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How to Design a Medieval Country in AD&D

In Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), creating a country is similar to creating a world. You will need a place to set the country. The default game world in AD&D is somewhat medieval, so, with one or two exceptions, you won't need to make significant changes to the game for it to fit into your world. You can build your country in a top-down or bottom-up manner. Top-down acts as an aid in creating the image of your country so it is the default method.

Instructions

- 1
  Draw the continents. Decide where you want the large landmasses in your world to be, if any.
- 2
  Draw the air and water currents. These will affect the weather and terrain of your country.
- 3
  Populate your country and continent with terrain. The "World Builder's Guidebook" has charts to work from, but these isn't necessary.
- 4
  Draw the country's borders. Borders are often delineated along significant terrain features such as rivers and mountains.
- 5
  Mark down your country's government, and important sites on the map. The default government for the Medieval Age is feudalism, where a lord granted a fief, or land, to a vassal who would be obliged to pay some form of tax and provide soldiers for war. This vassal may in turn divide his territory and create his own vassals.
- 6
  Create your country's religion. Medieval Europe featured a monotheistic church, the Catholic Church, that had tremendous influence at every level of society. The standard AD&D religion features a polytheistic religion. If you choose to use the standard religion unmodified, it will have tremendous differences in how your world works compared with how the real world worked.
- 7
  Set the technology level in your country. Because the Medieval Age spanned such a great number of years, the technology differed greatly from one end to the other. Also, consider magic's impact on technological development. If magic is prevalent and accepted, your country may not feel the need for much technology, because magic serves in its place.

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