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arry
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
317 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Nov 2013 : 16:54:27
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Has there ever been any discussions on the wagons and carts of the Realms? I've tried the search function but came up with nothing relevant.
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4686 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2013 : 19:33:30
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| I do not recall much discussion about carts or wagons, they are basic equipment that PCs and NPCs use in most realms. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2013 : 19:44:07
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Not that I know of.
But wagon scenes do figure prominently in RAS's novels Streams of Silver, Sea of Swords, and The Thousand Orcs.
I would think that some key factors when considering wagons would be:
- Cargo (What's the particular purpose of your wagon?)
- Size (Wheel track or width, Height, Front and rear wheel overhang for clearing obstacles, Absolute ground clearance, Wheelbase to avoid high-centering, Internal volume vs. Wagon of holding, Weight unloaded & loaded)
- Construction materials (Wood's cheaper & lighter but less durable; Metal wheels last longer but cost more & weigh more)
- Key occupants (Driver, Fighter guard, Wizard guard? Rear guard? Separate scout on foot/horseback? Cleric for blessings/healing? Bard for morale? Dancing girl(s)/guy(s)? Precious cargo attendant? Passengers?)
- Number of Seats
- Seat placement (for vision and overwatch)
- Towing animal selection (Quantity, Species, Size, Age, Health)
- Hitches, Harnesses, & Reins
- Spare towing/riding animals in tow?
- Internal layout (One big cavity vs. Shelves, Barrels, Boxes, Bags of holding, Tie-down hooks or Nets, False bottom/trapdoor for valuables?)
- Maintenance equipment/supplies (Removable tarp/blankets for rain cover, Plywood, Nails, Hammers, Auger/drill, Bolts, Nuts, Washers, Spare axle?, Spare wheels?, Spare wheel hubs?, Lanterns, Lighting oil, Axle grease, Shovel, Saw, Axe, Towing ropes/straps, Riding saddles?, Crew food, Livestock food, Water, Healing gear, Blankets for insulation, Spare weapons)
- Access (Ladders, Tailgate)
- Condition/Age/Level of Maintenance
- Price
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"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2013 : 21:14:47
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The cargo design is a really important one to think about.
At the Smithsonian, there's a Conestoga wagon, a type used extensively in the northeast during the 17th and 18th centuries. It's design is interesting: its floor curves up so that the front and back of the wagon is noticeably higher than the middle. It was a pure cargo design, and the curving helped keep the cargo from shifting about.
Of course, any wagon can be repurposed, and the Conestogas were sometimes used for migration, but I can't imagine it was a comfortable ride. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7971 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2013 : 22:53:55
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“Repurposing“ a wagon could mean a bit of serious modification; I‘m sure that people who require a particular wagon design would eventually spend some coin getting the necessary upgrades, while people who have varying cargo requirements might find it more cost-effective (overall) to just use a basic, sturdy design.
Wagons intended to carry passengers could be immensely valuable and highly customized, not unlike the way people bling out their automobiles. Military wagons (or those expected to travel through dangerous areas and terrain) might be reinforced and armoured in various clever ways.
A merchant would do well to standardize his wagon fleet to a common design to cut down on maintenance costs and ensure that spare axles and wheels are readily interchangeable. Beware wheelwrights who offer nonstandard or “improved“ components, because these might be more costly to replace when in other cities.
No doubt many wagoneers consider the comfort of their ride a crucial element in picking their wagons. And as important as a wagon might be, the horses/mules/whatevers pulling it are more important still. False panels/bottoms are great for smuggling, but a nice heavy strongbox would probably offer sufficient security for most - especially since thieves and bandits and tax-collectors aren‘t likely to search for secrets after already spotting what they‘re looking for. |
[/Ayrik] |
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arry
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
317 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2013 : 16:14:10
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While thinking about the rat-hills (as you do), I wondered how many wagons visit the rat-hills daily. I picked up a factoid from somewhere that a battalion (about 800 people) produces about one long ton of . . . product daily. FR1 says that the population of Waterdeep rarely falls below about 122, 000. As some of the population are children I come up with a guesstimate of 150 tons of . . . product to dispose of daily; how many wagons and carts would be required?
I found a Connestoga type wagon carries about 7 tons but it was expensive and I don’t know much about other Western type wagons. The information that I can find about British farm carts tends to be from the 19th Century when the road system was surfaced and pretty much all-weather so isn’t really applicable.
What on Earth (Toril) would Waterdeep do during winter storms?
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4686 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2013 : 19:25:16
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Well Real World does not always work. As to food required per day it clearly appears that one pound of food, one gallon of water is all that is needed per day "to avoid starvation". Less then that amount of food the NPC or PC starts to starve. A cart can carry 1000 pounds with no problem it would appear, wagons with large enough teams could carry 8 tons.
Waterdeep would need about 70 tons of food per day to feed the population (Some clearly eating more then one pound, children perhaps less when very young). As for winter there are two answers, food by ship and food stored that comes by cart or wagon. Bring in 100 Tons a day on average you should enough food for people and animals. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2013 : 21:51:35
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Ancient Rome had a population of over a million and was fed by grain ships from places like Egypt. And it worked with few issues for a long time.
Greenfields provides a fair amount of Waterdeep's food. The Border Kingdoms do the same for Calimport, via ships. I don't see any reason some of those ships wouldn't work their way up the coast to some of the other Sword Coast cities. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Wagons and Carts
