Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As a baron or lord of a castle, you wouldn't have the funds to build this castle without loans, a benefactor, or generational wealth. That is the dirty little secret of medieval castles.
Your B/X kingdom can't afford its own castle, and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia (1991) proves it with its own published numbers.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
The Rules Cyclopedia's dominion rules give every ruler three incomes off their peasant families: Standard (labor, not cash), Tax (actual cash), and Resource. Run the book's own worked example — a 200-family wilderness barony — and the real liquid income comes out to 1,200gp a month. A Square Keep alone costs 75,000gp. A full castle complex runs past 250,000gp. That math means a working ruler cannot build a castle out of honest income inside the system as written — which lines up with how real medieval castles actually got built, and explains exactly how your high-level PC can outbuild a sitting king with one dragon's hoard.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Free One-Sheet Worksheet: https://tenkars-tavern.games/Castle
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
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Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
0:00 The 200-Year Castle Fund
0:45 What a Barony Earns vs. What a Castle Costs
1:55 Forty Years of Handwaving Strongholds
2:57 The Rules Cyclopedia Actually Did the Math
3:29 Standard, Tax, and Resource Income
5:16 The 200-Family Barony: 1,200gp a Month
5:48 A Square Keep Costs 75,000gp
6:44 Garrison Payroll Eats a Third of It
7:16 Waiting for Growth Doesn't Fix It
8:01 Honest Income Can't Build a Castle
8:26 How Real Medieval Castles Got Paid For
9:11 Why the Dragon Hoard Is the Point
9:28 Run This Math on Your Own Campaign
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
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Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#castles #TenkarsTavern #FantasyEconomy #fantasy writing
As a baron or lord of a castle, you wouldn't have the funds to build this castle without loans, a benefactor, or generational wealth. That is the dirty little secret of medieval castles.
Your B/X kingdom can't afford its own castle, and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia (1991) proves it with its own published numbers.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
The Rules Cyclopedia's dominion rules give every ruler three incomes off their peasant families: Standard (labor, not cash), Tax (actual cash), and Resource. Run the book's own worked example — a 200-family wilderness barony — and the real liquid income comes out to 1,200gp a month. A Square Keep alone costs 75,000gp. A full castle complex runs past 250,000gp. That math means a working ruler cannot build a castle out of honest income inside the system as written — which lines up with how real medieval castles actually got built, and explains exactly how your high-level PC can outbuild a sitting king with one dragon's hoard.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Free One-Sheet Worksheet: https://tenkars-tavern.games/Castle
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
0:00 The 200-Year Castle Fund
0:45 What a Barony Earns vs. What a Castle Costs
1:55 Forty Years of Handwaving Strongholds
2:57 The Rules Cyclopedia Actually Did the Math
3:29 Standard, Tax, and Resource Income
5:16 The 200-Family Barony: 1,200gp a Month
5:48 A Square Keep Costs 75,000gp
6:44 Garrison Payroll Eats a Third of It
7:16 Waiting for Growth Doesn't Fix It
8:01 Honest Income Can't Build a Castle
8:26 How Real Medieval Castles Got Paid For
9:11 Why the Dragon Hoard Is the Point
9:28 Run This Math on Your Own Campaign
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#castles #TenkarsTavern #FantasyEconomy #fantasy writing
