So I received similar feedback of including a way for the Town/Fort to generate its own income to alleviate the cost of the Treasure. After coming up with a few different ways to generate a value, I think the cleanest and most consistent is a variant on the 1e's Holding rules, even if it does add something that isn't truly present in 2e. I think the idea of the rating being better the lower it is is simple enough in practice that most can grasp it though and...ultimately all of this is optional anyway!
But here is what I have. The biggest change from the old holding rules is the way the rating goes down (through buildings) and that there is a way to double and triple the amount of money generated.
Town Rating
In addition to its Treasury Rating and its Valour and Wisdom, a town has one more rating that players must consider, and that is the Town Rating. Every town and fort starts with a Town Rating of 9. By building certain buildings, the players can lower the Town Rating down to a minimum of 1. Similar to Target Numbers, a lower Town Rating is preferable to a higher one.
Yule Time
Over the year, a town will keep itself running through taxes gathered and income through trade. Most of the time, the town or fort makes enough each year to pay for its basic maintenance and upkeep. Occasionally, it produces more Treasure on its own, which is added directly to the town’s Treasury Rating.
At the end of the Yule Fellowship Phase, make a roll using the Feat Die and a number of success dice equal to the
higher of the town’s Wisdom or Valour.
If the number rolled on the Feat die is
lower than or equals the Town Rating, then the town produced only enough income to pay for its own upkeep but did not generate any additional Treasure.
If the number rolled on the Feat die is
greater than the Target Number, then the difference between the roll result and the Target Number is added to the Treasury.
If a single Success icon was scored, then the amount of Treasure being added is doubled. If two or more Success icons were scored, then the amount of Treasure being added is tripled.
If the roll results in a
rune being rolled, then good fortune strikes the town. No extra treasure is gained, but the Loremaster is encouraged to do something rewarding for the players. Perhaps construction on a building is hastened or an important or useful character moves into the town. Perhaps there is something good that occurs during the next Adventuring Phase that year.
Conversely, if the roll results in an
, then something misfortunate occurs in the town. Perhaps there is a fire and some of the buildings are damaged or bandits have moved into the area drawn by rumors of the town’s success. If the player-heroes do not take action to address this matter, then it may grow worse in the following year.
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I think I will also play with the idea of buildings that allow you to do different things with the success die results (if they are a 6) on this roll, like if you roll a 6 you can instead add +2 to the result of the Feat Die. Or maybe that will be a default option, similar to the way you can spend it on combat actions. I haven't decided so for now it remains in the Workshop section of the sheet.