ThardaVilla 1
operations of the villa effectively filling the roles of reeve,
Background
This is supplementary material to HârnManor for
describing and generating Thardic villas. It makes
provision for the Thardic social and economic structures.
This article is intended to address the smaller
communities that are not marked on the regional map –
equivalent to manors in feudal societies.
Throughout this article we will be using the example of
Ponna, a settlement in the Bythe district of Shiran
province, about a mile downstream of the City of Shiran
on the Tharda river.
The Villa
The villa is the agricultural community that is the basis
for wealth in the Thardic Republic. These villas typically
consist of 100-200 people with a central compound. This
compound is where the members of the ruling clan and
their slaves reside.
The central compound usually includes an open courtyard
where the villa's patron hears petitions from his clients,
holds feasts and maintains a decorative garden.
Bedrooms and kitchens typically surround the courtyard,
forming the walls of the compound, and may be made of
stone while workshops and other buildings are usually are
part of the community itself.
Other buildings in the villa include residences and
workshops of craftsmen and farmers Most villas are
reasonably self-sufficient and have a metal smith,
woodcrafter and other craftsmen.
Villa Lands
A villa's lands generally fall into the same general
categories as all settlements – cropland, pasture and
woodlands. About half of the land will be held by the
patron, with the remainder being held by free farmers and
former legionnaires. The arable land of the villa is
organized in much the same way that manorial lands, with
half of the fields lying fallow each year.
Residents
Vella residents fall into five broad categories: members of
the patron's clan, craftsmen, free farmers, former
legionnaires and slaves.
Patron's Clan
The patron's clan oversees the general operation of the
villa. They are the principle patron of nearly all of the
villa's residents. Members of the community are
appointed by the patron to handle the day to day
Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc.
herder, woodward and beadle.
Craftsmen
Craftsmen are similar in most respects to their feudal
equivalents. The primary exception is that they do not
normally hold land in the villa, though the ruling clan
may provide some land for use as part of the contract with
the guild. Priests are treated in a manner similar to
craftsmen, though the services they provide are less
tangible and there is no franchise fee. Some patrons will
gift priests land in exchange for their spiritual services,
though this is unusual.
Free Farmers
Free farmers are, in general, more common and wealthier
than their feudal counterparts. This includes those who
would be classed as villeins in a feudal system. In
principle, these farmers are free to change patrons, but all
debts owed to their current patron must be paid or the new
patron must be willing to buy the obligations. While
many farmers aspire to acquiring enough land to have
their own villa, very few achieve it.
Former Legionnaires
Former legionnaires fill a niche similar to that of the
yeoman in a feudal system. Legionnaires who serve at
least 20 years are eligibles for a grant of land. While
many of these grants are in borderline wilderness regions,
many patrons will trade those grants of land for some land
in a villa.
Slaves
Slaves are usually war captives, convicted criminals or
debtors. Since debts are inheritable, many slaves are
children of slaves, though only the two eldest children
inherit this debt – the others are free to enlist in the
legions. Most of the slaves work the patron's lands,
though on occasion a wealthy farmer will have a slave.
Muster
In addition to other obligations, all free land holders are
assessed a Legionary Tax of 1d per acre per year. A
family that owns 300 to 600 acres is expected supply one
of its members as a foot soldier in lieu of the tax. Clans
with 600 to 1200 acres are expected to supply a light
cavalryman, and clans with 1200 or more acres are
expected to supply a knight. These legionnaires serve full
time for four years and then in the reserves for another 20.
When a soldier completes their reserve service, the clan
must provide a replacement. Clans may decline this
service and just pay the Legionary Tax.
HârnMaster
 ThardaVilla 2
Like their feudal equivalents, there is a 5% chance per
Villages household that one of the households is a priest. While
most rural priests are Peonian, some are of other religions,
Households & Acreage usually that of the patron's clan.
If the population and acreage for the settlement have
already been determined, use those figures. If not: Craftsmen roll on the table below. Ignore Shipwright for
inland villas. If duplicates occur, use the top unrolled
Households = 4d6+16 (20-40) craftsman. That is, if Salter is already generated, choose
Gross Acres = Households*50/LQ Miller, or if that is already filled, choose Metalsmith and
so on. Once all occupations are filled, duplicates may
Land Quality (LQ) should take into account a number of occur. Other craftsmen are listed for consideration when
factors, including how flat the local terrain is and how all occupations are filled or GM Option is rolled,
harsh the weather is. Average LQ is 1.00, very poor land depending on local circumstance.
is 0.75 and the richest land is 1.25.
Roll Craftsman Others
Example: For Ponna, the Thardic Republic module 01-25 Miller Mercantyler
provides 26 households, 1260 acres and a Land Quality of 26-40 Metalsmith Clothier
1.05. 41-55 Woodcrafter Mason
56-65 Shipwright Physician/Apothecary
Occupations 66-75 Salter Weaponcrafter
76-80 Hideworker Potter
Thardic residents have a different distribution of land than 81-85 Timberwright Embalmer
their feudal counterparts. As such, while the same 86-90 Charcoaler Ostler
functions are fulfilled in a villa, the distribution of wealth 91-95 Innkeeper Thespian
in villas is somewhat different. It should also be noted 96-00 GM Option
that this distribution is per household. A clan would
typically consist of several households, so the total Example: We generate 26 households for Ponna and get 6
holdings of an individual clan would be the sum of those farmers, 9 freemen, including three hunters / fishermen, 0
households. leginnaires, 6 slaves, and 5 craftsmen including a miller, a
metalsmith, an innkeeper, a salter and a priest.
Roll on the following occupation tables for each
household in the villa.
Occupation Skill
Roll Occupation Acres For each household, determine a primary skill ML with a
01-10 Craftsman 0 (3d6*5) + 25 roll. For more refinement, you may opt to
11-15 Legionnaire (3d6:1)x5+10 add 2d6-7 to this skill.
16-60 Farmer (3d6*)x5
61-75 Freeman (3d6:1)x5-15 Household Size
76-00 Slave - Household size is determined as in HârnManor, with
farmers having d6+2, freemen d6 and all others having
Some explanation is in order – for Legionnaires and d6+1.
Freeman, roll 3d6 and subtract the highest die. Then,
multiply by 5 and add 10 for Legionnaires and subtract 15
for Freemen (minimum zero). For Farmers, roll 3d6, and Resident Obligations
for each 6 rolled, roll an additional die. Multiply the total The obligations of residents is generally as listed in
by 5. HârnManor. Freehold Tenants: Farmers and Freemen pay
60d for their cottage plus 6d per acre in rents and 6d plus
Freemen are nominally farmers, but hold little to no land. 1d per acre in fees; Craftsmen pay 60d for their cottage
They are typically laborers that work on the patron's lands plus license fees; Former Legionnaires pay the same as
to make ends meet, but may be hunters or fishermen. Farmers and Freemen, but their rents are reduced to 1d
Roll d20 vs. each freeman's acres. If the number exceeds per acre, Slaves households produce 600 days labor, but
the acres, that freeman is a hunter or fisherman. cost 500d per year. Resident officers (e.g. Reeve, etc.) are
unpaid, but pay no rents.

Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc. HârnMaster

Villa Budget
General Data
The gross acres of a villa is obtained either from atlas
data or calculated as described in the Population and
Acreage section. This is the total number of acres and is
not likely to change without some political upheaval.
The cleared acres of the villa is generally about 70% to
90% of the gross acres, though in areas bordering
wilderness the cleared acres may be as low as 50%. All
remaining land is assumed to be woodland.
Note: Functionally, cleared acres will be limited to what
can be worked by the villa's residents. If the cleared acres
is significantly more, then either reduce the cleared acres
or provide a reason for a recent population reduction.
Cleared acres are further subdivided into cropland and
pasture. Nominal cropland will be from one third to one
half of the cleared acres, depending mostly on the land
quality – higher land quality gives more crops. The actual
cropland will be one half of the nominal cropland with
the other half lying fallow
Pasture will be all cleared land that is not actual cropland
(including fallow cropland).
The total labor pool for the villa is the number of free
households times 500 days plus slave households times
600 days. This number cannot be exceeded.
Generate Fief Index (FI) and Trade Index (TI) for the
villa as described in HârnManor.
Example: Ponna sits next to the Thard river, with rich
soils. As such, 87% of the land is cleared (1092 acres).
Nominal cropland half or 546 acres, which results in 273
acres of actual cropland. Thus, Ponna has 819 acres of
pasture. The remaining acres (172) are woodlands. The
20 free households and 6 slave households of Ponna result
in 13,600 days of labor available. The villa is extremely
poorly maintained for a fief index of 0.73. It's location on
the Thard river means a trade index of 1.2.
Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc.
ThardaVilla 3
Officers
Select individuals from the population to serve as officers
for woods, crops, pasture and storage (i.e. Woodward,
Reeve, Herder and Beadle). Generally, the officers for
crops and pasture will be the two largest landholders,
while the officers for woods will be selected from the
hunters/trappers respectively. Their skills will be used to
influence the yield of any particular activity. The officer
for storage will be used to influence losses in storage and
will generally be represented by a member of the ruling
clan. Officers usually pay reduced rents and fees in
exchange for their services.
Example: Taking skills of various prominent households
in Ponna yields Reeve skill 83, Herder skill 75, Woodland
skill 75, and Beadle skill 73.
Woodlands
All land that is not included in cleared acreage is assumed
to be woodland. Woodland is really any unmanaged land
near the villa, be it marsh, heath, or actual woods.
Hunters / trappers are those individuals who spend most
of their time working woodlands and getting useful things
out of them.
Poor land doesn’t decrease the production of
hunters/trappers, it merely increases the amount of land
needed to create the same production. Hunters/trappers
require 150 or more acres of good woodland each.
Fishermen require similar amounts of open water, though
those adjacent to Lake Benath will functionally have
unlimited water. Villas adjacent to wilderness areas have
effectively unlimited woodlands.
• Acres: Labor / (3 * LQ).
• Labor: Time spent working woodlands.
• Kind: 6d * SI * WI * FI * Labor.
Example: The three hunters / fishermen of Ponna work
the 168 acres of woods and fish the Thard river (assume
equivalent to 150 acres). Functionally, there is not
enough woods / river to support all three full time, so they
will be splitting time with farm work, spending 1002 days
hunting and fishing (consuming 318 acres). They will
bring in 4385d in kind.
HârnMaster

Crops
Each villa is assumed to be planted with a mix of
traditional crops, determined through long years of
practice to best suit the local climate and soils. Thus, the
crop mix does not generally change from year to year,
only the yield.
ThardaVilla 4
Pasture
Livestock graze on pasture land and fallow fields. Pasture
land will be the non-cropland cleared acreage. As with
woodlands, lower land quality doesn’t change the
production of herders, it merely increases the amount of
land needed to support the herds.

Roll 10 times on the table below for crop mixes the Oxen are required to plow the cropland, so each villa
Thardic Republic. Note that labor and yield have been must have oxen head equal to the total acres growing
doubled from HârnManor to reflect it is per actual crop annual crops (not fruit) crops divide 5.
acre, not nominal crop acre. It should be noted that fruit
acreage is not rotated the way other crops are, but because Oxen Head: (Actual Crop Acres – Fruit Acres) / 5
the area can often also be used as pasture, the effect is the
same. Please keep this in mind when mapping the manor. For the remaining herds, roll 8 times on the following
We have also added the cost of seed to reflect some crops table. Total up the graze for each animal and multiply it
are cheaper to sow than others. While the cost of seed for by the number of oxen to get the size of each herd. Note
fruit is very low, we have also reduced the yield, so the we have also added the feed cost of keeping the winter
net is effectively the same as that given in HârnManor. herd. This figure takes into account the smaller winter
herds (e.g. Cows have half the feed of oxen because half
Roll Crop HR Labor Yield Seed as many are kept in the winter herds).
01-10 Rye +10 10 90d 18d
11-25 Barley +20 12 96d 19d Roll AnimalGraze HR Labor Yield Feed
26-40 Oats +15 10 84d 17d 01-10 Cows 1/2 -5 20 188d 25d
41-65 Hay +20 10 80d 16d 11-40 Goats 2 +10 5 40d 4d
66-75 Veggies +0 16 160d 32d 41-80 Sheep 3 -10 3 33d 3d
76-80 Flax -10 12 132d 26d 81-00 Swine 10 +5 2 15d 1d
81-85 Wheat -20 12 144d 29d Oxen 1/2 +0 17 130d 50d
86-00 Fruit -30 14 144d 0d Horses 1 +5 4

For each crop, the following is calculated: Head: Animal Graze * Oxen Head

Acres: Actual Cropland * Crop% For each livestock, including oxen and horses, calculate
Labor: Crop Labor * Crop Acres the following:
Kind: Crop Acres * Crop Yield * LQ * FI * WI * SI
Seed: Crop Acres * Crop Seed • Acres: (Animal Head * 1.5) / (Animal Graze*LQ)
• Labor: Animal Head * Animal Labor
Sum the total acres, labor and kind from all crops. • Kind: Animal Head * Animal Yield * FI * WI * SI
• Feed: Animal Head * Animal Feed
Example: The crop mix for Ponna is 10% Rye, 10%
Vegetables, 10% Barley, 20% Oats 20% Wheat. 20% Hay
Sum the total acres, labor and kind from all livestock.
and 10% Fruit.
Example: Ponna needs 49 oxen to work its 246 acres of
Crop Acres Labor WI SI Kind Seed
cropland. The other herds total 25 cows (rolled once), 98
Rye 27 270 1.00 0.90 1676 486
goats (rolled once), 735 sheep (rolled five times), and 490
Barley 27 324 1.00 1.05 2086 513
hogs (rolled once). This results in the following:
Oats 55 550 1.00 1.00 3541 935
Hay 55 550 1.00 1.05 3541 880
Animal HeadAcres Labor WI SI Kind Feed
Veggies 27 432 1.00 1.05 3477 864
Oxen 49 140 833 1.00 0.95 4418 2450
Wheat 55 660 1.00 1.00 6071 1595
Cows 25 71 500 1.00 1.00 3431 625
Fruit 27 378 1.00 0.95 2831 0
Goats 98 70 490 1.00 1.00 2862 392
Total 273 3164 23223 5273
Sheep 735 350 2205 1.00 1.00 17706 2205
Swine 490 70 980 1.00 1.05 5634 490
Total 701 5008 33049 6162

Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc. HârnMaster
 ThardaVilla 5
Assart Seed & Feed
Assart is the process of clearing wooded land. This is an Sum up the cost of seed and feed for the current
important source of timber for building and helps rotate allocations under Cropland and Pasture respectively. Loss
land use to keep land productive. Assume assart of 2% of is factored in by dividing the total by the Beadle’s SI.
woodland acres will be needed for maintenance, and the
Woodward (or Timberwright if licensed) will be • Kind: (Seed + Feed) / SI
managing the activity.
Example: Ponna expended 13529d in seed, feed and
• Labor: 30 Days * Acres Assarted / FI losses during the past year.
• Kind: 120d * Acres Assarted
Total
Example: Ponna is assarting 3 acres of woodland, using Sum up kind received from the various activities and
123 days of labor and earning 360d in kind. subtract kind expended on maintenance and seed & feed.
This is the total income for the villa.
Maintenance
Maintenance is actually done on the tools and equipment Example: Total income for Ponna is 50044d.
used in all activities, nets for fishing, snares for trapping,
plows for crops, etc. Maintenance costs both time and
materials in proportion to the labor expended on other
activities. Additional (or less) labor will raise or lower
the Fief Index as described in HârnManor.

• Labor: 0.3 * Labor Expended * FI

• Kind: 2d * Maintenance Labor

Example: At this point, Ponna has expended 9296 days

of labor on crops, hunting / fishing, herding and assart.
This means Ponna will need to 2036 days of labor and
4072d to maintain its Fief Index.

Checks and Balances

Check to make sure neither labor nor acreage worked
exceeds the available quantities. If either do, reduce
activities until they are in line with local resources. If
excess labor and acreage is available, activities may be
increased to make use of the available labor and acreage.

Example: At this point, Ponna is using 118 acres less

than are cleared and 2268 days of labor remain unused.
We choose to increase the sheep herd by 247 sheep. This
leaves 1365 days of labor unused. The new values
follow:

Activity Labor Acres Kind Feed

Sheep 2946 468 23656 2946
Maintenance 2198 N/A -4396 N/A

Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc. HârnMaster

Patron’s Budget
Patron’s Income
The patron’s income from the villa is calculated based on
the proportion of land they hold. Specifically, the patron
share is the patron’s acres divide the total cleared acres.
Further assume that the ruling clan is due a quarter share
of the fishing income as owners of the fishing vessels and
a quarter share of all pelts/game taken as owners of the
land.
Income: Patron Share * (Crop Kind + Pasture Kind –
Maintenance Kind – Seed & Feed) + 0.25 * Fishing
Kind + 0.25 * Hunting/Trapping Kind
Example: The Clan Share for Ponna is 0.56. This results
in income of 26685d.
Rents and Fees
The patron gathers rents and fees in much the same way
these fees are gathered in a feudal manor. Franchise fees
for craftsmen are as specified in HârnManor.
Example: Ponna has typical rents and fees totaling of
3561d.
Taxes & Tolls
Villas levy taxes and tolls on roads and bridges in their
holding to raise income. Water borne tolls on ships plying
a river are less common, but not unheard of. Tolls are
rarely charged on the villa’s residents.
Tolls: 3d6 * 240d * Trade Index
Example: Ponna’s taxes and tolls are extracted from
visiting merchants and barges on the Thard that stop for
the night, yielding 2592d.
Amercements
Fines assessed for various offenses.
Amercements: Households * 2d6 * 5d * Beadle SI
Example: Ponna obtains 618d annually for assorted
offenses.
Household Expenses
The expenses of the patron's household are calculated
based on the household developed as described in
HârnManor. A rough estimate is 3000d per member of
household plus 500d per slave household.
Example: The patron's 6 household members and 6 slave
households will cost 21900d to support.
Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc.
ThardaVilla 6
Legionnary Tax
A legionnary tax of 1d per acre is paid unless it is offset
with military service.
Example: Ponna owes 1260d in Legionnary Tax.
Labor Hired
The patron must hire extra labor at 1d per day to work his
extensive lands if he has insufficient slaves to work the
land. The labor required to work the land is:
Labor Hired: Clan Share * (Crop Labor + Pasture Labor
+ Maintenance Labor) – Slave Households * 600
days
Example: The patron of Ponna needs to spend 2696d
annually for labor to work his lands.
Tithe
Patrons in the Thardic Republic tithe to the religion of
their choice in much the same way that fuedal lords do.
Example: The patron of Ponna is largely secular, but pays
the appropriate tithe of 3359d – keeping up appearances.
Political Expenses
Of course, there are the social obligations of hospitality
towards peers, gifts to be bought and bribes to be paid.
Given that such transactions are much more prevalant in
the Thardic Republic than other kingdoms, the minimum
is larger than it is in other locations. The amount given is
a minimum, ambitious men spend much more.
Political Expenses: Cleared Acres * 2d
Example: Ponna pays 3d per acre to keep some latent
ambition alive – 3780d.
Net Income
Add Income, Rents, Tolls, and Amercements to get gross
income.
Add Household Expenses, Legionnaire Tax, Labor Hired,
Tithe and Political Expenses for total expenses.
Net Income is Gross Income minus Total Expenses.
Example: The patron’s gross income is 33456d. Total
expenses are 32995d. The patron has a cash reserve of
474d.
HârnMaster
 ThardaVilla 7
Author's Notes
For this supplement, I wanted to give HârnManor a
different feel and emphasize the different social structures
of the Thardic Republic without changing the underlying
economics. That is, people still need to eat, and the
amount of food produced by a villa should be the same as
a comparable manor, but the way obligations flow in
terms of labor and rents owed is different.

In particular, I wanted to emphasize that more of the land

is held by fewer people and that slaves make up a larger
portion of the population than would be the case in a
feudal kingdom. I also wanted to have a small chance for
a farmer to hold much more than they would in a feudal
kingdom – a potential rising clan as it were. I do hope
that the dice mechanics for this are not excessively
complicated.

I debated the merits of creating a mechanic for

determining which households were in the same clan. In
the end, I decided this was more of a narrative aspect to
be decided by the writers of individual villas (possibly
using the Family Trees article available from lythia.com).

I hope that this supplement spurs more development in

the Thardic Republic, but have come to realize that
Hârniacs are a whimsical lot, so am not holding my
breath. In any case, I expect that while most will never
use this supplement, several people will find it quite
valuable – I know I will.

Credits
Writer: Jonathan Nicholas

Based on HârnManor by N. Robin Crossby, Tom

Dalgliesh, Jonathan Davidson and John Sgammato.
HârnManor is published by Columbia Games Inc., #4751.

Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc. HârnMaster
 ThardaVilla 8
Settlement: Ponna Households 26
Holder: Tamel Land Quality: 1.05
Realm: Thardic Rep. Gross Acres: 1260
Cleared Acres: 1092 Labor Pool: 13600
Nominal Cropland: 546 Fief Index: 0.73
Actual Cropland: 273 Trade Index: 1.2
Pasture Acres: 819 Weather Index: 1
Patron's Share: 0.5604
Activity Acres Labor Kind Herds Head Acres Labor WI SI Kind
Woodlands 168 528 2313 Oxen 49 140 833 1 0.95 4418
Crops 273 3164 23223 Cows 25 71 500 1 1 3431
Herds 819 5749 40001 Goats 98 70 490 1 1 2862
Fishing 473 2072 Sheep 982 468 2946 1 1 23656
Assart 3 123 360 Swine 490 70 980 1 1.05 5634
Maintenance 2198 -4396 Horses 0 0 0 0
Seed & Feed -13529 Total 819 5749 40001
Totals 1092 12235 50044
Patron's Budget Crops Acres Labor WI SI Kind
Income 26685 Rye 27 270 1 0.9 1676
Rents 3561 Barley 27 324 1 1.05 2086
Tolls 2592 Oats 55 550 1 1 3541
Amercements 618 Hay 55 550 1 1.05 3541
Expenses -21900 Vegetables 27 432 1 1.05 3477
Legionnaire Tax -1260 Flax 0 0 1 1 0
Labor Hired -2696 Wheat 55 660 1 1 6071
Tithe -3346 Fruit 27 378 1 0.95 2831
Political Expenses -3780 Total 273 3164 23223
Net Income 474

Household # Each Total Household # Each Total

Patron 1 3000 3000 Nursemaid 1 400 400
Spouse 1 2000 2000 Domestics 5 300 1500
Children 3 1000 3000 Gardner 1 400 400
Relative 1 1500 1500 Palfrey 5 900 4500
Chamberlain 1 800 800 Slaves 6 500 3000
Cook 1 500 500 Ostler 1 1300 1300
Total 21900

Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc. HârnMaster
 ThardaVilla 9
Settlement: Ponna
Households: 26
Name Occupation Acres ML Size Labor Rents Notes
1 Farmer 55 75 3 0 0 Woodward
2 Farmer 40 66 6 0 346
3 Farmer 40 75 4 0 346
4 Farmer 70 75 6 0 0 Herder
5 Farmer 45 71 9 0 381
6 Farmer 90 83 3 0 0 Reeve
7 Freeman 10 65 3 0 136
8 Hunter 10 71 1 0 0 Beadle
9 Freeman 20 57 4 0 206
10 Fisherman 5 75 7 0 101
11 Freeman 10 65 5 0 136
12 Freeman 30 76 7 0 276
13 Freeman 35 73 4 0 311
14 Freeman 15 63 10 0 171
15 Hunter 5 74 4 0 101
16 Miller 74 3 0 306
17 Innkeeper 65 1 0 282
18 Metalsmith 79 5 0 210
19 Slave 73 4 600 0
20 Salter 60 4 0 186
21 Priest 64 2 0 66
22 Slave 85 5 600 0
23 Slave 73 3 600 0
24 Slave 75 2 600 0
25 Slave 63 13 600 0
26 Slave 79 5 600 0
Totals 480 123 3600 3561

Copyright 2013 Jonathan Nicholas, N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc. HârnMaster