Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A pre-industrial army can carry about two weeks of food and no more. Donald Engels put a Macedonian soldier at roughly three pounds of grain a day, and once you multiply that by the men, the animals, and the distance, most fantasy campaigns stop being possible somewhere around day twelve.
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Donald Engels put a Macedonian soldier at roughly three pounds of grain a day. B/X standard rations weigh 200 coins for seven days — 2.86 pounds a day. TSR landed inside five percent of the historical marching ration without ever saying so. This video walks the whole engine: ten coins to the pound, the encumbrance ladder, movement rate divided by five for miles per day, terrain penalties, the rest day, the forced march, and the Rules Cyclopedia's three-day supply clock that stops an army where it stands. Then the patch — because B/X feeds the people and forgets to feed the animals, and that is exactly where history says the whole thing falls apart.
Free one-page Reach Sheet in the links below. Works whether you run a campaign, write a novel, or just draw maps:
https://tenkars-tavern.games/BXLogistics
The Tavern's Handbook: https://tenkars-tavern.games/TavernGuide
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.
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
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[00:00] The Tyranny of the Wagon Equation (Pre-Industrial Logistics)
[01:39] Donald Engels & The 2-Week March Ceiling
[02:38] TSR’s Hidden 1981 Supply Engine (Cook & Marsh Expert Set)
[03:47] Weight in Coins: Convert Dungeon Movement to Miles Per Day
[05:50] Terrain Taxes, Forced Marches, and Mandatory Rest Days
[06:29] The Light Footman Test: Matching Historical Macedonian Rations
[08:31] Why Most Tables Never Stress-Test the Wilderness Rules
[09:50] Scaling Up: Mass Troop Movement in the Rules Cyclopedia (1991)
[10:41] The Foraging Trade-Off: Move Fast vs. Eat Well
[12:08] The One Missing Piece: Patching the Infinite-Food Mule Exploit
[13:18] House Rules: Streamlining Rations & The Half-Supply Return Range
[15:01] The Campaign Map Challenge: Calculate Your Party's True Reach
Sources credited on camera:
Donald W. Engels, Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army (University of California Press, 1978) — the three-pound daily grain ration, the half-gallon water figure, and the two-week supply ceiling are his research, not mine.
Bret Devereaux, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry (acoup.blog), "Logistics, How Did They Do It" — the tyranny of the wagon equation.
Rules text: D&D Expert Set (Cook/Marsh, TSR 1981) and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia (TSR 1991).
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
#Worldbuilding #FantasyWriting #MedievalHistory #TenkarsTavern
A pre-industrial army can carry about two weeks of food and no more. Donald Engels put a Macedonian soldier at roughly three pounds of grain a day, and once you multiply that by the men, the animals, and the distance, most fantasy campaigns stop being possible somewhere around day twelve.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
Donald Engels put a Macedonian soldier at roughly three pounds of grain a day. B/X standard rations weigh 200 coins for seven days — 2.86 pounds a day. TSR landed inside five percent of the historical marching ration without ever saying so. This video walks the whole engine: ten coins to the pound, the encumbrance ladder, movement rate divided by five for miles per day, terrain penalties, the rest day, the forced march, and the Rules Cyclopedia's three-day supply clock that stops an army where it stands. Then the patch — because B/X feeds the people and forgets to feed the animals, and that is exactly where history says the whole thing falls apart.
Free one-page Reach Sheet in the links below. Works whether you run a campaign, write a novel, or just draw maps:
https://tenkars-tavern.games/BXLogistics
The Tavern's Handbook: https://tenkars-tavern.games/TavernGuide
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.
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
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
[00:00] The Tyranny of the Wagon Equation (Pre-Industrial Logistics)
[01:39] Donald Engels & The 2-Week March Ceiling
[02:38] TSR’s Hidden 1981 Supply Engine (Cook & Marsh Expert Set)
[03:47] Weight in Coins: Convert Dungeon Movement to Miles Per Day
[05:50] Terrain Taxes, Forced Marches, and Mandatory Rest Days
[06:29] The Light Footman Test: Matching Historical Macedonian Rations
[08:31] Why Most Tables Never Stress-Test the Wilderness Rules
[09:50] Scaling Up: Mass Troop Movement in the Rules Cyclopedia (1991)
[10:41] The Foraging Trade-Off: Move Fast vs. Eat Well
[12:08] The One Missing Piece: Patching the Infinite-Food Mule Exploit
[13:18] House Rules: Streamlining Rations & The Half-Supply Return Range
[15:01] The Campaign Map Challenge: Calculate Your Party's True Reach
Sources credited on camera:
Donald W. Engels, Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army (University of California Press, 1978) — the three-pound daily grain ration, the half-gallon water figure, and the two-week supply ceiling are his research, not mine.
Bret Devereaux, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry (acoup.blog), "Logistics, How Did They Do It" — the tyranny of the wagon equation.
Rules text: D&D Expert Set (Cook/Marsh, TSR 1981) and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia (TSR 1991).
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
#Worldbuilding #FantasyWriting #MedievalHistory #TenkarsTavern
