I've been farming/ranching for a little while and these are some ideas that have popped into my head. I'm going to try and put them in separate post replies to keep things organized. Mostly they are ways to increase the engagement level by adding difficulty/complexity.
Everything is researched from real life to be as accurate as possible to the medieval/dark age time period that is most analogous to the world of Cogg.
Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Pests:
No one can resist a free dinner, which is what these creatures see when they come across your farm. More active plots increase the risk of relevant pest activity, and the farming-mogul-to-be had better stay on their game to keep them at bay. Ideally the harvest value of crops would be adjusted to reflect the severity of the threat from pests.
No one can resist a free dinner, which is what these creatures see when they come across your farm. More active plots increase the risk of relevant pest activity, and the farming-mogul-to-be had better stay on their game to keep them at bay. Ideally the harvest value of crops would be adjusted to reflect the severity of the threat from pests.
- Fungi
-Preys on leafy greens, beans, tomatoes, and root vegetables.
-Known to sicken grazing animals, reducing or delaying yields.
-Add citrus juice, vinegar, or pearlash to water container before watering plants to stave it off. May cause plants to stagnate or with if too much
vinegar is used.
-For trellis crops (if implemented), add milk to water container before watering. This has a dual purpose, provide a tiny fertilizing effect. - Termites
-Preys on wooden structures and logs.
-Treat structures with a coat of lacquer stave them off. Basic lacquer is made by melting beeswax over a gentle flame, such as a candle, lamp, or match. The protective coating will diminish over time and must be checked and refreshed periodically. - Field Mice:
-Preys on all crops except gourds.
-Known to steal nuts and chicken feed from hutches and coops. May take grass feed from sheds, as well as steal all manner of wool, yarn, thread, and fibers from storage buildings for use in their nests.
-Add hot pepper spice, peppermint oil, or cloves to water container before watering to stave them off. Simple mouse traps can be placed inside containers/structures to keep them from thieving fibers/damaging cloth - Crows
-Preys on fruit and grain crops.
-Known to steal nuts and chicken feed from hutches and coops.
-Build a scarecrow to stave them off. Larger farms may require multiple scarecrows for full coverage. - Wild Boars
-Preys on fruits, gourds, and root vegetables. Known to steal all forms of animal feed and may hurt domestic animals in the process. Injured animals will need to be treated using typical healing items or visited by a Physicker before they will produce again. They also cannot be sold back at the Stockade Office.
-A tall stone fence with a sturdy gate will stave them off. Hanging fresh raw pelts of predators such as wolves, lynx, or bears from the farm fence will likewise dissuade them, at least until the pelt eventually loses its scent and must be replaced.
Last edited by Staz on Sun Jul 31, 2022 4:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Domestic Pets
Periodically, among the pest animals that come to the farm, there will be the occasional one who is either unusually friendly or obviously young enough to be hand-raised. These can be tamed and kept on the farm as a unique pet, but cannot be transported or led out of the farm area.
First, make a good first impression when approached by the animal, which you accomplish by giving it food. Then either pet or play with it in the way it seems to want you to do. If other animals of the same kind are present, attacking them will ruin the chance to tame the animal.
The tameable creature will continue to return to your farm over a period of time, and if it receives food and desired attention every time, it will eventually be tamed. It will then stick around the farm for about a week to make sure it wants to live with you. Consistent good treatment will make it a loyal pet, and it will stay for good.
Alternatively, it could require a species specific home to be built, such as a cat tree or dog house, giving some opportunity for simple recipes and more farmer/builder business.
Tamed pest animals do not perform their usual pest behaviors. Instead, pets offer a species-specific perk once per day.
]Field Mouse
Pest Counter: Fungi - Your keen eyed and fastidious mouse will clean fungi spores, reducing chance of crop damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: Almost anything. Prefers sweets, corn, nuts, and berries.
Likes: Ear scratching, sitting on shoulders.
Daily Perk: Sticky Fingers
Your mouse lives on your farm but it doesn't stay there 24/7. When it finds something particularly nice, it will give it to you as a once-a-day gift. Hey, it's not like YOU stole it. Gifts may be almost any tiny item, from a single riln coin, to an emberberry, to a tiny bronze bloom big enough for one nail, or even just a pine nut. It's the thought that counts.
Alternative: Downy Soft Fur
You pet your mouse and receive a 3-4 downy soft fibers of mouse fur. Makes valuable yarn/thread, but requires a certain amount of weaving or bushcrafting skill.
Wild Bird
Pest Counter: Insects - Your bird will eat insects it finds, reducing chance of termite damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: seeds, grain crops, corn, nuts, fruit, chicken feed
Likes: when you $sing to them, when you play an instrument, dancing, cooked eggs and egg shells as a treat (nutritious!)
Daily Perk: Here's A Little Song I Wrote
In return for a liked behavior, your bird will sing and dance for you in a charming/amusing way depending on the species. Gives a small boost to morale.
Alternative Perk: Shiny For My Lovely
The bird will bring you a small unpolished gem. Players with mining skill can polish the gems to reveal a gem of low-middling value.
(Construction recipe idea!
Rock Polisher
Shines gems if operated for long periods, requires filling with gems plus small rocks and water, then changed to gems, sand and water, finally gems, clay and water for best results. Gives a "polished <gem name>" with a percentage boost to value.)
Feral Cat
Eats: Meat, but especially raw fish.
Pest Counter: Rodents - Your cat will eat rodents, reducing chance of crop damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Likes: Everything, nothing, it's a cat so who knows? If you have high animal handling, you might be able to tell the difference between when it wants you to hold some string for it to chase, when it wants you to pet it, and when it wants you to sit perfectly still while it takes a bath on your lap.
Daily Perk: Do You Keep Those Animals In A Box Because You Can't Hunt?
Concerned about your complete lack of survivability in the harsh wilds, your cat brings one incapacitated/unconscious prey animal to you each day. You can kill and butcher it or let it run away-- either way the cat is both judging you and deeply concerned for your continued wellbeing.
Alternate Perk: Cuddle Monster
You've lucked into one of those ooey gooey can't say a bad word about you cats. Your cat spends the whole day cuddling up to your various animals. When you first come to give it attention, it will cuddle up to you so it can take a quick bath in your lap. This removes all of the other animals' fur that was stuck to your cuddly cat, leaving you covered in it. With mild effort, you are able to roll it into a mixed fiber ball, which can be spun into a single generic skein of thread or yarn at the Weaver's Workshop.
Feral Dog
Pest Counter: Birds - Your barking dog will scare off wild birds, reducing chance of crop damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: Prefers meat; happy with human sit-down food, potatoes, cheese, or fruit.
Likes: Ear scratches; being spoken to #kindly, #warmly, #lovingly; may want a bone if you have one in inventory or farm storage; may want you to throw a branch if you have one in inventory or farm storage.
Daily Perk: I Brought Your Weird Stick Back
Your dog loves to fetch, but it's not always the most... observant. Once per day the dog will initiate fetch with either a bone or branch in the area, disappearing after a few throws. It will reappear a few moments later and deliver you one of the following: a random sized straight branch from a tree not native to the Shadgard area, a walking-stick, a piece of kindling, a squat furniture leg, a deadwood log, or a wooden skewer holding a piece of meat.
Alternative: I Made A Friend
Your dog met another dog in the woods and brought them back to the farm to meet you. Upon inspecting the collar, you realize this dog belongs to a town NPC! You can accept a task to return the dog for a small reward relevant to the NPC's profession, for examine, Hildibrand might give you some sets of bandages or a credit at the clinic, Tor might give you a copper ingot, etc.
Feral Pig
Pest Counter: Birds - Your loyal pig will run off wild birds, reducing chance of crop damage and animal injury. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: Prefers sit-down food or corn. Will eat any food or animal feed.
Likes: May continue asking for food until sated, may try to chase a ball if you have a leather ball in inventory or storage, ear scratches
Daily Perk: This Schnoz Is Worth Millions
Once per day your pig will alert to something buries on the periphery of your farm. If you follow, it will lead you to buried treasure of some kind. Usually a simple mushroom, sometimes a rare and valuable one, sometimes a wild root vegetable that can be propogated to your farm, and sometimes a squirrel's cache of hidden acorns/pine nuts.
Alternative: Garbage Disposal
Can put a set amount of rotten food in a pig's pen each day and convert it into manure fertilizer which increases crop yields.
Periodically, among the pest animals that come to the farm, there will be the occasional one who is either unusually friendly or obviously young enough to be hand-raised. These can be tamed and kept on the farm as a unique pet, but cannot be transported or led out of the farm area.
First, make a good first impression when approached by the animal, which you accomplish by giving it food. Then either pet or play with it in the way it seems to want you to do. If other animals of the same kind are present, attacking them will ruin the chance to tame the animal.
The tameable creature will continue to return to your farm over a period of time, and if it receives food and desired attention every time, it will eventually be tamed. It will then stick around the farm for about a week to make sure it wants to live with you. Consistent good treatment will make it a loyal pet, and it will stay for good.
Alternatively, it could require a species specific home to be built, such as a cat tree or dog house, giving some opportunity for simple recipes and more farmer/builder business.
Tamed pest animals do not perform their usual pest behaviors. Instead, pets offer a species-specific perk once per day.
]Field Mouse
Pest Counter: Fungi - Your keen eyed and fastidious mouse will clean fungi spores, reducing chance of crop damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: Almost anything. Prefers sweets, corn, nuts, and berries.
Likes: Ear scratching, sitting on shoulders.
Daily Perk: Sticky Fingers
Your mouse lives on your farm but it doesn't stay there 24/7. When it finds something particularly nice, it will give it to you as a once-a-day gift. Hey, it's not like YOU stole it. Gifts may be almost any tiny item, from a single riln coin, to an emberberry, to a tiny bronze bloom big enough for one nail, or even just a pine nut. It's the thought that counts.
Alternative: Downy Soft Fur
You pet your mouse and receive a 3-4 downy soft fibers of mouse fur. Makes valuable yarn/thread, but requires a certain amount of weaving or bushcrafting skill.
Wild Bird
Pest Counter: Insects - Your bird will eat insects it finds, reducing chance of termite damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: seeds, grain crops, corn, nuts, fruit, chicken feed
Likes: when you $sing to them, when you play an instrument, dancing, cooked eggs and egg shells as a treat (nutritious!)
Daily Perk: Here's A Little Song I Wrote
In return for a liked behavior, your bird will sing and dance for you in a charming/amusing way depending on the species. Gives a small boost to morale.
Alternative Perk: Shiny For My Lovely
The bird will bring you a small unpolished gem. Players with mining skill can polish the gems to reveal a gem of low-middling value.
(Construction recipe idea!
Rock Polisher
Shines gems if operated for long periods, requires filling with gems plus small rocks and water, then changed to gems, sand and water, finally gems, clay and water for best results. Gives a "polished <gem name>" with a percentage boost to value.)
Feral Cat
Eats: Meat, but especially raw fish.
Pest Counter: Rodents - Your cat will eat rodents, reducing chance of crop damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Likes: Everything, nothing, it's a cat so who knows? If you have high animal handling, you might be able to tell the difference between when it wants you to hold some string for it to chase, when it wants you to pet it, and when it wants you to sit perfectly still while it takes a bath on your lap.
Daily Perk: Do You Keep Those Animals In A Box Because You Can't Hunt?
Concerned about your complete lack of survivability in the harsh wilds, your cat brings one incapacitated/unconscious prey animal to you each day. You can kill and butcher it or let it run away-- either way the cat is both judging you and deeply concerned for your continued wellbeing.
Alternate Perk: Cuddle Monster
You've lucked into one of those ooey gooey can't say a bad word about you cats. Your cat spends the whole day cuddling up to your various animals. When you first come to give it attention, it will cuddle up to you so it can take a quick bath in your lap. This removes all of the other animals' fur that was stuck to your cuddly cat, leaving you covered in it. With mild effort, you are able to roll it into a mixed fiber ball, which can be spun into a single generic skein of thread or yarn at the Weaver's Workshop.
Feral Dog
Pest Counter: Birds - Your barking dog will scare off wild birds, reducing chance of crop damage. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: Prefers meat; happy with human sit-down food, potatoes, cheese, or fruit.
Likes: Ear scratches; being spoken to #kindly, #warmly, #lovingly; may want a bone if you have one in inventory or farm storage; may want you to throw a branch if you have one in inventory or farm storage.
Daily Perk: I Brought Your Weird Stick Back
Your dog loves to fetch, but it's not always the most... observant. Once per day the dog will initiate fetch with either a bone or branch in the area, disappearing after a few throws. It will reappear a few moments later and deliver you one of the following: a random sized straight branch from a tree not native to the Shadgard area, a walking-stick, a piece of kindling, a squat furniture leg, a deadwood log, or a wooden skewer holding a piece of meat.
Alternative: I Made A Friend
Your dog met another dog in the woods and brought them back to the farm to meet you. Upon inspecting the collar, you realize this dog belongs to a town NPC! You can accept a task to return the dog for a small reward relevant to the NPC's profession, for examine, Hildibrand might give you some sets of bandages or a credit at the clinic, Tor might give you a copper ingot, etc.
Feral Pig
Pest Counter: Birds - Your loyal pig will run off wild birds, reducing chance of crop damage and animal injury. Raises pet morale if successful, increasing chance of fun flavor interactions.
Eats: Prefers sit-down food or corn. Will eat any food or animal feed.
Likes: May continue asking for food until sated, may try to chase a ball if you have a leather ball in inventory or storage, ear scratches
Daily Perk: This Schnoz Is Worth Millions
Once per day your pig will alert to something buries on the periphery of your farm. If you follow, it will lead you to buried treasure of some kind. Usually a simple mushroom, sometimes a rare and valuable one, sometimes a wild root vegetable that can be propogated to your farm, and sometimes a squirrel's cache of hidden acorns/pine nuts.
Alternative: Garbage Disposal
Can put a set amount of rotten food in a pig's pen each day and convert it into manure fertilizer which increases crop yields.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Structures:
Birdhouse
An aesthetically pleasing simple construction that has a chance to attract different birds depending on the seed put inside. Once per day, refilling the feeder on the birdhouse will prompt a small sweet bird interaction that gives a slight boost to morale. A potentially nice bonus mechanic would be if checking the feeder revealed the specific pests that prey on crops grown from the current seed.
Trellis
A simple pitched wooden frame that allows for the cultivation of vine crops, such as cucumbers, melons, peas, squash, hops, grapes and large rustic tomatoes. Takes up one plot.
Wall Trellis
A flat wooden frame that can be affixed to the outer wall of a large structure (large animal shed, woodshed, silo below, etc) to allow some vine crops to grow there. Takes up half a plot each.
A maximum of two can be placed on one four-walled structure, since you need one side open for the entrance and adjacent trellis plants would fight each other for real estate on the framework.
Available crops are unique to this structure and include purely decorative vines such as
-the passion flower
-climbing ivy
-clematis
-star jasmine
-wisteria
as well as plants with more utility such as
-bittersweet, which has berries that are are poisonous to humans but increase chance of wild bird sightings
-climbing roses, which can give rose hips for tea or jelly
-honeysuckle, which can be eaten for a small amount of nutrition or used in place of a finger of honey as a sweetener
-loofah, which produce a small amount of fruits and can be harvested to process into sponges via drying
-purple stemmed spinach
-climbing kiwi
-miniature tomatoes
Wall trellis plants need the correct angle of sunlight in order to thrive. For the skilled farmer, attempting to place one will return a prompt listing the plants that would be suited to the location before confirming it. For the novice, trial and error is the only method that will work.
Silo
A large stone block building that can be used to improve the nutrition of harvested grasses for animal feed by converting them into silage. To use it, the farmer will simply add fresh grass and some water, then wait until the following day to collect a small amount of silage. This can be added to animal feed to increase the chance of production in spite of negative factors such as pests or soiled living quarters.
Grain Bin
A squat wooden building to aid with harvesting grain by collecting it automatically as you go. Grains placed inside will slowly dry to prevent rot, eventually turning into animal feed. Corn can be placed in the grain bin manually in order to begin the process of drying it for grinding into corn meal, but if left too long it will turn into chicken feed. Grains that are abandoned in the bin for a very long time will still rot, ruining any new grains that are added until the bin is shoveled out (a very laborious undertaking if it was full).
Processing Pantry
A building for farmers to store materials needed in food processing. Jars of vinegar, cheese wax, bags of salt, etc.
Stone-lined Firepit
A permanent cooking location with a built-in metal grill for cooking grilled meat and vegetables. Lighting it on cold days allows the Farmer to avoid taking damage while doing farm chores.
Mushroom Bin
A place to try and cultivate mushrooms that have been foraged in the wild or delivered by tamed pigs. Higher bushcraft grants higher knowledge of the conditions for a particular mushroom to flourish.
Add appropriate food once per day to encourage growth. Potential mushroom feed includes deadwood, manure, rotten vegetables/fruit/meat, dead leaves, lichen/moss, etc etc.
Manual Woodchipper
Crank-operated machine with sharp blades that takes time and effort to reduce certain basic wood products into wood chips. Certain types of wood chips make good mulch for different plants, delaying the onset of weed growth. Possibly also useful in smoking food, see below.
Sled
Much smaller and easier to build than the handcart, the sled is a small vehicle on skids that allows a player to ride behind a hitchable mount or transport a few extra goods, like a couple of large pots or some bales of wool. It is very tiring to pull, especially when loaded down, though it becomes more maneuverable in snow or rain.
Birdhouse
An aesthetically pleasing simple construction that has a chance to attract different birds depending on the seed put inside. Once per day, refilling the feeder on the birdhouse will prompt a small sweet bird interaction that gives a slight boost to morale. A potentially nice bonus mechanic would be if checking the feeder revealed the specific pests that prey on crops grown from the current seed.
Trellis
A simple pitched wooden frame that allows for the cultivation of vine crops, such as cucumbers, melons, peas, squash, hops, grapes and large rustic tomatoes. Takes up one plot.
Wall Trellis
A flat wooden frame that can be affixed to the outer wall of a large structure (large animal shed, woodshed, silo below, etc) to allow some vine crops to grow there. Takes up half a plot each.
A maximum of two can be placed on one four-walled structure, since you need one side open for the entrance and adjacent trellis plants would fight each other for real estate on the framework.
Available crops are unique to this structure and include purely decorative vines such as
-the passion flower
-climbing ivy
-clematis
-star jasmine
-wisteria
as well as plants with more utility such as
-bittersweet, which has berries that are are poisonous to humans but increase chance of wild bird sightings
-climbing roses, which can give rose hips for tea or jelly
-honeysuckle, which can be eaten for a small amount of nutrition or used in place of a finger of honey as a sweetener
-loofah, which produce a small amount of fruits and can be harvested to process into sponges via drying
-purple stemmed spinach
-climbing kiwi
-miniature tomatoes
Wall trellis plants need the correct angle of sunlight in order to thrive. For the skilled farmer, attempting to place one will return a prompt listing the plants that would be suited to the location before confirming it. For the novice, trial and error is the only method that will work.
Silo
A large stone block building that can be used to improve the nutrition of harvested grasses for animal feed by converting them into silage. To use it, the farmer will simply add fresh grass and some water, then wait until the following day to collect a small amount of silage. This can be added to animal feed to increase the chance of production in spite of negative factors such as pests or soiled living quarters.
Grain Bin
A squat wooden building to aid with harvesting grain by collecting it automatically as you go. Grains placed inside will slowly dry to prevent rot, eventually turning into animal feed. Corn can be placed in the grain bin manually in order to begin the process of drying it for grinding into corn meal, but if left too long it will turn into chicken feed. Grains that are abandoned in the bin for a very long time will still rot, ruining any new grains that are added until the bin is shoveled out (a very laborious undertaking if it was full).
Processing Pantry
A building for farmers to store materials needed in food processing. Jars of vinegar, cheese wax, bags of salt, etc.
Stone-lined Firepit
A permanent cooking location with a built-in metal grill for cooking grilled meat and vegetables. Lighting it on cold days allows the Farmer to avoid taking damage while doing farm chores.
Mushroom Bin
A place to try and cultivate mushrooms that have been foraged in the wild or delivered by tamed pigs. Higher bushcraft grants higher knowledge of the conditions for a particular mushroom to flourish.
Add appropriate food once per day to encourage growth. Potential mushroom feed includes deadwood, manure, rotten vegetables/fruit/meat, dead leaves, lichen/moss, etc etc.
Manual Woodchipper
Crank-operated machine with sharp blades that takes time and effort to reduce certain basic wood products into wood chips. Certain types of wood chips make good mulch for different plants, delaying the onset of weed growth. Possibly also useful in smoking food, see below.
Sled
Much smaller and easier to build than the handcart, the sled is a small vehicle on skids that allows a player to ride behind a hitchable mount or transport a few extra goods, like a couple of large pots or some bales of wool. It is very tiring to pull, especially when loaded down, though it becomes more maneuverable in snow or rain.
Last edited by Staz on Sun Jul 31, 2022 7:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
The Farmer's Market
A place for the best of the best cultivators and ranchers to show off their wares far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Farmer's Market is a gathering place for solitary country types. I think some of the features below would help drive more roleplay interactions between farmers and non-farmers, and attract more types of characters out to the farming areas in general.
Competitions
Each week, a farmer can enter a handful of times in various judged competitions, such as wooliest sheep, biggest pumpkin, most productive cow, squirrel best-in-show, sweetest blueberries, etc etc. as well as a local arts competition for things like paintings, stories, or poems.
Categories would be announced the week prior to allow for time to prepare the item and pay the contest entry fee at the Stockade office.
Then there are a couple of options for mechanics: for contests that rely on a value that doesn't really exist (i.e. squirrel best in show), have the game make a roll to calculate scores for competitors with bonuses given based on either farming or animal husbandry where relevant. This is mainly a mechanic to allow those with high skill to win competitions as a reward for their dedication. Possibly have novice/expert divisions of these types of contents so as to avoid discouraging newer farmers.
Then for things like art and poetry, you could have anonymous submissions and player judging to increase community engagement.
Prizes could include a morale buff upon receipt of the ribbon, a small riln prize, discounts at the Farmer's Market, or just recognition via a plaque in the Farmer's Market for a week until the next winner is announced.
Players who win a ribbon at the Farmer's Market would then be eligible to sell a limited amount of produce or goods in that category each week at a small increase over basic market value. So if you win with best squirrel, for example, you could sell squirrel wool/yarn/thread for a bit more.
Player-Influenced Selection
Based on the items sold to the Farmer's Market by competition winners the previous week, it could then stock somewhat random but desirable merchandise relevant to the same categories. Fine quality knitted goods with unique patterns, unique cooked food that gives more nutrition, beautiful glazed pottery pieces, etc.
Auction House
The farmer's market could also hold periodic auctions for a combination of user-submitted goods and generated products. A significant cut goes to the house on user submissions in the form of a flat fee upon submission and a percentage of the total selling price if the item sells, so this is another handy riln sink.
Animals could be auctioned here for other farmers to buy. Non-farmers could also purchase animals in order to have them butchered for meat/animal products. Farmers without appropriate facilities to house an animal they win at auction would go through this process automatically as well. See the next section regarding butchering. This allows for not having to implement a direct butchering mechanic for players on the farm. Ideally players would be prompted on their first bid if an animal they are bidding on would be auto-butchered.
Secondary Processing Facilities
Inside the market are facilities for all manner of crop processing and food preservation, which farmers and ranchers can rent temporarily. I'll be adding a post below on food processing ideas for farmers. This area could also allow farmers to pay to have their animals butchered professional for a maximum yield, or make a flat roll based on Skinning skill to do it themselves. The animal is simply deleted from the farm, and the products are mailed to the farmer a short while later.
Entertainment for Everyone
It could have a few stalls for simple carnival-style games of different difficulties where the prizes range from flavor-only stuffed animals to items that may be useful but are very hard to win. Of course, the house always wins, so this is ultimately a brightly colored money pit, just like in real life.
Swap Meet/Trading Post
A general purpose meeting area or congregation place for farmers to gather and trade information and stories would also be good. If the chance to get unique cultivars of plants/seeds/pets/ranch animals is implemented, farmers could come here to trade them, sending them to live on a new farm if the right conditions are met for them to move.
Almanac
At a stand near the entry to the market, farmers could purchase an almanac that would give them an hint at weather conditions ahead and what crops to plant, as well as information about the current market saturation of potential crops. Higher farming skill would make this item more useful. Might also include hints specific to the Farmer's Market about what items will be in demand the following week. Finally, this might also provide a fun and cheeky In-Character way to communicate some of the tweaks or updates are coming soonest to players who don't use the discord or forums.
Ye Olde Feed Store
There is also a supplies shop with rotating stock that requires a market membership to enter. Memberships are only available to those with at least 200 points in either Animal Husbandry or Farming, or by combination of the two, or perhaps wins in certain produce/ranching comptetitions. The shop sells a rotating stock of herbs and spices, additives for animal feed, premade pesticides/traps, and a tiny rotating selection of rare or unusual seeds.
Plant Nursery
The plant nursery, on the other hand, is accessible to the public. It sells all manner of decorative potted plants, from tiny succulents for an inn room windowsill to massive flowering bushes that can be transplanted to a farm to add a decorative splash of color and pleasant fragrance to the area. It also sells garden pots, trowels, sturdy cloth gardening gloves and aprons, trowels, rakes, mulch, potting soil, and basic fertilizer.
Pottery Item Idea!
Garden Pots
They can be used with potting soil to sprout new decorative plants from a cutting of an existing one. Garden pots come in various sizes, and can have holes for drainage or no holes for water retention. Cuttings must be put in a pot that fits their needs, or they will wither.
Caravan
Last but not least, the market is infrequently visited by a caravan trading in unique pets and production animals for the farm. You might find a plush merino sheep that gives wool highly prized for its softness and warmth, and if you've been saving up for a while, you might be able to afford it.
Perhaps instead, the market will briefly be flooded with ducks in a myriad of beautiful patterns. They cost much more than chickens and don't lay as often, but they lay rich duck eggs that fetch a good price at market and provide increased nutrition when cooked. Plus their feathers make for unique arrow fletching.
One visit may bring unique mounts, such as the hardwearing camel, which can slowly travel long distances with a rider comfortable on its back, but refuses to ever be hitched to anything. If you're lucky, they'll bring the rare and deliriously expensive horned bison, the premier charging steed sold only to the most skilled in riding war mounts.
Or, rather than an animal prized for utility, you might find pets like a beautiful spotted gecko or a playful ferret to keep you entertained on the farm. These would have unique needs as exotic animals, requiring you to gather their specific food and provide the necessary enclosure/habitat on your farm.
Finally, the caravan could also offer crafting items or finished products based on the current animals it has, so you can at least buy the products even if you can't snag the animals. Things like yak butter, camel milk, duck egg and shallot omelets, etc.
Work That Drives Players Offer The Main Roads
The caravan could also provide tasks while it is in town, rewarding visitors handsomely for going out into the wider world to gather the rare foods prized by whatever exotic animals are in stock. A slender plains antelope might demand bloodstem grass, for example, or a shaggy mountain rabbit might subsist entirely on scallions that grow in its home region.
A place for the best of the best cultivators and ranchers to show off their wares far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Farmer's Market is a gathering place for solitary country types. I think some of the features below would help drive more roleplay interactions between farmers and non-farmers, and attract more types of characters out to the farming areas in general.
Competitions
Each week, a farmer can enter a handful of times in various judged competitions, such as wooliest sheep, biggest pumpkin, most productive cow, squirrel best-in-show, sweetest blueberries, etc etc. as well as a local arts competition for things like paintings, stories, or poems.
Categories would be announced the week prior to allow for time to prepare the item and pay the contest entry fee at the Stockade office.
Then there are a couple of options for mechanics: for contests that rely on a value that doesn't really exist (i.e. squirrel best in show), have the game make a roll to calculate scores for competitors with bonuses given based on either farming or animal husbandry where relevant. This is mainly a mechanic to allow those with high skill to win competitions as a reward for their dedication. Possibly have novice/expert divisions of these types of contents so as to avoid discouraging newer farmers.
Then for things like art and poetry, you could have anonymous submissions and player judging to increase community engagement.
Prizes could include a morale buff upon receipt of the ribbon, a small riln prize, discounts at the Farmer's Market, or just recognition via a plaque in the Farmer's Market for a week until the next winner is announced.
Players who win a ribbon at the Farmer's Market would then be eligible to sell a limited amount of produce or goods in that category each week at a small increase over basic market value. So if you win with best squirrel, for example, you could sell squirrel wool/yarn/thread for a bit more.
Player-Influenced Selection
Based on the items sold to the Farmer's Market by competition winners the previous week, it could then stock somewhat random but desirable merchandise relevant to the same categories. Fine quality knitted goods with unique patterns, unique cooked food that gives more nutrition, beautiful glazed pottery pieces, etc.
Auction House
The farmer's market could also hold periodic auctions for a combination of user-submitted goods and generated products. A significant cut goes to the house on user submissions in the form of a flat fee upon submission and a percentage of the total selling price if the item sells, so this is another handy riln sink.
Animals could be auctioned here for other farmers to buy. Non-farmers could also purchase animals in order to have them butchered for meat/animal products. Farmers without appropriate facilities to house an animal they win at auction would go through this process automatically as well. See the next section regarding butchering. This allows for not having to implement a direct butchering mechanic for players on the farm. Ideally players would be prompted on their first bid if an animal they are bidding on would be auto-butchered.
Secondary Processing Facilities
Inside the market are facilities for all manner of crop processing and food preservation, which farmers and ranchers can rent temporarily. I'll be adding a post below on food processing ideas for farmers. This area could also allow farmers to pay to have their animals butchered professional for a maximum yield, or make a flat roll based on Skinning skill to do it themselves. The animal is simply deleted from the farm, and the products are mailed to the farmer a short while later.
Entertainment for Everyone
It could have a few stalls for simple carnival-style games of different difficulties where the prizes range from flavor-only stuffed animals to items that may be useful but are very hard to win. Of course, the house always wins, so this is ultimately a brightly colored money pit, just like in real life.
Swap Meet/Trading Post
A general purpose meeting area or congregation place for farmers to gather and trade information and stories would also be good. If the chance to get unique cultivars of plants/seeds/pets/ranch animals is implemented, farmers could come here to trade them, sending them to live on a new farm if the right conditions are met for them to move.
Almanac
At a stand near the entry to the market, farmers could purchase an almanac that would give them an hint at weather conditions ahead and what crops to plant, as well as information about the current market saturation of potential crops. Higher farming skill would make this item more useful. Might also include hints specific to the Farmer's Market about what items will be in demand the following week. Finally, this might also provide a fun and cheeky In-Character way to communicate some of the tweaks or updates are coming soonest to players who don't use the discord or forums.
Ye Olde Feed Store
There is also a supplies shop with rotating stock that requires a market membership to enter. Memberships are only available to those with at least 200 points in either Animal Husbandry or Farming, or by combination of the two, or perhaps wins in certain produce/ranching comptetitions. The shop sells a rotating stock of herbs and spices, additives for animal feed, premade pesticides/traps, and a tiny rotating selection of rare or unusual seeds.
Plant Nursery
The plant nursery, on the other hand, is accessible to the public. It sells all manner of decorative potted plants, from tiny succulents for an inn room windowsill to massive flowering bushes that can be transplanted to a farm to add a decorative splash of color and pleasant fragrance to the area. It also sells garden pots, trowels, sturdy cloth gardening gloves and aprons, trowels, rakes, mulch, potting soil, and basic fertilizer.
Pottery Item Idea!
Garden Pots
They can be used with potting soil to sprout new decorative plants from a cutting of an existing one. Garden pots come in various sizes, and can have holes for drainage or no holes for water retention. Cuttings must be put in a pot that fits their needs, or they will wither.
Caravan
Last but not least, the market is infrequently visited by a caravan trading in unique pets and production animals for the farm. You might find a plush merino sheep that gives wool highly prized for its softness and warmth, and if you've been saving up for a while, you might be able to afford it.
Perhaps instead, the market will briefly be flooded with ducks in a myriad of beautiful patterns. They cost much more than chickens and don't lay as often, but they lay rich duck eggs that fetch a good price at market and provide increased nutrition when cooked. Plus their feathers make for unique arrow fletching.
One visit may bring unique mounts, such as the hardwearing camel, which can slowly travel long distances with a rider comfortable on its back, but refuses to ever be hitched to anything. If you're lucky, they'll bring the rare and deliriously expensive horned bison, the premier charging steed sold only to the most skilled in riding war mounts.
Or, rather than an animal prized for utility, you might find pets like a beautiful spotted gecko or a playful ferret to keep you entertained on the farm. These would have unique needs as exotic animals, requiring you to gather their specific food and provide the necessary enclosure/habitat on your farm.
Finally, the caravan could also offer crafting items or finished products based on the current animals it has, so you can at least buy the products even if you can't snag the animals. Things like yak butter, camel milk, duck egg and shallot omelets, etc.
Work That Drives Players Offer The Main Roads
The caravan could also provide tasks while it is in town, rewarding visitors handsomely for going out into the wider world to gather the rare foods prized by whatever exotic animals are in stock. A slender plains antelope might demand bloodstem grass, for example, or a shaggy mountain rabbit might subsist entirely on scallions that grow in its home region.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
- Food Processes:
These could take place on the farm, but I think it would work better if they took place in a work area at the Farmer's Market, in order smush farmers and ranchers together more often and get them socializing. - Drying
A clay drying oven can be used to preserve almost all fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and fish, for future consumption. Fish must be gutted, cleaned, and deboned before drying. Meat must be sliced into small strips. Small fruits and vegetables can be dried whole, but most will need to be sliced up.
Drying food adds slightly to the market value and ensures it will last far longer before spoiling, but does also take significant time and slightly decrease the food's nutritional value. Perhaps also makes them reduce morale. - Salting
The second simplest option, salting meat or vegetables can greatly extend their life at the cost of utility and flavor. Salted foods would definitely lower moral if not cooked in something like a soup where their salt can be balanced.
Making salted food is a process requiring salt in bulk amounts. To make it, simply layer the salt in between each layer of unprocessed food. - Smoking
A smoker made of stone blocks and metal racks can be used to preserve and add flavor to food. Virtually anything edible can be smoked, to varying results. Most fruits and vegetables will likely turn unappetizing in a smoker, but some, like potatoes or peaches, have a small cult following.
Meat and fish could be sliced into portions and then smoked or the carcass could be skinned and cleaned, but left intact for presentation.
Choice of wood chips can affect final item value, in addition to flavor. Spices and salt can be added to further increase value, extend preservation time, or in some cases even give a small morale boost. - Fermenting
Yeast can be obtained by putting fruit and water in a jar and allowing it to sit for a very long time inside an appropriate storage building. Dried fruits offer the highest chance of cultivating yeast, and among these the best options are raisins, dried berries, and pineapple. After the time is up, strain the liquid into a second container using a cloth.
Once created, the yeast must be fed once a day with a small amount of wheat flour. With enough consistent feedings, the yeast will grow until some can be poured off into another jar, allowing it to be used without having to use it all up. Providing excess yeast to the bakery would give the farmer the option of using the facilities to bake a reasonably limited amount of bread/baked goods.
Fruits and vegetables can be fermented to preserve them longer, adjust their flavor, or create alcoholic drinks. Only certain items would actually work-- the rest will create a somewhat demoralizing jug of mold for the player to dispose of. Higher farming skill will allow the farming to better guess whether a fruit or vegetable is suitable for fermenting. The addition of yeast may be a requirement for some fermentations, or may simply improve the yield/quality/alcohol content in others.
Players can use a clay jug in one of several sizes or a wooden barrel with a stopper. Add water and whole fruits cut into chunks, along with honey or sugar, and yeast. Higher cooking skill will allow the farmer to more accurately guess the ratios and wait time.
Milk could be fermented to create yogurt, kefir, or curds for cheese. This would be done by adding a small amount of an existing batch of one of the three and allowing the mixture to ferment, stirring once per day and otherwise leaving it undisturbed in an appropriate storage building.
If the player chains their batches of fermented good together, using a small amount from the last to create the next, they have a chance to create a unique flavor profile as the generations of bacteria mutate. This could be good or bad, depending on the result.
Cabbage could be seasoned with peppers and spices, placed in a jar, and then buried on a farm plot to create kimchi. One kimchi plot would accommodate several batches at once, to compensate for not being able to farm it or build on it in the meantime.
Honey could be heated with water, sugar, and yeast in a large pot along with whole citrus fruits or citrus juice, then strained through a cloth into a jug or barrel. Another batch of yeast would be added at this point, and then the container is stoppered and stored away for a long while until it is ready to drink or sell.
Different types of beer, sourdough, and raw fish are a few other interesting options for fermentation processes. - Aging
Players would be able to dig a small cellar and line it with stones to create the perfect environment for cheeses, meats, and wine to age and ripen.
Cheese curds would need to have rennet added and be sealed completely in beeswax. For vegetarians, alternative rennet could be made by boiling thornleaf the way people irl make it from boiling nettles.
Wine would need to be in a jug or barrel with a stopper. It would also need to be turned periodically for the best results. - Jellying/Fruit Preserves
For fruits, you could have eating or slicing them produce a peel item (ex: apple peel from eating an apple) which can be discarded or saved for later. Peeled food would spoil far faster if not eaten immediately.
To get pectin for fruit jelly or preserves, simmer the peels for a while until liquid is reduced. Strain out the peels and reduce the remaining liquid by half. For higher pectin yield, you can use whole fruits or vegetables, but this will ruin the fruit/vegetable.The leftover simmered peels once removed can be used as compost or mushroom feed. Pigs or goats could also eat them in a pinch.
To make a jelly, slice up fruits or vegetables and put them in a pot with pectin, water, and sugar or honey. The farmer can choose to dice the fruit finely and press through a cloth for jelly, or cut bigger chunks for preserves. When it's done cooking, you'll need an empty container to decant it into.
Jellied foods will last longer than the original ingredients, but not as long as real preserves, since canning with rubber seals and all seems a bit too high-tech. Alternatively, rudimentary canning jars could be added as an item requiring Metalworking, Pottery, and Construction, and rubber could be gleaned from natural sources to be mentioned in a future post.
For savory jellies, pates, or meat confit, gelatin can be obtained by simmering bones for long periods, then removing the bones when the water seems right and continuing to reduce for another long period. If left to cool, the gelatin will solidify and can be transported easily inside most containers. The gelatin can be dried in shallow, thin pans, then cut uniformly to create gelatin sheets. These will not expire and can be rehydrated for use in confits.
The process for making savory vegetable jellies or confit are similar to fruit jellies, but without the addition of sweetener. - Pickling
Using a clay pot with a lid, create a brine with vinegar, salt, and the desired herbs/spices such as dill or hot pepper spice. Add fruits, vegetables, or eggs to the pot and store in a structure that will provide shade/coolness.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Tilling Styles
As Farming level increases, the farmer grows better able to manage the moisture level of the soil and make more efficient use of the well. Eventually, they can incorporate certail beneficial substances/materials when tilling to foster a unique growing environment. In addition to the basic farm plot, tilling styles become available as skill progress is made. Styles not necessarily listed in the order they would unlock.
Irrigated
Allows the soil to stay well-watered for longer. Plots take up 1.5 times as much space, allowing fewer to be tilled. Increases energy cost for tilling. Reduces weeding roundtime due to the looser, wetter soil. Tilling style is incompatible with leafy greens, berry bushes, and root vegetables due to dilution of the nitrogen in the soil. Irrigation channels will persist through a few harvests, but eventually need to be re-dug.
Raised Beds
Creates mounds of raised soil supported by framing planks. This reduces pest interference, reduces number of weeds, allows for hardier plant behavior in unfavorable weather, and gives a chance for increased yields, including increased chance for multiple yields. Consumes 4 short planks and 6 nails per plot. Best effect occurs with trellis crops and root crops. Moderately beneficial for legumes and leafy greens. Incompatible with berry bushes and grain crops. Planks will persist through a few harvests, but eventually become rotten and require replacing.
Sandy Mix
Using additional sand and fertilizer, creates a mix of sandy soil rich in organic matter that provides a boost to a small niche of crops. Prevents fungal infection of crops. Gives significant boost to gourds such as squash, zucchinis, and pumpkins, as well as herbs like rosemary, oregano, catmint, lavender, eucalyptus, and chokeberry (which attracts birds). Other seeds cannot survive the soil type and universally wither.
Orchard
With the benefit of maxed farming and either 200 bushcraft or woodcutting skill you have learned how to create the perfect environment for supporting tree growth. No traditional crops can be planted here. Instead, you can plant a variety of trees that have similar requirements to regular farm crops but take much longer to grow - see below for details on those.
As Farming level increases, the farmer grows better able to manage the moisture level of the soil and make more efficient use of the well. Eventually, they can incorporate certail beneficial substances/materials when tilling to foster a unique growing environment. In addition to the basic farm plot, tilling styles become available as skill progress is made. Styles not necessarily listed in the order they would unlock.
Irrigated
Allows the soil to stay well-watered for longer. Plots take up 1.5 times as much space, allowing fewer to be tilled. Increases energy cost for tilling. Reduces weeding roundtime due to the looser, wetter soil. Tilling style is incompatible with leafy greens, berry bushes, and root vegetables due to dilution of the nitrogen in the soil. Irrigation channels will persist through a few harvests, but eventually need to be re-dug.
Raised Beds
Creates mounds of raised soil supported by framing planks. This reduces pest interference, reduces number of weeds, allows for hardier plant behavior in unfavorable weather, and gives a chance for increased yields, including increased chance for multiple yields. Consumes 4 short planks and 6 nails per plot. Best effect occurs with trellis crops and root crops. Moderately beneficial for legumes and leafy greens. Incompatible with berry bushes and grain crops. Planks will persist through a few harvests, but eventually become rotten and require replacing.
Sandy Mix
Using additional sand and fertilizer, creates a mix of sandy soil rich in organic matter that provides a boost to a small niche of crops. Prevents fungal infection of crops. Gives significant boost to gourds such as squash, zucchinis, and pumpkins, as well as herbs like rosemary, oregano, catmint, lavender, eucalyptus, and chokeberry (which attracts birds). Other seeds cannot survive the soil type and universally wither.
Orchard
With the benefit of maxed farming and either 200 bushcraft or woodcutting skill you have learned how to create the perfect environment for supporting tree growth. No traditional crops can be planted here. Instead, you can plant a variety of trees that have similar requirements to regular farm crops but take much longer to grow - see below for details on those.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Orchard Trees
Disclaimer, some of these plants aren't exactly trees, but fit the theme of needing extra space and being slow-growing.
Trees would provide a great way for the experienced farmer to take a more hands-off approach in order to foster other skills. They are lower maintenance than normal crops, more resistance to pests, more tolerant of weeds, and requiring less water to thrive. (There are some finicky exceptions that are worth cultivating for other reasons.)
Trees also take up differing amounts of space, from half a plot to multiple plots depending on their size. Due to their long-term growth, a tree will immediately take up space as if full grown when planted, but it may take a very long time to reach its maximum potential.
Farm trees could be chopped down like normal trees, leaving a stump which might require help to remove, which would hopefully drive more roleplay between farmers and outsiders and get more people exploring each others' farms. The resulting wood would have differing properties between trees, with some even being only useful as mulch.
Potential Fruit Trees
Not needy in terms of water, but susceptible to the most kinds of pests, particularly around harvest time. Unharvested fruit may fall to the ground, where it will begin to spoil if not gathered in a very short time frame. During this time frame, it could also be eaten by farm animals, attract pests to the farm, or begin to ferment -- increasing the chance for unique flavors in wine made from it due to the wild yeasts but also increasing the chance of fermentation failing.
-kumquat
-cherry
-apple
-apricot
-nectarine
-pear
-persimmon
-orange
-lemon
-lime
-fig
-pomegranate
-papaya
-mango
-pineapple
Potential Nut Trees
Far more pest and weed resistant, nut trees require the most watering of any tree type. At harvest time, nuts will fall to the ground and begin to spoil more slowly than fallen fruit. They may be eaten by farm animals or pests if not gathered during this time. Most nuts will require secondary processing in order to be edible.
Certain nuts could be ground into flour, and some could be made into nut butter, with certain varieties requiring the addition of fat/oil. Some nuts, such as macademias, walnuts, or peanuts, could be pressed for their oil, leaving mash behind that can either be composted or fed to un-picky animals like pigs/goats.
-pecan
-peanut plants
-almond
-walnut
-cashew
-pistachio
-hickory
-domestic chestnut
-hazelnut
-macademia nut
Potential Vegetable/Savory Trees
These trees have varying needs based on how useful and valuable their produce is. Olives require constant care, since they can be eaten raw, pickled, stuffed and pickled for additional nutrition/value, pressed for oil, or sliced and used in cooking.
-plantain
-olives
-avocado
-brussels sprouts
Potential Spice Trees
Needs vary, as does method of harvesting and time until harvest. Bay laurel, for example, simple needs a few mature leaves, while cinnamon must be left alone for long periods before the bark can be harvested for spices.
-clove
-allspice
-cacao
-coffee plants
-cinnamon
-bay laurel
Utility Trees
These don't provide edible produce, but instead act as sources for unique construction/crafting materials.
-cork tree - for those who want to get into fermentation, these provide a plentiful source of stoppers that give the process a slightly higher chance of success, at the cost of needing to be replaced with a stopper after the cork is removed
-lacquer tree - exotic and needy, this tree can periodically be tapped for its sap, which can be used to make a glossy lacquer, this can be applied to wooden items that have been previously coated in beeswax in order to give extra protection, but it can also be dyed to create paints, stains, and varnished for decorative purposes. These wear off over time and must be refreshed.
-ficus - similarly exotic and needy, plus rare an expensive to acquire, these handy plants provide rubber that can be processed at a rudimentary level to create various items, including canning jars mentioned above, but also including:
-wheel coatings that reduce energy cost from pulling handcarts
-sparring weapons that do almost no damage but increase practice accumulation for melee combat and speed up studying combat-related skills
-coating for ponchos and other articles of clothing to make them more rain-resistant, at the trade off of having them contribute to armor value due to stiffness
-flooring for animal hutches/sheds that makes them easier to clean
-coating for the skids of sleds to make them cost less energy to pull
Some trees die off seasonally and provide enormous harvests during season, while others provide small amounts of produce year-round. Others, such as cinnamon and cacao trees, require extensive processing that results in a tiny yield of exorbitantly valuable product.
Disclaimer, some of these plants aren't exactly trees, but fit the theme of needing extra space and being slow-growing.
Trees would provide a great way for the experienced farmer to take a more hands-off approach in order to foster other skills. They are lower maintenance than normal crops, more resistance to pests, more tolerant of weeds, and requiring less water to thrive. (There are some finicky exceptions that are worth cultivating for other reasons.)
Trees also take up differing amounts of space, from half a plot to multiple plots depending on their size. Due to their long-term growth, a tree will immediately take up space as if full grown when planted, but it may take a very long time to reach its maximum potential.
Farm trees could be chopped down like normal trees, leaving a stump which might require help to remove, which would hopefully drive more roleplay between farmers and outsiders and get more people exploring each others' farms. The resulting wood would have differing properties between trees, with some even being only useful as mulch.
Potential Fruit Trees
Not needy in terms of water, but susceptible to the most kinds of pests, particularly around harvest time. Unharvested fruit may fall to the ground, where it will begin to spoil if not gathered in a very short time frame. During this time frame, it could also be eaten by farm animals, attract pests to the farm, or begin to ferment -- increasing the chance for unique flavors in wine made from it due to the wild yeasts but also increasing the chance of fermentation failing.
-kumquat
-cherry
-apple
-apricot
-nectarine
-pear
-persimmon
-orange
-lemon
-lime
-fig
-pomegranate
-papaya
-mango
-pineapple
Potential Nut Trees
Far more pest and weed resistant, nut trees require the most watering of any tree type. At harvest time, nuts will fall to the ground and begin to spoil more slowly than fallen fruit. They may be eaten by farm animals or pests if not gathered during this time. Most nuts will require secondary processing in order to be edible.
Certain nuts could be ground into flour, and some could be made into nut butter, with certain varieties requiring the addition of fat/oil. Some nuts, such as macademias, walnuts, or peanuts, could be pressed for their oil, leaving mash behind that can either be composted or fed to un-picky animals like pigs/goats.
-pecan
-peanut plants
-almond
-walnut
-cashew
-pistachio
-hickory
-domestic chestnut
-hazelnut
-macademia nut
Potential Vegetable/Savory Trees
These trees have varying needs based on how useful and valuable their produce is. Olives require constant care, since they can be eaten raw, pickled, stuffed and pickled for additional nutrition/value, pressed for oil, or sliced and used in cooking.
-plantain
-olives
-avocado
-brussels sprouts
Potential Spice Trees
Needs vary, as does method of harvesting and time until harvest. Bay laurel, for example, simple needs a few mature leaves, while cinnamon must be left alone for long periods before the bark can be harvested for spices.
-clove
-allspice
-cacao
-coffee plants
-cinnamon
-bay laurel
Utility Trees
These don't provide edible produce, but instead act as sources for unique construction/crafting materials.
-cork tree - for those who want to get into fermentation, these provide a plentiful source of stoppers that give the process a slightly higher chance of success, at the cost of needing to be replaced with a stopper after the cork is removed
-lacquer tree - exotic and needy, this tree can periodically be tapped for its sap, which can be used to make a glossy lacquer, this can be applied to wooden items that have been previously coated in beeswax in order to give extra protection, but it can also be dyed to create paints, stains, and varnished for decorative purposes. These wear off over time and must be refreshed.
-ficus - similarly exotic and needy, plus rare an expensive to acquire, these handy plants provide rubber that can be processed at a rudimentary level to create various items, including canning jars mentioned above, but also including:
-wheel coatings that reduce energy cost from pulling handcarts
-sparring weapons that do almost no damage but increase practice accumulation for melee combat and speed up studying combat-related skills
-coating for ponchos and other articles of clothing to make them more rain-resistant, at the trade off of having them contribute to armor value due to stiffness
-flooring for animal hutches/sheds that makes them easier to clean
-coating for the skids of sleds to make them cost less energy to pull
Some trees die off seasonally and provide enormous harvests during season, while others provide small amounts of produce year-round. Others, such as cinnamon and cacao trees, require extensive processing that results in a tiny yield of exorbitantly valuable product.
Last edited by Staz on Sun Jul 31, 2022 7:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
General Materials
Egg Shells
Full of calcium that plants and animals crave, egg shells leftover from cooking could be ground into a powder that acts as a fertlizer component or added to animal feed to keep them happy and healthy.
Manure Fertilizer
Cleaning a shed could produce a small amount of manure fertilizer, which gives a slight bonus to crop yields or possibly growth speed.
Compost
Adding rotten plant matter to an empty crate along with some dirt will slowly create compost that can be used as a fertilizer or fed to mushrooms in a mushroom bin. Adding a product inappropriate for composting such as rotting meat or regular items will stop this process until the item is removed, and cause regular items to become extremely filthy.
Lye
Made from burning hardwood lumber and boiling the ashes, lye has many as a powerful solvent and component of other recipes, particular in making soaps and candles.
Pearlash
A safer and more stable powdered form of lye made by purifying and drying it. Pearlash can be used to make pesticides, and also as a leavening agent in various baked goods.
It can also be used to glaze pottery and create patterns in glaze, allowing for pottery to have designs like figurines/totems/etc. The normal pottery making process could stay the same, but there could be an additional glazing and firing process using the workyard smelter or furnace, which is when the design option would be chosen.
Sulfur
Derived from mining and rarely from foraging volcanic areas, sulfur has more to it than being stinky. It can be used to make pesticides, as a part of the process of creating rubber, as a bleaching agent for fabric and paper, in production of rudimentary cement for builders and masons, and of course, to create gunpowder.
Vinegar
Made from wine, vinegar is vital for pickling and many other types of recipes, but it can also be used in creating pesticides, as a non-toxic animal shed cleaner, and to attract bugs for use as fishing bait etc. (you actually catch more flies with vinegar than honey, the adage is a lie). Plus, it adds one more pungent smell to the game. Ideally the Farmer's Market could sell vinegar mother for use in place of fermenting your own wine, to get the playerbase started making it.
Gelatin
Bones and hooves could use another use, so why not allow them to create gelatin when simmered in a pot of water? This would ideally be a time-consuming recipe with a decent yield. Gelatin can be used in confits, pates, chewy confections, and other recipes. It could also be used to create glue, or as an ingredient in gel makeup for disguises/performances.
Glue
Could be used in place of nails on very small, simple constructions. Could also be an ingredient in allowing players to make their own books, along with leather and letter paper. (Maybe eventually the sawmill will let us make paper there? c:)
Rubber
Mostly described under Rubber Tree, but rubber has many purposes even in a rudimentary form. Rubber weapons and armor for sparring/festivals, rubber gloves for gardening, rubber grips for leather gloves/boots for climbing, adding to tool handles to reduce roundtime or energy cost due to ergonomics, etc etc.
Egg Shells
Full of calcium that plants and animals crave, egg shells leftover from cooking could be ground into a powder that acts as a fertlizer component or added to animal feed to keep them happy and healthy.
Manure Fertilizer
Cleaning a shed could produce a small amount of manure fertilizer, which gives a slight bonus to crop yields or possibly growth speed.
Compost
Adding rotten plant matter to an empty crate along with some dirt will slowly create compost that can be used as a fertilizer or fed to mushrooms in a mushroom bin. Adding a product inappropriate for composting such as rotting meat or regular items will stop this process until the item is removed, and cause regular items to become extremely filthy.
Lye
Made from burning hardwood lumber and boiling the ashes, lye has many as a powerful solvent and component of other recipes, particular in making soaps and candles.
Pearlash
A safer and more stable powdered form of lye made by purifying and drying it. Pearlash can be used to make pesticides, and also as a leavening agent in various baked goods.
It can also be used to glaze pottery and create patterns in glaze, allowing for pottery to have designs like figurines/totems/etc. The normal pottery making process could stay the same, but there could be an additional glazing and firing process using the workyard smelter or furnace, which is when the design option would be chosen.
Sulfur
Derived from mining and rarely from foraging volcanic areas, sulfur has more to it than being stinky. It can be used to make pesticides, as a part of the process of creating rubber, as a bleaching agent for fabric and paper, in production of rudimentary cement for builders and masons, and of course, to create gunpowder.
Vinegar
Made from wine, vinegar is vital for pickling and many other types of recipes, but it can also be used in creating pesticides, as a non-toxic animal shed cleaner, and to attract bugs for use as fishing bait etc. (you actually catch more flies with vinegar than honey, the adage is a lie). Plus, it adds one more pungent smell to the game. Ideally the Farmer's Market could sell vinegar mother for use in place of fermenting your own wine, to get the playerbase started making it.
Gelatin
Bones and hooves could use another use, so why not allow them to create gelatin when simmered in a pot of water? This would ideally be a time-consuming recipe with a decent yield. Gelatin can be used in confits, pates, chewy confections, and other recipes. It could also be used to create glue, or as an ingredient in gel makeup for disguises/performances.
Glue
Could be used in place of nails on very small, simple constructions. Could also be an ingredient in allowing players to make their own books, along with leather and letter paper. (Maybe eventually the sawmill will let us make paper there? c:)
Rubber
Mostly described under Rubber Tree, but rubber has many purposes even in a rudimentary form. Rubber weapons and armor for sparring/festivals, rubber gloves for gardening, rubber grips for leather gloves/boots for climbing, adding to tool handles to reduce roundtime or energy cost due to ergonomics, etc etc.
Re: Various Farming Ideas (Bonus: Cooking Mechanic Suggestions)
Farm Glyphs
Arcanists seem to struggle with income, so why not add some glyphs that can be added to a farm and periodically need re-application?
They could be used to do tons of things, including:
-Keep sheds cleaner longer
-Stave off pests/weeds
-Keep soil watered longer
-Increase animal production
-Increase crop yield
-Increase crop speed
-increase farm size
-Decrease tool wear on the farm
-Decrease energy use for farm tasks
-Decrease roundtime for farm tasks
-Create a temporary building for housing animals
-Add chance to generate animal feed
-Increase chance for rare crop mutations
-Increase speed of food processes such as fermentation, pickling, etc
-Increase storage space of sheds/crates/etc within radius
-Small chance of autoharvest
-Make bees friendly without campfire
-Attract bees faster
-Speed up animal production
-Make bees work faster (its own glyph)
And on and on!
This might also drive some new RP. Do the people of Shadgard trust produce grown with a glyph? Do they want to eat butter churned under an arcane glow? And what combination is the most profitable for farmer and arcanist?? Better play one to research it!
Arcanists seem to struggle with income, so why not add some glyphs that can be added to a farm and periodically need re-application?
They could be used to do tons of things, including:
-Keep sheds cleaner longer
-Stave off pests/weeds
-Keep soil watered longer
-Increase animal production
-Increase crop yield
-Increase crop speed
-increase farm size
-Decrease tool wear on the farm
-Decrease energy use for farm tasks
-Decrease roundtime for farm tasks
-Create a temporary building for housing animals
-Add chance to generate animal feed
-Increase chance for rare crop mutations
-Increase speed of food processes such as fermentation, pickling, etc
-Increase storage space of sheds/crates/etc within radius
-Small chance of autoharvest
-Make bees friendly without campfire
-Attract bees faster
-Speed up animal production
-Make bees work faster (its own glyph)
And on and on!
This might also drive some new RP. Do the people of Shadgard trust produce grown with a glyph? Do they want to eat butter churned under an arcane glow? And what combination is the most profitable for farmer and arcanist?? Better play one to research it!