Interesting you should mention this, I have been working on clan sizes and land to grain/animals human ratio's for a long time. (in fact ever since I made the mistake of trying to write a GTG system)
When I spoke to greg on the subject, I got the following figures for the average clan.
Average clan size is 1200 of which 1/2 the population is adult, of this half 3/5 are women and 2/5 men
>I doubt there are a lot of aged and weak in the
>clan, so the only people being feed are the very young. Once they reach
>about 10 years old (if not earlier), I'm sure the kids are expected to help
>feed the family.
I would disagree with assumption that there would few old or weaker members, what magic could not help with,( I am 70 today but can still plough the 40 acre field with my vigor spell, I just need to rest for a day after doing it.) I am sure be got around with the delegation of tasks. If you are strong and healthy you do all the heavy lifting type of jobs all the real physical labour.
If you are old and weak you feed the pigs, tend the sheep, peel the potaoes, collect local berries and apples, look after the kids. (Grandparents allow the younger and fitter people time to do work other than look after children.)
Now if you want to get really excied :) about crop yields etc, in the UK in the 14th century, the average acre yield was in the region of:
WHEAT: 16 bushels an acre, a bushel provided 100lbs of straw and 63lbs of grain BARLEY: 45 bushels an acre, a bushel provided 36lbs of straw and 56lbs of grain OATS: 55 bushels an acre, a bushel provided 55lbs of straw and 56lbs of grain (source: encylopedia britannia)
so as you can see the stable diet of the Orlanthi would be some sort of grain porridge, with the mutton/(V.occassional)beef and vegetables. Supplimented with collected fruits and berries. Probably washed down with all the milk one could drink.
>15 acres may be a bit generous, since I'm sure that not every acre can be
>farmed.
In KOS, Carls are defined as men who own whole oxen team, and he recieves as much land as he can plough in two seasons about 80 acres. I think the orlanthi will jointly farm areas as a whole not as individual family groups with each family group offering their ability to work the land (weeding etc) in exchange for grain. Smaller individual plots would then be used to grow vegetables etc. All non arable land would be turn over to sheep.
Now things get real interesting when you work out the how grain/animals equates to metals/coins if any body is interested let me know and I will write up my notes.
Colin Phillips
"He took a face from the ancient gallery and walked on down the hall"
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