I felt like sharing an excerpt from a rule set:
Economy
The economy of Europe was indelibly marked by the series of plagues that swept across the continent. As a result of the massive death tolls, production, especially of food, started to outstrip demand. This caused the standard of living to slightly rise, as prices became low enough that even the poorest could afford their basic necessities. Because of the lowered prices, agriculture and land, the standard of wealth, became less important.
Faced with such a relative abundance, the people moved towards a culture of consumption. The demand for luxury items soared among the nobility, and to a lesser, but still significant degree, among the fledgling middle class. To furnish the luxuries to feed this growing demand, cities became more important, as they were the places that attracted the skilled artisans as well as the places where trade occurred.
This consumption culture, however, was not limited to private instances of the display of wealth, it also took on a civic nature in the form of patronage. Cities spent vast sums of money on art, architecture, books, music, statues, and other luxuries in order to show their superiority over rival cities. Important figures donated vast sums of money to public works to show their power, influence, generosity, and loyalty to the state. Rival royal courts sought the best in order to provoke the jealousy of their peers.
This consumer mentality served to revitalize the economies that had been ravaged by the plague, creating an increased demand for skilled labor and brave men willing to make the dangerous journeys to bring home foreign goods. There are, however, other factors at play. Local lords exert their own power of their lands, taking what they perceive as their rightful share from state taxes. Meanwhile some state officials, through corruption or lack of skill and knowledge create a noticeable drain on the economy. The wise statesman must take all of these factors into account if they wish to build a strong economy.
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