In the richly detailed medieval world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, players encounter a broad range of activities from combat and alchemy to quests steeped in history. One of the more immersive and lesser-discussed aspects of the game is the concept of smallholdings and the rural life that surrounds them. While the game doesn’t allow full farming simulation like other RPGs, the idea of owning or interacting with a smallholding essentially a small farm or rural estate adds another layer of realism to its grounded setting. Understanding how smallholdings function in this world, and their cultural relevance, can enrich the player’s appreciation of medieval life and the broader economy of Bohemia.
Understanding the Concept of Smallholding in Medieval Context
Before diving into how smallholdings are reflected in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it’s helpful to understand what smallholding actually meant in the historical context. In medieval Europe, a smallholding was a modest plot of land, often no more than a few acres, that supported a peasant or villager’s family. These were self-sustaining farms that produced just enough food, livestock, and resources for the household, with any surplus occasionally being traded or sold at local markets.
In the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the rural atmosphere and agricultural lifestyle are portrayed with an exceptional degree of accuracy. While the player character, Henry, does not directly manage a smallholding through gameplay mechanics, his origins as the son of a blacksmith in a small village expose him to the everyday realities of rural life. Throughout the game, you’ll visit farms, interact with villagers, and witness the struggles and successes of people living on small plots of land.
Smallholdings and NPC Life in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
The game’s villages, such as Skalitz, Rattay, and Merhojed, are dotted with examples of medieval smallholdings. These aren’t explicitly labeled as such, but the layout and activities provide clues: fenced-in fields, livestock pens, tool sheds, and vegetable gardens. Many non-playable characters (NPCs) you encounter are tied to the land in some way, and their routines reflect authentic agricultural labor.
Daily Routines and Farming Work
NPCs in Kingdom Come: Deliverance follow scheduled tasks that replicate real-life duties on a smallholding. For example:
- Waking early to tend to animals such as chickens, pigs, or cows.
- Working in fields plowing, planting, or harvesting crops.
- Carrying water from wells or rivers to their homes or livestock.
- Repairing tools, fences, or homes with handmade materials.
These activities reinforce the idea that smallholdings were not just homes but hubs of constant manual labor, essential for survival in the harsh medieval environment. Observing these behaviors can help players immerse themselves deeper into the world, giving weight to the struggles of even the most minor NPCs.
Smallholdings in Side Quests and Exploration
While not a core gameplay mechanic, smallholdings appear frequently in side quests and exploration segments of the game. Many quest lines involve families who live off the land. You might be asked to deliver goods to a farm, investigate thefts from a field, or assist a sick villager living in a remote part of the woods. These missions often expose players to the harsh realities of medieval rural life, including famine, bandit raids, and disease.
Examples of Smallholding-Related Content
- Merhojed Infection Quest: This quest involves helping a rural settlement suffering from illness. The community operates much like a smallholding, reliant on their livestock and produce, and the outbreak disrupts their entire way of life.
- Hunting and Trading: Interactions with poachers or farmers highlight the tension between survival and legality. Smallholders often skirt the line to make ends meet.
- Treasure Maps and Remote Farms: Several treasure map locations point to abandoned or hidden farms, revealing their importance even in the game’s hidden content.
Economic Role of Smallholdings in Bohemia
In the setting of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which takes place in 15th century Bohemia, smallholdings are crucial to the local economy. These small farms feed towns, supply raw materials, and support larger estates owned by nobles or monasteries. Though the game doesn’t feature a detailed economy simulation, the presence of markets, bartering systems, and trade routes implies their significant role.
Players encounter this economic flow when selling meat from hunted animals, buying vegetables from villagers, or paying for lodging at a rural inn. All of these transactions are part of a larger network supported by local agricultural production, often originating from smallholdings.
Crafting and Survival Depend on Rural Life
Whether brewing potions through alchemy, repairing weapons, or preparing meals, the materials needed are often sourced from small villages and farms. Without these smallholdings, access to herbs, meat, and basic supplies would be severely limited. The game’s design subtly reinforces the dependency of the urban population on the labor of rural workers.
Would Owning a Smallholding Be Possible in Future DLC?
One of the most frequently discussed ideas in the Kingdom Come community is whether future content or sequels might introduce more detailed land ownership or smallholding mechanics. Fans have expressed interest in being able to purchase, maintain, or upgrade their own farm or estate. This concept fits well within the tone and worldbuilding of the series.
Such a mechanic could introduce new gameplay loops involving:
- Managing crops and livestock.
- Hiring laborers or helping local peasants.
- Trading goods in nearby markets.
- Defending land from thieves or wild animals.
Although no official expansion currently implements these features, the idea remains a natural extension of what the game already portrays.
Modding and Custom Smallholding Experiences
For PC players, mods offer potential ways to simulate smallholding ownership in a more direct way. Some mods expand on building systems or allow the placement of objects in the world. While these are unofficial and often basic, they do provide a framework for a more customized rural lifestyle within the game’s engine.
Mods might include enhanced farming environments, placeable furniture and tools, or visual improvements to farmhouses. These additions, while not fully featured simulations, can help players imagine what smallholding life might be like if implemented officially.
The Realism and Educational Value
By subtly incorporating the idea of smallholdings through environment design and NPC behavior, Kingdom Come: Deliverance serves as a digital window into the life of common people in medieval Bohemia. Players gain not just entertainment but a deeper understanding of the period’s social and economic structures.
While knights and nobles often dominate history-based games, Kingdom Come gives weight to the everyday peasant, whose hard work and resilience kept society functioning. The game’s portrayal of smallholdings, though indirect, is one of the reasons it stands out in the RPG genre.
Though Kingdom Come: Deliverance does not offer direct control over a smallholding, the concept is deeply embedded in the game’s world through environment, NPC behavior, side quests, and overall design. These rural homesteads provide a sense of authenticity and grounding, reminding players that survival in medieval times depended on hard labor, self-sufficiency, and community. For those who appreciate realism and depth, the presence of smallholdings enriches the game’s atmosphere and provides a powerful glimpse into life in 15th century Bohemia. Whether future updates or sequels build on this foundation remains to be seen, but the groundwork has already been impressively laid.
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