和欺骗等行为的惩罚。

耕作
敞田制:整个社区在三块开放的不相邻的田地上耕作,每块田地被划分为被称作弗隆的长方形的地块,划分是根据自然的水渠分布来的。弗隆并不是一块挨着一块排列的,而是分散在自然条件合适耕作的田地里。每块弗隆又被按照窄长的犁沟分作条。条通常由一天里的犁作产生,在弗隆里彼此平行的分布着。
  三田轮耕制:庄园采用的三田轮耕制是指一块田整年休耕,一块在秋天种冬麦,一块刚休耕过的田种春麦。村民们在三块田地中实行轮转,因此每块田都可以每三年休耕一次。弗隆是最基本的耕作单位,因为一块弗隆上所有的条都种同一种庄稼。每个有土地的农民在每块田里都有自己的条(地)以确保每年都有冬麦和春麦可种。在田地上耕作需要在每一条上来回犁上多次。第一次犁地是为了把土壤翻起来以让残留的庄稼、杂草和野草分解。第二次犁地是在沿着条中心在两边进行,使之透气便于播种。春种在最后一次霜降后被播下,其中豌豆、大豆和其它豆类种在犁沟里,而谷物种在垄背上。冬麦,有时是黑麦,需要犁三次地,第一次在四月,第二次在六月,第三次在夏中,播种是在秋天。农民有时会轮流种冬麦以便渡过难关直到秋天的收获。
  平均分配:大约一半的农民拥有十英亩或更少的田地,仅够他们的家庭糊口。三分之一的农民有约半个威尔格的土地,也就是12-16英亩。最穷的农民几乎或完全没有土地,只有自己的房屋和房屋周围的有限的菜园。而最富裕的农民,土地多到自己种不过来,会雇佣那些无地农民。农民拥有的一条条的土地经常不在同一块田里,而是和其他人的混杂在一起。领主的田地也是如此,通常占了全部田地面积的三分之一。

收割
尽管一条条的耕地、耕地的牲口和工具都是个人所有的,但收割被视为村庄里的集体活动。大部分农奴拥有一把铁锹、一把锄头、一根木叉、一把镰刀、一把钐刀、一把连枷、一把小刀和一块磨石。拥有更多土地的人也会拥有更多的工具,像一把犁或者几头役畜(母牛、公牛或马)。那些没有犁用的人就只有用双手耕作,或是用简单的工具。强壮的村民负责更艰难的工作,太年轻、太老和身体太弱的人则负责在收割后拾麦穗。收割季节从八月一号开始,最忙的时候是9月8号到29号之间。尽管收割一整个繁忙的季节,主要的工作还是:切割、收集、捆绑和把领主的一捆捆的谷物搬到谷仓里去进行打古和扬谷。所有的佃户都要再收割时工作,即使他们有能力用钱赎买义务。领主还会再收割时雇佣外来劳工。一般来说,每英亩需要四个健壮劳工进行收割,收获大概八蒲式耳的麦子。丰年或歉年(非灾年)的上下波动估计会在15%左右。对其它庄稼来说,请参照表I.2-种子与每英亩收成。为了交换农民收割时作出的贡献,字面上叫做给领主的“礼物”,领主也要给农民恩惠。领主承担了为他工作的农民的工作日的饭食。领主的地总是优先被收割的,通常要花去一天时间,有些大的富裕的庄园可能要花多达三天时间。第一天的饭食是慷慨的,会有很多的奶酪、面包、谷物、牛肉、鸽子、鸟肉和麦芽酒。后面的几天一般不需要很多劳力,食物的份量和供应量也减少了,因为领主希望能快点完成收割工作。领主会提供的福利会在农民开始为领主工作之前公布:领主会提供多少的谷物和麦芽酒(一般是每人每天一加仑麦芽酒);面包是用麦子的哪部分制成的;面包有多大;每个人能吃多少等等。被雇来的劳工可以选择领取一个银币加食物或是两个银币没有食物来作为每天的工资。除去要待在庄园里之外,收割是一段享受食物的好时间。

劳动安排
会计:每年庄园的会计账目都会从9月29日到次年的9月29日,正好在收割之后。租、税和未偿付的罚金也会在收割之后收缴,通常由庄头或分管家负责。领主的很多租税和出售剩余产品的收入都是在收割之后获得的。由树林、矿产、贡金、罚金、审判(在秋冬之后)和产业带来的收入是全年度的。
  桶装酒:在葡萄汁发酵之后,还需要保留一个月的时间再装桶。大部分葡萄酒并不会发酵太长时间,制出来的葡萄酒比之现代的葡萄酒更甜,酒精更少。有些庄园会专门生产度数较高,品质更好的葡萄酒。收集柴火:柴火是仅供领主和那些在庄园里生活的人用的。领主可能会出售柴火,但农民只能凑合着用些干泥炭、枯树枝或是偷的柴火。
  采集蜂蜜和蜡:一群蜜蜂可以制造最多三加仑的蜂蜜,其中蜂巢占了10%。有些养蜂人在采集蜂蜜和蜡的时候很有破坏性,摧毁整个蜂巢,杀死蜂群。大庄园的养蜂人会设法在采集之后保留蜂巢,他们还通常会修建建筑以使蜂巢能够度过冬天。                             
  寻找野蜂:在五月,农民们寻找野蜂并把它们移送到庄园里去。
  耙地:农民们弄碎土壤并复盖在幼苗上。有些大的土块需要用到棒槌。
  收割:取决于庄稼的种类,收割会发生在一年里不同的时期。最早的收割是亚麻和大麻,以及菜园里的蔬菜,大概会在七月底。棉花和一些果树在八月份收获。尽管大部分冬麦应该在八月份收割,有一部分也会提前在六月份收割以使农民度过难关。春天种下的庄稼会和葡萄和其它剩下的果树一起在九月份收割。橄榄会在十月份收割。
  晒草:在六月份,所有的草地和平地会被用来晒草。干草一般会混合入麦茬和稻草,作为牲口在冬天的主食。大部分,如果不是所有的话,的干草是领主的,尽管也有些村庄有公用草地,村民也可以分到干草。晒草的过程包括了割草、捆绑和晒干等。
  收集芦苇和蕨菜:芦苇被收集、晒干和捆扎起来用于做茅草屋顶,而蕨菜晒干后是放在谷仓里作为牲口过冬的床垫。
  接生牲畜:三月份是小羊、小牛和小马出生的月份,也是鸡鸭鹅等家禽生蛋的时候。
  放牧牲畜:在割草后的一个月后,牲口被放到草地上啃草茬。篱笆和栅栏被用来防止牲口跑到地里。
  挤牛奶:奶牛不是全年都被挤奶的。挤奶的时期在五月到九月末收割结束之后之间。牛奶通常被用于制作奶酪和黄油。
  挤羊奶:尽管羊奶没有牛奶产的多,它们也用于制作奶酪。羊没有奶牛产奶时间长。
  林地养猪:猪被赶到树林里觅食并增肥以便卖给屠夫。领主的猪觅食是免费的,但农民要为自己的猪付出2银币到1金币的费用,取决于他的猪群的大小。
  放养牲口:领主的牲口,有时也有农民的牲口,会被领到休耕地上放牧,同时也是为田地积肥。动物们会被篱笆围起来,不让它们跑到别的地里去。
  翻地:休耕地每年会被翻上两到三次。领主的地还会被施上粪肥。翻地也是为冬麦和春麦播种做准备。翻地需要重犁。
  榨橄榄油:农民们用手或磨坊压榨橄榄。橄榄的60%的质量会变成橄榄油。橄榄也能被放到醋里保存,或是收获之后直接使用。
  修剪葡萄树和搭建葡萄架:修剪使得葡萄更大更好,而葡萄架让葡萄远离地面,减少腐烂的可能。
  修理与重建:在冬天,村民们修理工具、篱笆和栅栏,清理沟渠,修理他们的和领主的房屋。
  出售牲畜:无法过冬的牲畜会在冬天到来之前卖掉。
  剪羊毛:取决于气温变暖的早晚,剪羊毛通常会在五月或六月份进行。阉过的羊的羊毛一般被认为更软和更好。
  屠宰:有些牲畜,尤其是那些年老的或是没有价值的动物会被宰杀用于丰收盛宴。腌制、烟熏和风干的方法让肉类可以在整个冬季里保存。大部分被宰杀的牲畜是猪。
  种菜:大部分农民的菜园在他们家的后面,领主的大菜园由农民或是长工劳作。像亚麻和大麻这样的作物是种来用于纺纱、编织和制绳的。菜园里也会种蔬菜和草药。
  打谷、扬谷、晒干和存储:打谷和扬谷分开谷子和谷穗,制作谷壳(糠)和秸秆用于制作动物饲料。这需要用到一条皮鞭,一把连枷,一根手杖和捣槌,但并不像听上去那么古怪。然而,这项工作的确需要非常多的纯体力劳动。谷物被放在一块布上,让风或者鼓风机把谷壳和秸秆吹走。筛选和存储之后,谷物的保质期要比面粉长的多。豌豆和豆类会被彻底的晒干储藏。
  葡萄装桶:在葡萄收割之后,它们被用脚踩或是磨坊的方式压榨。酵母及其它的配料被加入葡萄汁中,剩下的葡萄渣送到领主的园圃里做肥料。
  锄草和施肥:因为时间的原因,春天的作物经常遇到杂草的问题。领主的田地会被定期锄草和施肥。农民也会锄草,但庄园看守会牢牢的看住肥料防止被偷。

庄园里的其他工人
  除了做农活的农民和生活仆役,庄园里还有工匠和自由民工作。自由民向领主为自己的小产业交钱。自由民在庄园里运营所有的风力或水力的制革、纺织和面粉作坊以及炉灶。河上的水磨坊也作为桥梁使用,磨坊主会收过路费。铁匠和木匠修理磨坊和领主的犁和马车。使用铁砧、铁锤、火钳和风箱,铁匠能够打出马蹄铁、牛蹄铁、铁剑、铁锅、铁壶、铁杯、镰刀、砍刀、锯子、铁钉和铁扣。木匠修理和修建鸽舍、教堂、谷仓、仓库、门廊、机械部件,有时还有船。最穷的那部分农奴什么都做,为富农和领主完成各种稀奇古怪的工作。旅行商人们在村庄间旅行满足其它需求。茅屋匠和石板匠修理或重修屋顶,补锅匠修理黄铜或是其它金属制成的屋内设施,砖匠则为庄园、教堂和富农的地板铺砖。村民们会去附近的城镇获得其它服务。相对于叫帮工或工匠来做,他们通常会宁肯自己完成纺布、修理、酿造、缝纫、制革和制衣等工作。

城堡庄园
  城堡是令人畏惧的建筑和吞金机器。尽管如此,上流社会的贵族绅士们一有机会就会修建城堡。魔法中世纪的城堡是实用的而非装饰性的。战略性布置的防御建筑为军队保障补给线,维护王国内的和平并防御那些打了就跑的劫掠者们。领主们首先决定哪里需要修筑城堡,然后在那块区域选择最好的地方作为建筑地址。城堡通常要分阶段修上许多年。如果需要防御需求紧急,领主首先要做的是修建一个要塞和护墙。然后领主再修建内部建筑,像是大厅、仓库、厨房和马厩。在护墙树立起来之后,领主还可以把城堡外扩,扩展护墙并增加新的部分——外堡。如果没有紧急的防御需求,要塞、大厅、护墙和其它各种建筑可以同时或是先后修建,取决于领主的财力。如果有领民居住在城堡周围,领主的领地里,领主就有收入来源来填补自己的建设支出。如果没有领民,建筑工人通常会成为第一批领民,之后会有寻求土地和安全保护的人们前来定居。城堡和其它防御建筑吸引农民前来寻求更好的由领主提供的保护。领主,他们的扈从以及城堡的人员还为农民们生产的货物提供了消费的需求,像是手工制品和食物等。农民的房子和田地在城堡的围墙之外,他们会把自己的货物带到城堡里出卖。一般来说,城堡外会很快聚集大量的人口。城堡外的村庄和小镇发展为城市也不是少见的事情。城堡也作为庄园的居所,但有很大不同。领主选择城堡作为居所是为了增加安全感、名声和显示自己的力量。  


庄园里的魔法

  根据第三版,在最小的乡村社区里存在的最常见施法者是初级法师,吟游诗人,牧师和德鲁伊。术士和法师通常居住在王国的村庄、一半的小村庄(hamlet)以及25%的更小的村庄(thorp)里。乡村地带的施法者等级一般较低(参见附录I-人口统计)。村庄里最高级别的施法者是5级的初级法师、吟游诗人、牧师和德鲁伊,小村庄里是4级,更小村庄里是3级。有很小可能郊外的环境里会出现更高级别或更大群的德鲁伊,但一般情况下,他们出现的几率和其他神术者差不多。乡村的农民们对于低级魔法相当熟悉。看到有人在法师之手的帮助下用两倍的效率播种,用精神力修理工具、衣服和盘子,或是变戏法一样的清洁盘子和处理食物是一件很特别,但不奇怪的事情。尽管农民们熟悉这些法术的效果,但不清楚它们的原理也不知道它们的限制。农民们对魔法的最基本的理解是:“施法者们在做奇怪又奇妙的事”。如果有什么奇怪的事情发生了,那很可能是施法者做的。他们不用手就可以移动东西,瞬间就能治愈伤口,还能凭空发声或放光。他们让不在那里的东西突然出现,他们创造出不可能出现的东西。他们还能操控人的思想,让他们去做他们本不会做的事情。尽管魔法存在于乡村社区里,农民经常会对它产生不切实际的期待和迷信,认为它可以做到不可能做到的事情。低级施法者可能被指控对村民的财产施展诅咒或妖术,而不管他们的等级到底可不可能做得到。农民把摔断腿的儿子带到2级施法者的面前希望能马上治好他以便第二天就下地劳动。施法者的邻居看到施法者用魔法修补袜子后请求施法者给他补屋顶。乡村的农民把魔法看作力量的源泉,通常会对施法者产生敬畏感或畏惧感,这取决于当地的社会环境。由于每个人都是独立施法的,对魔法的基本的了解只有那些施法者、退休的冒险者和雇佣施法者的富人才会有。

农民
施法能力是取决于统计的(随机分布),而不是财富和社会地位,尤其是对那些天生施法者和神术施法者的职业等级而言。由神术的本质所决定,牧师和初级法师并不需要隶属于某个宗教阶层来获得魔法力量,尽管GM可能会在战役设定中创造一个从社会和法律上禁止这种施法的环境。德鲁伊们对于乡村社区有着特别的重要性,因为他们与自然亲密并能增加自然的赠与(请看第六章:神术者在社会中的特殊含义)。需要配备昂贵的法术书的法师们是唯一施法能力与统计无关的职业等级。像其它中世纪的职业一样,学徒制或赞助制(patronage)帮助初期的法师克服经济问题。在一个有魔法的社会里,施法者拥有力量源泉,同时也有实际上的社会声望。如果一个农民家庭里出了一个吟游诗人或是初级法师,它就有了更高的社会地位和收入来源。在一个乡村社会里,为魔法付酬通常是以以物代酬的形式。为一个治疗轻伤付出两只鸡和一头猪,或是农民因为邻居给他的同伴施放了一个中和毒素而未他的田地干活都不是罕见的交易。在钱币不流行的社会环境里,这种以不正规方式进行的正规交易经常会发生。本地施法者经常使用的魔法类型和玩家施法者很不同。NPC拥有的职业等级、法术、专长和技能是他们日常活动的结果,而不像玩家一样有前瞻性和计划性。NPC们并不是选择,而是接受他们的职业等级、技能点、专长和法术,从他们的生活的经历中得来。一个本地铁匠被人委托打造一把武器,但他一般只会做铁锅和马蹄铁,那么他下一次升级的时候就会把一到两点的技能点投入到武器打造上。一个不需要用到魔法的NPC不需要继续在施法等级上进一步升级,而一个NPC吟游诗人会在练习、表演或是非常紧急需要的情况下学会一些法术,这也是为什么大部分的NPC吟游诗人会掌握一个治疗法术。

实用魔法
  零级魔法对农民来说是非常好的魔法。它们能被所有施法者使用,不需要施法材料,尽管威力有限,它们让农民的生活更轻松和有趣。在精神集中之下的法师之手对农民非常有用。(用魔法)举起和移动最多五磅重的东西看上去对玩家没什么大用,但可以让农民同时在相邻的两条田地里播种,一边用手而另一边用法师之手。它同时还可以用来捉弄人。治疗微伤治愈不了多少玩家的生命值,但一点的生命值已经是一个普通人的不少生命了。它还能用来止血和愈合伤口,能够减少伤口感染的风险。尽管治愈魔法不能使肢体或指头再生,但可以治愈骨折,避免断骨异常复位的危险。修复术是家庭主妇最好的朋友,能够用来补衣服、袜子、打碎的碗碟以及任何家里的轻于一磅的东西。魔法伎俩(prestidigitation)是一个非常好的魔法,能够用来给食物加味、加热洗澡水、清洁房屋以及娱乐村民。净化食水术让每一件食物和酒水能被放心食用,而造水术让农民不用去打水(并不是所有的地方都有干净水源)。和德鲁伊一起旅行的人们不用担心迷失方向,因为有指北术。施法者还能用舞光术、幻音术和光亮术做出炫目的表演秀。很多一级魔法需要一些常见的施法材料或根本不需要。神莓术是德鲁伊存储和分发药品和营养品的常见方法,并不需要他们消耗经验值或饱餐一顿。忍受环境可以在冬天防寒。对动物隐身术和侦测动物植物术对狩猎很有用。用上一小撮马鬃,骑乘术召唤出一匹能干重活的驮马。魅惑人类会导致更多的求爱行为和麻烦的出现。脚底抹油和跳跃术在竞技时很有用。隐形仆役则是农夫的奴隶。魔法可能并不是每天都被使用。大部分农民不可能负担得起用魔法解决他们的问题。即使是施法者也可能不会每天都使用魔法。那些有能力治疗的人并不知道他们的服务什么时候会用得上,尤其是他们为其收费的时候。农民们不会因为附近有能使用治疗轻伤的人就停止使用药膏。农民施法者的家里也不会用光亮术取代蜡烛。人们不会因为魔法伎俩的作用就停止打扫房间。但根据核心规则,当他们想使用魔法的时候,魔法就在那里。

领主和庄园
魔法为领主提供了一个剥削他的领地和领民的新方法。领主现在可以雇用一个德鲁伊来为田地施放植物生长然后向农民征收魔法税。在产出增加的同时,地租也增加了。那些会魔法的农民可以向领主提供魔法服务以代替劳役,尤其是那些会制作魔法药水的人。领主提供材料和实验室,而农奴贡献劳力。如果一个农民家庭出了一个有前途的孩子并想要送她去接受法师训练,她就得在结束学徒期后为领主服务三年作为应付的贡金。施法者还要履行军事上的义务。一个庄园的防御力量如果有了施法者将获得更大优势去对抗那些叛军、类人强盗和人类匪徒的攻击。魔法还为领主的产业增加了收入。裁决会带来更多的收入,如果领主的手下有牧师可以使用真言术的话。有侦测思想的法术也同样如此。这类法术在收租或是确保铁匠在打造马蹄铁时用的是自己的铁时也一样有用。通过魔法,一个魔法中世纪社会的庄园领主可以更好的剥削自己的农民们。

设局(Plot hooks)(请看附录5获得更多的庄园设局)
玩家从一个周边友好的贵族家非长子或长女的角色开始,有双倍的金钱以及和自身等级相同的一级贵族技能。可能的设局一:一个玩家的父亲在战争中被俘虏急需赎金,他的母亲叫他的小儿子去古老的废墟中探险带回财物,不然就别想要继承权。可能的设局二:一个玩家的父亲因为不想往年的丑闻被公开而常年被一个本地的盗贼工会勒索,所以他最后决定派玩家的小队去彻底解决这个麻烦。一个本地领主让玩家去调查是谁在施放植物枯萎术,让他的庄稼绝收并受到了900金币的损失。可能的设局一:施法糟蹋领主的庄稼的人就是领主雇来增产的德鲁伊。可能的设局二:这么做的就是贵族本人,他以此为理由逃避主上的征税。玩家们偶遇了一个被一群武装人员追逐的年轻女人,她向他们请求保护。经过调查和问询,那些人宣称这个女人拒绝缴纳她的Legerwite(通奸税,感谢噗逗同学的资料)罚金,她辩称说她是领主幼子的爱人,但领主否认了。他宣称是她勾引了他儿子,“一个瞬间的迷惑”,他认为,并且还想骚扰他(儿子)的即将举行的婚礼。可能的设局一:领主想要囚禁这个女孩直到婚礼结束婚姻的交易完成为止。可能的设局二:如果玩家们蠢到去攻击那些追捕人,他们会陷入大麻烦,那个女人会跑回城堡告诉领主(害怕玩家会伤害她)让玩家们面对领主的怒火。
« 上次编辑: 2013-01-30, 周三 20:52:43 由 怀孕听雨 »
你跟DM讲规则,DM跟你讲常识;你跟DM讲常识,DM跟你讲剧情;你跟DM讲剧情,DM跟你讲规则。但是,请继续多与你的DM沟通。没有适当的超游戏思维来润滑,团是跑不下去的。DM都希望PC有点厉害,但又不太厉害;有点意外的举动,没有太过意外的举动;“接吻是可以的,但是你不能趁机吃豆腐哦~”嘴里虽然都是这么说,真的会不会把你推开不是还要摸过了才知道。
想要带好团的话,那么首先摆正自己的位置,你要明白你是守密人,你的主要目的是守护秘密而不是对抗玩家。你必须是守序中立的,部分情况下应该偏向玩家。其次善用自己手里的情报,为了剧情的发展,有些情报可以根据团的情况提前给予或者是延后给予。鼓励所有充满想象力并且善于动脑的PC,惩罚所有异想天开的笨蛋,不要阻止和妨碍PC的选择。剧情第一,模组第二,有趣第一,规则第二(口胡什么的理所当然的是不允许的)。其次就是要有耐心,pc们(不管是新人还是老人 尤其是新人)都是一群长着呆毛的小黄鸡,充满各种好奇心和各种问题,也有些呆呆们会充满各种有趣的奇思妙想和异想天开的中二想法。结合自己团的情况,然后和大家一起商议,会比较利于你和你的PC们的游戏...哦对了..还有,最重要的一点,互相信任,彼此包容,说到底TRPG是一种先成为朋友,然后一起玩游戏增加感情的活动,不要本末倒置了。顺便还有本人的一个建议:包容一切细节,用无限的自由性来剥夺PC们的自由
我能给新人的建议是:你可以扮演一个不好相处的人,但你自己不能不好相处。如果你知道自己是一个不好相处的人,请不用再本色扮演了,去扮演一个好相处的角色吧。假如你觉得,正因为自己是一个不好相处的人,所以希望能扮演一个不好相处的角色以便于享受他人的迁就和特殊待遇,你几乎100%会碰壁的。总结:扮演性格恶劣角色是性格优良玩家的特权,句号。
同理:假如你规则战很弱,就不要扮演更弱的人,因为这样你更加会弱到没话说。假如你的扮演水准很低,也不要扮演不会说人话的人,这样你根本就不存在了。不要总是迁就自己的弱点,因为那几乎肯定不会有好结果。

离线 dnlas

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #4 于: 2013-01-30, 周三 15:43:06 »
这是不是原来在阿瓦隆翻译的那本?
德鲁伊 游侠 和 诗人消失了:D
奥术永远是烂强而失衡的
神术永远是狂热而狭隘的
自然永远是迂腐而保守的

贼永远是躲在阴影中抽菸偷懒的

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #5 于: 2013-01-30, 周三 16:00:10 »
怀剑同时开了多少坑QAQ

离线 越级怀孕听雨

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #6 于: 2013-01-30, 周三 18:49:31 »
怀剑同时开了多少坑QAQ
早早多多挖坑不撞车,感谢大家

我觉得对于封建的东西,专有名词可以参考日本的镰仓室町封建时期,比如地头、地侍、守护、守护代之类
« 上次编辑: 2013-01-30, 周三 20:50:14 由 怀孕听雨 »
你跟DM讲规则,DM跟你讲常识;你跟DM讲常识,DM跟你讲剧情;你跟DM讲剧情,DM跟你讲规则。但是,请继续多与你的DM沟通。没有适当的超游戏思维来润滑,团是跑不下去的。DM都希望PC有点厉害,但又不太厉害;有点意外的举动,没有太过意外的举动;“接吻是可以的,但是你不能趁机吃豆腐哦~”嘴里虽然都是这么说,真的会不会把你推开不是还要摸过了才知道。
想要带好团的话,那么首先摆正自己的位置,你要明白你是守密人,你的主要目的是守护秘密而不是对抗玩家。你必须是守序中立的,部分情况下应该偏向玩家。其次善用自己手里的情报,为了剧情的发展,有些情报可以根据团的情况提前给予或者是延后给予。鼓励所有充满想象力并且善于动脑的PC,惩罚所有异想天开的笨蛋,不要阻止和妨碍PC的选择。剧情第一,模组第二,有趣第一,规则第二(口胡什么的理所当然的是不允许的)。其次就是要有耐心,pc们(不管是新人还是老人 尤其是新人)都是一群长着呆毛的小黄鸡,充满各种好奇心和各种问题,也有些呆呆们会充满各种有趣的奇思妙想和异想天开的中二想法。结合自己团的情况,然后和大家一起商议,会比较利于你和你的PC们的游戏...哦对了..还有,最重要的一点,互相信任,彼此包容,说到底TRPG是一种先成为朋友,然后一起玩游戏增加感情的活动,不要本末倒置了。顺便还有本人的一个建议:包容一切细节,用无限的自由性来剥夺PC们的自由
我能给新人的建议是:你可以扮演一个不好相处的人,但你自己不能不好相处。如果你知道自己是一个不好相处的人,请不用再本色扮演了,去扮演一个好相处的角色吧。假如你觉得,正因为自己是一个不好相处的人,所以希望能扮演一个不好相处的角色以便于享受他人的迁就和特殊待遇,你几乎100%会碰壁的。总结:扮演性格恶劣角色是性格优良玩家的特权,句号。
同理:假如你规则战很弱,就不要扮演更弱的人,因为这样你更加会弱到没话说。假如你的扮演水准很低,也不要扮演不会说人话的人,这样你根本就不存在了。不要总是迁就自己的弱点,因为那几乎肯定不会有好结果。

离线 越级怀孕听雨

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #7 于: 2013-01-30, 周三 20:43:08 »
Introduction: On Setting Concepts

This book aids the creation of a generic Western
European medieval world consistent with third
edition gaming. This is not a campaign setting, nor is
it a history book with a list of rulers, powerful people,
and events. This book allows you to add a medieval
feel to your world without forcing you to play in a
truly medieval world. This volume provides a wealth
of resources concerning medieval Western Europe:
the spatial systems, the social groups and distinctions,
the trade and economics, the law and justice, and the
typical medieval mindset. Modeled after Germanic high
medieval societies, this book simulates, but does not
replicate actual medieval Europe.
However, this book does not discuss costumes,
customs, mythology, games, tournaments, linguistics,
or any of the other particulars of a distinctive campaign
setting. It does not provide all the necessary information
to create a comprehensive magical medieval society.
Such is the prerogative of the GM’s unique campaign
world. This supplement provides GMs information and
tools for increasing the depth of their existing world.
Some basic core assumptions of third edition gaming
integrate poorly with medieval society. Ultimately, GMs
must make decisions on how their magical medieval
society works.

Gender
The medieval period, though romantically remembered
for chivalry and knights, is not known for its gender
equality. However, medieval society is not as
discriminatory as most moderns believe. Women find
places in medieval society as guild members, powerful
landowners, and abbesses. Some societies assign gender
to certain roles but allow women to assume those roles
though assuming a different gender. Complex gender
issues aside, third edition assumes ability is not based
upon sex or gender. This means a female fighter swings
and hits as hard as a male fighter.
The religious views of women that
colored feminine perceptions in the
medieval times are another gender
consideration. There is no inherent
Eve or Madonna in third edition.
This does not remove all historically
sex-defined roles, but it does allow a
GM more equality in game play.
What kind of place in society
would women have in third edition
parameters? Making women
statistically equal to men challenges
every historical concept of women.
Female rulers would be more
common, or even the norm in some
kingdoms. Women would bear arms and be a part of
military endeavors. A female society and fighting force
could exist and kill anyone that has problems with
sword-carrying chicks. Religious institutions would
incorporate women in their hierarchy, and female
apprentices would be accepted as readily as male ones.
Because of third edition’s gender assumptions, GMs
determine societal roles rather than assuming historical
gender roles. That being said, if GMs prefer busty
serving wenches and damsels in distress (so that PCs
can kill dragons and steal their treasures), keep in step
with the historical view towards women in a magical
medieval society.

Communication
The ease of third edition communication, both written
and spoken, leads a magical medieval society away from
its historical roots. Firstly, by virtue of being classed, a
large percent of society is literate. Even thorps, not
including barbarians and commoners, have on average
fifteen literate people. Secondly, everyone speaks
common, including nonhuman races, such as elves,
dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and many of the goblinoids.
This does not exclude variations in regional accent and
local slang, but everyone can effectively communicate
with each other. This removes interesting encounters
such as kings and queens speaking different languages,
muddling through marriage with a smattering of each
other’s native tongue. Everyone possessing a common
language is analogous to everyone in the medieval
period speaking fluent Latin, even the commoners.
These two factors change the way a magical
medieval society progresses. Increased literacy leads
to a more educated society, while a common language
allows for more communication between races,
cities and nations. One expects trade and the rise of
cities to occur faster and be more pervasive in such
an environment when compared with the historical
examples. Better dissemination of ideas leads to gains in
technology, religion, and innovations, altering the social
makeup of a magical medieval Western Europe.

Race
This book mostly considers humans and human
interactions. This is because humans were the only
existing creatures in the historical Middle Ages and
because there are vastly differing interpretations of the
other races (elf, dwarf, halfling, gnome, half-orc, halfelf).
Our basic assumption is a society in which race is
a non-determining factor for social interactions. This is,
of course, far from what probably would occur in a real
magical medieval society, but allows GMs flexibility so
they can implement their own ideas about race in their
campaign. It also lets GMs easily change race relations
to fit different areas of their world without forcing them
to change anything in this book. If a particular race is
hated in one area and favored in another, A Magical
Medieval Society: Western Europe can be equally
applied in both cases.

Alignment
Alignment is perhaps the most difficult of all third
edition concepts. Every GM and player has differing
ideas about what constitutes LG or LE. This book
purposefully does not address alignment issues because
of this fact. We believe the base alignment (and what
we are here describing) of magical medieval societies
is LN. Law and order keep these societies functioning;
therefore most magical medieval societies view moral
implications based upon maintaining structure. This
mindset explains their reluctance to change. Good
maintains order, and change always upsets order.

Pervasiveness of Magic
Magic is the most difficult factor to resolve with a
medieval society. Cure spells, lyres of building, talking
to gods through commune, and every small town
having a person who can cure disease are very difficult
to resolve with a medieval mindset. Most supplements
simply lay a magic patina over historic medieval times,
but magic really changes everything.
In resolving the issue of magic, our first assumption
is that society evolved and developed alongside magic.
Relying on the cleverness, ingenuity, and survival of
humanity, this supplement is based upon extrapolation
of historical information and trends.
Our second assumption is that most magic in
a magical medieval society is mundane magic, not
adventuring magic. Most people stay rooted in their
community and do not take to wandering; therefore, a
real society uses their magic and creates items to help
everyday life. Wealthy individuals have more mundane
magic than adventuring magic, because, on a day-today
basis, they use the mundane magic more. Magic
focuses on crops, medicine, craftsmanship, labor, and
entertainment more than on dungeon delving.
Our third assumption resolves a historical medieval
mindset with a magical world by viewing magic as a
form of technology. Though some feel treating magic
as technology lessens the mystical feel of magic, a real
society developing with the magic prevalence dictated
by the core rules would not view magic only as a
mystical thing. Powerful magics remain a great mystical
affair in the society, but low-level magic is familiar to all
but the most isolated.
Setting Table A — Spellcasting Demographics*
Community
Size
Average
Number of
Spellcasters
Average % of
Spellcasters in
Population
Thorp 3 3.75-15
Hamlet 6 1.5-7.4
Village 12 1.3-3
Small Town 18 0.9-2
Large Town 68 1.35-3.4
Small City 403 3.36-8
Large City 1,787 7.1-14.9
Metropolis 6,393 6.4-25.6
   See Appendix I — Demographics for additional information.
Any society that evolves alongside magic views
magic in a similar manner as they view other forms
of technology. It is no different than three-field system
for farming, a water mill to grind grain, a lever and
pulley for constructing tall structures, the “magic” of
forging metal, or a trebuchet for busting curtain walls.
Magic becomes a useful tool, but this does not lessen
the mysticism associated with medieval technology.
For example, smiths are often viewed as magicians
because people do not understand the science behind
metallurgy. Smiths carefully guard their secrets and
perform ritualistic actions that have no effect upon
the forging of the metal. Magical medieval people
incorporate magic in their everyday existence, but this
does not mean magical medieval societies have the
modern mindset for welcoming change.
Our final assumption is magic brings social change
to medieval societies. Traditionally, medieval society is
broken down into three categories: those who toil, those
who pray, and those who fight. In a medieval society,
those who fight are implicitly understood to be those who
rule. Magic disrupts this triumvirate by inserting itself
into all layers of society and establishing another source
of power in a magical medieval society. This supplement
chooses to insert magic throughout society, rather than
put all the changes into one condensed chapter.

Welcome and Thank You
Welcome to a Magical Medieval Society: Western
Europe! We hope the information here provides you
with hundreds of campaign and adventuring ideas.
We hope the generation systems for manors, towns
and cities, kingdoms and aristocrats, buildings, and the
short economic simulator in the appendices provide you
with a board upon which to bounce your own campaign
specific needs against. We’ve tried to make all systems
as historically accurate as possible, while considering
our setting assumptions, and hope you find them as
useful as we do. Thanks, and enjoy!





Chapter One:On Those Who Toil

Though the main focus of third edition is adventurers,
the importance of those who toil is implicit in every
campaign setting. Those who toil are the people in
society who produce and reproduce. They are the bulk
of the population, typically 90-94%, and they work the
land for food, fodder, drink, and clothing. They not
only work for their own survival and betterment, they
make the food and raw goods that support those whose
livelihood is not growing food. Urban communities,
traveling military forces and small standing armies rely
upon those who toil. Urban dwellers, living in small
towns or larger, usually grow food outside of the urban
center, but not enough to support the dense population
found in the city. Armies are completely dependant
upon the work of those who toil. A generic magical
medieval setting is based in an agrarian society, unless
climate and terrain dictate otherwise.
Note: Though presented here in a clear-cut and
ideal form, actual magical medieval manors vary in
almost every imaginable way: size, productivity, living
conditions, buildings, and staff. As in all things magical
medieval, there are generalizations, but societies are
defined by their exceptions. See Chapter Two: Generating
Manors for a closer look at manorial diversity.


The Manorial System

The basis of a medieval agrarian society is the manorial
system. Manors are rural estates under a lord, often an
absentee lord, who has certain rights over the land and
its tenants. This land is usually apart of a benefice, a
package of land, buildings, or rights given by another
lord in exchange for military service or coin. This
land may include defensive structures, farms, mines,
quarries, meadows, forests, marshes, rivers, mills, or
villages. If it includes a village, all the occupants of
the village become the lord’s tenants and are indebt
to the lord due the protection he provides them. Some
peasants own their own land, but are still required to
provide labor on the lord’s land at harvest. In cases
where there are no villages in the lord’s benefice, the
lord may build a manor or castle. A community usually
develops around him for protection and unoccupied
land. Most agrarian-based communities only develop
to the size of a village. Some communities may grow to
the size of small towns or larger, evolving into an urban
center. Lords can have more than one manor, and one
manor can encompass more than one village.
Most manors are small, usually less than 640 acres,
or one square mile. Rural communities are usually
within 1-2 miles of each other. Larger villages or towns,
where markets and fairs for selling and buying surplus
occur, are usually within five miles of most small rural
communities.

Manorial Complex
On every manor, the lord sets apart land for his various
manorial interests. This includes a manorial house,
storage buildings, vineyards, orchards, gardens,
beehives, dovecotes, livestock, and all other things
belonging to the lord. Even an absentee lord has a
manorial complex. The quality and number of buildings
within the complex depend on the lord’s assets and
personal industry.
Manorial Home: Every manor has a manorial
home, even if it is no more than a simple great house.
Made of stone and usually two stories tall, the manorial
home houses the bailiff
and other important
staff. On large manors,
body servants’ quarters
are nearby the manorial
house while body servants
on small manors usually
sleep in the great hall.
Common servants are
employed from the village
manorial populace. Every
manorial house has a
large meeting room on the ground floor called the great
hall, home of the manorial court and feasts of harvest
and holidays. If the lord resides in the manorial home,
his quarters are on the second floor to provide privacy
for the lord and lady’s family. The kitchen is a separate
building attached to the manor by a walkway, while the
pantry, storing bread, and the buttery, storing wine, are
next to the great hall. Garderobes are also off of the
great hall, as well as upstairs.
Unlike most of the other structures on the manor,
the manorial home is not solely focused on agriculture
and growing food. Its importance is also social. It is
where important people preside, where visitors stay,
and where peasants only go by the lord’s grace. If
the manorial home is the lord’s main residence, the
level of luxury and food attest to his wealth and social
standing.
Chapel: All manorial
complexes have a small
private chapel for the lord,
his family and their guests.
The chapel is usually a
single room in the manorial
home, set apart as a place
of worship. In some
magical medieval societies,
particularly pious lords
have more than one chapel
to appease many gods.
This private chapel provides the lord social distinction
from his peasants who attend village churches. For the
implications of rural religion, see Chapter Six: On Those
Who Pray.
Garden: Within the manorial complex is the lord’s
garden. The lord’s garden is larger than the small gardens
peasants have behind their homes. As large as a few acres,
the manorial garden grows all manners of vegetables,
fruits, and herbs. Though the staff and peasants tend the
manorial garden, it is considered property of the lord to
consume, sell, or give away. In luxurious manors, lords
may keep decorative gardens to display their wealth and
luxury. Using good soil for aesthetics over practicalities
is definitely a sign of luxury.
Dovecote: The dove is the lord’s bird on the manor.
Peasants hunt other birds of the air for dinner, but only
the lord feasts on doves. The dovecote is eighteen feet
tall, cylindrical, and ten feet in diameter. Usually build of
stone, the dovecote holds up to 1,000 doves at a time. The
thatch roof and open vent allows birds to fly in and out
of the dovecote. Besides a tasty meal, dovecotes provide
fertilizer for manorial gardens. Some manors use the
bottom of dovecotes for extra grain storage space.
Storage: Tools, plows, winnowing fans, flails, and
other items the manor uses throughout the year also
require storage. When barns and other structures run
out of room, manors build storage buildings. They come
in all sizes, are built of all types of material, and are the
medieval counterpart to the modern garage.
Barn: Tended by the granger, the barn stores grain
and winter fodder. It is the winter living quarters for
the lord’s livestock and can also act as stables for the
lord’s horses. The manorial barn is quite large, as much
as 5,000 square feet. Built of stone, the lord’s barn is
usually one story with
a partial second story
made of good wood.
Bakehouse and
Brewery: Some manors
have private breweries
and bakehouses within
the manor complex.
They are usually near the
kitchen and accompany
facilities to make and
barrel wine, if the manor
grows grapes.
The Village:
Outside of the manorial
complex are rural communities that vary in size.
According to core rulebook II, thorps are the least
populated rural communities, villages are the most
populated rural communities, and hamlets lie between
them. Some manors may have small towns and large
towns, the least populated urban communities, within
their demesne. The village peasants live and work
outside of the lord’s complex. The peasants only enter
the manorial complex for labor, manorial court, and
special occasions, like harvest feast and holidays. The
manor complex is physically and socially separate from
their daily existence.


Manorial Bureaucracy

Running a manor requires permanent staff for different
functions. Lords have administrative officials who
help run the manors. Each manor has managers who
perform year-round duties, and the manorial house
has domestic servants of its own. A lord’s main manor,
in which he and his family reside, has extra servants,
as well as specialized staff to tend to their daily needs.
Castles acting as manors have military staff as well. The
size and holdings of a manor dictate what kind and how
much staff it requires.

Administration
Steward: The day-to-day concerns of a manor are
rarely managed by the lord directly, but by his staff
and pool of manorial labor. The steward is the first
and most important part of a lord’s staff. The steward
oversees all of a lord’s manors, does the accounting of
all the manors, runs the lord’s main manor, appears in
manorial courts to represent the lord on a village level
of justice, greets visiting officials and gentry when the
lord is unavailable, and selects a bailiff and reeve for
each manor. The steward knows how much money
and kind is spent entertaining a visiting knight and his
entourage, what amount each manor should produce
at harvest, how much wine to buy for the lord’s main
manor, how much the lord and lady spend on clothing
every year, and which bailiffs tend to skim off the top at
collection time. The steward is the lifeline between the
lord and his manors.
The steward travels from manor to manor
throughout the year checking on each manor’s progress
and attending the manorial court, also known as the
hallmote. The steward has attendants and clerks that
travel with him. They keep records of incursion income
from the hallmote. Stewards and their clerks usually
visit a single manor a few times a year, each stay
lasting only a day or two. Lords with vast holdings may
employ multiple stewards, while lords who hold and
reside on one manor may not need a steward at all. In
general even lords with one manor employ stewards for
the times he must leave the manor. A lord must leave
to serve military service or counsel for his lord, to fight
wars, or to visit other manors and lords for political
or social reasons. Lords mostly employ stewards to
avoid troubling themselves with the trifles of daily
subsistence.
Chamberlain: Lords usually employ chamberlains
on their main manor and on other important manors.
The chamberlain takes care of the great chamber and
aids the steward in caring for the household. He makes
sure no one takes the silver, the tablecloths are cleaned
and stored, and sacks the unproductive or stickyfingered
servants.
Almoner: This servant takes care of the lord’s alms,
his gifts to the poor. Old livestock, scraps of food, old
clothing, and other tidbits are usually given to the poor
in measure. Though most manors give to the poor, not all
manors have almoners. A lord’s main manor certainly
employs an almoner and larger manors usually employ
almoners. Alms to the poor account for roughly 1-5% of
the manor’s annual income. Such trifles endear the lord
to the peasants, reduce the risk of peasant revolts, and
provide a cleaner conscience.

Managers
On every manor, the steward selects a bailiff to act as
manager. The bailiff then chooses more managers from
the peasants, creating part of the manorial bureaucracy.
Bailiff: Every manor has a bailiff, who acts as the
lord’s representative on the manor year round. The
bailiff is either from a rich peasant family or a younger
son of the gentry, appointed by the lord at the steward’s
recommendation. The bailiff resides in the manorial
house, a stone giant among the peasants’ wattle-anddaub
homes. He and his family receive meals in the
great hall at the lord’s expense, as well as receiving furs,
clothing, feed for his horse, salary in coin, and gifts at
the holidays.
The bailiff is to the steward as the steward is to
the lord. He watches over the lord’s fiscally rewarding
rights and property. He secures the food, fodder,
and supplies of the manor from theft, keeps record
of the manor’s expenses, sells the lord’s surplus and
livestock at market, and buys supplies for the manor. A
bailiff’s shopping list might look like this: 200 candles,
200 sheets of parchment, eight axles, three carts, 50
pounds of iron, three large millstones, two barrels of
tar, kitchen utensils, a new stool for the buttery, metal
brackets for the tool shed, thatch and slate for the roof,
and 30 chickens. Among his list of expenses is the cost
of entertaining visitors, which not only includes the
guest’s room and board, but the room and board for
the guest’s entire entourage, fodder and stable for their
horses, and food and lodging for any hunting dogs and
falcons. The bailiff also protects the village and peasants
from outside threats. Bailiffs have been known to bribe
traveling armies to move along to other villages for their
grain. Like the steward, the bailiff has lesser officials on
the manor, including serjeants and macebearers that
oversee work and harvest, foresters that protect the
forest from poachers and tend to forest matters, and
grangers who protect the grain and stores in the barn
from theft and ruin. Though some manors do without
all these village officials, every manor has a reeve.
Reeve: The reeve is the next link in the chain of
manorial bureaucracy. Chosen annually, the reeve
serves for a year, beginning and ending his term in
late September after harvest. The reeve is a villager,
closer to the peasants economically and socially than
the bailiff. The reeve is typically relieved of all his labor
obligations, receives some meals at the manor, and
some reeves are paid a salary in coin or in grain. Some
peasants serve multiple terms as reeve, while other
peasants chosen for the position pay to get out of the
duty because they’d rather avoid the social conflicts that
arise while performing the office.
The reeve’s principal task is making sure the
peasants who owe labor services perform work on
the lord’s demesne. He also determines what labor is
required and when it is needed. He manages plow
teams, hedges, moving and penning the livestock,
manure collection, mending the lord’s structures, and
all the other tasks on the manor (see Table I.3-Labor
Calendar). In cases of absentee bailiffs, the reeve sells
the surplus of the manor. He also performs the majority
of the manor’s accounting. At the end of harvest, he
delivers the accounting to the bailiff, who ultimately
reports to the steward or the steward’s clerk. This
accounting includes rent collection, lists of those who
are overdue on rent, and receipts from selling grain,
livestock, and other products. The accounting also
includes the food and goods delivered to the lord
from the manor, payments to individual workmen, a
listing of the grain and livestock on the manor, and all
purchases. The reeve accounts for the grain and stock in
every conceivable manner: how much the manor holds,
how much the lord receives, how much the harvest
boon consumes, how much surplus to the market, how
many new animals this year, what age they are, and
how many hides from the animals killed. To keep reeves
honest, some lords set quotas on the amount of grains
and livestock the reeve is to deliver to the lord, making
the reeve pay the difference if he fails to milk the manor
for all a lord thinks it is worth.
Beadle and Hayward: The beadle and the hayward,
assistants to the reeve, are economically and socially
below the reeve. Although the reeve, beadle, and
hayward are all exempt from labor obligations to the
lord, the holdings of the beadle and hayward are usually
less than the reeve’s. Beadles and haywards receive less
salary in coin or kind, and they typically receive partial
board in the manor. The beadle saves the seed from the
previous year’s crop for planting, and serves the reeve
in the field, overseeing the peasant labor at mowing,
reaping, harrowing, plowing, and sowing. The beadle
also collects rent and the fines determined through the
hallmote. The hayward impounds stray cattle and sheep
that nibble on the lord’s crop, fine the owners, and tends
to the hedges and fences that pen the livestock. On
smaller manors, the beadle and hayward are sometimes
combined into one position.

Laborers
Each manor has a permanent work force that the lord
pays either in coin or in kind. The laborers are peasants
that live within the lord’s demesne and probably own
land in the fields. These laborers are the work force
entrusted with the tasks that might cause the average
serf to nip at the lord’s coffers. They serve the lord’s
land, protect the lord’s interests, and increase the lord’s
industries and profits. The lord pays these permanent
laborers with grain, coin, labor obligation relief, giving
a portion of peasant labor obligation to work their
lands, or any combination of these. These laborers are
plowmen, carters, shepherds, dairymaids, cowmen,
pigmen, and overseers.
Plowmen: Plowmen plow up to 90% of the lord’s
holdings in the fields. Villeins with plows work the
remainder of the fields, and other serfs with labor
obligations do tasks like harrowing, breaking clods,
and weeding. A manor requires a plowman for every 30
acres of arable land.
Carters: Carters are the deliverymen of the manor.
They carry grain and goods to and from market, make
deliveries from the manor to the lord, and execute other
various deliveries. Carters are well paid to keep them
honest, since they are in a position to take advantage
of the lord’s bounty on a continual basis. Carters are
especially important to lords with multiple manors.
These lords require more carriage between their manors.
Shepherds: Shepherds have many duties. They tend
to the lord’s sheep, fold and pen the sheep, collect the
manure from the pens to fertilize the arable land, take
care of sick sheep, and sheer the sheep in spring. A
manor with sheep needs a shepherd to every 100 sheep.
Dairymaids: Dairymaids milk the lord’s cows and
sheep. They make butter and cheese for the manor,
with a portion going to the lord and the surplus to the
market. They tend to the poultry and collect eggs, as
well as making a mid-day meal for the other permanent
manorial laborers, usually pottage. Depending on the
number of livestock, a manor employs 1-5 dairymaids.
Cowmen and Pigmen: Cowmen and pigmen do
odd jobs around the manor that need special attention
or trusted laborers. They are the least specialized of the
permanent labor on the manor and receive the least
amount of pay. Though some manors have individual
men for each position, most have a collective laborer
who deals with animal husbandry. On manors with few
sheep and no shepherd, cowmen and pigmen also tend
to sheep. Besides moving the livestock from pasture to
pen, they also mend fences and hedges.
Overseers: Most manors only have a few fruit
trees, a garden growing produce, flax, and herbs, and
a few hives for honey and wax. But if a manor has such
production on a large scale, overseers manage peasant
labor and prevent theft. Overseers for olive groves,
orchards, vineyards, or land growing cash crops are
typical for the manor with such industry.
Household Servants: Household servants are
peasants without farmland who perform paid labor.
Some manors give them room and board as partial pay,
while other manors pay in grain and coin exclusively.
Staff includes chambermaids and cleaners to take care
of the rooms and toilets, marshals and grooms for the
stables and horses, messengers and pages for delivering
messages and completing petty tasks, and washwomen
to do the laundry. In the kitchen, slaughterers, poulters,
cooks, sauce cooks, butlers, pantlers, brewers, bakers,
cupbearers, dispensers, fruiters, and their helpers kill,
prepare, and serve food to all who dine at the manor.
Smaller manorial homes may not require so much
personal, while larger ones have even more servants.


Peasants on the Manor

Without peasants to work the land and pay rent, fees,
fines, tolls and taxes, being lord of a manor loses much
of its appeal. Every peasant that lives within the lord’s
demesne becomes the lord’s tenant due the protection
he provides. The legal status of individual peasants
determines how much labor he owes the lord, as well as
how much of the lord’s justice applies to him.

Legal Status
Free tenants, known as yeomen, own their land
independent of the lord. Though the free tenant is
obligated to work the lord’s land at harvest, he does not
have to perform any other labor on the lord’s land. The
fees and fines enacted by the lord do not hold sway over
a free tenant, though they do pay taxes and can be sued
for infringement of the lord’s property. More often than
not, free tenants swear loyalty to the lord for protection.
This insures the land stays in the peasant’s possession,
and the peasant remains in good standing with the lord.
When free tenants swear loyalty to the lord, they often
assume many of the taxes and regulations levied by the
lord in exchange for the protection provided. When free
tenants purchase land from serfs or villeins, all the labor
obligations of the previous owner fall to the free tenant,
but only for that plot of land. Labor is tied to the land,
not the man.
Unfree tenants, known as serfs or villeins, are under
the jurisdiction of the lord and his manorial court. They
are subject to the fines and fees the lord enacts on his
manor, and they owe substantial labor obligations to
the lord, roughly five days of labor a year per acre of
arable land. Being a villein does not mean that peasants
are slaves. Unfree peasants can buy, sell and inherit land
and livestock. Typically, they can also marry and give
dowries without first requiring the lord’s permission.
Though not all unfree peasants can marry freely, most
can and they usually pay tax on it. Serfs and villeins
enjoy many of the same benefits as those who are free.
However, their unfree status is a social stigma against
serfs trying to move up in society, and unfree peasants
under a tyrant lord are at his mercy.

Labor Obligations
All the lord’s tenants are under obligation to work the
lord’s land. The obligation varies on the legal status of
tenant and the size of the peasant’s holding; the larger
the holding, the greater the obligation. The peasant’s
obligations to the lord includes farming, harvesting, and
transporting the fruits of the lord’s fields, haying the
meadow, tending to the lord’s livestock, and working
the lord’s vineyards, orchards, dovecotes, and beehives.
Repairs or construction on the lord’s demesne is
another way for the serf to pay his labor obligation. This
includes mending the lord’s plows, harnesses and tools,
as well as tearing down and rebuilding ditches, fences,
hurdles, and hedges to keep the livestock away from the
fields. When the lord requires construction, he provides
the material for the villeins and craftsmen. Hiring
outside labor is reserved for complicated construction
or a shortage of manorial labor. Some peasants pay their
obligation with coin. This coin buys wanderers, hired
labor from within the village, or day laborers from the
city. Unfree tenants have more obligations in the form of
taxes and fees, a sample of which can be found on Table
I.1-Taxes and the Lord’s Rights. Many of these fees are
waved for the poorest peasants who have only their
house and garden with no holding in the fields.

Manor Monopolies
Regardless of legal status, all a lord’s tenants are subject
to the lord’s monopolies on the manor. A common
mill and a common oven are part of most manors and
villages. Most manors also practice sheepfold, keeping
all the village’s sheep in the lord’s demesne, so the
lord’s land benefits from the manure. Lords can also
ban home fulling and tanning, making all villagers use
his facilities, as with common ovens and mills. Free
men who run the common mills, ovens, tanneries, and
fulleries on the manor pay the lord for the privilege of
running the lord’s industry.
Justice is another monopoly on the manor. The
lord’s court system decides the fate of petty crimes
and trespasses, while greater crimes of treason,
murder, and such are usually dealt with in the king’s
court. Fines from incursions and fees from settling
civil disputes fill the lord’s coffers at the expense of
the peasants. This does not mean lords have absolute
control over their peasants, but they have socially
supported preferential rights.


The Village

Villages come in different shapes. Some are radial, with
the houses and common green on the inside and the
fields on the outside, while others are strings of houses
along a road or river, known as street or row villages.
Polyfocal villages have more than one hub, while
crossroad villages form an X around a central green.
Some villages combine multiple patterns, making a
hodge-podge of wattle-and-daub houses, winding
narrow dirt streets, and ridge-and-furrow fields.
Despite the different layouts, the houses are always
close together, facing inward, with the fields farther
out. Houses cluster together for protection and social
reasons. A small vegetable and herb garden is usually
directly behind the house.

Self-Governing
Though the lord exercises taxes and monopolies in the
manor, he often allows villagers to govern themselves
on certain matters. Villagers make up the jury that
presides over the lord’s court, the hallmote. Once the
jurors, the assembled villagers, and the steward reach
a consensus, the court delivers a ruling while the clerk
notes the fines.
The court is a place where peasants address the
wrongs done to each other as well as their grievances
with the lord for not fulfilling his duties. Peasants pay
a court fee, even if the case is settled outside of the
hallmote, and few suits against the lord fall in favor for
the peasants. This is not always from blatant oppression,
but from the social structure of the manorial system. The
lord’s socially accepted privileges make proving legal
infringement by the lord very difficult for any peasants
seeking restitution.
The most prevalent issue the peasants decide upon
is farming. Regardless of individual legal status, the
community comes together to create farming bylaws
by consensus. The communal body of peasants decide
what kind of crops to plant and in what ratio, the
restrictions on plowing, planting, harvesting, gleaning,
and carrying the harvest, when work is to be done
(never in the dark to discourage stealing), and when
the animals graze on the field stubble. They also decide
fines for wasting seed, theft, and chicanery (edging the
plow into another’s strip).

Farming
Open Field System: The community farms on three open
noncontiguous fields, each divided into rectangular
plots called furlongs, which follow the natural drainage
of the field. Furlongs do not line up side-by-side, but
are scattered over a field wherever the greatest natural
advantage can be claimed. Each furlong is then divided
into long narrow sets of furrows known as strips. Strips
run parallel to each other within the same furlong and
are generally thought of as a day’s plow.
Three-Field Rotation: Manors employ the threefield
rotation system in which one field lies fallow all
year, one is sown with winter wheat in autumn, and
one is sown with spring crops after the last freeze. The
villagers rotate the planting and fallow cycle, so a field
lays fallow every three years. The furlong is the basic
sowing unit because all the strips in the furlong grow the
same crop. Each peasant holding land has strips in each
field to ensure a winter and spring crop every year.
Working the field requires many runs with a plow
on the same strip. The first run is to turn the soil and
allow decomposition of the residue crop, grass, and
weeds. The second plowing runs along the center of a
strip on both sides, aerating the soil for sowing. Spring
seeds are planted after the last frost, with peas, beans,
and vetch (legumes) in the furrow and grain on the
ridge. Winter grains, wheat and sometimes rye, require
three runs of the plow, the first in April, the second in
June, the third in midsummer, after which the seed is
sown in fall. The peasants sometimes harvest the winter
wheat in shifts, tiding everyone over until the abundant
harvest in September.
Average Peasant Holding: Around half the peasants
hold ten or fewer acres of arable land in the field. This
is very close to subsistence for one family in the magical
medieval period. A third of the peasants own a halfvirgate,
ranging from 12-16 acres. The poorest of labors
have little to no land in the fields, only a house and the
immediate soil around the house for a modest garden.
Wealthier peasants, who have more land than they can
work, hire those without land. Strips owned by the
same peasant are not in single blocks, but are usually
intermingled with other peasant’s strips. The same is
true of the lord’s holdings, usually a third of the acreage,
in the fields.

Harvest
Though strips of plowed land, draft animals, and tools
are individually held, harvest is considered a communal
event in the village. Most serfs own a spade, a hoe, a
fork, a sickle, a scythe, a flail, a knife, and a whetstone.
Those with more land have more tools, a plow, and
draft animals (cows, oxen, or horses). Those that do not
have a plow work the land by hand or with hand tools.
Able-bodied villagers perform the more difficult tasks,
while the very young, old, and the infirm glean the
fields after harvest.
Harvest season begins the first of August, with the
busiest time between September 8th and 29th. Though
harvest is a season with many tasks, the main goal is
to cut, gather, bind, and haul the sheaves of the lord’s
grain into the barn for threshing and winnowing. Every
tenant works the harvest, even those who could afford
to pay off their service, and the lord may hire laborers
to work the manor during harvest. In general, each acre
requires four able-bodied workers per acre to harvest
the fields, yielding roughly eight bushels of wheat. The
range of 15% more in a good year and 15% less in a
bad (not disastrous) year is a reasonable estimation of
field yield. For other crops, see Table I.2-Seed and Yield
per Acre. In exchange for the peasants’ harvest boon,
literally “gift” to the lord, the lord gives a boon as well.
The lord feeds the peasants working his strips for each
day they harvest his fields. The lord’s fields are always
harvested first, and harvest usually takes one day, but
may take up to three days for large, wealthy manors.
The feast is lavish the first day, with many cheeses,
breads, grains, beef, doves, fowl, and ale. Subsequent
days generally require less labor, and the food thins out
as supplies run low and the lord wishes to speed his
harvest. The amount of the lord’s boon is often spelled
out before the peasants start work on the lord’s fields:
how much grain and ale the lord provides (a gallon of
ale per man per day is a conservative amount), what
part wheat the bread is composed of, how large the
loaves of bread are, and how much each person should
be able to eat. Hired labor had the choice of 1 sp with
food or 2 sp without food per day of work. Regardless
of one’s station on the manor, harvest is a time of plenty
flowing with a bounty of food.

Labor Calendar
Accounting: Accounting is done on the manor from
September 29th to September 29th of the following
year, right after harvest. Rent, taxes, and outstanding
fines are also collected right after harvest, usually by
the reeve or bailiff. The bulk of a lord’s income from
taxes, rent, and selling the surplus from his fields comes
at harvest time. Income from forest, mines, fees, fines,
justice (after autumn/winter), and industry are spread
throughout the year.
Barrel wine: After the grape juice ferments, it stands
for a month before being barreled. Most wine does not
ferment very long, yielding a sweeter less alcoholic wine
than modern wine, though some manors specialize in
making more alcoholic, higher quality wine.
Collect firewood: Wood is only for the lord and
those living on the manor. The lord may sell firewood,
but peasants often make do with dried peat, dead wood,
or stolen wood.
Collect honey and
wax: One swarm can
make up to three gallons
of honey, with 10% of
the honey in the comb.
Some beekeepers are
very destructive in
collecting honey and wax,
destroying the hive and
killing the swarm in the collection process. Larger manors
have beekeepers that manage to preserve the hive after
harvesting the honey and wax. These manors usually
have buildings to keep the hive through the winter.
Find wild swarms: In May, peasants hunt for wild
bee swarms and transplant them to the manor.
Harrow: Peasants break up the soil and cover the
seedlings. Mallets are used on some of the bigger clods.
Harvest: Harvest occurs at different times of the
year, depending on the crop. The earliest harvest is
flax and hemp, along with the garden vegetables in
late July. Cotton and some fruit trees are harvested in
August. Though the bulk of winter wheat is harvested
in August, some of it is cut early in June to tide hungry
peasants. Spring crops are harvested in September
along with grapes, and the remaining fruit trees. Olive
harvest is in October.
Haying: Any meadow or plains area is designated
for haying in June. Often mixed with the wheat stubble
and straw, hay makes up the bulk of winter feed for the
livestock. Most, if not all, of the hay goes to the lord, but
some villages have common greens, where the hay is
divided among the villagers. Haying involves cutting,
binding and drying of the grass.
Gather reeds and bracken: Reeds are gathered,
dried and bound to make thatch, while bracken is dried
for winter bedding for livestock in the barn.
Livestock birthing: March is the month for baby
sheep, cows, goats, oxen, and horses, as well as hatching
eggs for geese and chickens.
Meadow livestock: The livestock graze on the
stubble of the meadow one month after haying. Fences
or hedges keep the livestock in the meadow and out of
the fields.
Milk cows: Cows are not milked all year. Milking
begins in May and ends in late September after harvest.
The milk usually goes to making cheese and butter by
the dairymaid.
Milk sheep: Although they do not generate as much
milk as their bovine counterparts, sheep’s milk also turns
into cheese. Sheep are not milked as long as cows.
Pannage: Pigs are driven into the forest to forage
and fatten for
sale or slaughter.
The lord’s swine
forage for free,
but peasants
must pay 2 sp to
1 gp, depending
on the size of the
pig.
Pasture livestock: The lord’s livestock, and
sometimes the peasants’, are taken to the fallow field for
grazing, as well as fertilizing the fields. The animals are
fenced in so they do not wander into the other fields.
Plow: The fallow field gets plowed 2-3 times a year.
The lord’s strips are fertilized with manure. Plowing
also prepares the fields for the seed on the winter wheat
field and the spring crop field. A heavy plow is used.
Press and jar olive oil: The peasants press the olives,
either by hand or by a mill. The olives produce 60% of
their mass in oil. Olives may be preserved in vinegar or
eaten fresh from the harvest.
Prune and stake vines: Pruning produces larger
better quality grapes, while staking keeps them off the
ground, reducing the chance of rotten grapes.
Repair and rebuild: In the winter, villagers mend
tools, hedges, and fences, clear ditches, and repair their
houses and the lord’s buildings.
Sell livestock: Most livestock that cannot be
supported through the winter are sold at market in
October and November.
Sheering sheep: Depending on the climate and
when it warms up, sheep are sheered in May or June.
The castrated males are reputed to have the softer, finer
fleece.
Slaughter: Some livestock, particularly old or
unproductive animals, are slaughtered for a harvest
feast. Salting, smoking, and drying also preserve
slaughtered animals for the long winter. A large
percentage of slaughtered animals are pigs.
Sow garden: Most peasants’ gardens are behind their
houses, while the lord may have a larger garden worked
by the peasants or his permanent staff. Crops like flax or
hemp are grown for spinning, weaving, or making rope.
Vegetables and herbs also grow in the garden.
Thresh, winnow, dry, and store: Threshing and
winnowing separate the individual grains from the
ear, making chaff and straw to mix with the fodder.
This involves a leather thong, a flail, a hand staff and
beater, but it’s not as kinky as it sounds. However, it
does require an immense amount of pure physical labor.
The grain is thrown on a winnowing sheet, allowing the
wind or a winnowing fan to blow chaff and straw off the
grain. Sieved and stored, grain lasts much longer than
flour and is the preferred method of keeping grain. Peas
and beans are thoroughly dried and stored.
Vat grapes: After the grapes are harvested, they
are crushed by stomping or by a mill. Yeast and other
ingredients are added to the grape juice, while the solid
bits are used for fertilizer in the lord’s garden.
Weed and fertilize: Because of the timing, the
spring crop is especially vulnerable to weeds. The lord’s
land is weeded and fertilized regularly. The peasants do
the weeding, while the trusted manorial staff handles
the manure to prevent theft.

Other Workers on the Manor
Besides farm labor and household staff, craftsmen and
freemen work on the manor. Freemen pay the lord for
running his monopolies. Freemen run all wind and
water-powered tanning, fulling, and grain mills as well
as ovens. Watermills over rivers often act as bridges,
with millers collecting toll. Smiths and carpenters
repair the mills and work on the lord’s plows and carts.
With an anvil, hammer, tongs, and bellows, the smith
equips his shop with horseshoes, ox shoes, blades,
cauldrons, kettles, cups, sickles, billhooks, saws, nails,
and fasteners. Carpenters repair and build dovecotes,
churches, granaries, barns, porches, machine parts,
and sometimes boats. Cotters, the poorest of all serfs,
are jack-of-all-trades who perform odd jobs for richer
peasants and the lord. Traveling tradesmen passing
through villages take care of other concerns. Thatchers
and slaters repair or re-roof houses, tinkers fix brass and
other metal accoutrements around the home, and tilers
lay tile for manors, churches, and rich tenants. Villagers
go to nearby towns and cities for other services, though
necessity often mandates that peasants do their own
spinning of cloth, mending, brewing, sewing, tanning,
and fulling as opposed to using cotters or other
craftsmen.

Castles as Manors
Castles are daunting structures and expensive
endeavors. Nonetheless, members of the peerage and
the high-ranking gentry build castles as soon as they
are allowed or can afford. Magical medieval castles are
functional, not decorative. Strategic lines of defensive
structures strengthen the line of supply to armies, keep
the peace within a kingdom, and create safeguards from
hit-and-run raiders.
Lords first determine where a castle is needed, and
then choose the best land in the vicinity for the building
site. Castles are usually built in stages over many years.
If an immediate defensive need occurs, the first thing a
lord builds is a keep and the outer curtain wall. Lords
then build interior structures like the great hall, storage
buildings, kitchens and stables. Once the wall is up, a
lord can expand the castle outward, extending the curtain
wall and making new sections, called barbicans. If there
is no immediate defensive need, the keep, great hall,
curtain wall, and other buildings are built concurrently
or serially, depending on the lord’s finances. If rural
communities exist within the lord’s demesne, the lord
has a source of income to offset the great building
expenditure. If no communities exist near his building
site, laborers often become his first tenants, with more
tenants drawn by land and protection arriving later.
Castles and other defensive structures are beacons
for peasants due the greater security and protection
a lord and his demesne provide. Lords, their retinue,
and the castle staff create a sector within rural life that
consumes the goods the peasants create, providing a
market for craft items and surplus food. Peasant homes
and fields lie outside of the castle wall, and peasants
bring their goods within the castle for market. In
general, larger populations form quickly around castles.
It is not uncommon for villages and towns near castles
to evolve into cities.
The castle acts as a manorial home, but of a greater
distinction. Lords prefer a castle to a manorial home as
their living quarters because of the increase in safety,
social prestige, and projection of power.


Magic on the Manor

According to third edition, magic users live in the
smallest rural communities, the most common being
adepts, bards, clerics, and druids. Sorcerers and
wizards are usually in villages, half of the hamlets, and
25% of the thorps in a kingdom. Most spell casters in
rural communities are low-level casters (see Appendix
I-Demographics). The highest-level casters in a village
are 5th level adepts, bards, clerics, and druids, 4th level
in hamlets, 3rd level in thorps. There is a small chance
of having higher-level druids and greater numbers of
druids in rural environments, but more than likely, they
are found in the same ratio as other divine casters.
Rural peasants are quite familiar with the lesser
magics. Watching someone sow seeds twice as fast
with the aid of mage hand, mending tools, clothes,
and dishes with one’s mind, or cleaning dishes and
flavoring food with prestidigitation is a special, but
no longer extraordinary, thing. Though rural peasants
are familiar with the some of the effects of magic, they
do not understand how it works or all its limitations.
The basic understanding peasants have formed about
magic is “spellcasters do tricky things.” If something
weird happens, it is probably a spellcaster’s doing. They
move things without using their hands, close and heal
wounds instantaneously, and create sounds and lights
out of thin air. They make things appear that are not
there at all. They make things that are there seem not
to be. They change a person’s mind and have them do
things they normally would not do.
Though magic is present in rural communities,
peasants often have unrealistic expectations of magic
and hold superstitions that magic works in ways it does
not. Low-level casters are accused of cursing and hexing
villagers’ property, regardless of the level and class of
the spellcasters. A peasant whose son falls and breaks
his leg is taken to a 2nd level sorcerer with expectations
of healing him for harvest on the morrow. A neighbor
watching a spellcaster using mending on socks asks him
to patch up his thatch roof.
Peasants in rural communities view magic as a
source of power, and often revere or fear spellcasters
depending upon the circumstances and society. Since
each person casts spells uniquely, basic understanding
of magic in the country is only available to those who
cast spells, retired adventurers, and rich people who
employ spellcasters.

Peasants
Spellcasting relies on statistics, not on money or social
standing. This is especially true in classes that cast
spontaneously and divine spellcasters. Due to the nature
of divine magic, clerics and adepts do not have to belong
to a religious hierarchy to have magical powers, though
a GM may create a campaign setting where social and
legal laws prevent such casting. Druids have a special
importance in rural communities because of their close
kinship with nature and their ability to augment nature’s
gifts (see Chapter Six: On Those Who Pray for social
implications of divine casters). Wizards, with the costly
upfront expense of a spellbook, are the only spellcasting
class whose spellcasting abilities are dependent on
factors other than statistics. Like other professions in
the medieval world, apprenticeships or patronage helps
offset the starting expenditure of wizards.
In a society with magic, spellcasters have a source
of power and de facto social prestige. If a peasant family
has a bard or adept it has a higher social standing and an
alternate income source. Within a rural society, payment
for magic is usually in the form of bartering in kind. Two
chickens and a pig for a cure light wounds or a peasant
working strips with the plow at sowing time for his
neighbor who cast neutralize poison on one of his plow
team are not unusual barters. In a social environment
that is not rich in minted coin, such formal arrangements
with informal methods of payment occur often.
The kinds of spells local spellcasters know and use
are very different from PC spellcasters. The classes,
spells, feats, and skills NPCs possess are the results of
their activities, unlike PCs, whose players choose with
foresight and planning. NPCs do not choose, rather
they receive levels in classes, skill points, feats, and
spells from their experiences in living. A local smith
commissioned to make a weapon, when he usually
makes pots and horseshoes, may receive a point or two
in craft (weapon smith) next time he levels. An NPC
spellcaster that never uses magic should not level any
further in a spell-using class. A NPC bard knows the
spells she discovers through practicing, performance, or
possibly from more dire need. This is why most NPC
bards know a cure spell.

Practical Magic
O-level spells are great spells for peasants. Every
spellcaster can cast them, they require no material
components, and even though they are limited, they
make the lives of peasants much easier and more
entertaining. Mage hand, with duration of concentration,
is quite useful for peasants. Lifting and moving one
object up to five pounds seems marginally helpful to
PCs, but this spell allows peasants to plant seeds in two
rows near each other, one by hand and one with mage
hand. It also makes for good practical jokes. Cure minor
wounds may not heal much of a PC’s numerous hp, but
one hp is a large percent of a commoner’s life. It also
stops bleeding and closes wounds, which reduces the
risk of infection. Though cure spells cannot regenerate
limbs and digits, they do heal broken bones, taking away
the risk of an improperly set bone. Mending becomes a
housewife’s best friend for darning socks and clothes,
fixing dishes, and anything else around the house that
is less than one pound. Prestidigitation is a great spell for
flavoring food, warming bath water, cleaning the house,
and entertaining the villagers with small tricks. Purify
food and drink makes every piece of food and ale viable
for consumption, and create water makes clean water
(not always a standard among the local water supply)
that a peasant does not have to fetch. People traveling
with druids do not have to worry about getting lost with
know direction, and spellcasters put on a great show with
dancing lights, ghost sound, and light.
Many 1st level spells require common material
components or none at all. Goodberry is a way for druids
to store and distribute healing and nourishment without
expending experience or taking a feat. Endure elements
takes the chill out of cold winter days. Invisibility
to animals and detect animals or plants make hunting
easier. Using a bit of horsehair, mount provides a light
workhorse that does not need provisions, and charm
person leads to much wooing and trouble. Expeditious
retreat and jump wins races and contests, while unseen
servants are the slaves of peasants.
Magic may not be used every day. Most peasants
cannot afford magical solutions to their problems. Even
spellcasters may not use all their magic every day.
Those that can heal never know when their services are
required, especially if they are compensated for healing.
Peasants do not stop using poultices just because
someone can cast cure light wounds in the community.
Candles are not replaced with light in homes of peasant
spellcasters. People do not stop sweeping up, because
they have prestidigitation. But according to the core
rules, the magic is there whenever and however they
want to use it.

Lords and Manors
Magic provides a new method for the lord to exploit his
land and peasantry for financial benefit. The lord can
now hire a druid to cast plant growth on the fields and
charge a magic tax on the peasants. As the overall yield
increases, so does the rent. Peasants that cast magic can
do service for the lord instead of paying fines or laboring,
especially those that can brew potions. The lord provides
the materials and laboratory, while the serf expends
experience to pay his obligation. If a peasant family with
a promising child wants to send her away for training to
become a wizard, she must serve three years of magical
service at the end of her apprenticeship instead of
paying chevage. Spellcasters also fulfill their obligation
in military service. A manorial defense force with
spellcasters stands a better chance against rebellions,
uncivilized humanoid raids, and banditry.
Magic also generates more money from the lord’s
monopolies. Determining justice brings in more money
if the lord has a cleric on hand to cast zone of truth for
an extra fee. Having detect thoughts in the hallmote also
generates more money in peasant infringement cases
and serf fines. Such spells also come in handy when
collecting grain and coin from the miller, or making sure
the smith used his own iron on the horseshoes. Through
magic, the lord of a manor in a magical medieval society
has another way of exploiting his peasantry.

Plot Hooks (see Appendix V for more manorial plot hooks)
PCs start as lesser sons and daughters of neighboring
friendly gentry. Double starting gp and start with one
level in aristocrat as well as PC class. Divergent Hook
One: One PCs father as been captured in war and
his ransom must be raised. PCs mother demands her
youngest to go into old ruins and come back with gold
or he can forget about any inheritance. Divergent Hook
Two: One PCs father has been paying extortion for years
to local thieves guild to keep his shady past as a rogue
a secret. He’s tired of paying and sends the party to the
city to “clear up” the matter.
A local lord asks the PCs to investigate who’s casting
diminish plants. His crops are failing and he’s already
spent 900 gp for several plant growths. Divergent Hook
One: Caster of diminish plants is the druid the lord has
hired to cast plant growth. Divergent Hook Two: Caster
of diminish plants is lord himself, seeking to plead to his
lord that he cannot pay taxes this year.
PCs stumble upon a young woman running in front
of a small group of lightly armed men. She asks for
their protection. Upon investigation, the men claim
the woman has refused to pay her Legerwite fine. She
says the lord’s youngest son is her lover and the lord
doesn’t approve. He claims she seduced him, a ‘moment
of weakness,’ he calls it, and is trying to interfere with
his upcoming wedding. Divergent Hook One: The lord
actually wishes to capture the girl and keep her quiet
until his son’s wedding is over and the subsequent land
transfer is finished. Divergent Hook Two: If PCs are
foolish enough to attack the men (they don’t appear too
threatening), PCs are in serious trouble with the lord as
the young woman decides to return to the manor (afraid
the PCs will hurt her) and reports them to the lord.
« 上次编辑: 2013-01-30, 周三 20:50:00 由 怀孕听雨 »
你跟DM讲规则,DM跟你讲常识;你跟DM讲常识,DM跟你讲剧情;你跟DM讲剧情,DM跟你讲规则。但是,请继续多与你的DM沟通。没有适当的超游戏思维来润滑,团是跑不下去的。DM都希望PC有点厉害,但又不太厉害;有点意外的举动,没有太过意外的举动;“接吻是可以的,但是你不能趁机吃豆腐哦~”嘴里虽然都是这么说,真的会不会把你推开不是还要摸过了才知道。
想要带好团的话,那么首先摆正自己的位置,你要明白你是守密人,你的主要目的是守护秘密而不是对抗玩家。你必须是守序中立的,部分情况下应该偏向玩家。其次善用自己手里的情报,为了剧情的发展,有些情报可以根据团的情况提前给予或者是延后给予。鼓励所有充满想象力并且善于动脑的PC,惩罚所有异想天开的笨蛋,不要阻止和妨碍PC的选择。剧情第一,模组第二,有趣第一,规则第二(口胡什么的理所当然的是不允许的)。其次就是要有耐心,pc们(不管是新人还是老人 尤其是新人)都是一群长着呆毛的小黄鸡,充满各种好奇心和各种问题,也有些呆呆们会充满各种有趣的奇思妙想和异想天开的中二想法。结合自己团的情况,然后和大家一起商议,会比较利于你和你的PC们的游戏...哦对了..还有,最重要的一点,互相信任,彼此包容,说到底TRPG是一种先成为朋友,然后一起玩游戏增加感情的活动,不要本末倒置了。顺便还有本人的一个建议:包容一切细节,用无限的自由性来剥夺PC们的自由
我能给新人的建议是:你可以扮演一个不好相处的人,但你自己不能不好相处。如果你知道自己是一个不好相处的人,请不用再本色扮演了,去扮演一个好相处的角色吧。假如你觉得,正因为自己是一个不好相处的人,所以希望能扮演一个不好相处的角色以便于享受他人的迁就和特殊待遇,你几乎100%会碰壁的。总结:扮演性格恶劣角色是性格优良玩家的特权,句号。
同理:假如你规则战很弱,就不要扮演更弱的人,因为这样你更加会弱到没话说。假如你的扮演水准很低,也不要扮演不会说人话的人,这样你根本就不存在了。不要总是迁就自己的弱点,因为那几乎肯定不会有好结果。

离线 河伯

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #8 于: 2013-02-07, 周四 04:31:02 »
怀剑同时开了多少坑QAQ
早早多多挖坑不撞车,感谢大家

我觉得对于封建的东西,专有名词可以参考日本的镰仓室町封建时期,比如地头、地侍、守护、守护代之类

这是西欧封建,又不是日本封建,直接照搬原有译名就行了。

离线 杨鲭

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Re: 有人对翻译这本有兴趣么?
« 回帖 #9 于: 2013-02-07, 周四 10:20:51 »
这本我在龙空见过有人开坑。
咬一口会因鲭鱼肉中过量的组织胺而产生严重的过敏反应。