Going Medieval Colony Efficiency Benchmarks

You have 12 settlers. Some farm, some craft, some fight. How many should do each? How much food do you need to produce per day to survive winter? When is a second cook worth the investment? These are not questions of preference — they are questions of math, and math has answers. This guide provides efficiency benchmarks for Going Medieval colonies across four size brackets (6, 10, 15, and 20+ settlers), covering food production targets, optimal labor allocation, resource consumption rates, and the productivity breakpoints where adding one more settler to a specific task stops being worth it. Every number below is derived from in-game mechanics and community testing data.

Food Production: The Non-Negotiable Baseline

Each settler consumes approximately 2 meals per day (varies slightly by traits and activity level). A single meal requires 10 raw food units (vegetables, meat, or grain flour). Therefore, a 10-settler colony consumes ~20 meals = ~200 raw food units per day. Winter amplifies this: crops stop growing entirely, forcing the colony to survive on stored food for 8-12 days. The math below shows what your fields must produce.

Note: Cabbage-equivalent means standard crop yield. Barley, beets, and redcurrants have different yields — adjust field size accordingly. Add 20% buffer for crop failures, blight events, and animal feed.

Optimal Labor Allocation by Colony Size

The table below shows proven settler allocation ratios that keep colonies productive without idle crafters or unfed settlers. These are starting points — adjust for individual settler skill levels and your colony priorities (defense-heavy vs. production-heavy).

Workshop Productivity Benchmarks

How much can a single settler produce in one work day? The benchmarks below assume a standard work shift (~14 daylight hours), a settler with skill level 10-15 in the relevant category, and optimal stockpile adjacency (input and output within 3 tiles). Lower skill levels reduce output proportionally.

The 80% Rule: When Adding Settlers Stops Helping

Diminishing returns hit hard in Going Medieval. Each new settler adds one mouth to feed and requires additional housing, clothing, and weapons — but the marginal productive output of adding a second or third settler to the same task drops significantly. The 80% rule: a single skilled settler running a workshop at 80% capacity is more efficient than two unskilled settlers sharing it, because the second settler adds 100% more food consumption for maybe 40% more output (due to walking, stockpile congestion, and task switching). Apply this breakpoint table:

Resource Consumption Benchmarks

How fast does your colony burn through key resources? These per-settler-per-day numbers help you size stockpiles and set production targets.

Seasonal Efficiency Calendar

Each season demands a different labor allocation. Follow this calendar to avoid the winter starvation spiral that kills most colonies:

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