Comment on “The Manor House Part I”

Alexis: you say one doesn't need to pre-generate all the manses in the kingdom, and maybe that's true.

But suppose I'm using your hex-group chooser, or something analogous, to get the lay of the land for the area the party has just moved in to. If a manse is created by that system, then surely it makes sense to have the system also go ahead and suggest a type of manse as well. It would color the perception of the surrounding area, to know whether or not (for example) this manse was held by the owner or was being run by the steward.

Now, what "type of manse" means might be too complicated for generation in full detail as you do it here while walking us through it. Granted. But given the above scenario do you still think it'd be unnecessary to automate the process of (partially) detailing a manse? Am I overlooking something?

A related but distinct point: looking again at the resident list, it makes me think that you could well apply the characteristics work you were talking about with regard to ship crew. At least if a player were trying to hire people for their manse -- cooks, vintners, etc. This brings a question for you though, since I don't know myself: would all of the people at the manse have been hired as skilled workers (or be the family of skilled workers brought along with them), or would some of them simply "move in" or be "assimilated" when the manse was ... built? Were there ever previously independent local farmers who would choose to ally with a lord establishing a home?

Looking forward to more.