Re: Ignored bits

Most of the ones you cite as Unknown would usually be run out of the
craftman's home. Depending on the era you set you spelljammer in (mine
is more late 17th century, vs. the 11th-15th of a "normal" D&D world)
you would see less specialzation the further back you go. You need a
lute? Make it yourself, or go see Farmer Brown, he handy with a knife.

As you get closer to the present, you see more specilization is large cities, less in villages.

Some that spring to mind are:
Toymaker
Tailor (Clothes you buy off the rack didn't really appear until the
1800's, before that everyone's clothes were made at home or by a
tailor).
Healer
Supply shop/General Store
Candlemaker
Spice Merchant
Cobbler
Bookmaker (either type, the "Bookie" or a Book Binder)
Scribe/Hedge Wizard
Barrister
Constable/Judge/Tax Collector
Woodsman
Carpenter
Vintner/Brewer (this could be a chief regional export)
Cooper
Coppersmith
Armorer/Weaponsmith
Locksmith

While I was writing this, I found a page of Middle Ages occupations, it's for kids, but it has a good list.
http://members.tripod.com/hkcarms/occ.html


Again though, most of these would work out of their home. Also, in
smaller villages, people would fill several of these rolls, and many
could fill all of the most necessary, although probably not as well as a
specialist in the city.

I can't remember where I picked it up, but trivia related to farms, for what it's worth.
The "ranch" is a New World invention. In Europe, farmers lived in a
village, and then would go to their fields in the surrounding
countryside each day. In the New World, the distances traveled became
too great, and the population so sparse that this arrangement was not
practical. Large part of the reason we have villages in the northeast,
and ranches out west.

Thatotherguy <spellj@??????????.com> wrote:
I was thinking about my setting today and the recent posts on mills in
SJ. Mills tend to be pretty ignored in most campaign settings I've
seen, especially compared to their real historical
significance/importance to an area. So, what other major features tend
to get left out? To start the discussion here's some of my
observations.

Here's what's "usual" in most (A)D&D towns I've seen:

Inn
Tavern (may be part of Inn)
General Store
Stable (usually attached to Inn or General Store)
Smithy (usually one or a few smiths seem to do everything, from armor
to horseshoes, differentiation seems to only occur when the smithy is
supposed to be unique in some way, such as a superior swordsmith or
inferior armorer)
Residence (anyplace the locals live that's not a business)
Farm or Mine (some settings have both but most assume a town relies on
one or the other as its primary source of livelihood)
Castle/Tower/Fortress/City Wall/Keep (or a combination, if there's a
local seat of government it's usually here or at the church)
Docks (only if on water, obviously)
Shrine/Temple/Cathedral/Holy Grove/etc.

Less commonly there may be:
Leatherworker
Festhall (when different from a tavern or inn, note the term festhall
is from FR and includes cathouses and other places of revelry)
Barracks (when not part of wall, keep, etc.)
Jail (when not part of wall, keep, etc. or attached to barracks)
Shipyards (truthfully, I usually only see this in SJ settings but I
don't have many aquatic settings)

Almost unknown:
Ranches (though farm is often a catch-all term that covers these)
Mills
Breweries
Bowyer/Fletcher
Restaurant (that's not a tavern, though some inns include these more so
than a tavern, for instance the Inn of the Last Home in DL)
Instrument Makers (with so many bards now...)
...?




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