Build a Fantasy Village: Who are the Peasants, Anyway?

In this episode, Mac and Zoe discuss how medieval peasantry worked, the complexities of the system, unexpected laws, rights, and privileges, and how world builders, writers, and game masters can both accurately represent and adapt the village system in their medieval fantasy worlds and TTRPGs. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system he¡re! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References: Gies, Frances & Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper & Row, 1990.  “Medieval Settlements.” Historic England. A great PDF introduction. Link . Ellis, Penny. “Medieval Thoralby.” Thoralby Through Time. Link . Hilton, Rodney. Bond Men Made Free. The Viking Press, 1973. Ray, T.J. “Manorial Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link . Ray, T.J. “Feudal Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link . The Middle English Compendium. (Note: this site often goes down.) Link . Terminology: cottager cotter demesne Dunbar’s Number famuli franklin freeman hamsoke hayward huckster merchet peasant pheasant reeve serf smallholder sokeman tenant farmer villein virgate week work