I've been following this, silently, unable to respond due to having my personal computer stolen. Anyway, since I envision my own PC culture as being neither agricultural nor industrial (nor magical-industrial), yet still high-tech, I'm always looking closely at how these ideas apply to a nonstandard culture. I will also admit I haven't thought too carefully about the 'scope' number vs the productivity rating(s), but I'm also very much biased towards 'rules' that enhance storytelling vs. rules that enhance 'accuracy' (you could call that 'playability' vs. 'simulation').
So, going with the ideas presented about population density vs. 'extras' supported by the culture, we have about 2000 'extras' out of 5500 people. That's a subsistence margin of about 0.36. This may not be unreasonable for a culture that spends a lot of its time fishing (and following the fish to where they're plentiful) and trading .. or is it?
Actually, the Ka'Shari are a very communal society in which everybody spends a part of their time at each job. Exceptions are made for the elderly and those whose 'profession' is a full-time thing (elite knights, the Guide, skilled Magi, ??), but even so a lot of the professional types spend large portions of their time (10%? 20%?) assisting with things like fishing, trade, ship repair, etc and reducing the necessary subsistence margin.
So how much of a 'subsistence margin' seems appropriate for an economy centered on trade? We're in great shape if we can find either luxury goods or rare necessities, but hurting if margins are poor.
Given our size, supporting something like a 'university' or 'school' becomes a costly endeavor, if it's even possible. Especially given our 'need' to retain our knowledge of building and land-based crafts for if we ever can found our new homeland.
I suppose the 'subsistence margin' for the sea would be high, but the 'subsistence population density' is lower? (e.g. 10/(unit of area), instead of 100).
I've played around with simulations for years (sigh: my last full years' results have now been stolen and are unbacked-up :P), and the simplest method I've used was also two numbers: fertility of the land and 'efficiency' - which measured how effectively a culture used resources. The amount one person can produce becomes the product of these two numbers. If they're both greater than 1, you can support high populations (and numbers of 'extras'). As the product approaches 1, however, industry gradually gets starved for bodies as a larger percentage of effort goes to production.
(I hadn't considered population density, however, except as it affects birth/death rates. Mostly, I've looked at science fictional technologies rather than pre-industrial, but a lot of the same ideas work for both).
My method's a bit more easily adapted to simulations, however, and not to tabletop.
Bob
>
> From: Juha Vesanto
> Date: 20/11/2003 21:49:13
> To: celandra@phoenyx.net
> Subject: Re: [Cel] [Rules] Defining Fundamentals
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