Re: The number of devotees in a clan

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:35:50 +0000 (GMT)


<cross-posted to digest as it should really go there>

Graham Robinson wrote:
> > Given I'd expect a healthy clan to have as many
hunting/farming/fishing devotees as all others put together, I think your figures are well short. Maybe something more like 10% normal, 20% max in a very wealthy clan, and 5% only in a very poor clan.

Charles Corrigan:
> From memory, the crafter specialists are cottars and
occasionally carls. However, I would expect that a high proportion of them would be devotees as the magical payback is high and they have to be supported (foodwise) anyway.

Maybe, but crafters accounted for no more than 2% of the rural populations of analog cultures. So, taking into account others comments that would give us:

1-2% Professional warriors
1-2% Crafters
1.5% Godi, Priests, magical speicalists
1-2% thanes and nobility

which gives us a range between 4.5 to 7.5%. (45 to 75 people in a 1000 person clan - something like the 'pool' KoDP gives you for leaders). Now I agree a wealthy clan might be higher, say 10%, but 20% is 1 in 5 people (1 in every 2.5 adults, 200 magical specialists in 500 adults!) who are supported by the labor of others. That feels very, very, wrong to me. However, YGMV



Ian Cooper
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"They were seven in all, and therewithal both sides rushed into the fight. Thorarin slew a house-carle of Thorbiorn's, and Alfgeir another, and there fell also a housecarle of Thorarin's; but no weapons would bite on Odd Katlason. Now the goodwife Aud calls out on her women to part them, and they cast clothes over the weapons." The Story Of The Ere-Dwellers Chapter 18



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