The tavern

The tavern. The first place adventurers go to quench their thirst, hear rumors and get started on their adventures. Yes its cliché. But considering that many of the early role players were not old enough to legally drink, this was the next best thing. I remember many, many Green Gryphon taverns in my day.  I made my own, called The Winged Dragon. I had drawn out the inside and numbered the locations of tables, chairs and such. I even had the clientele figured out for morning, afternoon and evening. In my early days that was where the party started. After they grew in levels, it was where they returned to tell stories of their great deeds. It became their HQ; the hub for their world.  For some reason the place never caught fire and when dinosaurs rampaged the city, they missed this particular business.

The owner was a character I had played only to 8^th level; a human illusionist.  I have no idea why I made him have the Winged Dragon; except after some of the stuff he had been through, I thought he might want to retire while he was still breathing.  

The place served anything and everything from Gwidiyon Wine (very expensive, very rare and very good), to Red (or any color) Dragon steak (very expensive and possibly deadly).  The dart tournament was extremely popular throughout the entire realm.  That was how one group got drug into some espionage and political intrigue; one of the members of the team favored to win, disappeared and one of the PC’s was drug in to fill his shoes.

So the tavern is the age old starting point. But after awhile, it got overdone to start a group there. The problem was how do you get a ½ Orc Bard, Elven mage and a Gnome fighter, together as a group? One scenario which I haven’t tried yet is a sinking ship.  Women and children and PC’s first!

I did play with a group and we started in a tavern, but we didn't meet up until later that night when the tavern caught fire and the owner killed by some undead. We had to scavenge starting out and then find out who did this and why; not to mention some of the group wanted payback.

The character’s group could be childhood friends, brothers and sisters or the random grouping of race, class and alignment.  The start of an adventure, The Meet Up, can set the tone of the adventure and how the characters take to each other.

And if you do start in a tavern, there is nothing wrong with that. But make it memorable. Make a barkeep they will never forget.  I played with one group, that when we went into this one tavern, the barmaid that waited on us had the personality of someone who has been here for 12 hours and was so very excited (not) to wait on another table. Her spiel was like “Hello, welcome to the Bloodied Axe (sigh), my name is Rachel and I’ll be your server for this evening, (sigh), what can I get you fine ladies and gentlemen…” in a bored and uninterested voice. Nothing we did seem to faze her either.

You could make the place smoky from the candles and fireplace and people smoking. Or exceptionally clean with the staff making sure any spilled drink is immediately cleaned up. Use your senses to describe the place they are sitting in. Make them smell the food that’s cooking in the back. Describe the two gentlemen in the back booth huddled together and cautiously glancing around.  Explain that they hear the bard getting ready to start singing (his instrument is off key and he has a poor voice). And then there are the drinks; the names, the concoctions, the drunk factor. There is so much you can do.

While the tavern is a starting place for adventure, it can be an adventure in itself. Make use of it.