Here are guidelines for interpreting economic and military determinants. It is important to note that military size is always relative to your society's population; it is not an absolute measurement. (return to Part 1)

Determinant Level	Crafts	Resources	Exploitation	Trade	Force	Morale	Size
+4 Legendary	The craft is at the pinnacle of human achievement.	Your society is possessed of an overflowing cornucopia of natural resources, or you may have access to more than one unique resource.	Your society exploits its resources to the utmost, with maximum efficiency and no corruption or waste.	Your society trades anything with anybody, anywhere, anytime, making immense profits thereby. If you can't buy it, it's not for sale anywhere.	Your armed forces are the most powerful in the known world, with the best equipment and training.	Your armed forces' morale is so high, their will is nearly unbreakable in battle.	The force is more than sixteen times the nominal size for your society.
+3 Superb	Your society is known as a leader in this craft.	Your society has a large surplus of natural resources, or you may have access to an unique resource.	Your society's resources are being worked at a high level of efficiency, with minimal corruption and wastage.	Your society conducts trade with nearly everyone, and trade is a primary source of wealth.	Your armed forces are more than a match for most other societies, with excellent equipment and training.	Your armed forces are world-renowned for steadiness in combat.	The force is about sixteen times the nominal size for your society.
+2 Great	The craft is well-developed in your society.	Your society has a moderate surplus of natural resources.	Your society's resources are being worked at a moderate level of efficiency. Corruption and wastage levels are low.	Your society has many trading partners.	Your armed forces are of high quality, probably due to superior equipment and training.	Your armed forces will stand and fight, where many others might retreat.	The force is about six times the nominal size for your society.
+1 Good	The practitioners of this craft in your society are above-average.	Your society has access to slightly more natural resources than others.	Your society has an above-average level of resource exploitation, with below-average corruption and waste.	Your society conducts slightly more external than internal trade.	Your armed forces are above average quality, perhaps from superior equipment or training.	Your armed forces are of above-average morale.	The force is about three times the nominal size for your society.
0 Fair	The craft is at an average level of development when compared to other societies.	Your society has access to an average level of natural resources.	Your society has an average level of resource exploitation, with average efficiency and corruption.	Your society conducts an average amount of both internal and external trade.	Your armed forces are of average quality.	Your armed forces are of average morale.	The force is of the nominal size for your society.
-1 Mediocre	The practitioners of this craft in your society are below-average.	Your society lacks a few critical natural resources.	You're not exploiting all the resources you could. Levels of wastage and corruption are above average.	Your society conducts a small amount of external trade and a moderate amount of internal trade.	Your armed forces are below average quality, perhaps due to deficiencies in equipment or training.	Your armed forces are of below-average morale.	The force is about a third of the nominal size for your society.
-2 Poor	The craft is poorly-developed in your society.	Your society lacks many natural resources.	The greater part of your resources are either unexploited or are being inefficiently exploited. Waste and corruption are rampant.	Your society conducts a very small amount of external trade and a fair amount of internal trade.	Your armed forces are of poor quality, probably due to deficiencies in both equipment and training.	Your armed forces firmly believe that "he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day." Except for the fighting part.	The force is about a tenth of the nominal size for your society.
-3 Terrible	The practitioners of this craft in your society are world-famous . . . as examples of how not to do it.	Your society suffers from extremely severe shortages of natural resources.	Your society's resources that are exploited, are being exploited extremely inefficiently. Much is lost to corruption or waste.	Your society has no external trade and very little internal trade.	Your armed forces are no match for the forces of most other societies, severely lacking in equipment and training.	Your armed forces are notorious for their cowardice and their speed in retreat.	The force is about a thirtieth of the nominal size for your society.
-4 Miserable	The craft is essentially non-existent in this society.	Your society is incredibly starved for natural resources.	Either your society's resources aren't being exploited at all, or they're being almost completely lost to corruption and waste.	Your society has no external trade and hardly any internal trade, probably because you don't have a transportation network or a medium of exchange. You should do something about that.	Little kids with sticks are better armed and trained than your armed forces.	The morale of your armed forces is so low, your troops will rout at the slightest provocation, when they don't desert first.	The force is about one one-hundred-fiftieth of the nominal size for your society.

Economic Example

The Kingdom of Generica has the following economic determinants:

• Resources +4
• Exploitation -3
• Trade +2

This can be interpreted as Generica having incredible natural resources; but they are not well exploited, probably due to Generica's internal political problems. Still, they do a brisk export trade in the resources they are exploiting.

Wealth is calculated by taking the average of Trade plus the smaller of Resources or Exploitation. In Generica's case:

• ((+2) + (-3)) / 2 = -0.5, which we will round to -1.

Thus, Generica has only Mediocre Wealth, but the potential exists for a great increase, if they can improve their Exploitation.

-- Andrew Janssen - 03 Oct 2006