Re: How big is a Tula

From: rtkingman_at_...
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 05:48:44 -0000


I have to agree with Jarec that the size of the tula given in Thunder Rebels is too large. At least, based on previous materials available. When working on background materials for my game, I looked at King of Dragon Pass, discussions on the Glorantha Digest, maps of Sartar region available in published materials and on the internet, the Greydog Tula from Tales of the Reaching Moon #18, and the Clan Generator available at the Issaries web site (actually I used this after the fact to confirm my estimates). I came up with a typical tula size of around 50 square miles. (10mi by 5mi, or maybe better for Orlanthis - 7 mi x 7 mi) The Clan Generator indicates that the average clan tula is about 240 hides. A hide is said to be 120 acres. 640 acres is one square mile. (120 acres times 240 hides)/640 = 45 square miles. That is in the approximately 50 sq.mi. range I had used. This is only an average, and there is considerable variety, as with everything the Orlanthis do.

Maybe the Colymar clan had a tula 375 square miles in 1335, but they were a huge, unwieldy clan and they split up into 5 clans and formed the Colymar Tribe.

My players' clan (Redbird Clan) has claimed a tula in the upper reaches of the Boranni River valley, just to the northwest of the Quivin Mountains and south of Larnste's table. The tula is roughly 10 miles north/south by 6 miles east/west. The clan is 812 members in 1331, with about half being children. They are spread out in 16 steads, the largest being the chief's stead of Redbird Village with a population of about 100. The rest have 40-50. I know these are much smaller than the stead described in Thunder Rebels, but the clan has spread out to occupy their new tula to make good their claim. They expect to grow into it.

I suspect that there was a miscommunication somewhere along the lines and that the 375 square miles is the area a tribe might occupy. There is room in that for seven 50+ sq.mi. clan tulas.

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