Some games call for a removal from reality; a TRPG can be made more exciting at times by resisting realistic measures. But other worlds depend on a realistic and consistent presentation. One detail which has always called to me is the agricultural aspect of the world--I like to have crops grow in ways that are consistent with real-life climates. I do this because it adds variety to the world; not every town subsists on the same foods, and a town can become more memorable for its adherence to a proper reality. In this guide, I will present the agricultural yields which are consistent with our real world using a campaign setting I developed to be realistic in this way. Read on for how you too can develop a realistic gameworld with your crops.
To begin with, we need a base climate for our gameworld. In the setting I created called Ramsey (a wild west world with D&D technologies), the standard climate is desert: for the most part, this section of the world can support little vegetation. So for most communities, we need crops that can succeed in dry climates. Doing a little bit of research, I find that common crops that can grow in this kind of climate and which can also sustain a community are these: beans, various greens, broccoli, spicy peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumber. So for the average community in Ramsey, these are the staple crops. Hearty meals consist of beans and greens with occasional meals featuring peppers, root veggies, and broccoli. These communities, in large part due to the shortage of arable land, also heavily rely on livestock to supplement meals and provide steady streams of protein. This climate also serves herbs very well, so although they do not sustain people like staple crops, the cuisine of these settlements should be marked with powerful flavors. So, looking at the map of the island, about 60% of all settlements use this method of subsistence and generally manage to get by on what little crops they can manage in the dry heat. Below is an image of Hyder Bend, a large industrial city; its outskirts would be formed of bean and green fields and livestock pastures to support itself, though it's worth noting that a city as big as Hyder Bend would also trade with smaller communities to supplement its food intake.
 |
| This detailed map of Hyder Bend does not include visual representations of agriculture, but the areas to the south and east of town would be home to dozens of fields of dry-climate crops. |
But not every city in Ramsey is as hardscrabble as these settlements when it comes to agriculture. A few locations have land which is more hospitable to farming, namely Hart Springs and Pilgrim's Glen. These small settlements lie on small islands to the west and east of the main continent, and they have wetter climates due to the waterfront effect and can support less hardy crops. The crops we can expect to do well here are more plentiful, so we can select for the crops that are likelier to sustain people at large. The ones that work best for this setting are as follows: barley, beets, cabbage, corn, oats, potatoes, and spinach. Here, we find crops that are naturally filling and which allow for the creation of other food products (barley, corn, oats, and potatoes can all be prepared in a variety of different ways). So the meals in these towns are generally more filling and varied than the rest of the region, and there is a slightly lesser dependence on livestock, although livestock is still common in these areas. These towns, because of their food variety, often export excess crops to other towns. Below are maps of Hart Springs and Pilgrim's Glen; both utilize their climates to maximize town sustenance.
 |
| Hart Springs uses its lush landscape to grow a variety of crops otherwise unavailable in Ramsey. |
 |
| Pilgrim's Glen is a dazzling community on a small, lively island, and its crops are eaten all across Ramsey thanks to regular trade. |
There are also communities with unique ecological profiles in Ramsey which affect the agricultural customs. First, there is Red Hawk, a heavily forested settlement known to few, and there is Fink's End, a marshy settlement of quiet outsiders. These settlements also have agricultural trends which define their culinary needs. Let's begin with Red Hawk.
 |
This secretive map reveals that hollowed-out trees are the homes of the residents. They have created farms in the forest surrounding the hidden town.
|
Inside the dense and disorienting forest lies Red Hawk. In
my National Treasure campaign, Red Hawk was home to an enclave of werewolves trying to live outside the prying eyes of those who didn't understand the werewolf community. As part of their isolated way of life, they have to subsist on crops they can grow safely within the woods. This calls for consideration of an entirely new biome. The crops that grow naturally in forests are perhaps not as appetizing as other crops: the werewolves cultivate a variety of mushrooms, fruits and berries that grow in the woods, all manner of wild nuts, leeks, and a collection of medicinal herbs. This is not much to subsist on, but that works out, as the werewolves also hunt the animals within the woods for additional nutrition.
 |
| Fink's End lies on a marshy bog; people move about on raised wooden gangways to stay out of the mire. |
Fink's End has a quite different situation. This small society can depend on greater moisture for crops than any other place on the continent. Thus, their crops are quite different, and therefore greatly prized across the continent, as this is the only place certain crops will grow. As you can see from the map of the settlement, I have labeled its major agricultural efforts with the crops that grow naturally in such a setting. These crops are barley, oats, wheat, corn, and rice. Rice in particular is hard to find on Ramsey, so this is a major export for Fink's End. The other grain staples of the community are pillars of Fink's End cooking, as very few livestock can be supported in this climate and the residents must rely on hardy vegetables for a healthy diet.
These are all examples of settlements that have used what resources they have to make the best of their crops. But a settlement doesn't have to be limited to what they can grow naturally. Consider the settlement of Broken Shield, which has spent considerable resources mastering irrigation and other farming methods to get the most out of their troublesome climate.
 |
| Broken Shield is a progressive city both politically and scientifically; the farms they have built around the city utilize cutting edge technology to feed the city. |
Broken Shield is a city that feels Ramsey is behind the times and caught up in unnecessary hardship, and they combat that with projects like a history museum (oriented toward the future), public housing, and scientific advances in agriculture. I wrote that Broken Shield developed a desalinizing plant which it uses to turn seawater into good water for the crops. So despite its poor location, Broken Shield manages to create enough food to feed itself. The crops that Broken Shield can grow with this method are as follows: leafy greens, broccoli, tubers, and root vegetables like potatoes, onions, and carrots. You'll notice that Broken Shield's crops are a combination of desert crops and temperate crops; the irrigation manages to split the difference and share some of each climate's possibilities.
So you can see that even a relatively small place like Ramsey can have a variety of climates and crops. And the research process for crops is very simple: just go to google and enter "crops that can grow in [fill in your climate]," and you'll be faced with lists of crops that can match your setting. Remember that you can get creative! Invent new crops that can grow in various settings, for instance; I created a root vegetable that grows in elven lands called "jaswop," which is mostly prized for being brewed into an ale-like beverage, but you could easily create a staple crop or other food that characterizes a region, settlement, or culture.
When you're considering details like this, remember that such information is mostly for you as GM. Your players will almost certainly have no stake in whether the settlement they're in can grow peas or apples, so only undertake the work of climate design and crop distribution if it will make you happy. Otherwise, you're only compiling details for your gameworld without any meaning. Nevertheless, many GMs insist on creating worlds in dizzying detail, and if that's you, agricultural balance can scratch the itch. Just remember to have fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment