A summer in summary

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Ad Astera per Aspera
61

I've been giving some thought to grog assignment (part of my revamping my tracker sheets), and realized some of our crafters are unable to set up workshops in spring or summer due to not having any building space. They could set up in a caravan tent, but then would likely to have to spend a later season to set it up in a more permanent setting. Penko, Ismael, Paphos and Asha all have space to work, but Madaleen and Hakima do not.

I suggest setting their status to servant for Spring and Summer, then set up workshop space when the first out of aura covenant space is finished at the end of summer. This has an advantage of also addressing our servant shortage. We currently need 8-9 servants if my calculations are correct, and currently we have Henri, Orphan Mary, and two NPC adolescents in the role. If Madaleen and Asha are willing to help out for two seasons, they will reduce our servant deficit to between 2-3.

I think I'll do the same for Ismael this year. While his animals are portable, all he really does is save us a few pounds of maintenance. I think he's gonna do less animal husbandry and more general service this year.

Maybe Tartessos will be building Marvelous Hound collars next season.

62

It looks like Bavol will be played communally, as will Patrice. As such, Bavol will be assigned as a fighting Grog, and Patrice as a servant (cook). They will be "off" spring and summer, using Spring for Practice 8 in Arabic, and Summer for Practice 8 in Italian, assuming no one objects. They will likely "work" fall and winter gaining exposure in their fields.

Does this work for everyone?

63

Herni can certainly work as a servant. I had assumed that having her copy would be a more valuable use of Asha' time, but she does what the covenant says. Zoltan would make a lousy servant, but a good guard.

64

we are critically short on fighting grogs, also, so they stay where they are. I agree that Asha is a great scribe and would like to keep her there, but I do not know the effects of being "under-servanted". Here are my calculations:

Magi (5 inhabitant points each)
Antonius
Tomas
Tartessos
Maffeo
Euthymios
Total: 25 pts

Companions supported by Domus Aureus (3 pts each)
Master Paphos
Nicolae
Total: 6 pts

Craftsmen/Specialists (2 pts each)
Penko
Asha
Total: 4 pts

Other Grogs (1 pt each)
Ismael
Madaleen
Hakima
Henri
Orphan Mary
2 NPC servants
Garcin
Zoltan
Vicente
Bavol
Total: 11 pts (7 acting as servants)

47 inhabitant points total, meaning we need 9-10 servants. If we move Ismael, Madaleen and Hakima Craft/Spec category, we raise the inhabitant points to 50, requiring ten servants, and losing three.

To me, we need to keep their status as servant this year, and recruit two-three more to act as servants for Fall and summer to hit our minimums.

65

I suppose Euthymios had to be doing something in Spring, so should I have him having written a tractatus, maybe? Either in Magic Theory or Medicine. It seems unlikely that he would have spent an entire season without access to writing supplies, even if he was traveling most of that time. I'm going to say Medicine for now, unless anyone really desperately needs another Magic Theory tractatus to study. Spending the Summer recruiting, though, definitely.

66

First, servants and laborers and teamsters don't count towards needing more servants and teamsters. Second, you forgot about teamsters.

In the short run, we simply don't have enough servants/teamsters to run everything as you have it listed. I don't think we've actually recruited Mary yet. That leaves us with 10 people to serve and teamster for 35 points of inhabitants. We need seven servants and four teamsters. :astonished: However the magi don't have to live like nobles. If they decide to live like the much poorer companions that would cut out ten points leaving us with 25 before grogs. The grogs could then be split into 5 servants, two teamsters and 3 laborers. That would leave us with:

Magi and companions (3 each)
Antonius
Tomas
Tartessos
Maffeo
Euthymios
Master Paphos
Nicolae
21 total

Craftspeople and specialist: (Two Each)
Penko
Asha
4 total

Other Groggy People
Servants (1 point each, do not need servants/teamsters)
2 NPC servants
Ismael
Madaleen
Hakima

Teamsters (1 point each, do not need servants/teamsters)
Henri
Garcinu
Laborers (1 point each, do not need servants, replace .2 teamsters each)
Zoltan
Vicente
Bavol

Ten Total
That leaves us with 35 inhabitant points.

Cost calculations: Ignoring buildings for now, we need 7 pounds of consumables, 7 points for wages, and (17.5-3) for provisions. Or 28.5 to spend on inhabitants. We have 5 magi and one scribe giving us 6 pounds for writing material cost, I'm guessing 5 pounds for lab costs

So we owe 31.5 pounds+building costs...

P.S. Long-term I'd recommend Hakima either be quasi-independent or work at the hospital to get her off the covenant cost list and into the profit column. She'll of course do whatever the magi say, since she is very grateful for the timely rescue. But I think that would be the most cost efficient.

P.P.S. On that note it looks like Hakima will be serving this season. Would Latin be valid exposure experience in that case?

67

My calculations assumed teamsters were hired out and not part of the covenant inhabitants, allowing us to use those peeps for servants or security - we need someone acting as a grog or the "cave people" will "get" us!

Good point on Magi living as companions until we get more covenfolk.

It was my understanding that servants did count under calculations for servants needed; I'll check that again.

68

I had assumed we would hire local labor for teamster / excavation. I had figured we ould also hire local servants for now. It will cost money, and they sure won't be loyal, but they can do what is needed. I think that living at companion grade for now makes good sense. None of the magi expect luxury, and everyone knows that building is going to be a stretch.

69

by my spreadsheet you need 11 servants, you have 1 grog actually designated as a servant, Paphos was talking about recruiting 2 from the orphanage, where he could get up to 6. If there is a shortage of effective servants it will affect seasonal studies as mages will have to take time to do more for themselves. Assigning craftspeople as temporary servants will remove this shortfall while they are so assigned.
For mages to live as companions they would have to, amongst other things, forsake lab activities.
Teamsters (and laborers, but that comes under the construction budget) have been hired locally, but they can live away from the covenant, servants will need to be hired on long term. You could in theory recruit servants from the rotating labor pool (the labor pool is rotated for safety, to prevent warping), which combined with the orphanage would allow for sufficient servants to be recruited in a season...

effects of being under-servanted:
no servants to 1/2 servants: magi get 1/3 scores for study or lab totals
1/2 servants to a couple short: magi get 2/3 scores for study and lab totals
a few short- penalizes loyalty accumulation by -1/yr as people feel overworked

70

I am a little surprised that living as a companion affects study totals, since companions can spend full time either working or with free seasons, but it is not worth arguing.

If we are willing to pay a bit extra, can we hire enough servants?

71

6 from the orphanage, wow! If they have a clean record and reputation, we'll take them all. We will also wait until the end of Summer and make a job offer to the best laborer (clean record, hard worker)

Regarding the 11 servants needed, does that take into account eliminating Syrus, Galiana and Aurelio? That would be an 11 point decrease.

People in the servant category relatively long term:
Henri
Patrice
Orphan Mary
5 other orphans
1 laborer

Loaned for 1220 service:
Madaleen
Ismael

This should give us ten servants with an even 50 inhabitant points (see post above calculating 47 inhabitant points, now corrected for six recruited orphans, not three.)

If Euthymios is successful in recruiting, we can return our loaned specialists and maybe start training fighting grogs.

Note Hakima is not on the loaned list; if she is able to set up a workshop, she can.

72

[tab][/tab]I suppose a drop from magi to companion on this list will also mean a drop on living conditions modifier? I could have Maffeo drop in category for a year if it helps, but lets not make a habit of it...

73

we also added some people, and yes it does: basis for my calculations:
5 magi and one redcap living as magi (we can easily put the redcap at companion level with no penalties beyond aging modifiers), 7 craftsman, 4 soldiers, 1 economic companion (nicholae). Now this means some companions are living at craftsmen status (especially Paphos).
dropping the redcap to companion status would reduce the number of required servants by 1.
I was not including Orphan Mary in the list of available servants, she would be (hypothetically) looking for an apprenticeship at her age- though early on many apprenticeships are indistinguishable from servant positions and the church certainly understands if her apprenticeship might take a year or two to get underway (especially in light of the, er, situation at the orphanage), so that will gain you 1 more servant

Note: I had Patrice as a 'craftsman' towards lowering the cost of provisions since he was described as a gardner... I can certainly switch him to servant...

as to switching mages to companions, whiling their time away in the lab and letting servants tend to incidentals is one of the things that largely defines the difference between magi and companions.

74

David (the Redcap) is not there for Summer and Fall. He has to be out delivering messages / goods for the House.

75

calculations are done by the year, not season, and we are currently getting enough servants that it will probably wind up in the -1 to loyalty accumulation rather than penalizing labs...