Hello all!
I'm trying to detail a village of about 200 people. In particular, I'm trying to get a sense of proportions of different professions. I've decided that, since it is a village on high alert during wartime, they would have 4 full time guards and 20 militia. It is a town on a major river surrounded by grasslands, so fishing, herding, and farming will be important.
I'm trying to ration out the other professions now. Here are my thoughts so far, please jump in and give your 2 copper, or if you have any historical reference for any kind of census for a village of about this size that would be great!
1 secular leader (mayor)
1 religious leader (priest), with 2 or 3 acolytes
1 blacksmith and apprentice
2 inn keepers and their spouses
10 farmers
10 fishermen
10 herders
3 carpenters/coopers/woodworkers
3 hunters
2 masons
2 storekeeps
16 Elders (unable to fight or work efficiently)
...and the rest being children of ages 0-15 or 16 and spouses(a combined figure of about 113)
(in peacetime, the militia would fill in the other full time professions)
What am I missing here? Does this sound like a reasonable ratio? Please leave your comments and suggestions!
Well you might wanna take a look at this it's not exactly what you're looking for, just a free download I found not too long ago that has a list of 100 different fantasy professions each with a short story hook that you might use to start an quest. Again, not exactly what you're looking for, but might help to get the creative juices flowing.
You might want to look here.
You are missing a miller, brewer, cobbler.
this page here has an amazing, long, and useful list of NPCs already made
Would this be the kind of wartime with soldiers taking residence in homes whether the owners like it or not? With disgruntled villagers and bawdy knights
Here is some of my own research as well. It focuses on the economics of the village economy, but gives some good bones for building off of too.
A potter, a tanner, a charcoal maker, a shoemaker, a miller -- probably grinds grain for much of the surrounding area.
A lot of the women will be doing weaving and other crafts, mostly for household use but some for sale/export. One or four of them probably have low-level household spells of one type or another. Low-level witches (hedgewitch archetype, perhaps) or wizards.
A number of day laborer types -- they'll work for the farmers, or someone who has land/shops of their own. In harvest times everyone will be working in the fields, but in between some people will be scraping by.
A ferryman or two. Someone needs to take travelers across the river, unless someone was rich enough to build a bridge inthe past. (Someone might have, but the villagers might not be able to afford it or maintain it on their own.)
Note that if you're next to a large river, the village is probably well back from the bank. Otherwise the spring floods will wash it away every year. Depends on local geography, but look for a site on higher ground, not on a big flat riverbank. A mill would be by the river, fo water power, though.
Probably two or three priests, some of whom are part-time other stuff as well (a blacksmith might lead a cult of Torag, or the local old woman lead a prayer circle devoted to someone you might or might not think about).
Some general thoughts that might help you.
It depends on where your village is in relation to other resources. For example, if it is close to a town, it will primarily be supplying food to the town.
Depending on the historical period you look for - most village households would have been small holders, growing a mixture of vegetables for their own use. Each might have had a pig and a few chickens (both things that east all the table leftovers) The chickens make eggs (and get eaten when they are old) the pig is fattened for winter and made into bacon, sausages, brawn, haslet etc.
There may be a larger (more professionally run) farm growing cereals and other crops - possibly owned by the secular leader. Some European churches had fields that provided an income for the priest. Many of the villagers will work part-time in those fields - and maybe get paid in grain at the end of the season.
There might well be fruit or berry orchards to provide Fruit and Nuts for winter. Some of those will be run semi-communally.
There may be a mill (depending on what else is in the area) or a brewery - but most households would have brewed their own beer.
Fishing and hunting will (probably) be secondary activities rather than primary income generators. After all, how are you going to deal with all that fresh game/fish? Anyway - you actually have to travel quite far afield to get enough of either to make a living.
Most crafts will be covered by low level crafters as a second job. There isn't enough work with 200 people to justify a smith - although one of the small holders may well have a small forge - to make nails, horse shoes and repair general bits of hardware.
If you give people sheep - run a communal flock or two in the local hills - you get wool. That means women at home spin and weave homespun material. Excess wool will be sold as fleece to be processed in the nearest market.
Women (excuse the gender differentiated model - but it was what happened in low tech societies without labour saving devices) will be primarily close to home. Cooking, preserving food, spinning. weaving, sewing, raising children.
I would use the herders and fishermen as scouts / guards keeping an eye out for opposing forces - and have the villagers ready to evacuate. there might be a few formal guards / patrols ready to sound the alarm - but the militia will probably be busy doing their jobs until the alarm is sounds - then they will run to the assembly point with their spears and shields ready to fight if need be.
Have a 'stash' and hideaway away from the village. Women and children try and make their way to safety and hide in the country side. If your village is trashed - then you have something to start all over with.
However, don't let all the men folks die in battle (historically many of the men would have gone hidden too) or else you have nothing to start over with.
I'd suggest also having a local apothecary and alchemist in the mix. Healers can play a big deal in a small village.
In a village this small, the midwife probably doubles as the herbalist, and most women will have a collection of recipes and salves and preparations of various types.