Villages & Cultures
Villages in Wanderfolk are procedurally generated settlements, each with a unique layout, population, and one of 8 distinct cultures determined by their biome. Culture shapes how NPCs behave, what they value, what offends them, and how aggressively they respond to threats.
Village Sizes
Villages come in four tiers based on population and building count:
| Tier | Population | Buildings | Territory Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 5–10 NPCs | 4–8 | 3 chunks |
| Medium | 11–20 NPCs | 9–14 | 5 chunks |
| Large | 21–35 NPCs | 15–22 | 8 chunks |
| City | 36+ NPCs | 23+ | 12 chunks |
Larger villages have more specialized buildings, more NPC roles, and stronger defenses. Cities are rare and serve as major trade hubs. See Population & Growth for how villages move between tiers.
Building Types
Villages can contain these building types depending on their size and culture:
- Shop — general goods, run by shopkeeper
- House — NPC residences
- Tavern — food, drink, and gossip, run by barkeep/barmaid
- Blacksmith — tools and weapons, run by blacksmith
- Farm — food production, run by farmer/farmhand
- Temple — blessings and healing, run by priest
- Well — water source
- Bonfire — community gathering point, light source
Larger villages unlock additional building types like granaries, bakeries, breweries, barracks, stables, and great halls.
The 8 Cultures
Each village belongs to one of 8 cultures, determined by the biome it’s built in. Culture affects NPC personality, dialogue, military behavior, and social norms.
Meadowfolk
Biome: Meadow
The warm-hearted people of the grasslands. Meadowfolk are the friendliest culture in the game, valuing community and celebration above all.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 8 |
| Stoicism | 3 |
| Humor | 7 |
| Aggression | 1 |
Religion: The Green Mother (harvest goddess)
Values: Community, generosity, celebration, hospitality
Taboos: Wasting food, refusing hospitality, harming songbirds
Hearthborn
Biome: Farmland
Practical farmers who believe in honest work and keeping your word. Hearthborn villages are well-organized with productive farms and tight-knit families.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 7 |
| Stoicism | 4 |
| Humor | 6 |
| Aggression | 2 |
Religion: The Harvest Twins (Brother Sun & Sister Rain)
Values: Hard work, honesty, family, self-reliance
Taboos: Idleness, breaking handshake deals, letting fields lie fallow
Woodwardens
Biome: Dense Forest
Reclusive forest-dwellers who guard the old trees. Woodwardens are cautious and slow to trust outsiders, but fiercely loyal once befriended.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 4 |
| Stoicism | 6 |
| Humor | 3 |
| Aggression | 3 |
Religion: Animist tree spirits
Values: Vigilance, respect for nature, self-sufficiency, patience
Taboos: Felling marked elder trees, loud speaking after dark, breaking promises
Cragborn
Biome: Mountains
Hardy mountain folk who live by strength and honor. The most aggressive culture — Cragborn warriors are formidable fighters and their villages are well-fortified. Their high aggression rating gives them the strongest base military power of any culture.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 3 |
| Stoicism | 8 |
| Humor | 4 |
| Aggression | 7 |
Religion: The Stone Fathers (ancestor mountains)
Values: Strength, endurance, clan loyalty, keeping oaths
Taboos: Breaking oaths, showing weakness, abandoning kin
Sunsworn
Biome: Desert
Desert survivors bound by sacred hospitality. Sunsworn treat water as precious and guests as honored.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 6 |
| Stoicism | 7 |
| Humor | 5 |
| Aggression | 3 |
Religion: Path of the Sun
Values: Hospitality as sacred duty, patience, resourcefulness, endurance
Taboos: Refusing water to a traveler, wasting resources, traveling at midday without cause
Tidefolk
Biome: Coast
Jolly seafarers with a love for stories and laughter. The most humorous culture, always ready with a tale or a song.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 7 |
| Stoicism | 3 |
| Humor | 8 |
| Aggression | 2 |
Religion: Tide Mother (sea goddess)
Values: Storytelling, adaptability, community, good humor
Taboos: Boasting before a catch, turning away drowning souls, speaking ill of the sea
Deltaborn
Biome: River Delta
Pragmatic river traders who adapt to change like water. Deltaborn villages are prosperous trading hubs where fair deals are expected.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 7 |
| Stoicism | 4 |
| Humor | 6 |
| Aggression | 2 |
Religion: River Spirit (flowing consciousness)
Values: Adaptability, communal sharing, pragmatism, trade
Taboos: Polluting the river, hoarding during floods, unfair trade
Relic Keepers
Biome: Ancient Ruins
Scholarly guardians of ancient knowledge. Relic Keepers are cautious and methodical, studying the ruins they’ve built their villages around.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Friendliness | 5 |
| Stoicism | 5 |
| Humor | 4 |
| Aggression | 3 |
Religion: The Old Way (Builders worship)
Values: Knowledge, preservation, caution, scholarship
Taboos: Destroying ancient structures, selling relics to outsiders, entering sealed chambers alone
Related Articles
- Biomes — the 14 terrain types that determine which culture settles where
- Reputation — how your standing with individual NPCs and villages works
- Military System — how culture aggression drives military power calculations
- Trading — reputation-based price modifiers when buying and selling
- Building Interiors — biome-cultural styling inside village buildings