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Old 08-27-2015, 06:55 PM   #1
Dmfarley
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Default Simple Kingdom Economics

Hey guys, I'm looking for an abstract kingdom management system. From my research, military budget and city wealth are well covered, but I'm looking for a simple economic breakdown of incomes and exprnses for a city based on it's production and resources. If I had enough time I could calculate the number of resources, labor costs, etc, but I'm looking for a system or set of rules that broadstrokes it for application to multiple settings. This is so I can have one kingdom interact economically with other kingdoms in ways of trade. Do you guys have any suggestions?
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Old 08-27-2015, 07:13 PM   #2
Phantasm
 
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Default Re: Simple Kingdom Economics

The basics of an economy on a macro scale is roughly as follows: Produce an excess of one or more products, sell elsewhere for enough money to buy what your region is lacking, and keep in transit/storage for as short a time as possible.

For instance, one nation may have control of the most fertile farmland in the area. This likely means they produce an excess of grain, which they export to neighboring kingdoms in exchange for raw metals. A mountainous region would likely have more metals, coal, stone, and possibly timber than they have farmland, which would provide exports there with which to buy the grain. Another nation could be the prime source of a luxury item - a precious or semi-precious stone (f'rex: emeralds or lapis lazuli), incense, silk, etc - while needing to import a metal (iron, tin, etc.) and/or grain.

Like I said, this is the simple form. Figure out what your nation imports and exports, and match them to other nations. You don't need to work out "$2M GNP" for games; figuring "we have a shipment of cast iron ingots headed for the trade town up river where we'll buy food" is lots easier.
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Old 08-27-2015, 07:32 PM   #3
RyanW
 
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Default Re: Simple Kingdom Economics

Quote:
Originally Posted by tbrock1031 View Post
Produce an excess of one or more products, sell elsewhere for enough money to buy what your region is lacking, and keep in transit/storage for as short a time as possible.
In addition to transit time, also reduce transit labor per ton as much as possible. A road bound caravan is (IIRC) about 4x as labor intensive per ton-mile as riverboats, and riverboats 4x as labor intensive as open water vessels. Rome grew so large because it could import grain from as far away as Egypt.

Edit to add: Also, do as much weight saving processing as early in the logistic train as possible. Smelt ore and hew timber before investing much in transportation.
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Last edited by RyanW; 08-27-2015 at 08:22 PM.
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Old 08-27-2015, 08:01 PM   #4
Phantasm
 
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Default Re: Simple Kingdom Economics

I'd list the various trade items as Staple Goods, Manufactured Goods, Services, or Luxury Goods.

For some examples:

Staple Goods: Grain (wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice, maize), Produce (apples, pears, bananas, citrus), Basic Fabrics (wool, cotton, linen), Metals (copper, iron, tin, bronze, brass, pewter), Lumber, Leather, Minerals (glass, obsidian, stone), Livestock (cattle, horses, pigs, goats, sheep).

Manufactured Goods: Weapons, Armor, Ships, Oils (olive, animal, lighting), Gunpowder, Stonework, Trade Items (f'rex: pots and pans), Alchemical Elixirs.

Services: Mercenaries.

Luxury Goods: Gems (emeralds, rubies, diamonds, topazes, sapphires), Silks, Incense, Furs, Alchemical Reagents, Peacock Feathers, Porcelain.
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"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting

Last edited by Phantasm; 08-28-2015 at 12:13 PM.
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Old 08-28-2015, 02:08 PM   #5
Dmfarley
 
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Default Re: Simple Kingdom Economics

Excellent advice, and a good way to abstract the process, thank you guys!
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