Three Taverns

Browsing the blogosphere yesterday bounced me back to an old post by Zak S called "How I Want to Hear About Your Setting."

I find Zak's idea of defining a setting and its various elements through strictly useful information (tables, rules, etc.), rather than using lengthy prose text, to be very appealing. I'm going to start tinkering with ideas for a future campaign world by doing this.

As an initial exercise, I made up three taverns just to see if I could differentiate them simply through their names and lists of typical encounters.

The High Road: 1d6+6 patrons plus (roll 1d8).
     1. Adventurers – looking for work.
     2. Adventurers – looking for a brawl.
     3. Traveler – for a drink, offers information picked up on journey.
     4. Barkeep – offers to sell information for 1d6 gp.
     5. Minor Notable – offers PCs a low-level job (caravan escort, watchman, bodyguard, etc.).
     6. Special.
     7+. No encounter of note this visit.

The Cat's Claw: 2d6 patrons plus (roll 1d8).
     1. Pickpocket – steals random item from one PC.
     2. Fence – will buy goods of questionable origin, no questions asked.
     3. Gambler – invites PCs to low-stakes dice game (50 gp pot; win/lose 1d10 gp per round).
     4. Prostitute – possible source of info; possible source of disease.
     5. Spy – can be hired to acquire information about anyone.
     6. Special.
     7+. No encounter of note this visit.

Winston Cellars: 1d6+1 patrons plus (roll 1d8).
     1. Bouncer – looks the PCs over; kicks them out if not level 4+.
     2. Dandy – drinks/talks with PCs only if CHR = 15+; offers minor future social favor/aid.
     3. Courtesan – can be bribed for info about high-level NPCs.
     4. Major Notable – offers PCs a dangerous (level 4+) job; discretion a must.
     5. Major Notable – has information on political goings-on.
     6. Special.
     7+. No encounter of note this visit.

GM can roll 1d6 if guaranteed encounter is desired; roll 1d10, 1d12 or even 1d20 if less frequent encounters are desired. Info and secrets may be false at GM's discretion; notables are any personage of importance (respected merchants, government or church figures, wealthy citizens, etc.). "Special" is for any out-of-the-ordinary event (appearance of monsters, sudden disasters, major criminal acts, people who are not what they seem like con men, doppelgangers, disguised fugitives, etc.).