Distance between settlements [Archive] - Wizards Community

Distance between settlements [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
gr33noni
05-27-07, 01:46 AM Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but I wanted to adress a question I had concerning the average distance inbetween towns in a medieval setting. Now, normally, I would think by foot that most towns would be about one to five days distance from each other, based on trade and location. However, I could be wrong about something like this. Therefore, I'm asking you, the forum members, on average how far settlements would likely be located apart by medieval technological standards.
OleOneEye
05-27-07, 02:58 AM It heavily depends on things like the local geography, climate, agricultural type, length of civilization, plagues, war, etc. Assuming something like medieval England, you would have manors/hamlets/villages every couple miles with most of the intervening land being productively used for crops, pasturage, etc.
Max the Immortal
05-27-07, 03:36 AM All settlements are one random encounter away from each other.
GoriceXII
05-27-07, 04:03 AM Basically it would be partly where resources are but bear in mind too that if they are dependant upon one another for trade then possibly they are only the length of time it would normally take a person on foot to walk there in a day at most. There might also be stretches divided by forest or other natural areas.
Optimized_Commoner
05-27-07, 04:23 AM This doesn't provide what you are looking for, but it answers every other question you might have.

Medieval Demographics made Easy (http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm).
Heros_Backpack
05-27-07, 06:35 AM The scale I use is:

Type of settlement - distance between similar sized settlements.

Village or smaller - 1 mile
Small Town - 5 miles
Large Town - 20 miles
Small city - 50 miles
Large city or Metropolis - 200+ miles

Any use?
Seeker95
05-27-07, 09:17 AM The distance between settlements depends on the age of the civilization and the chronology of discovery. Look at the United States (relatively young, settled east to west, with settlements closer together in the east and further apart in the west) as an example of chronology of discovery. Look at Europe (relatively old, with most settlements relatively uniform in distance from the next) as an example based on age of civilization.

In other words, there is no flat rule that fits all, but there are many sub-rules that will help determine it.
StevenO
05-27-07, 06:29 PM Generally it should only be one day or less between settlements unless geography dictates otherwise.

Note that these settlemenst may still be small but if a route gets enough traffic some enterprising soul will open an inn a day out from another stop. What better way to get customers? Around that the town would have a base to grow.

In my world major settlements (towns+) will be at least a day of hard riding apart. Between these major settlements will be small ones that can cater to the needs of the slower traveller.
LadyAlaria
05-27-07, 06:50 PM Here's the startling truth. In every society in which this phenomonon has been studied, people consistently spend the same amount of time traveling. All that changes with technology is how far they get in that time.

This has ben studied in modern America and Western Europe and in third world cultures where animal travel is prevalent, and in cultures where walking is the norm. All cultures spend an average 15-20% of their time on travel.

So, if we assume that 45 mph is the normal travel speed (mix of highway and city driving) today, but in your campaign a horseback speed of 5 mph is the norm, you can simply take a modern map and scale everything down by a factor of ten. (The population densities will be quite different, of course.) Clearly today you don't have an even distribution of towns, and you shouldn't in your campaign either.
celtredleg
05-27-07, 08:27 PM You Also have to look at the settlement p[attern. In europe, people lived in villages, and traveled to thier farms for the most part. In early american, they lived at their farms. The difference in travel timnes lets the american model spread out more, but the european model makes for better defense.

So it depends on what you want. And of course as with any generalization, you can find exceptions.
Timbo35918
05-28-07, 01:42 AM You can sort of take a backward approach to all this. Instead of trying to figure out how far apart things are, set them as far or as close as you want, and then figure out how that effects the town. For example, if you decide to make a town a weeks travel from any other settlement of substance, then make the town very self-suffient and hesitant about outsiders, where as a town that has a few other towns half a day away might be more likely to specialize in something, say fish, or corn, and more open to travelers.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gr33noni 05-27-07, 01:46 AM	Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but I wanted to adress a question I had concerning the average distance inbetween towns in a medieval setting. Now, normally, I would think by foot that most towns would be about one to five days distance from each other, based on trade and location. However, I could be wrong about something like this. Therefore, I'm asking you, the forum members, on average how far settlements would likely be located apart by medieval technological standards.
OleOneEye 05-27-07, 02:58 AM	It heavily depends on things like the local geography, climate, agricultural type, length of civilization, plagues, war, etc. Assuming something like medieval England, you would have manors/hamlets/villages every couple miles with most of the intervening land being productively used for crops, pasturage, etc.
Max the Immortal 05-27-07, 03:36 AM	All settlements are one random encounter away from each other.
GoriceXII 05-27-07, 04:03 AM	Basically it would be partly where resources are but bear in mind too that if they are dependant upon one another for trade then possibly they are only the length of time it would normally take a person on foot to walk there in a day at most. There might also be stretches divided by forest or other natural areas.
Optimized_Commoner 05-27-07, 04:23 AM	This doesn't provide what you are looking for, but it answers every other question you might have. Medieval Demographics made Easy (http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm).
Heros_Backpack 05-27-07, 06:35 AM	The scale I use is: Type of settlement - distance between similar sized settlements. Village or smaller - 1 mile Small Town - 5 miles Large Town - 20 miles Small city - 50 miles Large city or Metropolis - 200+ miles Any use?
Seeker95 05-27-07, 09:17 AM	The distance between settlements depends on the age of the civilization and the chronology of discovery. Look at the United States (relatively young, settled east to west, with settlements closer together in the east and further apart in the west) as an example of chronology of discovery. Look at Europe (relatively old, with most settlements relatively uniform in distance from the next) as an example based on age of civilization. In other words, there is no flat rule that fits all, but there are many sub-rules that will help determine it.
StevenO 05-27-07, 06:29 PM	Generally it should only be one day or less between settlements unless geography dictates otherwise. Note that these settlemenst may still be small but if a route gets enough traffic some enterprising soul will open an inn a day out from another stop. What better way to get customers? Around that the town would have a base to grow. In my world major settlements (towns+) will be at least a day of hard riding apart. Between these major settlements will be small ones that can cater to the needs of the slower traveller.
LadyAlaria 05-27-07, 06:50 PM	Here's the startling truth. In every society in which this phenomonon has been studied, people consistently spend the same amount of time traveling. All that changes with technology is how far they get in that time. This has ben studied in modern America and Western Europe and in third world cultures where animal travel is prevalent, and in cultures where walking is the norm. All cultures spend an average 15-20% of their time on travel. So, if we assume that 45 mph is the normal travel speed (mix of highway and city driving) today, but in your campaign a horseback speed of 5 mph is the norm, you can simply take a modern map and scale everything down by a factor of ten. (The population densities will be quite different, of course.) Clearly today you don't have an even distribution of towns, and you shouldn't in your campaign either.
celtredleg 05-27-07, 08:27 PM	You Also have to look at the settlement p[attern. In europe, people lived in villages, and traveled to thier farms for the most part. In early american, they lived at their farms. The difference in travel timnes lets the american model spread out more, but the european model makes for better defense. So it depends on what you want. And of course as with any generalization, you can find exceptions.
Timbo35918 05-28-07, 01:42 AM	You can sort of take a backward approach to all this. Instead of trying to figure out how far apart things are, set them as far or as close as you want, and then figure out how that effects the town. For example, if you decide to make a town a weeks travel from any other settlement of substance, then make the town very self-suffient and hesitant about outsiders, where as a town that has a few other towns half a day away might be more likely to specialize in something, say fish, or corn, and more open to travelers.