Town Buildings List

[Green-Pilgrim]

How many of you have tried to figure out what buildings (type and number) you would need when designing a settlement?

Well, this is an attempt to start a thread (perhaps sticky) for all of the types of buildings / structures that you'd possibly find. I know that as soon as I post this I'll remember 5 more things to add. Please list any additions you can think of.

Thanks!
-GP

Housing
1. Peasant
2. Commoner
3. Merchant
4. Bureaucrat
5. Political
6. Noble
7. Military (barracks)

Trade
1. Blacksmith
2. Carpenter
3. Potter
4. Glassblower
5. Tailor
6. Leatherworker
7. Armorsmith
8. Weaponsmith
9. Alchemist
10. Stables (mounts)
11. Mageware
12. Spices
13. Cloth
14. Slaves
15. Rare Materials
16. Exotic Materials / Creatures
17. Map Vendor
18. Book Seller (and scribal supplies)
19. Brothel
20. Inn

Religious
1. Temple
2. Shrine
3. Church
4. Sanctuary

Economic
-Markets (where trades are clustered together)
1. Spice Market
2. Slave Market
3. Cloth Market
4. Iron Market
5. Food Market
-Locations
1. Docks
2. Warehouse
3. Granary

Materials
1. Quarry
2. Lumberjack's Camp
3. Hunter's Camp
4. Mine
5. Farm
6. Smelting Furnace
7. Plantation

Recreation
1. Tavern
2. Inn
3. Pub
4. Gladiator / Fighter pits

Education
1. Fighter School
2. Mage School
3. Priest School (temple?)
4. Library

[Stuart Shaw]

Great start Green-Pilgrim ... here is a list of Medieval Occupations I have compiled ... not sure if it is 100% accurate in terms of the commonality of the occupations as it is only based on my own assumptions. But this would help in terms of building regularity (i.e. number of buildings per occupation per city) .

[Green-Pilgrim]

Awesome List!

[Realmwright]

This a great list. Very extensive. Any ideas whether D&D 4E included a dice table to random roll occupations?

[isais007]

Great start Green-Pilgrim ... here is a list of Medieval Occupations I have compiled ... not sure if it is 100% accurate in terms of the commonality of the occupations as it is only based on my own assumptions. But this would help in terms of building regularity (i.e. number of buildings per occupation per city) .

I can't seem to open up the attachment is there a way that you can possibly email me that list?

[Lysylya]

There's a great book for info on building towns and cities within a magical medieval setting called
"Magical Medieval Society Western Europe" from Expeditious Retreat Press which is well worth taking a look at.
It has content and tables associated with mapping towns and cities to areas of land, as well as identifying what wards would be present in population centers of different sizes. There are also frequency charts of a particular type of workplace being found in a given ward of a particular type.
If you're interested in that sort of thing, I would definitely look this book up.
That aside, here's a list of workshops, shops and offices that they came up with.

Workshops:

• Cobblers
• Furnature Makers
• Furriers
• Weavers
• Basket Makers
• Carpenters
• Paper/Parchmentmakers
• Potters
• Wheelwrights
• Jewelers
• Masons
• Bakers
• Soapmakers
• Chandlers
• Coopers
• Pastry Makers
• Scabbard Makers
• Silversmiths
• Saddlers and Spurriers
• Purse Makers
• Blacksmiths
• Goldsmiths
• Toymakers
• Artists
• Leatherworkers
• Rope Makers
• Tanners
• Buckle Makers
• Cutlers
• Fullers
• Harness Makers
• Painters
• Woodcarvers
• Glass Makers
• Instrument Makers
• Locksmiths
• Rug Makers
• Sculptors
• Bleachers
• Shipmakers
• Bookbinders
• Bowyer/Fletchers
• Brewers
• Glove Makers
• Vintner
• Girdlers
• Skinners
• Armorers
• Weaponsmiths
• Distillers
• Illuminators
• Perfumer
• Tilers
• Potionmakers
• Clock Makers
• Taxidermists
• Vestment Makers
• Alchemists
• Bellmakers
• Dye Makers
• Inventors

SHOPS

• Clothiers, Used
• Grocers
• Dairy sellers
• Launderers
• Prostitutes
• Furriers
• Tailors
• Barbers
• Drapers
• Flowersellers
• Jewelers
• Mercers
• Engravers
• Pawnbroker
• Haberdashers
• Wine Merchants
• Tinkers
• Butchers
• Fishmongers
• Wool Merchants
• Beer Merchants
• Herbalists
• Spice Merchants
• Woodsellers
• Brothel Keepers
• Hay Merchants
• Booksellers
• Religious souvenir sellers
• Dentists
• Navel Outfitters
• Grain Merchants
• Tobacco merchants
• Magic Merchants

OFFICES

• Livestock merchants
• Carpenters
• Masons
• Pawnbroker
• Wine Merchants
• Doctors, Unlicensed
• Wool Merchants
• Beer Merchants
• Spice Merchants
• Doctors, Licensed
• Copyists
• Moneychangers
• Sage/scholar
• Advocates (lawyers)
• Historians
• Engineers
• Architects
• Astrologers
• Grain Merchants
• Tobacco merchants
• Bankers
• Slavers
• Cartographers
• Magic Merchants

[Anestis]

That is a very nice and thorough list.

[Larb]

There are so so many that it is difficult to compile a truly exhaustive list.

It's also worth considering who supplies who as well. For example the alchemist needs "raw" alchemicals, and the scribier/map maker will need paper. The tailor will need cloth which means weavers and dyers. Also in a town you might not have say, a basket weaver. That would likely be something someone's wife or children do to earn extra money, which they'd sell on to traders at market.

And it is culture dependent too. Certain occupations might be slightly different depending on the culture. For example, if people are buried in barrel-shaped coffins, then your cooper is also the coffinmaker (this kind of thing can be fun to play with then world building I think).

Also don't forget your cheapest-source-of-light maker. Generally the (tallow) candlemaker (a smelly job). It might vary depending on the world (for example in mine the cheapest source of light is a chemoluminescent mixture - something which leads to conflict between the people who make those and the people who make candles).

[Green-Pilgrim]

Yup - you're right Larb, we'll probably not be able to make an exhaustive list because there are too many variables for each person's world to nail them all down. However we could probably have a "these are your basics" list so that when you're designing a map you can pick and choose the number of buildings you'd need and what they're used for.

...and I totally forgot about a candlemaker.

I wonder, in a world where wizards can pop off a light spell at the flip of a finger...would there be candlemaker strikes?

hehe.

Thanks for the followup!

-GP

[Bogie]

Great list, but keep in mind that back then people were not that specialized. One person did many of those jobs. The shepherd, did his own shearing, built his own barn, raised a small garden and occasionally was conscripted to help build the road or bridge.