Who is this post for?

This article is for game masters of tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons. I want to give you an idea of how a village in the post-Roman Manorialism looked on a map,so you can draw and describe such settlements in a way that makes sense. If your world does not know serfdom and feudalism as western Europe had it, this information will probably not apply to your game.

This article focuses on the late Middle Ages.

Layouts

The Middle Ages cover a very long period, ranging from about 500 AD to 1500 AD, depending on who you ask. Over that timespan, progress was made in the realm of farming and housing during the medieval times, albeit slowly. Thus the location and layout of towns may vary based on the time period and location.

Fields

In western Europe…