Totte - economy

Where there are humans, there are the concepts of labor and property; money soon follows. Many adventurers are motivated by a desire to gain a fortune by adventuring and then spend the rest of their days in luxury. But in roleplaying games the players want to have fun playing and often drive their characters on relentlessly. Still there is a desire for treasure; for the fun of gaining it and the usefulness of spending it on equipment, to gain new treasure ...
This section quantifies economic matters. The focus is mainly on agricultural societies, though there is also some information on hunter-gatherers, pastoralists and industrial economies.

Money

In a fantasy world, all kinds of things may serve as money, like gems and pearls, seeds from a magical plant, dragon teeth or crystallized ethereal bugs. However many places use metal coins, just like on Earth throughout most of history. Some gaming systems use simple scales like 1 gold piece = 100 silver pieces = 10,000 copper pieces. Historical systems are less regular. For example the most common European system is based on silver coins, ranked by weight: 1 libra / livre / pound = 20 solidi / sous / shillings = 240 denarii / deniers / pennies. Other coins like marks (2/3 pounds), groats (4 pennies), farthings (¼ penny) and many others add to the variety. On Earth, depending on time and place, gold is 8 - 16 times more valuable than silver and often more stable in value. Gold coins like ducats, florins and guldens are out of reach of commoners, though rich adventurers may find them convenient. Copper and alloys like bronze are used for the lowest valued coins; electrum, a mix of gold and silver, was used in antiquity.

In 'primitive' societies money is scarce, seldom used and not very useful because almost nobody is is able to give change in return from purchases. Trade is handled by barter, like exchanging four sheep and a pair of shovels for one cow. There is also an unwritten, but mutually agreed system of rights and duties. For example a farmer may be required to work 40 days per year on the lands of his lord and has to pay an entry fee that consists of his best pig. In return, he can rely on the lord to keep the land free of robbers and bandits and to act as an impartial judge in legal disputes. Though partially or wholly undocumented, these legal systems can be extensive and strictly enforced.
The places where money is common and useful are towns and cities, traditional hubs of trade. Unfortunately for adventurers, prices are higher in the city than in the countryside.

Because the value of money goes up and down with inflation, coin debasement, clipping and fluctuating demand for food, labor and other goods and services, it is difficult to set a standard that can be used in many games. Totte uses the "šu-de" or shude as a unit of value, an ancient Sumerian term that means "hand - to bring", roughly translating to "set to work". It represents the value of one day of unskilled labor, which is much more valuable in pre-industrial societies than it is today. All prices and other money sums below are in shude. GMs will translate the shude into coins or other currency that is used in their game worlds.

Income and expenses

Income

In hunter-gatherer societies there usually is little or no money. Most economic activity is about obtaining food, which is consumed almost immediately. A handful of items are traded among people, almost always through barter. Unless the environment is rich in food, people wander around as nomads or semi-nomads, so houses tend to be simple and play but a small part in the economy.
Chieftains and shamans are more powerful and richer than others, though not much; on the whole there is little wealth disparity in the tribes.

Pastoral societies are a little richer. They produce a somewhat wider range of clothing, tools and other utensils, but no houses of note because pastoralists frequently wander around too. Most wealth is tied up in animals, who economically act like portable capital, and to a lesser degree in grazing grounds, which must be defended all the time.
War leaders can lay claim to the best plunder, but have to buy the loyalty of their warriors with money and other gifts, smoothing differences in wealth. Tribes try to get richer by raiding neighbor's cattle or even subjugating and exacting tribute from them. Pastoralists trade animals and animal products like butter, cheese, leather and furs with more advanced societies for agricultural foods, weapons, art and the like. They may make war just to obtain trading rights, or if they are strong enough, raid or even conquer their wealthier agricultural neighbors.

In an agricultural society there is at least a lower and an upper class and often a middle one too. There is great income inequality, meaning that the vast majority of the population falls in the lower part of the wage / expenditure range. Above squalid level, income levels tend to follow a Pareto distribution, with very many poor people, a small middle class and a tiny upper class.
The vast majority of people are farmers, tied to their land by the need to care for it and often by legal arrangements too. They make a living by growing crops, eating part of it and selling the rest. Farmers with a sizable amount of land can sustain themselves and their family; a few with a more than average holding can be considered middle class. But most farmers own less than average, not enough to make a full living. They need to supplement their meager farming income with day labor, either skilled or unskilled.
Some wage laborers are servants who live in or near the house of their master, who often pays for their food and clothing, though their cash wages are low. Others are seasonal workers or journeymen who often take on short contracts and work until they can satisfy their needs. The latter category often owns houses of their own, though they may spent part of the year living in work camps.
Towns are home to craftsmen, traders and officials who make their living by selling goods or services. On average merchants and craftsmen make a 10% profit, enough to build up substantial savings. Several rank as middle class citizens in wealth and power. A few merchants who engage in long distance trade make profits of 15% - 45%, though are exposed to greater risks to their investments. Many crafts and trades are dominated by guilds, which monopolize parts of the economy and deeply affect the lives of their members.
At the top of the chain is the upper class, usually a mix of nobility and priests. They get money from rents on land, mines and workshops, from taxes and many fees and duties. This makes them much richer than the other classes.

Industrial societies are the richest of all. Machines do part of the work, from little in early industrial economies to very much in late ones, allowing people both more consumption goods and spare time. Early on many people work in factories, but later on switch to services, information processing, social and creative professions. Industrial economies can work only if they are supported by advances in efficiency in agriculture, to free farmers to do other work, and healthcare, to keep diseases from keeping populations low. This usually works because advances in technology are accompanied by similar progress in other sciences.
Industrial economies produce a wide range of goods in very large quantities. They also have an insatiable hunger for raw materials, which drives the politics and wars of industrial states.
In industrial societies, most towns grow into cities and life becomes busier and faster. Income disparity can be low or just as high as in agricultural societies.

Wages

The numbers listed below are average day wages for both skilled and unskilled workers. Ancient and medieval laborers worked some 5 - 6 days per week, but due to many long festivals only 250 - 300 days per year on average. The wages are gross market wages; taxes and other duties need to be deducted to arrive at disposable (net) income.

working maid ⅔
unskilled male laborer ¾ - 1
apprentice 1 - 1½
skilled worker 1½ - 2
expert craftsman 2½ - 4
educated specialist 3 - 10

The upper class makes a lot more money. Kings, queens, emperors and empresses are the richest of all. Their wealth varies with the size and prosperity of their realm and their personal fortune is often deeply intertwined with the state finances. Petty kings are little better than earls; rulers of large empires have incomes outstrip the latter by two or even three orders of magnitude.

squire 9 - 17½
knight 17½ - 100
baron 85 - 200
earl 175 - 500

On military campaigns feudal soldiers often have to pay for their own horses and equipment. For this they are compensated by day wages and supplement this themslves by looting. Note that they normally only get paid for military service while they participate in a campaign, which usually lasts only a few weeks per year.

foot soldier 1 - 2
mounted archer / armored foot soldier 3
man-at-arms 6
knight bachelor 12
knight banneret 24

Expenses

In an agricultural society, wealthy farmers earn enough money to save a small amount for a pension, though the poorest cannot afford that and have to live from day to day.
Middle class citizens are wealthy enough to live quite well and still save enough to build up capital.
Upper classes have lavish incomes, but spend a lot of money on fancy clothes, horses and houses to visually set themselves apart from commoners. They also have a range of expenses that the other classes do not have: sports like hunting and hawking; travel costs, as they tour around their lands, visit other nobles or the ruler of the country; wages and gifts to staff, supporters, allies and various other clients to buy their services and loyalty.

Below is a table that lists relative spending for three different social classes. These are only averages; individual households will of course vary, a lot. Note that expenditure is based on almost net income, with production costs like tools, animals, food for animals and most taxes already deducted from the gross income. Though relative segments are often equal, the absolute amount of money spent differs a lot because of the high income disparities. These differences are a mix of quantity and quality. For example upper class households consume more food because they are larger, but also eat higher proportions of meat, fish and more exotic spices.

Expenditure	Lower class	Middle class	Upper class
Food and drink	50%	50%	50%
Fuel and lighting	14%	10%	4%
Clothing	10%	10%	10%
Bed linen, utensils	6%	4%	2%
Taxes, rents	10%	8%	5%
Legal fees	1%	2%	2%
Wages	0%	4%	10%
Housing	9%	9%	5%
Travel	0%	2%	10%
Entertainment and charity	0%	1%	2%

Taxes, tithes, fees, duties and fines

Throughout history humans have been certain of two things: death and taxes. For a common farmer in a medieval world, the total tax burden can be as light as 10% of his gross income to as heavy as 60%. Below is a list of historical tax types.

Most states have an income tax. Sometimes these are progressive, i.e. the richer the tax payer, the larger percentage of her income is owed in taxes; sometimes they are regressive instead. The poor are often not taxed at all, as they have nothing to give. An example of a regressive model is the Roman empire, which allowed its wealthiest citizens to become filthy rich at the expense of the plebs.
Income tax is supplemented by other taxes like a property tax, based on the property of the taxpayer; a hearth tax, per household; a poll tax, a fixed sum per citizen; scutage, money paid to avoid military service; a tithe, a tax that benefits religious institutions; and/or others.
Regular taxes are supplemented by duties and fees for all kinds of events like marriage fees; death duties; inheritance tax; reliefs or entry fines for new tenancies for farmland or buildings. Laws and by-laws can be so restrictive that even good citizens occasionally have to pay transgression fines.
Lucrative jobs, guild membership, licenses (even for begging!) do not come for free. Corrupt officials may demand bribes before allowing lower ranking people into such jobs and sometimes entry fees are even regular and legal.
Traders and other travelers who cross roads, bridges, canals often have to pay tolls. Though they tend to be low, they can be many on long roads and waterways, significantly adding to travel expenses.
Those who cross borders may also have to pay import and/or export duties. Normal rates are 1% - 2.5% of the value of the goods if the states are on good terms with each other. If relations are less good, they may rise up to 5%; when at war around 8%, to as much as 20%. Taxes on luxury goods are often much higher than those on common trade goods, up to 5 times more.
In times of war, special one-time war taxes may be levied to finance the heavy costs of warfare. Their levels vary though are often steep.
Services are taxes that are not paid in money but in kind. Examples are corvée, labor services by farmers to their lord and cartage, providing draft animals to pull carts and wagons. Many services are military, like guard duty to safeguard strongpoints; escort duty, acting as guards for important people; military service in the army.

Though many adventurers, through their frequent dangerous activities and wanderings in the wilderness, are not fully part of civilized societies, the monster of taxes will prey on them too. And warlike adventurers may be required to provide military services next to money, just like the nobility.

Consumption levels

One way to know how much money player characters can spend is to keep track of all income and expenses. Though realistic, this means a lot of bookkeeping that some GMs and players may want to avoid. A less detailed way to handle expenses is to lop all of them together in a single 'expenditure level'. Here is an example range:

Level		Daily expenses	Food	Clothes	Home	Examples
0	Wretched	0	scraps / stolen	rags	open air / abandoned shack / broken house	beggars
1	Squalid	¼	meager diet from gardening and foraging	worn out	filthy shack	forest dwellers, exiles, eccentrics, lepers
2	Poor	¾	simple diet	simple	small cottage	poor farmers, unskilled laborers
3	Average	1½	fairly palatable diet	normal	mid-sized house	independent farmers, skilled craftsmen
4	Wealthy	3	tasty diet	fashionable	large comfortable house	merchants, expert craftsmen, overseers
5	Noble	15	rich diet	custom made	manor house / castle	lower nobility
6	Aristocratic	100	very rich diet	jewel encrusted	large castle	barons, earls
7	Royal	1,000	exquisite diet	museum pieces	palace	dukes, kings, emperors

The expenditures listed above include food, clothing, housing / lodging, healthcare and taxes. They exclude costly purchases like weapons, transport, houses for sale and the like; these should be handled individually. Expenditure levels are for life in towns and cities. Living in villages, hamlets and lone dwellings is cheaper. There the higher levels simply cannot even be maintained because of the lack of luxury goods and services, unless these can be 'imported' from a nearby town or city. The wilderness is the least expensive place of all, as there is nothing there to spend money on, except for the occasional stray band of bandits or greedy monsters. However preparing for an expedition into the wilderness can be costly, requiring money for expensive provisions, transport, weapons and miscellaneous equipment.

Prices

The prices in the lists below are averages that traders and consumers pay on a town market. Real prices depend on the quality of the goods or services and fluctuate with the seasons, supply and demand. A mangy horse will cost less than a courser in top shape; the services of a master carpenter are more expensive than those of his junior apprentice; timber is cheap in boreal forests but expensive in arid regions; spices that are affordable in the village where they are harvested can be worth up to 20 times more a continent away; equipment for nobility can be several orders of magnitude more expensive than ordinary stuff! Prices may rise dramatically in times of war, or when a party of adventurers floods the local market with treasure.
The prices below are guidelines for an 'average' stable agrarian society, equipped with medieval technology, heavily leaning on grains for food, in relative peace and with a decent trade network; comparable to Europe in the High Middle Age. In more primitive societies the supply of goods and services is lower and their prices higher. In more advanced and industrialized societies both supply and prices are higher, but because wages are higher too the effective buying power of consumers is greater. The GM will decide on effective prices.

Real estate

Land

Though land in pre-industrial societies is not often sold, Totte offers a list of average prices. Actual land value depends mainly on its fertility; the mean is about 3 times more than the poorest land; the richest 3 times more than the mean. When rented to a farming family, normal height of the rent is about 8% - 10% of the value of the land. Rents may be asymmetrical, for instance a substantial one-time entry fine followed by a lower yearly rent, starting anew when the owner dies and somebody else inherits the land.
The value of land used through horticulture depends on its development. Undeveloped land is worth little; land with young but mature crops the most; old and worn out crops less.
With arboriculture the price depends on what it is used for. Foraging woodland is the cheapest; light woods that can be used to gather firewood are worth more; large trees that can be harvested for timber are the most expensive.

pasture 15
meadow 50
arable land 10
vegetable garden 1
olive grove 17½
vineyard 75

Note that though pasture and meadow are relatively cheap per unit of surface area, a livestock farmer needs a lot of it sustain a sizeable flock.

Houses

The price of houses is determined by size, construction type and location. Mudbricks deteriorate quickly in wet climates but last several years in dry areas; fired bricks require much fuel; wood is easy to work with but flammable; stone sturdy but heavy. Heavier construction types provide more comfort and safety, but are also more expensive, in materials, transport of materials and the skills of the carpenters and masons. Below are listed averages in shude / m³ volume (excluding roof). Note that medium expensive buildings are often hybrids, with the lower half built in stone, the upper walls in wood and the roof made of thatch or turf.

Construction type	Materials	Wages	Total
wattle and daub / mud	0.1	0.2	0.3
mudbrick	0.1	0.3	0.4
wood	0.6	0.4	1
fired brick	4	2	6
stone	5	4	9

On the countryside, most houses have a single floor and are built of 'bays' of 4½ x 4½ meters. Construction types are often hybrid but mostly simple. Average prices for (mostly wooden) village buildings are:

tiny hut (10 m²) 20
small one-room cottage (20 m²) 40
medium two-room cottage (40 m²) 80
long house (60 m²) 120

While the cost of land for building houses in the countryside is very low, in towns and cities a building lot can cost more than the building itself. As a result, buildings rise in height. Seven stories is about the maximum for pre-industrial buildings, though two stories is much more common, for example a building with a workshop on the lower floor and living quarters on the upper one. Also building in stone, or to use at least a tiled roof, is more common because of the fire hazards of a city packed with wooden buildings. Average prices (again for wooden) town buildings in dense areas are:

small two story laborer's house (2 x 20 m²) 240
small three story craftsman's house (3 x 20 m²) 360
medium two story house with tiled roof (2 x 40 m²) 1,000
large three story house with tiled roof (3 x 60 m²) 1,250
very large merchant house with courtyard (3 x 1200 m²) 20,000

After construction, buildings need maintenance. This costs about 2% - 3% of the price of a new building per year.

Temples

The prices listed below are for temples built in common stone, with minimal decoration. Expensive decorations that require marble, ornaments, paintings, carpets, precious metals and/or gemstones all increase the cost.

small temple(500 m²) 45,000
medium temple (850 m²) 100,000
large temple (2600 m²) 550,000

Castles

The cost of castles depends on their size and the materials used (earth, wood, bricks, stone). Castles built in inaccessible places like on hilltops cost more than in valleys with roads, rivers and a good supply of laborers.

small wooden motte & bailey 6,000
large wooden motte & bailey with mound 18,000
basic stone castle 85,000
baronial castle 250,000
concentric castle 1,200,000

Consumables

Most food prices below are based on a grain-based agriculture. Rice farming can feed more people per unit of surface than grain farming but also requires more manpower. Prices are quite different when farms mainly produce tubers, or when most food comes from husbandry, fishing hunting or gathering.

Raw cereals

For human consumption, raw cereals need to to be milled into flour and then processed into bread, pasta or other types of food. Cattle are not so picky, they eat cereals raw.

hay 0.03 / kg
oats 0.045 / ltr
rye 0.070 / ltr
barley 0.080 / ltr
malt 0.10 / ltr
wheat 0.11 / ltr = 0.14 / kg
millet 0.070 / ltr

Cereals

The most popular kind of bread is wastel / manchet, made of filtered wheat. Of medium quality is maslin, made of a mix of wheat and rye. Lowest on the ladder is horsebread, made of a mix of oats, barley and pulses. Rice has even more different types and qualities than bread. Listed below are average prices.

bread 0.25 / kg
rice 0.20 - 1.3 / kg

Roots and vegetables

onions 0.07 / kg
pulse / legumes (peas, chickpeas, beans, lentils, etc.) 0.05 - 0.15 / ltr
spinach 0.2 / kg
turnips 0.25 / kg
cabbages 0.45 / kg
carrots 0.45 / kg
eggplants 0.7 / kg

Fruit

apples 0.35 / kg
grapes 0.7 / kg
berries 1.3 / kg
dried fruit 1.0 - 6.0 / kg

Nuts

chestnuts 0.5 / kg
almonds 1.7 / kg

Dairy products

curd 0.15 - 0.2 / ltr
milk 0.2 - 0.25 / ltr
butter 1 / kg
cheese 0.6 / kg
eggs 0.2 / dozen = 0.4 / kg

Meat

Meat is often sold as live animals, not slaughtered and cut. If it is, it is often smoked or salted for preservation, which increases the price.

rabbit 0.6
goat meat 0.65 / kg
mutton 0.75 / kg
beef 1.5 / kg

Poultry

snipe 0.12
butcherbird 0.35
duck ½
teal 3½
swan 4

Fish

herrings 1 / dozen

Herbs and spices

Prices listed are for locally produced herbs and spices. If they have to be imported from another continent, prices may rise as high as 20 - 100 shude / kg, or in case of the precious saffron 250 - 300.

fennel 0.12 / kg
garlic 0.12 / kg
salt 0.18 / kg
mint 0.45 / kg
aniseed 0.9 / kg
cumin seed 0.9 / kg
ginger 1.2 / kg

Other seasonings

sesame 0.2 - 0.25 / kg
vinegar 0.6 / ltr
olive oil 0.9 / ltr
honey 1.2 / ltr
virgin honey 2.0 / ltr
red sugar 0.65 / kg
white sugar 1.5 / kg
refined sugar 3 / kg

Drinks

beer 0.045 - 0.09 / ltr
cider 0.55 / ltr
must 0.55 / ltr
wine 0.4 - 1.3 / ltr

Fashion

Raw clothing materials

canvas 1.2 / mtr
wool 1.65 / kg
flax 2.8 / kg
sheepskin 0.65
cowskin 6

Cloth

The cost of cloth is usually measured by its length, though the real cost depends on its surface area, but there is no single standard width. The width depends on the width of the loom, which can vary between ¾ meters to 6 meters; on average 2 meters.

coarse linen cloth 1 / mtr
felt 2.5 / mtr
ordinary wool cloth 4 / mtr
second quality wool cloth 6.5 / mtr
first quality wool cloth 11 / mtr
silk 20 / mtr

Clothing

The prices below are for a single full set of clothing for one year for use in a temperate climate, to be worn almost every day and renewed every year. Note that poor people do not replace their clothing so often; they patch it and wear it until it almost falls apart.
The peasant outfit includes a simple cap, an undergarment, a simple linen tunic, a belt and a pair of wooden clogs. The middle class outfit uses dyed wool instead of linen, includes a hat or hood and replaces the clogs with proper shoes. The aristocratic outfit is made of brocade, silk or another expensive textile in several colors, adorned with fur and maybe some jewelry. It replaces the tunic with a doublet or dress, the shoes with leather boots (for men) and adds a cape or cloak.

peasant outfit 6
middle class outfit 25
aristocratic outfit 150

Cosmetics

soap 0.8 / kg

Construction

Metals

As metals are heavy and transport is expensive in pre-industrial economies, the price of metals depends mainly on the proximity of mines.

iron 0.5 / kg
steel 1.3 / kg
lead 2.0 / kg
copper 3.75 / kg
tin 8.5 / kg
silver 300 / kg
gold 4500 / kg

Other materials

timber 0.12 / ltr
fired brick 0.02

Miscellaneous goods

Fuel and lighting

firewood 0.006 / ltr
charcoal 0.02 / ltr
tallow candles 2 / kg
wax candles 8 / kg
lamp oil 10 / ltr
tinderbox 1
lantern 2

Raw goods

tar 0.6 / ltr
pigments 2½ / kg

Semi-manufactured goods

nails 2⅓ / kg
rope 0.12 / mtr
painting oil 27½ / ltr
glass 25 / m²

Utensils

horseshoe ⅓
yarn 4 / kg
pewterwares 2½ / kg
brasswares 4 / kg
silverwares 900 / kg

Containers

large tun 2
chest 8
coffin 8

Tools

rake ¼
knife ⅓
shovel 2
axe 3
plough 5

Cooking

small vessel 0.1
medium clay vessel 0.2

Writing

paper 1½ / dozen sheets
parchment 3 / dozen sheets
book 45
scroll case 1

Musical instruments

tambourine 3½
pair of bongos 12
bass drum 25
flute 3
lyre 15
lute 20
pillar harp 40

Animals

Livestock

Prices for animals vary a lot with their age, condition and attributes like strength or the amount of milk / eggs that they produce. For example prices for pigs are: just weaned 1 shude, one year old 2½, two years old 12½. Animals may be kept for milk, eggs, fur / wool, as draft animals, or a combination of these.

chicken ½
goose 2
cat 3
goat 3½
sheep 4
pig 12½
cow 25
ox 35

Trained animals

Animals may be trained for herding cattle and guard duty or hunting, though usually not a combination of these. Hawks and falcons are trained solely for hunting, as this is all they are good for.

hunting falcon 125
hunting eagle 500

Transport and travel

Steeds

The prices are listed for horses categorized by use, not by race. Adventurers who want to have a war horse should look for rounceys, coursers or destriers. Many of these types have been trained for war, i.e. are not frightened by noise or blood.

hackney (riding horse) 50
steppe horse 75
rouncey (quality riding horse) 100
courser (fast hunting horse) 150
palfrey (riding horse with ambling gait) 175
destrier (heavy war horse) 600

Pack and draft animals

sled dog 5
pack goat 5
donkey 20
reindeer 25
llama 25
sumpter (pack horse) 30
ox 35
buffalo 60
draft horse 70
yak 90
mule 100
dromedary camel 100
Bactrian camel 150
Indian elephant 600

Carts and wagons

Western wheelbarrow 4.5
Asian wheelbarrow 6
cart with wooden wheels 8
cart with ironclad wheels 20
wagon with ironclad wheels 40
heavy wagon 65

Boats and ships

Ships cost about 250 shude / gross ton, a little less for simple designs and a little more for intricate designs.

boat oar 3
galley oar 5½
one-person coracle 20
small fishing boat 750
large fishing boat 3,750
trireme 17,500
quinquereme 25,000
viking longship 6,500
cog 30,000

Travel gear

Travel rations include biscuits, dried bread, fruit and fish, salted meat, nuts, cheese, grease and the like. It can last weeks or even months.
A pack harness is suitable for loading baggage; a riding saddle for riding. A military saddle is a high tree saddle that includes stirrups. It is less comfortable than a riding saddle, but offers better stability in combat.

travel rations / day 1
purse ¼
waterskin ½
backpack 2
pack harness 3
bit, bridle and reins 1¼
riding saddle 6
tree saddle 8
saddle bag 3

Tents

Tents can range from small single-person shelters to large water/windproof structures equipped with carpets and furniture. They are usually made of canvas or felt, kept upright by wooden poles. Simple tents are suitable as temporary shelters; more advanced designs like yurts can be used as portable houses.

one-person fly tent (2 m²) 2½
one-person yurt (20 m²) 25
one-family tipi (40 m²) 55

Lodging

Inns, caravanserais, ryokan and the like tend to be rare except in large states with good roads and/or plenty of long distance travel. Taverns, alehouses and public houses, which offer drink and sometimes food but generally no lodging, are more common but also tend to be simpler. Many of these places are run by peasants, who offer to share their house and bed in return for a modest fee. For horny men (or women), prostitutes may be found in brothels or near other types of public houses.

food & drink 1
beds, heating and lighting ½
stabling and food for horse ⅔
sexual services ⅔

Humans

Slaves

Prices for slaves are relevant only in societies where slavery is normal practice.

female domestic slave 35 - 40
female concubine 150 - 200
male slave unskilled worker 50 - 55
male slave skilled worker 70 - 100

Weregilds

Weregilds are compensations for manslaughter, customary in early Germanic societies. Lesser weregilds are assigned to crimes like rape, mutilation and grave robbing.

raping a free woman 500
killing a servant 500
killing a free man 2,500
killing a nobleman 12,500

Weapons

Swords

Prices for swords exclude scabbards.

dagger 3
short sword 6
medium sword 12
fencing sword 15
battle sword 15
long sword 18
two-hander 25

Axes and picks

hand axe 2
battle axe 3
great axe 4
light pick 2
heavy pick 3

Clubs and maces

light club 1
heavy club 1½
morning star 3
light mace 2
heavy mace 3

Trashing weapons

sap 1½
nunchaku 1½
chain 2½
flail 2
scourge ½
whip 1½

Staffs

half staff ¾
short staff 1
long staff 1½

Spears and polearms

short spear 2
medium spear 2½
pike 3
light lance 3
medium lance 4
heavy lance 5
harpoon 3
winged spear 3
halberd 5

Bows and crossbows

Arrows cost 0.1 shude apiece.

shortbow 4
hunting bow 6
longbow 8
composite bow 12

The price of a crossbow bolt is about 1/10 of the price of the crossbow that matches its size. All but the lightest crossbows need tools to string them; these are listed below too.

Crossbow	Bow cost	Tenser	Tenser cost
wooden	6		0
eighth	12	cord and pulley	½
quarter	25	goat's foot	1
cavalry	30	cranequin	5
infantry	40	windlass	7
siege	60	windlass	8

quiver 1½

Shields

cavalry 3
medium 6
body 8
pavise 10

Armor

Helmets

skullcap 15
open 18
half open 22
closed 25

Body armor

Mail and plate armor are listed side by side, though historically plate superseded the other when smithing techniques improved. Both require a lot of labor, though plate more skilled, making it more expensive.

small gambeson 8
large gambeson 15
scale cuirass 18
scale coat 35
brigandine 40
brigandine coat 70
lamellar cuirass 60
lamellar coat 120
laminar armor 30
byrnie 35
haubergeon 55
hauberk 70
plated mail cuirass 70
plated mail coat 130
plated mail suit 175
plate cuirass 95
half plate 180
full plate 240

Horse barding

Horse barding is suitable only for strong warhorses that are not frightened by the load. Barding protects the head, the front and often also the center and rear of the body of the horse. The legs are left free as not not hinder the movement of the horse, though it leaves its lower parts vulnerable.

scale horse barding 120
mail horse barding 120
plate horse barding 350

Artillery

Siege engines

Siege engines are rarely bought on the market, but often constructed on the spot when a siege begins. Heavy machinery like trebuchets are an exception; these are sometimes dismantled after use, transported to the next siege and there re-assembled.

light ballista 350
medium ballista 550
heavy ballista 900
light catapult 600
medium catapult 1,000
heavy catapult 1,750
light traction trebuchet 150
medium traction trebuchet 250
heavy traction trebuchet 400
light counterweight trebuchet 1,250
medium counterweight trebuchet 2,500
heavy counterweight trebuchet 5,000