Quote:
Originally Posted by trooper6
Next bit of data:
Starting Wealth:
TL0: $250
TL1: $500
TL2: $750
TL3: $1000
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Also as a note...for a lot of the time periods covered by these techs (historically)...Average wealth would not be the wealth enjoyed by the majority of the people...
A rough distribuition might be:
Dead Broke: 5-10%
Poor: 10-15%
Struggling 15-30%
Average 15-20%
Comfortable 5-15%
Wealthy 3-8%
Very Wealthy 2-4%
Filthy Rich 1-2 %
Mulitmillionaire+ >1%
But basically approx 60-80% of the pop would be struggling or lower and about 10-15% would be above average...usually as the TL goes up more people would move from the bottom up the chain and the Pyramid struture tends to become more like an oval...
So for the vast majority of the population even a $50 short bow could be half or more of their "starting capital" and a longbow (if found) would be an item that would be something to be traded for food...or land...or a cow...
Even a Noble equipping troops would likely be thinking...peasants breed like flies so to corvee them and hand them spears is cheap...why would I even want to give them bows? (assuming I had the cash to buy them??)
<after all IIRC it was the Edwardian Nobles for who the Land Rich, Cash Poor phrase was coined>
Now for the small number of 'professional' soldiers/mercs...yeah you do want the best that money can buy...but in (historical) society like these...you are a Yeoman...because someone thought your grandfather had promise...gave him a freehold farm in return for obligation of service...and started teaching him the Longbow...
YMMV but that's (one) historians take...