Recently, I gave my players a closed down tavern as a reward for helping a lord rescue his daughter. The building and the land is in their name, and now they're really interested in running a business for profit and prestige.
Outside the limited rules presented in the DMG for 5th Edition, are there any other resources for taking up an operation like this? Have you or your players done this before?
Also, business discussion thread
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Wrong board
How even
uh... no.
well, first.
assuming there are no pressing needs on the party.
1.) what is the state of repair on the tavern?
2.) was it previously named?
3.) nearest villages?
4.) major trade through the region?
5.) how high is your fantasy?
6.) what are the tax laws of the land(this is not even a meme in this case)?
7.) party classes?
8.) level of conflict in the world?
9.) party Profession/Skill levels?
>a tavern that did such shitty business it got closed down
>needs to be cleaned, restocked, probably repaired, and needs new employees
>reward
>a building and LAND
>IN THEIR NAME
at this point they've been given a lot of interesting options.
the building might have been abandoned because of local superstition, or lack of an heir or it had a bad case of the plague. it might not have gotten shitty business.
Stop overthinking this. Just pull some numbers out your ass for the cost of the inventory and better think about which problems would occur with running a tavern. For example, maybe there is a reason beyond bad business practices for the close down of the tavern? I heard every past owner got more and more insane over time.
actually, finding that out might be it's own fun sub-quest.
>haunted tavern
who you gonna call?
>insanity causing subsurface minerals
good thing they got the land under the tavern too. HI-HO!!!!!!
and I bet there are wizards and/or terrorists that would like to buy it from you
>bandits
banditry in the area is so THICC that nobody dared use your road.
kill em all and take their stuff, then figure out why they like the area.
>some blight in the woods
eons ago some power left something awful in the woods. go kill it/break it/light it on fire and have a party
>road maintinence
the party has to go steal some shekels from someplace and get the road regraded and repaved
another consideration is that if the party has a fixed base of operations they either need
1.) for the adventure to come to them
2.) to have the support staff to run the tavern while they go off doing adventure stuff
Did we get an influx of shitposters from somewhere today or what?
>owning a tavern without the farm land to grow sufficient ingredients to create food and beverages for customers
Wew lad. Nice "reward"
This lord has just made them slaves to his demands. He controls how profitable the taven is because he controls the tax rate and hes the closest person to sell ingredients for them to feed customers with.
>road maintinence
>the party has to go steal some shekels from someplace and get the road regraded and repaved
Seriously, make the party fix everything, but give them a choice in how they fix it
For the road example:
>Pay some peasants a bit of gold so the road is bare minimum fixed
Or
>Pay a ton of gold, concept some former bandits/highwaymen, and go full on Roman Road construction.
The former is cheaper, but doesn't have as many people traveling the road
Answer why it was closed in the first place.
that was kind of how I meant it.
the tavern may have lost custom because the road was shitty, leading to less travel, less custom, leading to lower tax revenue to shittier roads to less travel etc. etc. etc.
>the party makes a critically good road
>its longer than other roads in the area
>but its quality means merchants take detours to take the damn thing
>EVEN MORE SHEKELS
OP made the thread at the wrong time of day, he might not be back to see it.
I'd refer you to the "watchtower game" thread if I could find it...
it had a lot of neat ideas.
you might also look at the threads for the "night shift" settings for ideas too. you'd have to adapt them a little, but they might be quite useful...
>"watchtower game" thread
found it!
suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com
especially if you get your tavern upgraded to a general Way-Station. a place for merchants to stop, an official message route rest-stop, etc,
but by then you have good stone walls around the tavern, a good solid gate, actually being on a major route to someplace important*, a beacon tower, stables, and most importantly, a good reputation.
>*bear in mind too that, frequently, adventurer-level shenanigans in a region can cause it to BECOME important.
and better than the watchtower idea.
THIS has a good cause for significantly more people to stop by and cause drama/conflict
The fuck. Do you think taverns grew their own food?
not him, but they did occasionally tend to brew their own beer.
debatable
They are just as likely to as not to brew their own, a tavern is basically an inn in the context of PF, though connotations may derive a tavern closer to a pub and an inn more akin to a hotel with a barroom
If they do brew their own then there is the cost of materials and time as well as risk of a spoiled batch
If not brewing then costs of purchases, securing and paying shipping and room for storing the product(s) become the issue
Either way there are good rp options and chances to apply upkeep costs
Is it /really/ debatable that inns occasionally brewed their own beer?
>Either way there are good rp options and chances to apply upkeep costs
agreed.
>gathers a supply of grain, hops, herbs, and brewing supplies
>local druid steals the grain to feed his herd of friends
>return from stealing it back
>nearest branch of religious organization has stolen your brewing tools
>return from convincing them that T-total is fucking stupid
>grains rotted
>should have kept it someplace dry
>brews it anyway
>hallucinogenic beer
>FUCK IT LETS DO THIS
>want to build a curtain wall around the tavern for security
>starts clear-cutting trees around the tavern for timber
>FUCKING LAW-MAN FINES YOU FOR UNLICENSED TREE-CUTTING...
I think user was picking nits more than anything else.
Might not be shitty business.
Owner might have gotten killed, shady dealings might have screwed it up, a fight occurred that was too much for the owner to repair/recoup from, accidental fire, etc.
>a fight occurred that was too much for the owner to repair/recoup from, accidental fire, etc.
OP needs to call it the Mended Drum if that is the case...
Wait a few sessions and burn it down or something. If that's too on the nose, bleed them for repair fees until they surrender the deed to someone more capable. You introduced a potentially fatal distraction but you can still fix it while it's early.
But why? Players getting attached to things is a *good* thing.
HAHA
It's entirely up to what the players want to do.
>uh let's sell it
Compare the tavern to the vehicles to determine price.
>let's tear it down and build a lair!
Would the characters be able to build it on their own? Maybe the wizard summons creatures to help while the guild artisian bard is decorating the place, and the sailor fighter is doing most of the carpentry etc. Maybe they have to hire a worker's guild. Maybe they can do a task for them instead of paying.
Let the players plan most of this freeform.
>Let's hire some personnel and let them run the tavern
Let the tavern build a minor weekly income. Then let them collect it whenever they return, maybe use the tavern to plan plot hooks or something. "A dark wizard visisted the tavern, now one of the rooms seems haunted!" "The nearby inn is trying to sabotage our business!"
>the players are doing things they want to do
>I need to stop them because this isn't fun!
this, is the WRONG way to do things.
>players are doing things they want to do
>how can I make this more interesting?
this is the RIGHT way to do things
now, if you said at the beginning to the players that there will be a great big over-arching story to worry about. then you can burn it down when the goat-men horde invades from across the border.
but if not, then let them have their fun. play the slice-of-life use that time to plan the next game.
They own land, user. Read the OP.
The only thing about taverns and businesses in general is that players get so excited that they forget all about going on adventure and focus on the property and the game suddenly turns into Tavern Manager 5e.
>players get so excited that they forget all about going on adventure
so this means that the GM needs to have the adventure capable of coming TO the party...
OP here, didn't expect the thread to get this much attention, will post detailed replies when I get home.
OP here, I like this and I like you.
this is actually a lot of good hooks
>state of the tavern
if it needs repairs, that's a lot of crafting, gathering, and bartering checks and a lot of rp value. not to mention directed encounters. Say you want your bar to be of a special wood that only comes from certain kinds of violent treents you have to go kill. or you want the stools covered in bear skin leather.
>nearest village, tax laws, trade
depending on if you're in town or slightly out, you have to go talk to the locals to convence them to come out to your new tavern. have to pay/bribe/threaten local officials for your licenses. Talk to local farmers/brewers for your goods.
>how is the fantasy, conflict
you could end up serving all kinds of strange creatures, or having an invasion happen and trying to decide if you just focus on business, fight off the invaders, or lead a resistance through your tavern.
pretty cool desu
>the game suddenly turns into Tavern Manager 5e.
I would play this.
Fuck, I wish I could program because I would turn this into a game.
it helps that I like this sort of thread and have been ghost-bumping it for the last couple of days.
me too, though I'd also prefer the option to explore the surroundings(out to like 10 miles) for resources, or look for the bandits that just moved in or...
>not making your campaign about becoming a successful merchant crew that unites and supplies the heroes that save the world
>not going on hunting trips to get this week's main protein
>not trying to avoid getting ripped off by sleasy car salesman goblins
>not going through kobold trap crews to keep vermin out but having to find a vendor that won't lock you out of your own bar after doing it
>>not fighting back against getting strong-armed by orcish bruisers
>not dealing with a druidic sect that insists you serve a vegetarian menu
>not bartering with planes-hopping adventurers and mercs for the rarest void salts, living flames and physically extracted emotions courtesy of the far realms
>not using your diplomacy and cooking skills to charm a visiting noble to convince him to resolve a more pressing problem in the kingdom
>not intervening and pacifying combatants when a big brawl starts
>not investigating a murder mystery when one of your drinks is poisoned to kill a patron
>not getting the protection of a thief's guild by helping them out-fox a competing thief's guild
>not being the one place in town people can rally to as a safe haven when a disaster/zombie apocalypse/evil wizard's scheme happens
>not growing old and wealthy off the tavern and having to deal with convincing your PCs kids to take up the mantle, or to hesitate a bit before selling it and giving them the money to ease their journey as adventurers...
well I just wrote a new campaign
>not going on hunting trips to get this week's main protein
and when wild boar gets boring try some rust monster stew..
>not trying to avoid getting ripped off by sleasy car salesman goblins
"why not buy from us?, ground grain cheap. definitely no ergot this time!"
>not fighting back against getting strong-armed by orcish bruisers
"pay me protection money or else!"
[engraving under the mounted orc-head behind the bar]
>not bartering with planes-hopping adventurers and mercs for the rarest void salts, living flames and physically extracted emotions courtesy of the far realms
"and on the wine list today we have, Fear Rosè, Regret Riesling, Ecstatic Sherry, and Lovers Port. don't drink that last one unless you're in love though or it'll only make you depressed though"
>not using your diplomacy and cooking skills to charm a visiting noble to convince him to resolve a more pressing problem in the kingdom
...or convince him to lower your taxes or grant you licence or concession
>not intervening and pacifying combatants when a big brawl starts
brewer, baker, chef, caretaker, bouncer and bartender too!
>not investigating a murder mystery when one of your drinks is poisoned to kill a patron
or breaking the poisoner to bits for so much as DARING to put any form of additive in the food or drink in your establishment...
>not growing old and wealthy off the tavern and having to deal with convincing your PCs kids to take up the mantle, or to hesitate a bit before selling it and giving them the money to ease their journey as adventurers...
ah, but where do they gather children from I wonder?