Cost for road construction?

[cometaryorbit]

Any suggestions on how to figure out cost for constructing a (non-paved) road in a barony?

I was thinking I'd extrapolate it from the cost for hirelings, but I don't have any idea how much time/labor building a dirt road with medieval tech would take. Does anyone know if there is historical data on this (X number of man-weeks per mile of road, or anything like that?)

Of course it would vary based on the terrain, but I'm thinking relatively gentle temperate terrain like England...

[derv]

JG Ready Ref Sheets and the FFC both have figures for road construction. These offer figures for time, man power, and costs.

It's been a while, I did do a study on construction costs for a campaign at one time. Not sure where I placed that info. But I'm sure there is discussion on here on the subject. Did you try a search?

If you're looking at it from a historical pov, there is info out there on Roman Roads and there construction. Unfortunately, this does not necessarily translate to the technology of the Middle Ages, if that matters to you.

[retrorob]

You should really look into JG materials derv mentioned in the first place - there is a rule for almost everything. First Fantasy Campaign covers even costs of roads maintaining. I don't think historical research is really needed here, as D&D default demographics & economics varies greatly from what we know about the Middle Ages (check topics about villages, settlement, population etc.).

[cometaryorbit]

Feb 1, 2021 10:41:34 GMT -6 retrorob said:

 I don't think historical research is really needed here, as D&D default demographics & economics varies greatly from what we know about the Middle Ages (check topics about villages, settlement, population etc.).

That's a valid point, but I would think that short of magical aid, time/manpower needed would be comparable, even if wages are not.

[davidbrodeur]

I asked around historians (friends, internet, etc.), and this is what I got as an answer:
"Daniel Boone took about 35 woodcutters and a little under a month to open/blaze the 200 miles of Wilderness Road, but the road is described as 'a rough mud trail, hardly more than a path.' But it gives us a round number - a six mile (/hex) trail might be opened by a party of 35 woodcutters in a day.
Their wages in ACKS would be a mere 2 sp a day each, 7 gp a day in total, but this leaves out any costs for surveying or an engineer to oversee, or protection in the wilderness.
Pic related is from a book about Scottish military roads of the 17th century. The work rate is helpful; it gives us a figure of 5280-7040 man-days required to build six miles of constructed road, depending on conditions (1760 yards in a mile*6 miles/1.5-2). At an average wage of 1 2/3 sp (for a mix of unskilled and skilled laborers not worth breaking out individually - ACKS again), a six mile (/hex) of constructed road may cost between 880 and 1173 gold, depending on local conditions.
I would call that a thousand gold per hex."
I also found stuff regarding later years: "In 1731, a workforce of 348 men from April and 510 men from July built the 28 miles (45km) of road over the Corrieyairack Pass from Dalwhinnie to Fort Augustus in a single season, despite being handicapped by almost six weeks of continuous rain. This rate was regarded as exceptional achievement, however, and at least one of the bridges on the road was not completed until the following year".

With time, you can deduce costs (adding a % for materials, etc.). That being said, my conclusion is that it would take too long for PCs. Personally my in-game time is about the same as the real world time. Therefore waiting a full season to pave road on 2-3 hex would feel like forever for players. I prefer to go faster and lower cost for everything, putting the blame for this hastiness on having magic, monsters, etc. to help out constructions.

[cometaryorbit]

Feb 12, 2021 19:56:17 GMT -6 davidbrodeur said:

I asked around historians (friends, internet, etc.), and this is what I got as an answer:
"Daniel Boone took about 35 woodcutters and a little under a month to open/blaze the 200 miles of Wilderness Road, but the road is described as 'a rough mud trail, hardly more than a path.' But it gives us a round number - a six mile (/hex) trail might be opened by a party of 35 woodcutters in a day.
Their wages in ACKS would be a mere 2 sp a day each, 7 gp a day in total, but this leaves out any costs for surveying or an engineer to oversee, or protection in the wilderness.

Thank you! - that's precisely the kind of thing I was looking for, perhaps I should have said 'trail'.