You meet at the tavern..

July 25, 2008

Lame? Maybe. Quick and guaranteed? Assuredly. As the GameMaster, you don’t want each character wandering around individually trying to find the adventure’s start while the other players tap their feet impatiently in the next room. Still…the tavern???

Not only do lots of quests start at the pub or the tavern, it’s also a place characters will encounter at most inns, midday rest stops, and when they go information-gathering. How do you make the tavern an interesting place?

Start by considering the town or area of town it’s in. The dockside bar will have a whole different look, feel, smell, and clientele than the uptown establishment. Consider what types of customers would go there. All the regulars will fall silent and stare when an armed adventurer enters a sleepy rural inn or the fancy merchants’ pub, but polite and well-muscled employees will soon be enquiring as to their business at the latter. They may not be able to have a private conversation at the seedy joint without beggars and prostitutes importuning them.

Name? It doesn’t have to be Red Lantern on the dock and Golden Egret uptown; after all, the oldest inn in the City, the Galloping Pig, has a story from the days when this was just a farming village…

Now, what does the place look like? Is it generally clean or run down? Does it smell of fish, manure, burned food, lavender? Are the furnishings well-kept, cheap and rickety, or scarred with the marks of old and recent fights?

Maybe you want to give this tavern a secret: it holds a hidden door to the church’s crypts, the Thieves’ Guild meets here, its best customer and longtime resident is a Royal hiding from his or her responsibilities. Maybe you don’t, as it may distract from your main story.

Finally, who runs it? Give your innkeeper or barmaid a unique quirk or two. You may want a memorable and useful NPC located here. Remember to make notes; your players will be looking for these recognizable details when they return.

Written by Chris · Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off