House Rules Province Growth

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Even Sørgjerd's rules

In every province there will be a natural growth of the population as well as new land being broken and industries expanding. Instead of relying on Rule actions to represent this, which often result in great leaps in population number of rather unrealistic proportions, all provinces experience a gradual growth that eventually will result in the province level increasing.

Growth Rate

Every province grows at the rate of one point every year. This is usually added to the province's total at the turn of a new year, resulting in province levels increasing at the start of a new year representing the new possibilities and opportunities of the coming season of growth. It is also at this time it will show if the province has managed to produce enough of a surplus for the population to survive comfortably over the winter and effectively make the province grow. The growth points of a province are most easily recorded in a bracket after the province level.

Example: if the province of Aerele is at level four and have accumulated 7 points it could be noted as Aerele 4(7)/1

In some cases the province will not gain a point of growth at the turn of the year. Examples of this are if the province Loyalty is Hostile, the province is occupied by military forces, or if the levies are called out. In the end it is the DM's call if the province has accumulated enough population and wealth to gain a growth point.

Growth Levels

To gain a new province level a number of growth points must be acquired equal to the new province level multiplied by a racial modifier. The long lived races tend to increase in population more slowly, and similarly do the increase in province level more slowly.

When a province accumulates the required number of points at the end of the turn the province level is increased by one, and the number of growth points for the province is reset to zero. The province functions normally the following turn, with the possibility of increasing holdings etc.

Example: The human province of Aerele is currently a level 4 province. To reach level 5 it requires 5 x 3 = 15 growth points. This will be gained naturally in only 15 years time. The elven province of Cwmbheir is currently a level 6 province. To grow to its next level it requires 7 x 5 = 35 growth points, but by this time plague, invasions or bad years might have taken its toll.

Rule Province Actions

The Rule Province action no longer increases a province by one level, instead it can be used to gradually increase the number of growth points in a province. The action is a standard domain action, costing 2GB for each growth point attempted to add to the province. The DC of the action is 10 plus 3 for each growth point added. The outcome of the action can be influenced by RP and GB as normal.

Example: The Diemed province of Aerele is currently at level 4(7). Wishing to see his realm grow faster the Duke decides to use what resources he have on breaking new land, improving the harbour and to give tax incentives to new businesses in the capital. He tries to increase the province growth by three points, costing him 3 x 2 = 6GB and with a DC of 10 + 3 x 3 = 19. Not wishing to see his resources wasted Duke Diem uses his connection with the land and the people to increase the chance of success. Using 10 RP and rolling a 12 for the action resolution the action is successful. Aerele is now a 4(10) province, and will in addition gain another growth point at the end of the turn.

Increased and Reduced Province Levels

If a province has its level temporarily increased through the casting of Bless Land or a random event with a similar function, the province still only requires the number of growth points based on the province's original unmodified province level to increase in size.

Provinces which have their level temporarily reduced by raising levies, realm magic or random event cease to gain any more growth points and cannot increase in level, but don't loose any points already accumulated.

For provinces which loose levels permanently their accumulated growth points are not affected.

Alternative Rule: Different Growth Pace

If one wishes a more epic campaign where the players' realms grow more quickly it is possible to adjust the number of growth points required. Reducing the racial multiplier by one for all races would reduce the growth time somewhat. Another option is to increase the number of points gained each year to two, or even three, but this reduces the importance of the Rule Province action relative to the natural growth.

Alternative Rule: Pillage Province

To take into account the increased value of a province level, one can increase the possible benefits from pillaging a province. Each war move a unit in an occupied province can pillage one growth point, which nets the regent 1GB per growth point. If all the accumulated growth points of a province have been pillaged, further pillage can be performed by reducing the province by one level and adding a number of growth points equal to the number required to gain that level. This gives a province of the longer lived races more value to pillage, which represents them having had a longer time to accumulate wealth and each person being relatively more affluent than the more rapidly increasing races.

Example: Achiese is currently a level 5(4) province, and have been occupied by 4 units from the army of Osoerde. Wishing to gain valuables to pay his mercenaries, Duke Raenech orders the province pillaged and burned to the ground. The first 4 growth points are pillaged during the first week, reducing the province to 5(0), and netting the Duke 4 desperately needed GB. The following week they continue to pillage and rape before Baron Tael can stop them. The province is converted to 4(15), and after the units have gained 4 GB more the level of the province is left at 4(11).

Originally posted on br.net by Even Sørgjerd a.k.a. Heretic a.k.a. Don E.

AndrewTall's suggestions

The simple way to stop the dash to L10 provinces.

Make the cost - in RP and GB - of the new province level equal the new level squared, any RP/GB spent to boost the chance of success must be divided by the higher of 1 and 1/10 of the cost to alter the DC by 1.

Example: To rule the City of Endier (L6) to L7 costs a staggering 49 GB and 49 RP - with a DC of 10, to adjust the DC by 1 point costs a further 5 RP or GB, in short Kalien will take some time to rival the City of Anuire

Example: To rule a L1 province on the other hand costs just 4 GB and 4 RP, the DC is adjusted by 1 for every RP or GB spent, and it likely only takes a season.

This makes high level provinces hard to build, if you enforce a maximum spend of 1d6 per season it also slows down the growth at high levels. Endier would take 3-4 years of work to increase in the example above.

Time span between attempts

The BRCS suggests only 1 rule action a season, I would suggest only 1 rule action per province per year - possibly longer for elves and dwarves and shorter for goblins and gnolls. Alternatively make the DC 20 instead of 10 but reduce it by 1 per year since the last attempt until it hits 10 again - although that involves more book-keeping.

The Techie way

Track the population exactly, with each type of population increasing at a fixed percentage rate barring a great harvest/famine, plague or occupation. The population being reduced for troop musters and the like if the troops are outside the province or slain - although that will only hit elven and possibly dwarven realms substantially.

When the population crosses a province level boundary the ruler has the option to try and rule the province - if not the excess continues to grow - the people simply don't see themselves as part of the realm, i.e. they don't see the regent as 'theirs' (no RP) and don't pay taxes (GB). Since they aren't supported by infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc) then other regents cannot effectively interact with them either justifying the province level capping all regents.

Other things which will affect population growth rate are the pillaging of nearby provinces - which likely sends their population feeing, diplomacy with near-by realms, pillaging by slavers or bride-kidnapping raiders, the abrupt discovery of wealth, and possibly province morale - people emigrate to happy provinces and away from rebellious ones.

This is really just a slight modification of Even Sørgjerd's rules above, changing the growth points for a percentage rate, retaining the rule action, etc. It's probably even worse on book-keeping.