RE: A summary with some willows

From: Nick Brooke <nick_at_FiXqm3_m9yv0_nzz0qv7x9wvG13SNCCbSAsH9EAJ6PGALYcT18R1ZnsgInL6_EJl0FsVFYj>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 23:04:48 -0000


Darvall wrote:

> 80 warm bodies comprising 15 ea working adults M&F, 20 ea sex kids,
> 5 ea sex elders. None over 60 (going by Nick's figures)

You've misinterpreted how the figures work. How many people aged over 60? Per my chart ("Population breakdown", 23 Feb 2002), you'd expect to find: 1.1% (60-64) + 0.9% (65-69) + 0.7% (70-74) + 0.5% (75+) = 3.2% of the total population will be men aged 60+, with the same proportion again of women.

So: stead population 80 x 6.4% = 5.12 elders aged 60+.

That said, you can't *ever* apply the age distribution chart in a hard'n'fast way. If you want to grace our stead with a trio of 90-yr old great-grandmothers, you can certainly have them! It is, however, statistically improbable that there'll be more than a half-dozen or so over-sixties in the stead, unless there's a good story reason to put them there (e.g. the royal jelly from the local hives keeps them young longer; the grandmothers are vampires; this is Happy Valley...).

> Fyrd max _at_ 20 probably less

I agree. Around 25% of the population max, and that includes fighting women and tough grandfathers. For practical purposes, I'd say around 16 active fyrd members (20% of population): the whole adult male population (less any invalids, less over-fifties, but including any regular fighting women and/or special cases).

> Is the stead big enough to specialise? Peter's listing has this
> stead having one specialisation which feels about right to me.

Me, too.

> If so what in? Bees, Fish, or perhaps Pottery with a dedicated potter.

Or write up the "specialist" bit as a plug-n-play extra (bees: hives, honey, mead; fish: streams, local dishes; pottery: clay beds, styles, kilns), then go with the "best" option for the completed stead?

Cheers, Nick            

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