“ What to export or import....
Fabric: wool, linnen, silk...
Wood: raw-material, furniture
Stone
Marble
Coal
Metals: iron, gold, silver, copper...
Wine, beer, mead, spirits...
Animals: horses, sheep, swine, cows...
Weapons
Armour
Slaves
Salt, spices
Cheese
Grains
Coloring-powder (for fabric, ink...)
Yarn
Raw-material to make fabric: unprocessed wool, linnen, silk...
Leather
Glass: Windows, figurines, glasses, raw-material...
Shoes, clothes
Tobacco
Medicines
Poison
Coins
Pottery
Musical instruments
Tea (not sure about my spelling here, but I mean the hot drink Englishmen drink instead of coffee!)
Gem-stones: diamonds...
Dried meat
Dried fish
Dried fruits
Flour
Chocolate”
“ While it is within your purview to write long-spanning histories of your world, it is largely unnecessary. If you are running an RPG, do this instead: make a bullet point list of important events that affect the world today, and mysteries that people still don't know. Let these fuel your adventures.”
“ Nearby is a region of many curiously shaped hillocks. Last week a tremendous storm washed one of these half away, revealing a strange shed made of concrete panels. Its long side is aligned east-west, about 4m by 3m and 2.5m high, with a flat roof slightly sloped down to the north . The double doors in the south side have murky glass panels in them, but nothing much can be seen from outside, although it looks a bit like the top of a staircase. Will you dare go inside? What will you find there, and what lies below?”