Each month the Household head allocates funds and labour to various operations. The amounts determine indices which express the Household's well-being, whether or not they have comfortable living space, are eating well, look presentable, etc. These indices in turn determine residents' susceptibility to disease, social status, and so on. All this is easily done by filling out the Household Budget Form. The form need not be compiled every month. In most households, things do not change very often, so modification is necessary only to reflect significant change. The system is intended more as a yardstick than a straight-jacket.

Name of Household: A label by which the household is identified by Players and DM. If there is a single Household Head, the household may bear his name. PCs may choose any convenient name.

Location: The household's address. Few streets have signs and few houses have numbers. Hence an approximation such as Mitu Alley, The Alienage, Chereafir is usually the best that can be managed.

Budget Date: Theoretically, a household budget is compiled each month, but in practice, the Household Budget Form is only updated as needed. The month and year of the most recent update is entered here.

Market Relationship Factor [MRF]: MRF reflects the household's relationship with local tradesmen (a form of "estrangement"). It is assigned and modified at DM discretion. The value of goods purchased on the household's behalf is partly determined by MRF. Established households tend to have higher MRFs. In general, MRF runs from 0,8 (unpopular with vendors) to 1,5 (popular). Typical housewives have MRFs around 1,25.

Housholds which are percieved as wealthy by local merchants are often charged more (because they can afford it) -- reduce MRF. For a newly established household, MRF may be set at 1,00. Hiring a popular local housewife may (at DM discretion) influence MRF if she is in a position to do some/most of the marketing.

Option: assign discrete MRFs for each budget sector where shopping is necessary (Food & Drink, Clothing, Housekeeping, Luxeries). This represents individual relationships between local merchants and the residents who deal with them. To calculate a sector-MRF determine which person does the most work in that sector and derive his Rhetoric Skill PEF (using table below). Then multiply this PEF by the general household MRF as assigned above.

Residents: Everyone living in the household should be entered on the resident list (the upper half of the Household Budget Form). If there are more than twenty residents, additional form(s) are required. Enter each resident's position in the household (eg. Head, Spouse, Familly, Cook, etc.) with his wage (if any). It is necessary to distinguish between family and other residents.

Division of Labour (hours): Three budget sectors (Food & Drink, Clothing and Housekeeping) require labour and are dealt with in the resident list. For those contributing labour (eg. doing some cooking), the number of Hours each contributes to each of the three tasks should be entered on the Household Budget Form.

Household Skills: The three main budget sectors (Food & Drink, Clothing, and Housekeeping) call for distinct skills: Budget sector Skill required

Food & Drink Cooking

Clothing Seamstress/tailor

Housekeeping Housekeeping

Cooking and Seamstress/tailor are standard AD&D skills, but there is no such skill as Housekeeping (who'd want to learn it?). So the DM assigns Housekeeping Skill at his discretion based on player background. Unless raised in the lap of luxury, Housekeeping is an automatic skill.

Personal Effectiveness Factor [PEF]: A more effective/skilful worker can achieve more in less time. Therefore, in order to most efficiently assign household tasks, it is necessary to determine the Personal Effectiveness Factor (PEF) of each resident performing household duties. If a resident is contributing hours in any sector, it is necessary to determine his PEF for that sector and enter it on the Household Budget For eg. A resident working in the Clothing sector needs a Clothing PEF; if he does some cooking, he also needs a PEF for Food & Drink. PEF is derived from the applicable Skill Index (see above) by means of the Table (below). Fro example, a character with a Cooking SI of 7 would have a Food & Drink PEF of 1.05, and a character with Seamstress/tailor SI of 4, would have a Clothing PEF of 0.90. Basic PEF may be temporarily or permanently modified by overwork, advanced age, illness, injury, laziness, etc. See PEF modifications below.

Youth: Young people tend to have lower MLs in their skills, not least because their Psycho-Physical attributes are not yet fully developed. In general children under five years old are pretty useless, and generally require constant supervision taking adults away from other household activities. A nine-year old has achieved effectiveness for household chores.

Working Conditions: Assuming 30, 12-hour working days, an adult could reach reasonably work 360 hours per month. While this schedule is well within the capacity of most people, it will keep few deliriously happy. Competent servants, whose employers wish to keep them, are treated better. A contended servant serves better and longer than one who is obviously unappreciated. Someone who only has to work 150 hours a month usually spends some of his free time on details which, while they might not show in the calculations, make life more pleasant for everyone. Contended servants are also less likely to find employment with the household's enemies as spies or saboteurs, and they tend to steal less. Despite considerable expense, and several other drawbacks, it is often a good idea to employ domestic servants and treat them well.

The Working Conditions Table assesses working conditions (contentment) based on the total hours an individual actually works at all his activities (not just household chores). It also shows the effect of overwork and the likelihood that a given servant will remain in service. The DM can roll 1D100 for each servant at the end of each month. If the roll is greater than his Contentment rating, he quits , or threatens to - negotiation is possible. The chance of a servant leaving also depends on his skill(s). Great cooks in large settlements are offered alternate amployment just about every month, while bad ones have difficulty finding new jobs. Wages should also affect contentment.

Effective Hours: In each main sector (Food & Drink, Clothing, and Housekeeping) each resident's Effective Hours are determined by multiplying his Hours by his PEF. Eg., a resident with Clothing PEF of 1,25 contributing 12 clothing hours is adding 12x1,25=15 Effective Clothing Hours. Once all residents' Effective Hours are entered, Total Effective Hours are entered for each main sector.

Labour Demand Factor [LDF]: LDF is the "optimum" number of hours needed by a (main) budget sector for one month. Actual/Effective hours need not, and usually will not match LDF. Each of the three main budget areas has a distinct LDF:

Food & Drink LDF: 90 hours +4 hours per resident

Clothing LDF: 3 hours per family member + 2 hours per other resident

Housekeeping LDF: 1 hour per 20 square feet of living space +1 hour per resident

Labour Factor [LF]: LF expresses the relationship between LDF and Total Effective Hours in each main sector. TO calculate LF, divide the sector's Total Effective Hours by its LDF.

Budget Summary

Budget information is compiled in the Budget Summary section of the Household Budget Form.

Budget - Where there is a box for the purpose, the Household Head enters a Gross Budget (SP) for that sector. Obviously, the household cannot budget more funds than are available.

LF - Labour Factor is carried down from above for each main sector

MRF - The household's Market Relationship Factor iss carried down for each applicable sector. (If Optional Discrete MRFs are used, they are distinguished here.)

Num/R - Enter the total number of residents.

TSF - Total Square Feet is the area of the household.

Val/R - Value per Resident equals (Budget x LF x MRF) divided by Num/R. For Living Space, val/r is Square feet per Resident. Note that when calculating Luxeries Val/R only family members are counted.

Domestic Wages - the sum of any/all wages.

Mortgage/Rent - the mortgage or rent payments owed each month.

Taxes - If the Household "owns" the property, enter the amount of taxes due per month (as applicable). In many cases, property taxes are paid annually.

Maintenance - If the household owns the property, it is also responsible for maintenance, which may be recorded on the Household Budget Form.

Once all monthly residential expenses are entered, the total Household outlay is easily totalled.

Indices

As well as providing a record of household expenses and the hours of effort required to keep the household running, the Household Budget Form is used to generate several indices. These indices give the DM/players a good indication of how they stand. Most of the consequences of these indices are social. A household whose members wear rags or live in squallor is generally unable to impress anyone or advance socially. The uses for this kind of reference in roleplaying are extensive.

Food & Drink Index [FDI]: FDI reflects the quality of food and drink consumed by residents and determines the likelihood of starvation and/or malnutrition. In most poor urban households the FDI hovers around 30. FDI is derived from the Food & Drink Value per Resident (Val/R) by means of the following table.

All residents are included in food & drink calculations, because any who are ill-fed tend to steal the difference. (Moral philosophy is a full-stomach activity.) This does not mean that servants eat as well as family. Every resident eats according to his station, but too much disparity between the best off and the worst off cannot exist in practice. At values of 31 or less, Food & Drink Val/R equals FDI; for example, if FV/P is 7, then FDI is also 7. Effective Food value can be increased by up to 30% by skillful cooking.

Clothing Index [CLI]: Clothing Index indicates how well residents (especially family) are dressed. Clothing is of vital social importance. People are judged, and accorded courtesy and respect according to the clothes they wear. Nothing is more important in making a first impression. CLI is derived from Clothing Value per Resident (Val/R) by means of the table folowing. Eg:, if Clothing Value/Person is 74GP, then CLI=19.

CLI is a Maintenance level. The true condition of clothing worn by residents is more accurately given by average CLI over the previous twelve months. (Medieval clothing is expected to last atleast a year, then demoted to "second best", then, after another year or two donated to the poor.) If family size does not exceed half the total number of residents, it may be assumed that family CLI is one point lower than the generated index. CLI is interpreted as follows:

Housekeeping index [HKI]: HKI indicates household cleanliness. Housekeepers clean and do minor repairs. In larger households, these duties are divided between chamberlain(s), butler(s), maid(s), etc. Housekeeping LDF also depends on available living space. HKI is derived from Housekeeping Value per resident (Val/R) with the same table used to derive Clothing Index (above), and interpreted as follows:

Luxury Index [LXI]: Luxuries are the little and not so little extras which make life pleasant after necessities are provided. They include beer, recreation, wine, food delicacies, works of art, comfortable furniture, and entertainment. When calculating Luxury Value per Resident (Val/R) Num/R (number of residents). Household LXI is derived from Val/R (Value per family member) using the table (Below).

Luxuries are of less benefit if the recipient(s) do not, for example, eat or drink prpoerly. A reasonable proportion must be maintained. Therefore, LXI cannot exceed ten percent (10%) of the total Standard of Living Index (see below). if LXI is greater than 10% of SLI, it is reduced 10% of SLI.

Living Space Index [LSI]: Available living space affects hygiene, comfort and spiritual well-being. All residents count because crowded servants infringe on family privacy. LSI equals Total Square Feet (TSF) divided by 20, but the maximum LSI is 20, so any LSI over 20 is reduced. LSI under 5 is considered cramped (except for sailors at sea). LSI 5-10 is deemed average in town, but tends to be greater in the countryside, where a "typical" family might have 675 square feet, and a LSI of 6.75.

Standard of Living Index [SLI]: SLI is a general assessment of household living standard on an open-ended scale. It is determined by adding together FDI, CLI, HKI, LSI, and LXI. Generally speaking , the higher the SLI the better.

Summary: The amount of detail in this article exceeds that required by most roleplayers, but DMs occasionally wish to audit household accounts and this system is, at least, a yardstick against which financial practices can be measured. Using the system obviates the need for PCs to actually go out and purchase basic items, and lets them concentrate on less mundane affairs. How high a SLI the characters try for depends on the kind of image they wish to present to the outside world; the risk of disease they are willing to run; the ways in which they want to divide labour among themselves; the money they want to spend; even where they want to live.

Supplementary Considerations

Non-Resident Servants: Non-resident help, such as a twice-a-week charlady, may be viable. Such servants work within, but live outside the household and are not residents, unless meals are provided, in which case they are residents for the purpose of calculating FDI. Servants who do not receive room and board are paid higher wages.

Room at the Inn: Some take the easier, more expensive optoin, of living at an inn which is effectively a large household. Most inns offer three grades of accomodation. The following table is a guide. The inn's quality (Star rating) is cross-indexed with the grade of accomodation rented. The table shows: (1) FDI, (2) HKI and (3) LSI. Hence, shared accomodation at a "4-star inn" has a FDI of 41, a HKI of 16, and a LSI of 11. Indices can vary independantly at DM discretion. CLI and LXI remain the guest's responsibility.

Eating out: Some households lack cooking facilities and are obliged to eat at inns, taverns or cookshops. SOme folk eat out by choice. If residents eat out regularly, the eating establishment's FDI can be assigned by the DM based on the table above. A good cookshop might, for example, be assigned a three and a half star rating and a FDI of 40. Other SLI components are "homegrown". If the family opts to eat out half the time, it should be easy enough to work out an average FDI that considers both home-cooking and eating out.

Glossary of Household Terms:

Household: A structure or group of connected structures which share communal facilities, including all residents thereof.

Resident: Anyone living in the household. All residents are listed on the Household Budget Form.

Head of the Household (or Household Head): The person who makes the administrative, financial and economic decisions for the household. While being the head of a household may lend one certain standing in the community, it also carries some serious responsibilities. In many legal situations, the household head is socially and legally responsible for resident's actions. If a family member or servant, for example, is caught stealing in the marketplace, the head of the household may be obliged to make restitution. If the household falls behind in the rent, misses a mortgage payment, or neglects to pay a bill at the market, it is the Household Head who gets sued. Societal norms demand a clearly identified head for each household: outsiders will not enter into aggreements with "household administration committees". Even if a PC household runs itself by committee, one of its members should present himself to the world as the Household Head.

Family: The Head of the Household and anyone other resident designated by him (or them) as a family member. Family members enjoy higher standards of living than other residents (if any).

Servant: A resident paid to provide housekeeping or personal services to family members, including cooks, cleaners, nurses, etc. In most households, family members perform at least some "servant" functions.

Guest Allowance: In most cultures, guests are treated as well as, or even better than family members. If guests are to be entertained, the simplest procedure is to make a Guest Allowance by considering a family of four, for example, to be a family of fiv. The allowance depends on the amount of entertaining anticipated, but it is best to be generous. Entertaining is critically important for "upward mobile" households, which should make guest allowances of at least 20% of the family (eg. a family of five would allow for two guests). A guest allowance is made by entering "guest" under Name of Resident on the Household Budget Form.

Sub-Household: A household within the main household, which does not share the communal facilities. A Sub- household might be a craftman and his family, servant(s) with special status, or a barracks for mercenary guards. Such living units may or may not be classed as Sub-households at the discretion of the Head of the Household. Sub-households are allocated seperate budgets out of which they manage themselves. Once their budgets are paid, sub-households can be ignored by the main household.