Last night I sat around an outdoor table with several friends, bottles of wine, and grilled meat from a near by barbecue. Before long, each at the table began sharing stories. This shared experience is well known to all. It has ancient ties to humans at large. How many fond memories do each of us have sharing stories with family and friends around a table while breaking bread? For me it’s countless. So what is playing DnD? It’s a bunch of family and friends sitting around a table sharing a story. Often accompanied by food and beverages. What does this sound like? I think it’s pretty obvious. The tavern scene it the perfect analogy of a DnD session. It’s familiar and a well practiced social behavior. To quote one of my co-adventuring party members last Saturday , “we aren’t playing DnD yet.” As he poured us all a shot. We laughed but got the point. This act had tradition and, friendship oozing from it. We knew an epic evening was at hand. I love this game.
Ain’t no high horse here, buddy. The dude was just sharing some of his own experiences. Good times. I’m sorry that you don’t have good memories of such things. I’m sure it’s nothing you’ve done, some of us just have different life experiences, and it makes sense that you would have different sorts of ideal role playing experiences too, because of that. Different strokes for different folks. :)
Bingo! There were no Starbucks in the fantasy medieval age. No internet, precious few ways to learn anything other than meeting at the old Ale House and hear what everyone had heard from the dude who brought supplies or whatever.
I created a tavern once called "the broken sword", it had a wall filled with broken swords alongside the name of their former owners and how they broke
Lawful good: 'May I ask the permission to absolutely steal that idea?' Chaotic neutral: 'May I absolutely steal the hell out of that?' Neutral evil: 'I'm going to steal that from you' Inspirationpoint for the wonderful idea and the kind Xp giver :)
I had a player that created a foodie character who's dream was to try all the specialities of each Inn he visit. So when he asked about the menu of the first tavern, the little new DM-me panicked and goes : "Heum, you are in a dense city soooo... pigeon ? Yep, pigeon meat." And you know what, with that panic-creativity this Inn suddenly impress a lot of the players because they weren't expected that unusual food. So yeah, good memory for me ^^
An idea I like for tavern name is something you can work into a cheer. I first used this idea with The Flagon Held High tavern in Tilverton, Faerun. The bartender or someone would say, "Welcome to The Flagon" and a crowd of regular patrons would shout, "Held High!" and raise their drinks in cheer. This call and response could be started by anyone at anytime. After this spectacle happened a couple times, one of the PCs would start the cheer to get the locals in a good mood or as a distraction. Another one I made up (for a different group of players) is The Hearty Huzzah. It works the same way, whenever someone calls out, "hearty" others respond, "huzzah!" It's good comic relief as a running gag, and makes the place very memorable and endearing (or annoying).
I have started characters in/at: 1) Same military unit during war. 2) Town bulletin board. 3) All from the same village, travelling to the big city together. 4) In an elevator, falling without brakes.
I think taverns can be a touch cliche unless handled well. What "handled well" looks like to me, is that we have to remember that the tavern (like any real world bar) will have its established figures and culture. The Prancing Pony that you reference plays with this, with several of the locals taking issue with the strange antics of the group of outsiders suddenly in their midst. This is often forgotten in D&D: A small bar in a remote village, the local peasants are mostly farmers, and few have been more than 20km from their home their entire lives. Suddenly, an elf, a dwarf, a tiefling and a drow walk into the bar. No one bats an eye. A tavern is a perfect place to establish the norms of local culture by having people react to your party's behaviour, but DM's and players often seem to forget just how outside of the ordinary their party probably is.
Hi, really enjoyed watching. I find the tavern issue interesting - but then, being English, I spend half my life in the pub. Indeed my D&D group plays in a pub room. I often find that real pubs and inns can have really good histories that don't need any exaggeration to make great D&D pubs. Take my local pub just around the corner from me. It's called the Minerva Inn (in Plymouth) and takes its name from the Roman goddess. It has wooden tables and stone floors, so does look like a typical fantasy inn. But also it is rumoured to have secret passages as both smugglers and press gangs have used it as a base of operations in the past. The timber used on the inside was looted from Spanish galleons by English sailors in 1588. How cool is that? Other English pubs with a good back story include Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem , built in 1189, where knights used to meet before setting off on the crusades :-)
I can imagine you saying that the pup looks like the one you are currently playing at IRL and a player pointing at something and saying they wish to use it in game.
Because the only people who think it’s a good idea to try and kill a flying lizard the size of a small town are people who are drunk off their asses “ let’s.... hiccup.... kill ourselves a .... hiccup... dragon...!!!!”
One idea I thought would be cool is start in a super stereotypical tavern to have the parties guard down, but secretly it's a front for a Shanghai-esque slave trader. The owner has made a business of boozing up a few travelers before they pass out and find themselves at sea
My favourite tavern I ever ran was "The Druids Rest", nestled in the small logging community of Deepingdale, located in the Mistwood; a deep ancient forest. Ran by Jonan Hornfoot, the an old halfling and the son of an old halfling wizard. His long suffering wife, Barilynn ran the kitchen and the inn while Jonan worked the bar. Frequented by tough old lumberjacks, the resident Dwarvern bard helped Jonan with the brewing of ale, since it was so deep in the woods that it was basically impossible to get shipments. The Dwarvern bard, Alberich, played by one of my players, was a terribly incompetent drunk who brewed actively awful beer. It was here that our wandering sorcerer Aelar and his bodyguard Stedd met with Alberich, and the small villages gnome cleric, Bizwee, who had been placed in this backwater nothing of a village on her mission as punishment for her incompetence as an acolyte. On the seemingly average night that the group found themselves all in the bar at once, the devious actions of the hag Mother Greentooth, who had been posing as the town soothsayer for a few weeks was revealed when one of the lumberjacks turned into a werewolf. And from here kicked off the campaign I'm still running.
I'm a regular in bars. I've met more friends, girlfriends, roommates, you name it, in bars then I've met anyone anywhere else. Starting in the tavern is not cliche to me. It's realistic.
I had a tavern in one of my games : The Filthy Apron. I did not have plans for what transpired whatso-ever, even the name was picked from a "Shop Names"-list. I decided that it used to be a Blacksmith that has gone bankrupt and the son steppid in and bought the store, turning it into an Inn. He never changed the name since he's a proud Dwarf and wants to pay respect towards his dad. It was a lousy and down on its luck Inn, the beer was homebrewed and even tasted cheap. One of my players was so invested in this inn, a big sum of the money he made, he invested it into the Inn. Even became partners in the brewing company and got his own ale : Tordrin's Stout. (sadly Tordrin died before he could see the money that was being made =') ) Still one of the favorite 'homebases' of my players. If they only knew it was made out of thin air and their own expectations and interactions =')
It did hit me right in the feels. Orcs and goblins banned?!? It wouldn't be the same without them! Speaking of names, I've always liked the Ten Bells, which is an actual London Pub that was part of Jack the Ripper's story. Great video!
i've started campaigns with the "we met in a tavern," cliche, but i've also started with another cliche, "the town is attacked." it's a good way to get the pcs working together early. you could also have the campaign start with some sort of festival, or, if you want some politics in your game, a protest that devolves into a riot. i've also started with the pcs having been captured and enslaved, and on their way to wherever they were being taken, the caravan was attacked by an army of kobolds and their dragon master.
I prefer to start with action too. Meet each other on the field of battle (and learn the combat mechanics of the game), then go to the tavern after to relax and roleplay.
I prefer to start with the "why" that is the first adventure hook and hand that why to the players (or cooperatively come up with it) before character creation. This could be something like "you've all taken jobs as caravan guards for your personal reasons" or "you're all members of or servants to a minor noble house" or anything else (such as defending a town under attack as mentioned) After that not only do you have your first hook with buy-in, but the best starting location usually makes itself pretty obvious.
@@nemooh As much as you want. We're not talking about real life living, we're talking about a fantasy world with monstrous or aggressive tribal humanoids, like gnolls, orcs, and ogres.
I DM a game with a tavern/inn. This specific one I created was where the PC's all first met in the game. One of the PC's really loved the inn and they bought it. It has certainly evolved since then. We have so much fun with this inn and now it has 6 floors including a fire station. This inn is crazy and it brings one of my players a lot of money they can use when adventuring.
I also started a campaign with characters recruited into a militia. There were a series of 6 trials to determine who would be sent on a secret mission. These trials determined the character's stats... and the Int, Wis, and Cha trials explained my setting. After this intro the players completed their character sheets and they went on their mission while the rest of the militia assaulted the wizard tower to provide a distraction to help the PCs mission.
I personally love the tavern trope because it can be really versatile if you're trying to make it interesting. It also helps me to give my heroes a reason to travel together - I don't like having them in a party "just because". Sometimes there's tension between characters and I want them to have something that makes it worth sticking together (otherwise most campaigns would turn into a shitshow). All characters have had lives before they went on an adventure. Maybe one of the players is the owner of the tavern? One morning all players wake up absolutely hungover, no recollection of the night before, only to find out that someone robbed them of all their valuables and destroyed the inside of said tavern. Or all of them meet at the breakfast table by chance only to find out (through banter) that all of them have had the same strange, reoccurring nightmare. It's just easier to start a brand new party if the adventurers play a quest they gave themselves.
Yes, you should! In a middle age fantasy setting inns and taverns serve as a center of life of society. They particularly appropriate for building up a story so my answer is yes, starting at taverns is cool.
I slammed together a Guy Fieri/Flavortown themed one shot and essentially the entire town other than the Mayor's Mansion was comprised of fast food knock-off 'taverns' of varying degrees of quality (re: info, interactions, cool level, etc.) There were hidden objects, roll tables, and optional NPC interactions that were all triggered as needed and based on the PCs actions for a super customizable experience. For example, McFieri's was run by a trio of imps (Lox, Tox, and Nox) that were rude to their customers unless appropriately intimidated wherein they would grant a boon to help defeat the Mayor of Flavortown. The challenge was making all of them different enough to be worth it but it was a great creative exercise!
Speaking of taverns, there's this place in Steven Brust's Jhereg series that I would absolutely love to eat at in real life. It's called Valabar's. And Brust describes in detail the food his characters eat. The food is so good, no one fights there. Ever. Because they don't want to be banned.
When doing an introduction, you have to hit all the bases: WHO are the characters, WHAT are the characters doing, WHEN isn't as much of a big deal, but it helps the setting if you include the season, at the very least, WHERE allows you to describe the scene. Now, here's the most important part. If you don't want a dead-start to the campaign or one-shot you have to include WHY they are there. "Like any good adventurer your first stop in town was the bulletin board to see if there are any jobs available. The most promising was . . . (insert hook). You've gathered at the local tavern to meet the contact mentioned." For some it will be their first introduction, for others (like the brother/sister pair at my table) they'll have made their characters with complementary backstories. Most of the dead-starts (in tavern or out) I've been part of the question of WHY was never addressed, making me feel like the DM was asking us to make that part up - which pulled the party in 5 to 7 different directions, dividing us before the hook was even introduced. 10:40 Don't forget "The Yawning Portal"
The Lost Traveler is a tavern that resides near the bank of the Allison river. What was once an old river barge run aground was dragged to the shore and converted into a tavern. The Owner and barkeep, Purcell Wells, still can be seen wearing his blue captains coat. Struggling to keep the bar going he works tirelessly to avoid having to return to the sea.
I always start my games in a tavern. Sure, you don't have to. Plenty reasons not to. But what does no one seem to ask? Why SHOULD you start in a tavern? Well, first of all, because it easily and quickly sets the narrative. The PCs are already surrounded by NPCs, along with the barkeep, who's usually the center of town gossip and rumors. The townsfolk gather and socialize, creating a perfect scene for the players to delve into the world. Ask questions, role play opportunities to really flesh out their brand new characters, chances to practice that accent. Its a setting for dramatic quest begginings. Perhaps the town butcher bursts through the door calling for help. Or maybe Calarel the Vile enters and offers the players a red gold piece. My question is, why WOULDN'T you start in a tavern?
Here’s my twist on the tavern opening .. I think I’ve posted it on this channel before. The party meets in tavern, they may or may not know each other but they soon will have no choice but to bond.. the patrons of the bar seem super friendly.. almost creepily interested in the characters backstories. This gives the players a chance to flesh out their backgrounds while in conversation with an NPC.... And when one of the players mentions anything like a magic item, piece of treasure, hidden location, etc.. you ramp up the creepy npc interest in that player and that item.. And for the twist. The first person to leave the tavern finds out that they are trapped as they walk back through the front door the instant they leave the room... the fire in the hearth has no heat.. the doors to the back room don’t have knobs etc. because they are trapped in a magical and drug induced shared illusion that a villain has used to find whatever treasure or item the player invented for their background. When they break the illusion they wake up in a rusty prison cell and the villain leaves or flees leaving some shitty guards for the party to overcome
Justin Thompson, creativity and ideas that don't involve a tavern, however in my case a prestigious dinner which the party members were each individually invited too.
I use the tavern as the 'why' the party gets together. They might not know each other starting out, but they all know the owner, an adventurer herself before retiring, and she's got a job for them. This totally avoids dithering about or trying to come up with a hook that all the players will go for: everyone's here to see Glenda; she's the one who's put the party together; she's already got a job lined up for them; she's going to serve as a patron for the group until they start striking out on their own. Just remember to save her a cut of the earnings to pay for your room upstairs.
My favorite tavern was the "Crossed Swords." First, it was located at the main crossroad of the town. Second, the decor was weapons confiscated from unruly patrons. Over the fireplace was a matched set of two arming swords (crossed, of course). There was a list field out back. The owner was an experienced fighter and would take on challengers using blunted practice weapons. Second favorite was "The Bard's Rest" where the decor was musical instruments.
Great episode, Nate! Taverns make a lot of sense for anything in the medieval era. After all, they were generally Inns that also provided lodging so travelers with news were likely to end up there, not to mention, that was probably the only place in any village or small town that had much in the way of entertainment, so many locals were likely to gather there, resulting in an obvious choice for making contacts. I do think bathhouses & town squares make sense too. In a large city, there might be actual restaurants, as well as theaters & arena's that might also provide likely places to pick up on rumors, network or even meet up with a prospective employer. As far as ideas for other ways to start a session, I haven't run many games yet. So far, I've stuck to what I call a Half Shot, which consists of putting the players in a common "situation" (so far a burning Inn where they were all spending the night, after closing hours and a chase scene in a Kobold Lair) and a combat. I have found starting them out in the action really brings the pc's together quickly to join forces in a common cause.
When you started your intro it did something to me. The tavern scene always and I mean always takes me to the worlds of my fantasy and it always makes me wonder what fate (the DM) might have in store for me, what dangers are ahead and it always makes me feel relaxed because I know that soon there are things to overcome. And I can't wait for it to start.
There is a guy named Rhykker on here who said that it is the DM's duty to introduce newer players to the cliches of D&D, which I think is spot on. "You're in a tavern." -- as cliche as it sounds to veterans -- will always be a great place to start a D&D campaign!!! Taverns are a great place for characters from disparate places on your world map to meet up and band together. They are also a great place to introduce the kind of town that the characters find themselves in -- are the people scoundrels (like the Star Wars cantina), are they humble commoners, or a mix? Tolkein also mentioned rumors or bard's tales in his tales that could prevent or inspire a quest. Although taverns are not the only place to start, they are almost a mandatory option in D&D as a way vehicle to get to the next part of the story. You can make some awesome twists on tropes like "kill the rats in my basement" quests by leading to something unexpected in order to dispel disbelief in the old hats who roll their eyes at first.
The Rusty Hook is a bustling tavern on The Trader's Walk in the Harborside district of the City of Takmir on the island of Dorum'Tel. It's built within the overturned stern half of a massive ship that had drifted into port with no crew aboard. The superstitious sailors of the city wanted nothing to do with the vessel and it sat at berth for nearly a year before an enterprising young halfling named Harlin Barleynut commissioned local shipwrights to haul the vessel onto shore and into an empty lot he had won in a game of cards. Once in place, the workmen turned the hull and made quick work of the bow; lopping it completely off so as to remain within the confines of the Barleynut lot and re-purposed the timber to construct the facade that greets thirsty travelers to this day.
My players passed threw a small town that was a fishing village. Everything in the town smelled of fish the menu in the inn was fish stew or grilled fish. The drinks were a trout ale, or a bass stout.
I recently started my first campaign as DM. I used one of the techniques you described here, which I'll share in case someone else would like to use it or a variation: The players were each applicants selected to join a distant magical guild, having never met one another. I had a "session zero" as described in this video to create a bond between the characters, and also so everyone could get familiar with 5e combat. They basically had a collective dream the evening before their departure, in which they found themselves in the center of an illuminated cave with 3 other individuals (the other players). They didn't recognize these individuals, and before they could interact with one another, a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows and basically instigated a battle scene. I had boulder obstacles and shadowed areas, so we all were able to familiarize ourselves with the different rules of battle, I even had a magical weapon hid in the scene, which one of the players found, but which was also left in the dream and didn't actually exist in the real world. But the XP still counted! So when session 1 of the campaign started and they all met one another and realized they had all previously met in a dream, it helped provide a good excuse as to why this group of individuals who really had no reason to hang together would remain together as a group among all the other magic-users in the guild. Thanks for creating these videos, I've been watching all of them to help with the designing of my campaign :)
We have been playing a campaign since last August, and we are yet to leave our starting town, with the tavern being our base of operation... My bard convinced the rogue, cleric, and ranger to become a band for our fantasy woodstock
A nice little tavern in a game i ran was the previous house of one of the players who had lost all his posessions due to a Deck of Many Things. So when he returned home the place was open for business, nobody remembered him as living there, and his personal effects were used as decoration (He was a toymaker, so it turned out a rather cute/scarry/unsettling place, depending on your taste) If your players are away from their base for a longer time, make it into a tavern. Some rogues have turned up and now controls the place, or the characters were listed as dead due to absent (or unpayed taxes) and the property was sold of. It goes against most players to assault places that can provide them with beer, and this way they get a place thats their own in a sweed'n'sour way.
I used a tavern for my staring location for a game I ran a few year ago. It was a rather standard tavern in feel and appearance. It had a bar at the far end from the door with about 10 circular tables between the two. A stair case went up at a 90 degree from the left side of the bar leading to 5 rooms. One room belonging to the owner and bar keep, his wife was the barmaid. Not every table was full but it was a busy night. The party members were all sitting at different tables as they arrived by order of a letter to the town; a job offer to meet with someone that was there. All of a sudden an argument over some item broke out at another table and some of the players engaged in the discussion (not combat). Another player spent time at the bar, and yet another sat at the table in the corner brooding. At this time the argument more a debate about puzzles and riddles. The door burst open and 3 hooded figures walked in and demanded to see someone and saw that both the person and item they were looking for was at a table in the middle of the room. The same table 2 of the players were at talking with a couple of NPCs. Eventually a fight broke out but, suddenly a woman started walking down the stairs and rose her hands into the air and began casting with a mad grin across her face. Just as everyone looked at her in confusion she launched what looked to be a fireball into the middle of the tavern. The party thought they were done for but when they opened their eyes it was only them standing in the middle of a ruined tavern, the snow drifting around them. It had been destroyed years ago and they could see the rest of the town also burned to the foundations. Only fragments of each structure remained except for one house in the distance seemed to be untouched and there was a light on in one of the windows. As they walked toward the house one of the party noticed a mother and child walking down the street toward them for just a moment before they disappeared. The whole town was destroyed when an army came through looking for something and due to the nature of the item and some of the people who lived there the entire town repeats the events that happened that night. The truth only being shown after midnight each night and returning to a normal looking town when the sun rises again. The whole area is mostly avoided by those who know of it but the army being the victors more or less erased the small town off the maps.
OF COURSE it is!!!! People just want to bitch. Zero wrong with the neighborhood pub. It's not like they have a Bat Cave or Avengers Building to meet at.
I have a female dwarf fighter miniature that my baby nice named Puleh. She is now a reoccurring barmaid in my taverns, kinda like Nurse Joy from Pokemon. She comes in handy if a fight breaks out in the tavern, and has a habit of giving slices of pie to adventurers she likes. The adventurer usually hates pie.
Dancing Dragon Inn? My party? Pbth! They wish! Dancing Dragon's too good for them. They get to meet at the Sloppy Hog, where you pay extra to have someone spit in your drink and the barmaid's beard is longer than most dwarves.
My starting tavern is called the Blackened Goblin. The name has an interesting backstory, with a bit of creative license from the owner, and shows a bit about the culture and the focus of the town. Also, no goblins or orcs? They're such interesting races once you develop them. Give them an interesting aspect to their culture like my orcs' concept of honor is complex and completely encompasses their daily thought processes. A bit of brainstorming ideas and they cease to be a mindless horde of killing machines.
One I really like, that my players haven't even visited yet, is the Pine Chalet. After an elderly man passed away leaving the large chalet to his grandson, the grandson turned it into a bed and breakfast lodge. It is staffed with a cook and housekeeper, and has only 4 rooms to let, but they are quite spacious and grand, with furs lining the pine wood floors and large picture windows overlooking the snowy valley of the town. Meals are served at pre-appointed times at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and are included in the price of the rooms. This gives adventurers 3 opportunities per day to come and have a delicious home cooked hot meal in a cozy setting nestled in the frozen tundra they are adventuring in. It gives a soothing reprieve and has nostalgic notes of home and safety and warmth for them to return to.
I had a lot of fun with The Snapped Cue. It was a very, very, cramped, seaside pub run by a halfling who'd recently bought the old place and hadn't adapted the pub to his height yet. So when you approached the bar, you'd probably assume it was unmanned because the bar was built too high for the halfling to be seen behind it. You'd then see his hands appear to serve drinks, take coins and give change. The walls had multiple shelves covered in knick-knacks - old bottles, a few framed canvases, empty soap tins, buckles. You'd also probably hear the sound of splintering wood as patrons who'd grown frustrated with trying to manoeuvre around in the tiny side room where the pool table was would often snap their cues in half.
In my current campaign I actually took a cue from anime and movies and started the players in the middle of the fight with no explanation how they got there. Each round I would ask the players a question that pertained to how they got there and why they decided to help a merchant being ambushed. When they answered I would give them a small buff for the fight, but they could pass if they were flumoxed. The players could also choose to not help or just defend themselves. The enemy had motivation to kill them regardless. Those players who's answers built on the answers of those before them would get a bigger buff. Basically I skipped right to the action that was meant to draw them in and then let the players explain how they got there. I thought it worked really well. I highly recommend it.
Lily Fae think of the tavern as being inside a pocket dimension and you hide doors that lead too different pocket dimensions in weird places. And you can basically Alison Wonderland the adventure forcing them to grow and shrink in order to solve various puzzles. Ultimately ending in there employment at whatever adventuring company/guild you choose. You can decide if the loot was real or not so if you run it as a one shot or the start of your campaign you can take away the loot or let them keep it.
I’ve been a long time DM for other RPG systems. I’ve considered starting a D&D game before, but every time I’m about to start one, they come out with a Whole New System!!!! 😡😡😡😡 Anywho, I had an idea for a Tavern called The Common Grounds, this is a Tavern Which has portals to Taverns all across the Planes! It’s Run by a Simple well dressed Gentleman who’s always got a smile. Creatures from all alignments and races can find there way here. Gods, Dragons, Commoners, All are welcome to the Common Grounds Tavern! Of course, there’s Powerful Magic’s which prevent any Violence from happening Within the Bar, But theres a Colosseum connected to the Bar where Violence is allowed and Anything Goes! The Bar is True Neutral And favors no agenda. While Most of the Regulars are Gods, Demons, And Other Powerful Deities, commoners often find themselves accidentally wandering in while drunk and having the time of their lives! There have been more than one occasion where a Humanoid found their way there and after an amazing night that the alcohol made them forget, they found a baby left on their doorstep, a treasure with a note from a dragon angry at having been Bested in a riddle contest, a small box of treasures that could buy a kingdom, and a Note from an Arch Angel vowing Revenge! And then the players are left wondering about what happened that night!!!!
Lostboy1 , there is a simple solution to your problem. I do it for the last 12 years. In my case I use GURPS and heavily recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to learn new systems/spend money on new books.
This is all pretty useful stuff. I've only ever played D&D once. I got some friends to agree to play but I'm now having to DM. I've been studying the hell out of the game to prepare but I'm kinda getting nervous. I've been watching your videos and ones by Don't stop thinking, Zee Bashew, Ginny Di and Puffin Forest to name a few and everyone's had useful things to teach me. Unfortunately two of my group members did not show up yesterday to play so I'm prepared for the possibility they lost interest. Still, I'm gonna work on building a tavern scene to pull out in the event I get to use it.
Back when I was playing DnD with my college friends, I actually asked one of them about this. The answer we came to agree on was that it was the center of gossip and news that was happening around the area. Since then, our DM tried to find other ways to start the campaign. Like us the PC's being fresh recruits of merc guild/company. But once on the field, we still resorted to taverns/pubs/inns/bars for information (gossip) regarding our missions. I'd like to think that the bar/innkeeper is a retired adventurer him/herself, and they still have some stuff from their days of adventuring. Not necessarily a weapon, but maybe say a Belt of Giant Strength, or a Bag of Tricks under the bar. So whenever somebody tries to mess up the place, they can actually handle the commotion quite well on their own.
I realize these videos all were made years ago, but I've been watching as many as I can, as they've been giving some great guidance with running adventures as a DM. Thanks for all the info.
A general tip, that applies always and sorta answers your questions at about 4:40: Have folliwing lists prepared: 20 random names male and female, fitting your campaign setting 10 Tavern / Shop names including two names for beer 10 Random Food items from your campaign world. This should be clipped to your GM-Screen. If you've used one, cross it off the list (maybe note who or what got the name for later usage)
I have always thought that adventures should start in a Temple. In my settings Temples are the center of social life of a town, house travelers and are part of town meetings and celebrations-including births, deaths, marriages, naming and birthdays. PCs are usually staying at the Temple and all locals usually attend. These Temples are usually used to venerate large numbers of gods, spirits, ancestors and others.
Thanks Nate. Excellent video, full of great ideas! Now I want to go create my own tavern :-) Where names are concerned, I think it's fascinating that different (real world) countries tend to have different traditions. In Ireland, for example, in my experience, bars tend to bear the names of individuals or families: Lavery's, or O'Neills, or Aunty Annie's (....so in a fantasy setting, why not "Ragnar's Alehouse" or "Borri Firebeard's"?) In England, on the the other hand, they're more like the names you mention, with many common names across the country: The White Hart, the King's Head, the Duke of Gloucestershire - and some eccentric exceptions, like the Eagle & Child where Tolkien and Lewis met (still a very nice pub!). Finally, a great source of tavern names is in the hardcover 2nd edition supplement Forgotten Realms Adventures, where there are loads mentioned for each city. My all-time favourite in there is the tavern called, "True Love's Last Chance" - very evocative.
Last Game I did I had the Players Be Stalked at their Homes by a Glowing Golden Parchments that turned out to be a Map promising Riches and Adventure.. There were more of those Maps around the world, but the Recipients that Let themselves be tempted and Crossed the Continent to Follow the Map, Were the ones that would be the players... the Map Brought them to a Luxurious BROTHEL in a Mid Sized Border Town to gather and Meet Each other, When they Showed up they each in turn Learned that they had an All expenses payed Room there for as long as it took for the other members to show up from across the continent, plus 3 Days, so that the Last Person to show up could also Benefit from the Arrangement... the Characters were Quite Happy that whatever Was Gathering them was So Generous... It Only Incited them to go forward to wherever the damn Map pointed them more... You know, After they Had their Fun.
I haven't DM'd in awhile, but I'm a writer. In my writing, one thing I have noticed my readers love is good descriptions of atmospheric sound and smell (Especially in a tavern / bar). Something about sound and smell is more primal and intimate than sight.
I had a tavern opening to a campaign. Scheduling conflicts made it so that this one micro session in the tavern is all I've done so far, but I had fun. I had my players meet in a tavern. The Sailor's Way. A tavern outside of town near the harbor district and across from the Lighthouse. Normally the tavern only saw business at night when the local fisherman or sailors would come in for a well-deserved ale. Farmers also came in, but not as often because of the distinct differences in sailors and farmers. My players arrived one by one around midday when the tavern was quiet and only two old patrons were quietly arguing in the corner near the fireplace. Where burnt logs and a pile of ash quietly smoldered from last nights fire. The tavern owner and barkeep was a portly man with thin balding hair. He seemed bored as he greets the party and gets them their various luncheon meals. The party did not know each other and this was where they were supposed to meet. But all being new shy players, their characters ate in relative silence. Only one standing up to look around. There was a bulletin board on the wall that had a few interesting things for the players to find. An old important looking notice from the city crowns guard asking for new recruits. (Overwritten some of this flyer in red ink was harsh words that condemned the corrupt force.) A poorly written letter from a farmer asking for someone to help take care of a goblin problem. He said that over the weeks he had seen evidence of goblins in the woods outside of town near his farm. The crowns guard wouldn't help him so he would pay a good sum of money for whoever would. And then a very fancy flyer for a carnival that had come into town the month prior but hadn't been taken down yet. Also, a rather new looking stately note with gold embellishments, asks for daring adventurers to await a man named Jenkins who has a very special mission. (It is purposly vague and the party cares little about it.) The player takes note of this and has a conversation with another about what they think of the crowns guards. Then, an explosion is felt/heard from below the tavern. The barkeep rushes down into a cloud of dust billowing from the cellar entrance. The two older patrons leaving immediately out of fear. The room fills with dust. The party stands up confused and as they head towards the cellar the barkeep comes back up from the cellar. Coughing from the dust and white as a sheet. "Goblin! In my cellar! Please, can someone help me?" The players tell the barkeep to go grab the grounds guards and head towards the cellar. They go for a stealthy approach, and with good rolls are able to go down undetected. The meat and food pantry is being raided by 3 goblins with their backs turned to the cellar entrance and the party. One goblin is over by a massive hole in the wall, that a good intelligence roll hints at being from dynamite explosion. Long fight story short, the party fights a horde of goblins and their bugbear leader, almost dying but with clever strategy and lucky rolls they were victorious. They sort of investigated the exploded hole. The goblins had taken a sewer entrance from the ocean coast and had trekked under the town. Dynamite in tow, looking to loot as much as they could. If the party had investigated further they would have found to the right he bent sewer bars that they came through that led to the sewer ocean run off. And to the left was the entrance to the city sewer network. There I had written in a templar secret temple entrance with a puzzle to get some neat loot. An entrance into the secondary deep sewer system that would have led to an ancient catacomb part of the city, and also just further into the city where more entrances to businesses lied in wait. The party, however, missed all that extra content I wrote and instead went back up to the main tavern area and waited for the barkeep to come back. They were dirty and defeated. And several of them had never been that close to death or even experienced that level of combat before. The guards eventually came and were surprised to see that the situation was so readily handled. The barkeep shaken but relieved everything was now ok, offers to pay for the parties lunch and rooms for the night, but doesn't offer a reward. The party not pressing for one doesn't get one. A stately older man walks into the tavern just as the crown guards set about to clearing the damage below. He holds an embroidered handkerchief to block the dust and walks straight to the still very shooken up adventurers. He introduces himself as Jenkins and asks the party if they would accompany him in the following morning to visit his mistress. Who is in dire need of adventurers to help her with a quest he cannot give the content to; outside of her villa. The party was tired and beaten and hungry and really did not like the vibes this guy was giving off. But I was able to convince to come. (this led to the opening in Tomb of Annihilation) It was a fun short tavern scene and Im still sad I couldnt play more with the players. But what do you think? For being my first time as a DM and writing this tavern opening myself, is it ok?
In one campaign we had, there was a tavern that saw so many fights that the owner did not bother with the furniture anymore. We call the place The Furniture's Graveyard.
My brother is regularly the dm for our particular group and for as long as we've gamed together, he has inserted a particular tavern/inn into whatever game were playing. It is always called The Duck Inn, and the interesting thing about it is that characters of medium height or larger have to make a dex save the first time they enter, or risk hitting their head on the top of the doorframe, because the top is actually lower than it appears.
I DM'ed a few games long time ago and had the first gamenight started at the Inn. The players were already restless after creating the characters and wanted some action, so I made the town "under attack" at that same night. It did not go well with most of the players, some died, some did not feel related to the character being played. So to end this, we all decided to give it a new try and a new kind of approach. In stead of making rolls for the characters creation, I prepared some characters for them ( properly rolled for creation, but most of the 20-some created characters discarded or put aside for future use ), and also came up with a new point of meeting: the City Gates. I introduced them one by one in my story and gave the printed papers to any of the players who said "I want to play that character", first up was the head of the townguard on duty at said gate ( no-one wanted him as playable, so it went to the NPC/future use pile ), next up was a Elfen warrior on a horse entering the city from outside ( two players wanted this, a roll with dice decided the next owner of the paper ), he had to make some arrangement with "customs" to get into the city, so had to wait till he got on his way. The next handout was a Wizard ( elemental type ) to give to a player. ( This was going to the player who did not get the Elf ). Thirth to pass on to a player was a Rogue ( thief ) character, who was wanted and trying to get out of town. And further on were available: a Dwarf visiting a relative ( NPC'ed ), a farmers son with goods to sell on the market ( NPC'ed ), a Nobleman's son and his fathers "Huntsman" on an outing ( both taken ) and a "Bow Maiden" ( Female warrior with hight dexterity, taken to a player ). To give a short version what happened, the Dwarf ( NPC ), the Elf ( player ) and the Thief ( player) got inside the guardhouse, the guards trying to arrest the Thief character, the Elf ( as was being a bit annoyed for waiting ) started an argument with the guards and ended up with Dwarf and Thief fighting those guards, inside the gatehouse. The Wizard, the Nobleman and Hunter were at the gate inside the city going outwards, and the Bow Maiden the farmer and some other NPC's at the outside of the gate going in, as so many people wanted to get trough at the same time and the brawl inside the gatehouse, the guards wanted to close the gates to get things sorted out, so everybody there got involved and started at least arguing and some fighting against those guards. All players ( plus Dwarf ) ended up outside the gates, some on horses, some running, but all alive and all in one group. With as first mission for the next game; to smugle the Dwarf back into town for him to visit his nephew. Just to give my example of a game ( series ) "not having to start at an Inn"...
Hi, love your content, learning A LOT! Recently started DMing after having played maybe 8 games, having a blast. I feature the inn/tavern trope immensely because the players are away from home, and this has been where they rest. It helps that they have discount on food, ale, and bed because they saved the innkeeper's daughter. And because their reputation is growing, more and more NPCs are going to the inn to see these odd creatures and adventurers (in a 100% human world, we have as weird a creature as a warforged, a tortle, a tabaxi, an elf with a rhino, and 2 homebrewed human-beast hybrid races). I find it also a great place to have heroes recap past adventures, so I know what has been their interpretation of events, what is their gut feeling about the overarching story, and other aspects like how much trouble they are having with tracking/writing names and all. as for naming, my best suggestion is to just look up English pub names. every town in the UK has at least 1, and you several can be adapted immediately. One near where I used to live was called The Ottoman's Head, and in my setting, there is a competing tavern called The Hag's head. Also, microbreweries have great ale and beer names, like... Hobgoblin.
Really late to this video, but a small story to share. I started playing DnD in high school and my first campaign of course started off in a tavern. Towards the end of the campaign my character bought that tavern, he was the last surviving member of the original party, and bought it out of nostalgia mostly. After the first campaign me and the dm got together and worked on what became of that tavern. With a small bit of role-playing and some out of character decisions that tavern became a very popular tavern/inn/adventurer's guild. Named the Juggling Fool it would be the first place any group of would be hero's would show up to looking for work. The tavern held a bounty board that petitioners would post jobs they needed done, for a small fee paid in advance to the tavern. The tavern proprietor would assess the job and rate it's difficulty with a star system from 1-5. 1 being the easiest and 5 the hardest. The tavern became so successful it became a chain throughout the world, with Juggling Fools appearing in every city and town of note. We never got to play the second campaign, but when I decided to start my own, my players started in the Juggling Fool. They loved it so much that every town they went to, the first question was always 'Is there a Juggling Fool?' So now it's stuck. Every campaign, every one-shot, the question is asked. "Can we start in the Juggling Fool?" or "Is there a Juggling Fool?" A small part of me is almost tired of it, a bigger part of me is very proud and happy that I have made a place that all my player's love and insist on going to. And a small part of my very first character 20+ years later, still lives on in some small way.
One of my favorites I've used is in a very peaceful part of the world, the local culture is averse to conflict of almost all kinds. So I made the Inn like a B&B they only served tea, coffee, breakfast, dessert, and what is essentially watered down wine. For real meals they had to go across the street to a restaurant, and if they wanted alcohol they had to go to yet a third place to the bar at the edge of town. Story wise this made them very aware of the local culture that alcohol wasn't served in many places and was somewhat looked down on (as was violence) but it also made the characters explore this little town I had made, at least a little bit. Then when they wanted to get supplies for their adventure, again they had to go to multiple stores, because arrows and weapons of any kind were not available except at the specialty stores. They had to go find the fletcher and the blacksmith directly. Of course all of this was an attempt to give them more chances at overhearing rumors or running into a story hook but they ended up loving this little town so I had to go make more specific NPC's for it as they kept returning and got to actually know people. Essentially what I had started as just a touch of flavor, ended up becoming a major plot point, a lot of chance for character development, and a recurring setting. It kind of became cool. On the down side, this town that I had invented in like 10 minutes and had only intended on having show up twice, ended up taking a few hours of time because they kept going back. So you know, rule of unintended consequences. LOL
I like the idea of using a tavern setting AS session zero where everyone meets and gets to know each other and their characters with a bit of roleplay but a fair bit of 4th wall breaks of course to talk strategy and ideas
Who else was just nodding and laughing when he was suggesting all of the issues that the tavern opening presents. All of those have happened to me at least twice XD. Loved it Nate!!!!!!!! When you were doing the intro I got goosebumps as I thought fondly back to my first game that I ever ran! Another great video!!!!!!
My crew met at a peace summit, on opposite sides. Set a tone for the entire adventure, where each had a score to settle with the rest for some atrocity or another. Allies found in circumstance, bounded by necessity, then crystallized through hardship and the pain of shared grief.
I've always had this campaign in mind where the players all share a mutual friend who invites them on a wild hunting trip. They await for them at tavern, exchanging stories as to how they know this person. Once they are done, almost as if on cue, the tavern door gets kicked open letting in the chilly winter wind. A woman with red hair and an athletic build carrying a boar over her shoulders shuffles in and throws it's carcass onto an empty table. She is popular among the regulars as they raise their mugs and cheer in her presents. She props herself onto the bar, snatches a mug from someone as he is bringing it to his lips, and chugs down it's contents. After finishing her drink in what appears to be three large gulps, she raisins her mug in celebration prompting everyone do likewise. Now she is dancing around the tavern, doing summersaults across tables, teasing patrons with a possibly of a kiss, all before landing in an empty space at the players' table. She is the mutual friend. Later on after hunting a dire wolf with her, the players return to the tavern, game in tow. They are approach by a man in a hood. He explains that he is the king of the western capital, and that he has come to this village in search of would be heroes to rescue his daughter from his wife's adulter and bitter nemesis, the king of the northern capital. Here the players have the option to accept the quest, or just blow it off. Sadly after high school all my friends either are graduating to college, got married, or having kids (not exclusively in that order) while I live out in the country with still no drivers license, and no job. If given the opportunity, this would be the start of my DnD campaign!
In the UK they are called public houses, pubs for short they are were the whole Village gathers to socialise. Makes sense to be your first port of call.
We played Out of the Abyss with my group, and even though we actually didn't start there, I think waking up as prisoner in a dungeon is a nice trope for start of a campaign :D loved my players pissing off them drow guards
A tavern/bar/dive, is a community meeting place...always has been, always will be. It is where you go to chat to people whom you normally wouldn’t run into on your average day of work, eat & sleep. It is where you can honestly find out about everything going on in town and more. This is where gossip and rumors have generally always been heard. It may sound like storyline trope, but the bar is the perfect spot, to meet for a party. I used to go to the bar (pre-iPhone) to meet with my friends after work, and we would either just drink at the bar or go do something as a group - much like a d&d party.
The Perfect Tavern in DnD I can think of is the Yawning portal - a Tavern that sits just above a mega dungeon and covers a multitude of tropes. I've used it in the past and pretty eager to see the new book coming out this Fall. But that said you hit on all the right points, and the key is keeping things interesting, being descriptive (but not overly so), and let the characters feel their way around. I find the players do most of the work for you if you let them.
Had a Island Town as a starting campaign location for a Nautical adventure with the Tavern being called "The Anchor". The reason was that there was a opening in the middle of the Tavern that had a large pool filled with Lobsters and an Anchor that hung overhead of the pool. The Barkeeper was an retired Naval Captain and the way he dealt with problematic patrons was to tie them to the anchor and lower it into the pool for the lobster to nip at their toes.
My players never got to it yet, but I made one with a Tarrasque-person (homebrew race) barkeep. Being a tarrasque-person, this barkeep is obsessed with monstrous quantities of hot sauce. Everything on the menu that has "Apocalypse" in its name is potentially deadly to PC's.
A tavern called the singing rose, it was owned and run by a friendly little old driad lady with a Rose bush grandma fro. The tavern was completely over grown with flowered vines inside and out like poison ivy's lair. And the roof top was a lush fruit garden that were used to make the alcohols for the tavern.
I've found it easy to get the players to intro their characters and why they have joined the party. Then i have them do their shopping, their hirelings and then we start out to get the adventure going. Usually i dont do Tavern scenes until the second session, so we can get the game going, and set the tone for the campaign
An idea for starting in a tavern came to mind for me while watching,your players are enjoying ale and talking to each other,suddenly bandits break down the door and tell everyone to "give us yer gold or were gonna burn this place to the ground!" Your players could choose to fight,persuade,or maybe even intimidate the bandits to leave the tavern alone.
One of my favorite moments with an Inn was going into a town, this town was my own character's home, and finding out that the remains of the old Inn that she had grown up with, the one her own parents ran until their death, had become a 'Franchise' Inn/Tavern that was spreading across the world. She refused to stay there, sleeping instead in the smithery that was her home until becoming an adventurer. This Inn was named the GriffInn...and has become our group's version of the Holiday Inn/Hotel. Spending too much gold at those mom and pop run Inns? Just go and stay at the GriffInn, only two silver pieces a night with a complimentary breakfast.
My campaign is based around a guild that's basically a hidden bar beneath the lake. Malice's Motley Monsters, run by Malice the tiefling in name, and actually run behind the scenes by an Erinyes named Aniath. The bar's a safe haven for monsters and shady characters, a refuge for the outcasts. They give "monsters" opportunities to take jobs and do some good in the world.
While a Tavern or Inn may be an overused start to a quest, it can be a nice place to have in betweeen quests, or in a campaign that will last multiple sessions. After finishing a quest, you can go to the Tavern and have it be almost a Hub where you can refuel and find a new quest to go on. It can also be a nice place to leave off a session because its a place where you can rest and not have to leave off a session in the middle of a combat session where the players are reching the climax of the battle and become dissapointed that they have to stop. So I guess what I want to say is that a Tavern has its pros and cons, but can be quite nice when planned accordingly.
Town Crier; A favorite in some games in the past, a DM attempts to get to the point fast (limited game time), a town makes an announcement that something has happened, caravan robbed, a royal was kidnapped, and the duke of so and so, or the king is offering a reward for the people who answers the call to put a stop to the offense, or safe rescue to princess what's her name.
The Eastgate Prospecter is also an entrance to the Labyrinth. The labyrinth spans the entire continent and those that have entered and returned believe it to have a mind of it's own. The party is a young group of wizards (and a couple of their friends) that are celebrating the completion of another year at Tätal's University. They've noticed that this inn always has access to pricey foreign Ales, lagers, and methylated spirits. One of your professors has asked you to investigate the inn to see where this alcohol is coming from.
Kvothe, from king killer Chronicles is a good example of an unexpected inn keeper. Imagine your characters are sitting around when a demon busts in! Next thing you know, the unassuming Innkeeper turns out to be a badass!
Taverns are handy. In a modest size (middle ages level) town there will be ONE tavern. A place that all strangers end up going for food, supplies and information.
I ran one campaign that started out in a large festival. Lodging came in the form of large tents, where people could pay for a bedroll and a spot to set it up. It was cool because the players were able to wander around and meet travelers from far and wide, picking up rumors along the way. I ended up creating some pretty eclectic characters on the fly, but most of them met their end when one player destroyed a support beam and the tent collapsed and caught fire. Players had to roll for injuries and how many items they lost in their escape. Whoops.
This may be off topic: One of my favorite locations I have created was a giant white tower, in which the reason not many can see it from the mainland is due to a constant storm surrounding the island the tower is on. Once my pc's entered the tower, they found that it was an enchanted tower, in which the interior space is bent into a sphere that breaks all laws of physics, people still stick to the floor, but arrows can fly from one side of the city to the other just from firing up, and if someone jumps high enough, they can overcome the enchantment and jump to the opposite side, although magic is banned inside the tower, due to the enchantment being magical in origin and the people who made it don't want to overwork the enchantment.
You could start a D&D campain many different way: they have anlready acepted a talk, they see or hear something that sends them on an adventure, or you can just ask the pc's if they are comforitable with you choosing them a task that they have already acepted, maybe they want to just exsplore a town who knows?
In my last campaign I modified the trope slightly - they met on the road TO a local tavern. And then organically stuck together socially since they were all newcomers. And in the campaign before the party again met on the road. This time they didn't bother going to the tavern right away when they went to the first town they encountered on the road, but they ended up there in the end. Tropes work in combination with other tropes.
The Dragon's Hoard-Built in a dwarf hold (because they tend to have the most gold), the "owner" often shows up as a elf, dwarf, gnome, or other type of being. It is rumored the owner is a dragon that shares the caverns with the dwarves in exchange for a cut of the miners and warriors loot and mutual security. Only the higher ups know for certain and they aren't talking. Haven't played this, but just thought it up while you was talking in the vid. Had a similar idea for a dragon banker/bank owner that sleeps in the bank vault in dwarf territory as well several months back.
Last night I sat around an outdoor table with several friends, bottles of wine, and grilled meat from a near by barbecue. Before long, each at the table began sharing stories. This shared experience is well known to all. It has ancient ties to humans at large. How many fond memories do each of us have sharing stories with family and friends around a table while breaking bread? For me it’s countless.
So what is playing DnD? It’s a bunch of family and friends sitting around a table sharing a story. Often accompanied by food and beverages. What does this sound like? I think it’s pretty obvious.
The tavern scene it the perfect analogy of a DnD session. It’s familiar and a well practiced social behavior. To quote one of my co-adventuring party members last Saturday , “we aren’t playing DnD yet.” As he poured us all a shot. We laughed but got the point. This act had tradition and, friendship oozing from it. We knew an epic evening was at hand.
I love this game.
RIGHT in the feels. Man! I will not cry. I will not cry. Just my allergies.
But yeah, well said. Beautiful.
So start your quest at a barbecue?
Ain’t no high horse here, buddy. The dude was just sharing some of his own experiences. Good times. I’m sorry that you don’t have good memories of such things. I’m sure it’s nothing you’ve done, some of us just have different life experiences, and it makes sense that you would have different sorts of ideal role playing experiences too, because of that. Different strokes for different folks. :)
Bingo! There were no Starbucks in the fantasy medieval age. No internet, precious few ways to learn anything other than meeting at the old Ale House and hear what everyone had heard from the dude who brought supplies or whatever.
I created a tavern once called "the broken sword", it had a wall filled with broken swords alongside the name of their former owners and how they broke
May I ask the permission to absolutely steal that idea?
That's actually brilliant, 2 Xp!
may i absolutely steal the hell out of that'
I’m going to steal that from you
Lawful good: 'May I ask the permission to absolutely steal that idea?'
Chaotic neutral: 'May I absolutely steal the hell out of that?'
Neutral evil: 'I'm going to steal that from you'
Inspirationpoint for the wonderful idea and the kind Xp giver :)
The one time I was in a game that we didn't start in a tavern, we decided to open one.
That's awesome
I had a player that created a foodie character who's dream was to try all the specialities of each Inn he visit. So when he asked about the menu of the first tavern, the little new DM-me panicked and goes : "Heum, you are in a dense city soooo... pigeon ? Yep, pigeon meat." And you know what, with that panic-creativity this Inn suddenly impress a lot of the players because they weren't expected that unusual food. So yeah, good memory for me ^^
An idea I like for tavern name is something you can work into a cheer. I first used this idea with The Flagon Held High tavern in Tilverton, Faerun. The bartender or someone would say, "Welcome to The Flagon" and a crowd of regular patrons would shout, "Held High!" and raise their drinks in cheer.
This call and response could be started by anyone at anytime.
After this spectacle happened a couple times, one of the PCs would start the cheer to get the locals in a good mood or as a distraction.
Another one I made up (for a different group of players) is The Hearty Huzzah. It works the same way, whenever someone calls out, "hearty" others respond, "huzzah!"
It's good comic relief as a running gag, and makes the place very memorable and endearing (or annoying).
That’s so great. I love it. :D
That's a fantastic idea! I'm making a note of this to add to my own campaign. Thanks! :D
I might steal this for my game
This reminds me of Cheers, and I love it!
@@gvendurst just have NORM walk in every night......
I have started characters in/at:
1) Same military unit during war.
2) Town bulletin board.
3) All from the same village, travelling to the big city together.
4) In an elevator, falling without brakes.
The last is 🥇
I think taverns can be a touch cliche unless handled well.
What "handled well" looks like to me, is that we have to remember that the tavern (like any real world bar) will have its established figures and culture. The Prancing Pony that you reference plays with this, with several of the locals taking issue with the strange antics of the group of outsiders suddenly in their midst.
This is often forgotten in D&D: A small bar in a remote village, the local peasants are mostly farmers, and few have been more than 20km from their home their entire lives.
Suddenly, an elf, a dwarf, a tiefling and a drow walk into the bar. No one bats an eye.
A tavern is a perfect place to establish the norms of local culture by having people react to your party's behaviour, but DM's and players often seem to forget just how outside of the ordinary their party probably is.
Hi, really enjoyed watching. I find the tavern issue interesting - but then, being English, I spend half my life in the pub. Indeed my D&D group plays in a pub room. I often find that real pubs and inns can have really good histories that don't need any exaggeration to make great D&D pubs. Take my local pub just around the corner from me. It's called the Minerva Inn (in Plymouth) and takes its name from the Roman goddess. It has wooden tables and stone floors, so does look like a typical fantasy inn. But also it is rumoured to have secret passages as both smugglers and press gangs have used it as a base of operations in the past. The timber used on the inside was looted from Spanish galleons by English sailors in 1588. How cool is that? Other English pubs with a good back story include Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem , built in 1189, where knights used to meet before setting off on the crusades :-)
SO COOL. You don't get much like that here in the U.S. :)
I can imagine you saying that the pup looks like the one you are currently playing at IRL and a player pointing at something and saying they wish to use it in game.
Another reason to use taverns: they're honestly _realistic._
Most of my real life "adventures" started from a bar so sure.
Gymnasiums, docks, archery ranges, festivals, book shops, concerts…the list is endless for alternatives to this easy out.
Because the only people who think it’s a good idea to try and kill a flying lizard the size of a small town are people who are drunk off their asses
“ let’s.... hiccup.... kill ourselves a .... hiccup... dragon...!!!!”
Yeah, hold my ale...
One idea I thought would be cool is start in a super stereotypical tavern to have the parties guard down, but secretly it's a front for a Shanghai-esque slave trader. The owner has made a business of boozing up a few travelers before they pass out and find themselves at sea
Nice. Sounds like the seed of a good adventure.
My favourite tavern I ever ran was "The Druids Rest", nestled in the small logging community of Deepingdale, located in the Mistwood; a deep ancient forest. Ran by Jonan Hornfoot, the an old halfling and the son of an old halfling wizard. His long suffering wife, Barilynn ran the kitchen and the inn while Jonan worked the bar. Frequented by tough old lumberjacks, the resident Dwarvern bard helped Jonan with the brewing of ale, since it was so deep in the woods that it was basically impossible to get shipments. The Dwarvern bard, Alberich, played by one of my players, was a terribly incompetent drunk who brewed actively awful beer. It was here that our wandering sorcerer Aelar and his bodyguard Stedd met with Alberich, and the small villages gnome cleric, Bizwee, who had been placed in this backwater nothing of a village on her mission as punishment for her incompetence as an acolyte. On the seemingly average night that the group found themselves all in the bar at once, the devious actions of the hag Mother Greentooth, who had been posing as the town soothsayer for a few weeks was revealed when one of the lumberjacks turned into a werewolf. And from here kicked off the campaign I'm still running.
I'm a regular in bars. I've met more friends, girlfriends, roommates, you name it, in bars then I've met anyone anywhere else. Starting in the tavern is not cliche to me. It's realistic.
I had a tavern in one of my games : The Filthy Apron. I did not have plans for what transpired whatso-ever, even the name was picked from a "Shop Names"-list.
I decided that it used to be a Blacksmith that has gone bankrupt and the son steppid in and bought the store, turning it into an Inn. He never changed the name since he's a proud Dwarf and wants to pay respect towards his dad. It was a lousy and down on its luck Inn, the beer was homebrewed and even tasted cheap. One of my players was so invested in this inn, a big sum of the money he made, he invested it into the Inn. Even became partners in the brewing company and got his own ale : Tordrin's Stout. (sadly Tordrin died before he could see the money that was being made =') )
Still one of the favorite 'homebases' of my players.
If they only knew it was made out of thin air and their own expectations and interactions =')
It did hit me right in the feels. Orcs and goblins banned?!? It wouldn't be the same without them! Speaking of names, I've always liked the Ten Bells, which is an actual London Pub that was part of Jack the Ripper's story. Great video!
i've started campaigns with the "we met in a tavern," cliche, but i've also started with another cliche, "the town is attacked." it's a good way to get the pcs working together early. you could also have the campaign start with some sort of festival, or, if you want some politics in your game, a protest that devolves into a riot. i've also started with the pcs having been captured and enslaved, and on their way to wherever they were being taken, the caravan was attacked by an army of kobolds and their dragon master.
I prefer to start with action too. Meet each other on the field of battle (and learn the combat mechanics of the game), then go to the tavern after to relax and roleplay.
I prefer to start with the "why" that is the first adventure hook and hand that why to the players (or cooperatively come up with it) before character creation.
This could be something like "you've all taken jobs as caravan guards for your personal reasons" or "you're all members of or servants to a minor noble house" or anything else (such as defending a town under attack as mentioned)
After that not only do you have your first hook with buy-in, but the best starting location usually makes itself pretty obvious.
well, how often do real towns get attacked? a few times every 1000 years? How often can you repeat that?
@@nemooh As much as you want. We're not talking about real life living, we're talking about a fantasy world with monstrous or aggressive tribal humanoids, like gnolls, orcs, and ogres.
I DM a game with a tavern/inn. This specific one I created was where the PC's all first met in the game. One of the PC's really loved the inn and they bought it. It has certainly evolved since then. We have so much fun with this inn and now it has 6 floors including a fire station. This inn is crazy and it brings one of my players a lot of money they can use when adventuring.
I love this. The players BOUGHT the inn where they first met. It's beautiful. :D
I also started a campaign with characters recruited into a militia. There were a series of 6 trials to determine who would be sent on a secret mission. These trials determined the character's stats... and the Int, Wis, and Cha trials explained my setting.
After this intro the players completed their character sheets and they went on their mission while the rest of the militia assaulted the wizard tower to provide a distraction to help the PCs mission.
my favorite inn name will always be "Don't Come Inn"
I personally love the tavern trope because it can be really versatile if you're trying to make it interesting. It also helps me to give my heroes a reason to travel together - I don't like having them in a party "just because". Sometimes there's tension between characters and I want them to have something that makes it worth sticking together (otherwise most campaigns would turn into a shitshow). All characters have had lives before they went on an adventure. Maybe one of the players is the owner of the tavern? One morning all players wake up absolutely hungover, no recollection of the night before, only to find out that someone robbed them of all their valuables and destroyed the inside of said tavern. Or all of them meet at the breakfast table by chance only to find out (through banter) that all of them have had the same strange, reoccurring nightmare. It's just easier to start a brand new party if the adventurers play a quest they gave themselves.
Yes, you should! In a middle age fantasy setting inns and taverns serve as a center of life of society. They particularly appropriate for building up a story so my answer is yes, starting at taverns is cool.
I slammed together a Guy Fieri/Flavortown themed one shot and essentially the entire town other than the Mayor's Mansion was comprised of fast food knock-off 'taverns' of varying degrees of quality (re: info, interactions, cool level, etc.) There were hidden objects, roll tables, and optional NPC interactions that were all triggered as needed and based on the PCs actions for a super customizable experience. For example, McFieri's was run by a trio of imps (Lox, Tox, and Nox) that were rude to their customers unless appropriately intimidated wherein they would grant a boon to help defeat the Mayor of Flavortown. The challenge was making all of them different enough to be worth it but it was a great creative exercise!
Speaking of taverns, there's this place in Steven Brust's Jhereg series that I would absolutely love to eat at in real life. It's called Valabar's. And Brust describes in detail the food his characters eat. The food is so good, no one fights there. Ever. Because they don't want to be banned.
When doing an introduction, you have to hit all the bases: WHO are the characters, WHAT are the characters doing, WHEN isn't as much of a big deal, but it helps the setting if you include the season, at the very least, WHERE allows you to describe the scene.
Now, here's the most important part. If you don't want a dead-start to the campaign or one-shot you have to include WHY they are there. "Like any good adventurer your first stop in town was the bulletin board to see if there are any jobs available. The most promising was . . . (insert hook). You've gathered at the local tavern to meet the contact mentioned." For some it will be their first introduction, for others (like the brother/sister pair at my table) they'll have made their characters with complementary backstories. Most of the dead-starts (in tavern or out) I've been part of the question of WHY was never addressed, making me feel like the DM was asking us to make that part up - which pulled the party in 5 to 7 different directions, dividing us before the hook was even introduced.
10:40 Don't forget "The Yawning Portal"
The Lost Traveler is a tavern that resides near the bank of the Allison river. What was once an old river barge run aground was dragged to the shore and converted into a tavern. The Owner and barkeep, Purcell Wells, still can be seen wearing his blue captains coat. Struggling to keep the bar going he works tirelessly to avoid having to return to the sea.
I always start my games in a tavern. Sure, you don't have to. Plenty reasons not to. But what does no one seem to ask? Why SHOULD you start in a tavern?
Well, first of all, because it easily and quickly sets the narrative. The PCs are already surrounded by NPCs, along with the barkeep, who's usually the center of town gossip and rumors.
The townsfolk gather and socialize, creating a perfect scene for the players to delve into the world. Ask questions, role play opportunities to really flesh out their brand new characters, chances to practice that accent.
Its a setting for dramatic quest begginings. Perhaps the town butcher bursts through the door calling for help. Or maybe Calarel the Vile enters and offers the players a red gold piece.
My question is, why WOULDN'T you start in a tavern?
I'm with you! :)
Here’s my twist on the tavern opening .. I think I’ve posted it on this channel before.
The party meets in tavern, they may or may not know each other but they soon will have no choice but to bond.. the patrons of the bar seem super friendly.. almost creepily interested in the characters backstories. This gives the players a chance to flesh out their backgrounds while in conversation with an NPC....
And when one of the players mentions anything like a magic item, piece of treasure, hidden location, etc.. you ramp up the creepy npc interest in that player and that item..
And for the twist. The first person to leave the tavern finds out that they are trapped as they walk back through the front door the instant they leave the room... the fire in the hearth has no heat.. the doors to the back room don’t have knobs etc. because they are trapped in a magical and drug induced shared illusion that a villain has used to find whatever treasure or item the player invented for their background.
When they break the illusion they wake up in a rusty prison cell and the villain leaves or flees leaving some shitty guards for the party to overcome
Justin Thompson, creativity and ideas that don't involve a tavern, however in my case a prestigious dinner which the party members were each individually invited too.
I use the tavern as the 'why' the party gets together. They might not know each other starting out, but they all know the owner, an adventurer herself before retiring, and she's got a job for them.
This totally avoids dithering about or trying to come up with a hook that all the players will go for: everyone's here to see Glenda; she's the one who's put the party together; she's already got a job lined up for them; she's going to serve as a patron for the group until they start striking out on their own. Just remember to save her a cut of the earnings to pay for your room upstairs.
My favorite tavern was the "Crossed Swords." First, it was located at the main crossroad of the town. Second, the decor was weapons confiscated from unruly patrons. Over the fireplace was a matched set of two arming swords (crossed, of course). There was a list field out back. The owner was an experienced fighter and would take on challengers using blunted practice weapons.
Second favorite was "The Bard's Rest" where the decor was musical instruments.
the problem with swords on the wall is that they could easily become swords in the hands of the next unruly patrons.
@@nemooh unless they are attached firmly to the wall.
Great episode, Nate! Taverns make a lot of sense for anything in the medieval era. After all, they were generally Inns that also provided lodging so travelers with news were likely to end up there, not to mention, that was probably the only place in any village or small town that had much in the way of entertainment, so many locals were likely to gather there, resulting in an obvious choice for making contacts. I do think bathhouses & town squares make sense too. In a large city, there might be actual restaurants, as well as theaters & arena's that might also provide likely places to pick up on rumors, network or even meet up with a prospective employer.
As far as ideas for other ways to start a session, I haven't run many games yet. So far, I've stuck to what I call a Half Shot, which consists of putting the players in a common "situation" (so far a burning Inn where they were all spending the night, after closing hours and a chase scene in a Kobold Lair) and a combat. I have found starting them out in the action really brings the pc's together quickly to join forces in a common cause.
When you started your intro it did something to me. The tavern scene always and I mean always takes me to the worlds of my fantasy and it always makes me wonder what fate (the DM) might have in store for me, what dangers are ahead and it always makes me feel relaxed because I know that soon there are things to overcome. And I can't wait for it to start.
There is a guy named Rhykker on here who said that it is the DM's duty to introduce newer players to the cliches of D&D, which I think is spot on. "You're in a tavern." -- as cliche as it sounds to veterans -- will always be a great place to start a D&D campaign!!! Taverns are a great place for characters from disparate places on your world map to meet up and band together. They are also a great place to introduce the kind of town that the characters find themselves in -- are the people scoundrels (like the Star Wars cantina), are they humble commoners, or a mix? Tolkein also mentioned rumors or bard's tales in his tales that could prevent or inspire a quest. Although taverns are not the only place to start, they are almost a mandatory option in D&D as a way vehicle to get to the next part of the story. You can make some awesome twists on tropes like "kill the rats in my basement" quests by leading to something unexpected in order to dispel disbelief in the old hats who roll their eyes at first.
The Rusty Hook is a bustling tavern on The Trader's Walk in the Harborside district of the City of Takmir on the island of Dorum'Tel. It's built within the overturned stern half of a massive ship that had drifted into port with no crew aboard. The superstitious sailors of the city wanted nothing to do with the vessel and it sat at berth for nearly a year before an enterprising young halfling named Harlin Barleynut commissioned local shipwrights to haul the vessel onto shore and into an empty lot he had won in a game of cards. Once in place, the workmen turned the hull and made quick work of the bow; lopping it completely off so as to remain within the confines of the Barleynut lot and re-purposed the timber to construct the facade that greets thirsty travelers to this day.
That’s excellent, I love it.
My players passed threw a small town that was a fishing village. Everything in the town smelled of fish the menu in the inn was fish stew or grilled fish. The drinks were a trout ale, or a bass stout.
So there was something fishy about the whole scene? ;)
The Green Griffin - secretly a hangout for The Harpers. The Scorpions Wraith - the assassins/thieves guild. These two are always present in my world.
I recently started my first campaign as DM. I used one of the techniques you described here, which I'll share in case someone else would like to use it or a variation: The players were each applicants selected to join a distant magical guild, having never met one another. I had a "session zero" as described in this video to create a bond between the characters, and also so everyone could get familiar with 5e combat. They basically had a collective dream the evening before their departure, in which they found themselves in the center of an illuminated cave with 3 other individuals (the other players). They didn't recognize these individuals, and before they could interact with one another, a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows and basically instigated a battle scene. I had boulder obstacles and shadowed areas, so we all were able to familiarize ourselves with the different rules of battle, I even had a magical weapon hid in the scene, which one of the players found, but which was also left in the dream and didn't actually exist in the real world. But the XP still counted!
So when session 1 of the campaign started and they all met one another and realized they had all previously met in a dream, it helped provide a good excuse as to why this group of individuals who really had no reason to hang together would remain together as a group among all the other magic-users in the guild.
Thanks for creating these videos, I've been watching all of them to help with the designing of my campaign :)
We have been playing a campaign since last August, and we are yet to leave our starting town, with the tavern being our base of operation...
My bard convinced the rogue, cleric, and ranger to become a band for our fantasy woodstock
A nice little tavern in a game i ran was the previous house of one of the players who had lost all his posessions due to a Deck of Many Things. So when he returned home the place was open for business, nobody remembered him as living there, and his personal effects were used as decoration (He was a toymaker, so it turned out a rather cute/scarry/unsettling place, depending on your taste)
If your players are away from their base for a longer time, make it into a tavern. Some rogues have turned up and now controls the place, or the characters were listed as dead due to absent (or unpayed taxes) and the property was sold of. It goes against most players to assault places that can provide them with beer, and this way they get a place thats their own in a sweed'n'sour way.
My all time favorite tavern name is "The Mermaid's Legs"
You're welcome.
I used a tavern for my staring location for a game I ran a few year ago. It was a rather standard tavern in feel and appearance. It had a bar at the far end from the door with about 10 circular tables between the two. A stair case went up at a 90 degree from the left side of the bar leading to 5 rooms. One room belonging to the owner and bar keep, his wife was the barmaid. Not every table was full but it was a busy night. The party members were all sitting at different tables as they arrived by order of a letter to the town; a job offer to meet with someone that was there. All of a sudden an argument over some item broke out at another table and some of the players engaged in the discussion (not combat). Another player spent time at the bar, and yet another sat at the table in the corner brooding.
At this time the argument more a debate about puzzles and riddles. The door burst open and 3 hooded figures walked in and demanded to see someone and saw that both the person and item they were looking for was at a table in the middle of the room. The same table 2 of the players were at talking with a couple of NPCs. Eventually a fight broke out but, suddenly a woman started walking down the stairs and rose her hands into the air and began casting with a mad grin across her face. Just as everyone looked at her in confusion she launched what looked to be a fireball into the middle of the tavern.
The party thought they were done for but when they opened their eyes it was only them standing in the middle of a ruined tavern, the snow drifting around them. It had been destroyed years ago and they could see the rest of the town also burned to the foundations. Only fragments of each structure remained except for one house in the distance seemed to be untouched and there was a light on in one of the windows. As they walked toward the house one of the party noticed a mother and child walking down the street toward them for just a moment before they disappeared.
The whole town was destroyed when an army came through looking for something and due to the nature of the item and some of the people who lived there the entire town repeats the events that happened that night. The truth only being shown after midnight each night and returning to a normal looking town when the sun rises again. The whole area is mostly avoided by those who know of it but the army being the victors more or less erased the small town off the maps.
A good reason to start in a tavern: It's where strangers WOULD meet in a medieval-ish society. The opportunities are pretty much endless from there.
OF COURSE it is!!!! People just want to bitch. Zero wrong with the neighborhood pub. It's not like they have a Bat Cave or Avengers Building to meet at.
I have a female dwarf fighter miniature that my baby nice named Puleh. She is now a reoccurring barmaid in my taverns, kinda like Nurse Joy from Pokemon. She comes in handy if a fight breaks out in the tavern, and has a habit of giving slices of pie to adventurers she likes. The adventurer usually hates pie.
Hope you’re channel takes off you do a great job at communicating you’re ideas and stay intrigued
Dancing Dragon Inn? My party? Pbth! They wish! Dancing Dragon's too good for them. They get to meet at the Sloppy Hog, where you pay extra to have someone spit in your drink and the barmaid's beard is longer than most dwarves.
😆
My starting tavern is called the Blackened Goblin. The name has an interesting backstory, with a bit of creative license from the owner, and shows a bit about the culture and the focus of the town.
Also, no goblins or orcs? They're such interesting races once you develop them. Give them an interesting aspect to their culture like my orcs' concept of honor is complex and completely encompasses their daily thought processes. A bit of brainstorming ideas and they cease to be a mindless horde of killing machines.
One I really like, that my players haven't even visited yet, is the Pine Chalet. After an elderly man passed away leaving the large chalet to his grandson, the grandson turned it into a bed and breakfast lodge. It is staffed with a cook and housekeeper, and has only 4 rooms to let, but they are quite spacious and grand, with furs lining the pine wood floors and large picture windows overlooking the snowy valley of the town. Meals are served at pre-appointed times at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and are included in the price of the rooms. This gives adventurers 3 opportunities per day to come and have a delicious home cooked hot meal in a cozy setting nestled in the frozen tundra they are adventuring in. It gives a soothing reprieve and has nostalgic notes of home and safety and warmth for them to return to.
I had a lot of fun with The Snapped Cue. It was a very, very, cramped, seaside pub run by a halfling who'd recently bought the old place and hadn't adapted the pub to his height yet. So when you approached the bar, you'd probably assume it was unmanned because the bar was built too high for the halfling to be seen behind it. You'd then see his hands appear to serve drinks, take coins and give change. The walls had multiple shelves covered in knick-knacks - old bottles, a few framed canvases, empty soap tins, buckles. You'd also probably hear the sound of splintering wood as patrons who'd grown frustrated with trying to manoeuvre around in the tiny side room where the pool table was would often snap their cues in half.
In my current campaign I actually took a cue from anime and movies and started the players in the middle of the fight with no explanation how they got there.
Each round I would ask the players a question that pertained to how they got there and why they decided to help a merchant being ambushed. When they answered I would give them a small buff for the fight, but they could pass if they were flumoxed. The players could also choose to not help or just defend themselves. The enemy had motivation to kill them regardless. Those players who's answers built on the answers of those before them would get a bigger buff.
Basically I skipped right to the action that was meant to draw them in and then let the players explain how they got there. I thought it worked really well. I highly recommend it.
I ran an whole 4 month long campaign that never left a tavern.
Oooh! That sounds cool. How does that work?
Lily Fae think of the tavern as being inside a pocket dimension and you hide doors that lead too different pocket dimensions in weird places. And you can basically Alison Wonderland the adventure forcing them to grow and shrink in order to solve various puzzles. Ultimately ending in there employment at whatever adventuring company/guild you choose. You can decide if the loot was real or not so if you run it as a one shot or the start of your campaign you can take away the loot or let them keep it.
Graham Johnson ooh cool
I’ve been a long time DM for other RPG systems. I’ve considered starting a D&D game before, but every time I’m about to start one, they come out with a Whole New System!!!! 😡😡😡😡
Anywho, I had an idea for a Tavern called The Common Grounds, this is a Tavern Which has portals to Taverns all across the Planes!
It’s Run by a Simple well dressed Gentleman who’s always got a smile. Creatures from all alignments and races can find there way here. Gods, Dragons, Commoners, All are welcome to the Common Grounds Tavern!
Of course, there’s Powerful Magic’s which prevent any Violence from happening Within the Bar, But theres a Colosseum connected to the Bar where Violence is allowed and Anything Goes!
The Bar is True Neutral And favors no agenda. While Most of the Regulars are Gods, Demons, And Other Powerful Deities, commoners often find themselves accidentally wandering in while drunk and having the time of their lives!
There have been more than one occasion where a Humanoid found their way there and after an amazing night that the alcohol made them forget, they found a baby left on their doorstep, a treasure with a note from a dragon angry at having been Bested in a riddle contest, a small box of treasures that could buy a kingdom, and a Note from an Arch Angel vowing Revenge!
And then the players are left wondering about what happened that night!!!!
Lostboy1 , there is a simple solution to your problem. I do it for the last 12 years. In my case I use GURPS and heavily recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to learn new systems/spend money on new books.
Wow this Idea is awesome
This is all pretty useful stuff. I've only ever played D&D once. I got some friends to agree to play but I'm now having to DM. I've been studying the hell out of the game to prepare but I'm kinda getting nervous. I've been watching your videos and ones by Don't stop thinking, Zee Bashew, Ginny Di and Puffin Forest to name a few and everyone's had useful things to teach me. Unfortunately two of my group members did not show up yesterday to play so I'm prepared for the possibility they lost interest. Still, I'm gonna work on building a tavern scene to pull out in the event I get to use it.
Back when I was playing DnD with my college friends, I actually asked one of them about this. The answer we came to agree on was that it was the center of gossip and news that was happening around the area. Since then, our DM tried to find other ways to start the campaign. Like us the PC's being fresh recruits of merc guild/company. But once on the field, we still resorted to taverns/pubs/inns/bars for information (gossip) regarding our missions.
I'd like to think that the bar/innkeeper is a retired adventurer him/herself, and they still have some stuff from their days of adventuring. Not necessarily a weapon, but maybe say a Belt of Giant Strength, or a Bag of Tricks under the bar. So whenever somebody tries to mess up the place, they can actually handle the commotion quite well on their own.
I always have a bar maid named Lydia in my games.
I realize these videos all were made years ago, but I've been watching as many as I can, as they've been giving some great guidance with running adventures as a DM. Thanks for all the info.
A general tip, that applies always and sorta answers your questions at about 4:40:
Have folliwing lists prepared:
20 random names male and female, fitting your campaign setting
10 Tavern / Shop names including two names for beer
10 Random Food items from your campaign world.
This should be clipped to your GM-Screen. If you've used one, cross it off the list (maybe note who or what got the name for later usage)
I have always thought that adventures should start in a Temple. In my settings Temples are the center of social life of a town, house travelers and are part of town meetings and celebrations-including births, deaths, marriages, naming and birthdays. PCs are usually staying at the Temple and all locals usually attend. These Temples are usually used to venerate large numbers of gods, spirits, ancestors and others.
Thanks Nate. Excellent video, full of great ideas! Now I want to go create my own tavern :-) Where names are concerned, I think it's fascinating that different (real world) countries tend to have different traditions. In Ireland, for example, in my experience, bars tend to bear the names of individuals or families: Lavery's, or O'Neills, or Aunty Annie's (....so in a fantasy setting, why not "Ragnar's Alehouse" or "Borri Firebeard's"?) In England, on the the other hand, they're more like the names you mention, with many common names across the country: The White Hart, the King's Head, the Duke of Gloucestershire - and some eccentric exceptions, like the Eagle & Child where Tolkien and Lewis met (still a very nice pub!). Finally, a great source of tavern names is in the hardcover 2nd edition supplement Forgotten Realms Adventures, where there are loads mentioned for each city. My all-time favourite in there is the tavern called, "True Love's Last Chance" - very evocative.
Last Game I did I had the Players Be Stalked at their Homes by a Glowing Golden Parchments that turned out to be a Map promising Riches and Adventure.. There were more of those Maps around the world, but the Recipients that Let themselves be tempted and Crossed the Continent to Follow the Map, Were the ones that would be the players... the Map Brought them to a Luxurious BROTHEL in a Mid Sized Border Town to gather and Meet Each other, When they Showed up they each in turn Learned that they had an All expenses payed Room there for as long as it took for the other members to show up from across the continent, plus 3 Days, so that the Last Person to show up could also Benefit from the Arrangement... the Characters were Quite Happy that whatever Was Gathering them was So Generous... It Only Incited them to go forward to wherever the damn Map pointed them more... You know, After they Had their Fun.
I haven't DM'd in awhile, but I'm a writer. In my writing, one thing I have noticed my readers love is good descriptions of atmospheric sound and smell (Especially in a tavern / bar). Something about sound and smell is more primal and intimate than sight.
The Jiggly Nose! That was an odd one featured in a family game I played in. To be clear I did not DM the campaign.
I had a tavern opening to a campaign. Scheduling conflicts made it so that this one micro session in the tavern is all I've done so far, but I had fun.
I had my players meet in a tavern. The Sailor's Way. A tavern outside of town near the harbor district and across from the Lighthouse.
Normally the tavern only saw business at night when the local fisherman or sailors would come in for a well-deserved ale. Farmers also came in, but not as often because of the distinct differences in sailors and farmers.
My players arrived one by one around midday when the tavern was quiet and only two old patrons were quietly arguing in the corner near the fireplace. Where burnt logs and a pile of ash quietly smoldered from last nights fire. The tavern owner and barkeep was a portly man with thin balding hair. He seemed bored as he greets the party and gets them their various luncheon meals.
The party did not know each other and this was where they were supposed to meet. But all being new shy players, their characters ate in relative silence. Only one standing up to look around.
There was a bulletin board on the wall that had a few interesting things for the players to find. An old important looking notice from the city crowns guard asking for new recruits. (Overwritten some of this flyer in red ink was harsh words that condemned the corrupt force.) A poorly written letter from a farmer asking for someone to help take care of a goblin problem. He said that over the weeks he had seen evidence of goblins in the woods outside of town near his farm. The crowns guard wouldn't help him so he would pay a good sum of money for whoever would. And then a very fancy flyer for a carnival that had come into town the month prior but hadn't been taken down yet. Also, a rather new looking stately note with gold embellishments, asks for daring adventurers to await a man named Jenkins who has a very special mission. (It is purposly vague and the party cares little about it.)
The player takes note of this and has a conversation with another about what they think of the crowns guards.
Then, an explosion is felt/heard from below the tavern. The barkeep rushes down into a cloud of dust billowing from the cellar entrance. The two older patrons leaving immediately out of fear. The room fills with dust.
The party stands up confused and as they head towards the cellar the barkeep comes back up from the cellar. Coughing from the dust and white as a sheet.
"Goblin! In my cellar! Please, can someone help me?"
The players tell the barkeep to go grab the grounds guards and head towards the cellar. They go for a stealthy approach, and with good rolls are able to go down undetected. The meat and food pantry is being raided by 3 goblins with their backs turned to the cellar entrance and the party. One goblin is over by a massive hole in the wall, that a good intelligence roll hints at being from dynamite explosion.
Long fight story short, the party fights a horde of goblins and their bugbear leader, almost dying but with clever strategy and lucky rolls they were victorious.
They sort of investigated the exploded hole. The goblins had taken a sewer entrance from the ocean coast and had trekked under the town. Dynamite in tow, looking to loot as much as they could. If the party had investigated further they would have found to the right he bent sewer bars that they came through that led to the sewer ocean run off. And to the left was the entrance to the city sewer network.
There I had written in a templar secret temple entrance with a puzzle to get some neat loot. An entrance into the secondary deep sewer system that would have led to an ancient catacomb part of the city, and also just further into the city where more entrances to businesses lied in wait.
The party, however, missed all that extra content I wrote and instead went back up to the main tavern area and waited for the barkeep to come back. They were dirty and defeated. And several of them had never been that close to death or even experienced that level of combat before. The guards eventually came and were surprised to see that the situation was so readily handled.
The barkeep shaken but relieved everything was now ok, offers to pay for the parties lunch and rooms for the night, but doesn't offer a reward. The party not pressing for one doesn't get one.
A stately older man walks into the tavern just as the crown guards set about to clearing the damage below. He holds an embroidered handkerchief to block the dust and walks straight to the still very shooken up adventurers.
He introduces himself as Jenkins and asks the party if they would accompany him in the following morning to visit his mistress. Who is in dire need of adventurers to help her with a quest he cannot give the content to; outside of her villa.
The party was tired and beaten and hungry and really did not like the vibes this guy was giving off. But I was able to convince to come.
(this led to the opening in Tomb of Annihilation)
It was a fun short tavern scene and Im still sad I couldnt play more with the players.
But what do you think? For being my first time as a DM and writing this tavern opening myself, is it ok?
In one campaign we had, there was a tavern that saw so many fights that the owner did not bother with the furniture anymore. We call the place The Furniture's Graveyard.
THE GREEN DRAGON TAVERN
This American tavern is so old and Legendary, most people never remember anything about. It's " Revolutionary."
My brother is regularly the dm for our particular group and for as long as we've gamed together, he has inserted a particular tavern/inn into whatever game were playing. It is always called The Duck Inn, and the interesting thing about it is that characters of medium height or larger have to make a dex save the first time they enter, or risk hitting their head on the top of the doorframe, because the top is actually lower than it appears.
I have to groan every time someone says "hooded" and "figure" in the same sentence
I’m thinking there were a lot of groans at every turn of this intro. :)
Now i want to develop a tavern called: "The Hooded Figure"
Hahaha!
I DM'ed a few games long time ago and had the first gamenight started at the Inn. The players were already restless after creating the characters and wanted some action, so I made the town "under attack" at that same night. It did not go well with most of the players, some died, some did not feel related to the character being played. So to end this, we all decided to give it a new try and a new kind of approach. In stead of making rolls for the characters creation, I prepared some characters for them ( properly rolled for creation, but most of the 20-some created characters discarded or put aside for future use ), and also came up with a new point of meeting: the City Gates.
I introduced them one by one in my story and gave the printed papers to any of the players who said "I want to play that character", first up was the head of the townguard on duty at said gate ( no-one wanted him as playable, so it went to the NPC/future use pile ), next up was a Elfen warrior on a horse entering the city from outside ( two players wanted this, a roll with dice decided the next owner of the paper ), he had to make some arrangement with "customs" to get into the city, so had to wait till he got on his way. The next handout was a Wizard ( elemental type ) to give to a player. ( This was going to the player who did not get the Elf ). Thirth to pass on to a player was a Rogue ( thief ) character, who was wanted and trying to get out of town.
And further on were available: a Dwarf visiting a relative ( NPC'ed ), a farmers son with goods to sell on the market ( NPC'ed ), a Nobleman's son and his fathers "Huntsman" on an outing ( both taken ) and a "Bow Maiden" ( Female warrior with hight dexterity, taken to a player ).
To give a short version what happened, the Dwarf ( NPC ), the Elf ( player ) and the Thief ( player) got inside the guardhouse, the guards trying to arrest the Thief character, the Elf ( as was being a bit annoyed for waiting ) started an argument with the guards and ended up with Dwarf and Thief fighting those guards, inside the gatehouse. The Wizard, the Nobleman and Hunter were at the gate inside the city going outwards, and the Bow Maiden the farmer and some other NPC's at the outside of the gate going in, as so many people wanted to get trough at the same time and the brawl inside the gatehouse, the guards wanted to close the gates to get things sorted out, so everybody there got involved and started at least arguing and some fighting against those guards. All players ( plus Dwarf ) ended up outside the gates, some on horses, some running, but all alive and all in one group. With as first mission for the next game; to smugle the Dwarf back into town for him to visit his nephew.
Just to give my example of a game ( series ) "not having to start at an Inn"...
Hi, love your content, learning A LOT! Recently started DMing after having played maybe 8 games, having a blast. I feature the inn/tavern trope immensely because the players are away from home, and this has been where they rest. It helps that they have discount on food, ale, and bed because they saved the innkeeper's daughter. And because their reputation is growing, more and more NPCs are going to the inn to see these odd creatures and adventurers (in a 100% human world, we have as weird a creature as a warforged, a tortle, a tabaxi, an elf with a rhino, and 2 homebrewed human-beast hybrid races). I find it also a great place to have heroes recap past adventures, so I know what has been their interpretation of events, what is their gut feeling about the overarching story, and other aspects like how much trouble they are having with tracking/writing names and all.
as for naming, my best suggestion is to just look up English pub names. every town in the UK has at least 1, and you several can be adapted immediately. One near where I used to live was called The Ottoman's Head, and in my setting, there is a competing tavern called The Hag's head. Also, microbreweries have great ale and beer names, like... Hobgoblin.
Really late to this video, but a small story to share. I started playing DnD in high school and my first campaign of course started off in a tavern. Towards the end of the campaign my character bought that tavern, he was the last surviving member of the original party, and bought it out of nostalgia mostly. After the first campaign me and the dm got together and worked on what became of that tavern. With a small bit of role-playing and some out of character decisions that tavern became a very popular tavern/inn/adventurer's guild. Named the Juggling Fool it would be the first place any group of would be hero's would show up to looking for work. The tavern held a bounty board that petitioners would post jobs they needed done, for a small fee paid in advance to the tavern. The tavern proprietor would assess the job and rate it's difficulty with a star system from 1-5. 1 being the easiest and 5 the hardest. The tavern became so successful it became a chain throughout the world, with Juggling Fools appearing in every city and town of note. We never got to play the second campaign, but when I decided to start my own, my players started in the Juggling Fool. They loved it so much that every town they went to, the first question was always 'Is there a Juggling Fool?' So now it's stuck. Every campaign, every one-shot, the question is asked. "Can we start in the Juggling Fool?" or "Is there a Juggling Fool?" A small part of me is almost tired of it, a bigger part of me is very proud and happy that I have made a place that all my player's love and insist on going to. And a small part of my very first character 20+ years later, still lives on in some small way.
I rarely start campaigns at taverns, and my players always end up finding one. It's a very useful and familiar scene that everyone loves if done right
That’s weird, last night I was playing D&D. We started in a tavern then I wake up. Get on RUclips, and this is recommended!!!
One of my favorites I've used is in a very peaceful part of the world, the local culture is averse to conflict of almost all kinds. So I made the Inn like a B&B they only served tea, coffee, breakfast, dessert, and what is essentially watered down wine. For real meals they had to go across the street to a restaurant, and if they wanted alcohol they had to go to yet a third place to the bar at the edge of town. Story wise this made them very aware of the local culture that alcohol wasn't served in many places and was somewhat looked down on (as was violence) but it also made the characters explore this little town I had made, at least a little bit. Then when they wanted to get supplies for their adventure, again they had to go to multiple stores, because arrows and weapons of any kind were not available except at the specialty stores. They had to go find the fletcher and the blacksmith directly. Of course all of this was an attempt to give them more chances at overhearing rumors or running into a story hook but they ended up loving this little town so I had to go make more specific NPC's for it as they kept returning and got to actually know people. Essentially what I had started as just a touch of flavor, ended up becoming a major plot point, a lot of chance for character development, and a recurring setting. It kind of became cool. On the down side, this town that I had invented in like 10 minutes and had only intended on having show up twice, ended up taking a few hours of time because they kept going back. So you know, rule of unintended consequences. LOL
I dig it! :)
Honestly, I mostly have players start in a tavern or inn because its D&D and that's just such an iconic way to start a D&D game.
I like the idea of using a tavern setting AS session zero where everyone meets and gets to know each other and their characters with a bit of roleplay but a fair bit of 4th wall breaks of course to talk strategy and ideas
"You are in a Tavern. It is on fire." My favorite intro.
Who else was just nodding and laughing when he was suggesting all of the issues that the tavern opening presents. All of those have happened to me at least twice XD. Loved it Nate!!!!!!!! When you were doing the intro I got goosebumps as I thought fondly back to my first game that I ever ran! Another great video!!!!!!
Taverns were centers of their communities.I just makes sense that stories would start in them.
My crew met at a peace summit, on opposite sides. Set a tone for the entire adventure, where each had a score to settle with the rest for some atrocity or another. Allies found in circumstance, bounded by necessity, then crystallized through hardship and the pain of shared grief.
"What makes your tavern special?" There's a tall guy in chainmail going "Sokka" everytime he is talked to
I've always had this campaign in mind where the players all share a mutual friend who invites them on a wild hunting trip. They await for them at tavern, exchanging stories as to how they know this person. Once they are done, almost as if on cue, the tavern door gets kicked open letting in the chilly winter wind. A woman with red hair and an athletic build carrying a boar over her shoulders shuffles in and throws it's carcass onto an empty table. She is popular among the regulars as they raise their mugs and cheer in her presents. She props herself onto the bar, snatches a mug from someone as he is bringing it to his lips, and chugs down it's contents. After finishing her drink in what appears to be three large gulps, she raisins her mug in celebration prompting everyone do likewise. Now she is dancing around the tavern, doing summersaults across tables, teasing patrons with a possibly of a kiss, all before landing in an empty space at the players' table. She is the mutual friend. Later on after hunting a dire wolf with her, the players return to the tavern, game in tow. They are approach by a man in a hood. He explains that he is the king of the western capital, and that he has come to this village in search of would be heroes to rescue his daughter from his wife's adulter and bitter nemesis, the king of the northern capital. Here the players have the option to accept the quest, or just blow it off. Sadly after high school all my friends either are graduating to college, got married, or having kids (not exclusively in that order) while I live out in the country with still no drivers license, and no job. If given the opportunity, this would be the start of my DnD campaign!
So use google to find a new group in your area. Go run that tavern!
In the UK they are called public houses, pubs for short they are were the whole Village gathers to socialise. Makes sense to be your first port of call.
We played Out of the Abyss with my group, and even though we actually didn't start there, I think waking up as prisoner in a dungeon is a nice trope for start of a campaign :D loved my players pissing off them drow guards
A tavern/bar/dive, is a community meeting place...always has been, always will be.
It is where you go to chat to people whom you normally wouldn’t run into on your average day of work, eat & sleep.
It is where you can honestly find out about everything going on in town and more. This is where gossip and rumors have generally always been heard.
It may sound like storyline trope, but the bar is the perfect spot, to meet for a party. I used to go to the bar (pre-iPhone) to meet with my friends after work, and we would either just drink at the bar or go do something as a group - much like a d&d party.
The Perfect Tavern in DnD I can think of is the Yawning portal - a Tavern that sits just above a mega dungeon and covers a multitude of tropes. I've used it in the past and pretty eager to see the new book coming out this Fall. But that said you hit on all the right points, and the key is keeping things interesting, being descriptive (but not overly so), and let the characters feel their way around. I find the players do most of the work for you if you let them.
Had a Island Town as a starting campaign location for a Nautical adventure with the Tavern being called "The Anchor". The reason was that there was a opening in the middle of the Tavern that had a large pool filled with Lobsters and an Anchor that hung overhead of the pool. The Barkeeper was an retired Naval Captain and the way he dealt with problematic patrons was to tie them to the anchor and lower it into the pool for the lobster to nip at their toes.
My players never got to it yet, but I made one with a Tarrasque-person (homebrew race) barkeep. Being a tarrasque-person, this barkeep is obsessed with monstrous quantities of hot sauce. Everything on the menu that has "Apocalypse" in its name is potentially deadly to PC's.
A tavern called the singing rose, it was owned and run by a friendly little old driad lady with a Rose bush grandma fro. The tavern was completely over grown with flowered vines inside and out like poison ivy's lair. And the roof top was a lush fruit garden that were used to make the alcohols for the tavern.
I've found it easy to get the players to intro their characters and why they have joined the party. Then i have them do their shopping, their hirelings and then we start out to get the adventure going. Usually i dont do Tavern scenes until the second session, so we can get the game going, and set the tone for the campaign
An idea for starting in a tavern came to mind for me while watching,your players are enjoying ale and talking to each other,suddenly bandits break down the door and tell everyone to "give us yer gold or were gonna burn this place to the ground!" Your players could choose to fight,persuade,or maybe even intimidate the bandits to leave the tavern alone.
One of my favorite moments with an Inn was going into a town, this town was my own character's home, and finding out that the remains of the old Inn that she had grown up with, the one her own parents ran until their death, had become a 'Franchise' Inn/Tavern that was spreading across the world. She refused to stay there, sleeping instead in the smithery that was her home until becoming an adventurer.
This Inn was named the GriffInn...and has become our group's version of the Holiday Inn/Hotel. Spending too much gold at those mom and pop run Inns? Just go and stay at the GriffInn, only two silver pieces a night with a complimentary breakfast.
My campaign is based around a guild that's basically a hidden bar beneath the lake. Malice's Motley Monsters, run by Malice the tiefling in name, and actually run behind the scenes by an Erinyes named Aniath. The bar's a safe haven for monsters and shady characters, a refuge for the outcasts. They give "monsters" opportunities to take jobs and do some good in the world.
While a Tavern or Inn may be an overused start to a quest, it can be a nice place to have in betweeen quests, or in a campaign that will last multiple sessions. After finishing a quest, you can go to the Tavern and have it be almost a Hub where you can refuel and find a new quest to go on. It can also be a nice place to leave off a session because its a place where you can rest and not have to leave off a session in the middle of a combat session where the players are reching the climax of the battle and become dissapointed that they have to stop. So I guess what I want to say is that a Tavern has its pros and cons, but can be quite nice when planned accordingly.
I completely agree. :)
Town Crier; A favorite in some games in the past, a DM attempts to get to the point fast (limited game time), a town makes an announcement that something has happened, caravan robbed, a royal was kidnapped, and the duke of so and so, or the king is offering a reward for the people who answers the call to put a stop to the offense, or safe rescue to princess what's her name.
At the beginning I just felt pure nostalgia.
The Eastgate Prospecter is also an entrance to the Labyrinth. The labyrinth spans the entire continent and those that have entered and returned believe it to have a mind of it's own.
The party is a young group of wizards (and a couple of their friends) that are celebrating the completion of another year at Tätal's University. They've noticed that this inn always has access to pricey foreign Ales, lagers, and methylated spirits. One of your professors has asked you to investigate the inn to see where this alcohol is coming from.
Kvothe, from king killer Chronicles is a good example of an unexpected inn keeper. Imagine your characters are sitting around when a demon busts in! Next thing you know, the unassuming Innkeeper turns out to be a badass!
Taverns are handy.
In a modest size (middle ages level) town there will be ONE tavern. A place that all strangers end up going for food, supplies and information.
I ran one campaign that started out in a large festival. Lodging came in the form of large tents, where people could pay for a bedroll and a spot to set it up. It was cool because the players were able to wander around and meet travelers from far and wide, picking up rumors along the way. I ended up creating some pretty eclectic characters on the fly, but most of them met their end when one player destroyed a support beam and the tent collapsed and caught fire. Players had to roll for injuries and how many items they lost in their escape. Whoops.
There was no TV back in the day. If you wanted an evening's entertainment, the local tavern was the place to go. Songs and stories, and strong drink.
This may be off topic:
One of my favorite locations I have created was a giant white tower, in which the reason not many can see it from the mainland is due to a constant storm surrounding the island the tower is on. Once my pc's entered the tower, they found that it was an enchanted tower, in which the interior space is bent into a sphere that breaks all laws of physics, people still stick to the floor, but arrows can fly from one side of the city to the other just from firing up, and if someone jumps high enough, they can overcome the enchantment and jump to the opposite side, although magic is banned inside the tower, due to the enchantment being magical in origin and the people who made it don't want to overwork the enchantment.
You could start a D&D campain many different way: they have anlready acepted a talk, they see or hear something that sends them on an adventure, or you can just ask the pc's if they are comforitable with you choosing them a task that they have already acepted, maybe they want to just exsplore a town who knows?
In my last campaign I modified the trope slightly - they met on the road TO a local tavern. And then organically stuck together socially since they were all newcomers.
And in the campaign before the party again met on the road. This time they didn't bother going to the tavern right away when they went to the first town they encountered on the road, but they ended up there in the end.
Tropes work in combination with other tropes.
The Dragon's Hoard-Built in a dwarf hold (because they tend to have the most gold), the "owner" often shows up as a elf, dwarf, gnome, or other type of being. It is rumored the owner is a dragon that shares the caverns with the dwarves in exchange for a cut of the miners and warriors loot and mutual security. Only the higher ups know for certain and they aren't talking. Haven't played this, but just thought it up while you was talking in the vid. Had a similar idea for a dragon banker/bank owner that sleeps in the bank vault in dwarf territory as well several months back.