Villages, Towns, and Cities
Settlements can be broken down into three categories: Villages, Towns, and Cities.
Villages are the smallest category of settlement, typically only featuring a few small Buildings, and anywhere from just one resident to a hundred (though typically measuring in the dozens). Villages have few resources to their name, and most people living in a Village are focused on day-to-day survival, lacking the time for leisure. If a Village has a leader, it is most often just the oldest or most respected person in the group, and is rarely an official position. Because Villages typically lack any kind of walls, militia, or defenses, a Hero or a band of monsters might ride past one and not even realize it’s there - but if they do notice, the Village is surely in trouble.
Villages always contain at least one Farm, and at least one House. They also have at least one service, typically a single Shop, a Stable, or a Workshop.
Towns are the middling category of settlement, and may be the most common. They typically range from having a hundred residents, up to a thousand. They feature a recognizable market square or street, and often have actual roads leading to and from points of interest. Villages have enough people, resources, and time to have many classes of people: farmers, merchants, and tradesmen can all coexist and help one another. Towns often have a recognized leader, often an elected official with a small office to befit their title. Towns will sometimes have walls, if they are in a dangerous or oftcontested location; they can also call on their citizens to mobilize, creating a crude militia in times of crisis.
Towns feature all that Villages do, as well as at least one Inn, and at least three Shops (though they often have more than that). Towns also feature at least three of the following: a Cultural Monument, Enchanter, Healer, Post Office, Stable, and/or a Workshop. Some Towns may have Walls.
Cities are the largest category of settlement, and are rare - a kingdom may not have any true cities, or it might have up to a handful if in the midst of a golden age. Cities have thousands of people in them, from all walks of life and all trades, making them a great place to look if you’re seeking something rare or esoteric. Cities have a thriving bureaucracy with many departments and officials; some are elected, others are merit-based, and yet others might be appointed by royal decree. Cities quite often have walls, checkpoints, and other defenses, making them difficult for enemies to assail directly.
Cities feature everything that a Town has, and can further have just about any type of Building that you can imagine within their bounds. Cities must have at least five kinds of Shops, though they often have many more. They also feature at least six of the following: a Bank, Cultural Monument, Enchanter, Healer, a Library or Book Store, a Minigame, an Observatory or Fortune Teller, Post Office, a Restaurant, Stable, Tower, or a Workshop. Most Cities have Walls, as well.