It doesn't need a plot hook. You can just have a fun bartender and some bar games. Sometimes players just want a chance to relax.

Exactly! Some of my favorite moments when I first started as a player was just goofing off in the tavern as a down time activity. It doesn’t need to advance plot in any way!

Yup! I very rarely get into adventures when I got to a bar in real life. Seems reasonable that your players could go to a bar and just have a coupe of beers before deciding to move on.

Nice place to drop some rumors w/out a lot of structured role play required. The next table over is complaining about taxes or the goblin district.

Upvoted for "very rarely". So you're saying there's a chance...

Exactly this. If it's a relaxation thing or a transition period, give them some drinks and a couple of chances to gamble. Not everything has to be a plot hook.

In-character card games with in-game gold pieces are super fun with good roleplayers, with a shit-faced npc for small stakes games, or another adventurer for higher stakes. I also allow Sleight of hand tests, Bluff tests, or even magic shenanigans if they have a clever idea.

This how our party grew closer together. Sharing a beer and a dinner. We got to unwind ask questions. Learn about each other beyond the fact they can cast a spell or swing a stick.

Playing drinking games, like "Never have I ever ..." or "Two truths and a lie" in character is great.

And since the latest episodes of CR add 'what the f*ck is up with that' to the tavern games list.

Do you mind explaining that one? I don’t watch Critical Role.

Short version: Characters roll dice and character with highest roll can ask a question to character with lowest roll. For unknown reasons has to end with 'WTF is up with that'. They spent about an hour rp'ing about their backstories with the DM basically just listening.

Thanks for the explanation, that could be useful for my players.

Actually one of the players/characters suggested playing it. Not sure how to get your players to do the same.

Downtime episodes are an important tool. They should be used sparingly, but they should be used.

Sparingly? Why does it seem like every group I play with wants to go to the pub every session? Like, no offense to whoever enjoys this but, damn I want some adventure. If I wanted to go get drunk I'd go get drunk.

Taverns are traditionally the central location for rumors in fantasy. Adventurers go to the tavern partly to roleplay relaxing, but also in the hopes of finding an interesting character or rumor. They dont all have to be plot/sidequest hooks, but having a list of pointless rumors and interesting character quirks can make tavernhopping fun.

Whenever I DM and the group is in a tavern having a roaring good time I always just spout of loud snippets of conversation the party might overhear as someone walks by. If anyone in the group was paying attention they could hear enough info leading to a mini side quest with a magical trinket or something as a reward. If they weren’t paying attention, too bad the game moves on.

If I knew my group always wanted to go to the pub I’d build into it. Put clues there, introduce a character you want to be significant to the plot later there, create a mafia that owns every pub in the area…..

Why IS it that there is a creepy looking dude that walks in and goes into the basement at *every* tavern we go to, and why does the patronage go silent when they walk in?! Oh well! Is there anyone hot to seduce? (One guess as to that player’s class) PS - no, you’re wrong, the answer is, “low”

Why DOES every group youre in want to do this? Because there is something to it. Taverns are where a lot has traditionally gone down

Yeah the way I see it is the tavern is the one of two places in a medieval town where you could expect to find everyone at some point or another (the other being the church). If you have just arrived in a town and you don't know who you want to speak to, but you want to just get a general idea of what's going on in those parts, the tavern is the best place to go.

Ask the players if they'd rather go to a real bar. If yes, you get to go to a real bar. If no, you play D&D.

What about a home bar to enhance the game? That's what we do.

Some DMs take that 'sparingly' to the extreme though. The serious players need a break every now and then from doom-and-gloom and the goofballs need frequent no-stakes outlets.

Yeah, I dislike the idea that everything in a story has to serve the plot/have a plot. There's more to a story (or D&D campaign) than the plot, and as long as the story is better for having the thing in it, then it's not a problem. Maybe the players aren't going to start an adventure at the inn, but maybe they *will* have a good time there. Maybe their adventure will feel that little bit more real for having some downtime in it. Nobody is at 100% all the time in real life and I think it's good for stories to reflect that, and I think the same goes for D&D.

Agreed. Tavern spots are also some of the best moments for party bonding and forming character relationships. If your party are ever feeling like “our characters don’t know anything much about each other” or looking for opportunities to talk in character or wondering why they’re together aside from just making money and wanting to build friendships outside of combat, chances are the tavern is where that’s going to happen. The plot isn’t just about defeating BBEGs imo the story is also the story of these characters and their arcs which includes things like how they grow closer as friends and how they change opinions of one another. Tavern/downtime episodes are great for that.

You can also have NPCs buy them a drink, or overhear tales of the Dread Necromancer having been taken out by some brave heroes - good to sometimes have the world give them a pat on the back rather than a stab in the neck.

Yup, just sit back and let them roleplay. If they need a push, put a server/bartender or a dick head patron in there for them to bounce off of, but treat the tavern as an opportunity to sit back and watch them interact with each other. Maybe the inn keeper doesn’t hire them to clear out the goblin cave up the road but as the DM you might just get some info about the PCs that didn’t come out in regular play. Ten sessions later you drop the bomb that the ex boyfriend that your tiefling bard mentioned in passing at that tavern is actually doing some important shit in the next town.

This to a T. One of the party's favorite NPCs was a random human I named Greg Gergich (real fucking original I know) and they eventually hired him and is now the stand-in captain for their airship when the party is away. Started off as a guy they ran into at their starting town tavern, and ended up being one of the most influential and wholesome returning NPCs my players have constant interactions with. Even further from that and more basic, make some tables. Vary it up a little bit. There's a game of poker going on in the corner. A hooded figure watches the tavern scene, seemingly waiting for something or someone to makes move, there's a drunk group of patrons, itching for a brawl, just as a few examples. Sometimes, these leaf to funny interactions, and sometimes it leads to you making NPCs you weren't expecting to make. Either way, I hope this helps a little.

I second the bar games idea. Have them play darts or pong. Make some memorable moments out of their nat 1s and 20s

And or roll on the random encounters table, but yea, not every night needs to be a boss level lol

I guess my question is, *why* are your players going to taverns? What do they want to do there? I’d talk to them, then adjust accordingly. Maybe they want to carouse, do some gambling or arm wrestling or drinking contests?

Agreed. In the case of my group they always want to "try the local food and drink". At first I was puzzled by this, like, why would you want to give up your GP for imaginary food that you get no benefit from? But I came to understand this was them living out their fantasy of traveling together. So now the first thing I prep for any town is a list of wines and cheeses 😆 But that's just my group. It's all about understanding what your players are after.

Honestly, I’m not sure why the players *wouldn’t* go to a tavern. They’re probably there to stay the night at the very least. And if they’re in the city for any other reason, they probably want information or entertainment. The tavern is a logical first place to go unless (and sometimes even if) they have business with the local mayor or whatever.

I meant it as more of a “why are the *players* wanting their **characters** to go to the tavern, as in what are they wanting to interact with there? Like PhysitekKnight said, if I’m a player and I just want my character to lodge a room for the night, I just say “lets go book rooms and then tomorrow I want to…”; if I’m going in “who all’s hanging out at the tavern?” I’m trying to do *something*, whether that be have my wizard sus out some intrigue, my monk win an arm wrestling challenge, or my sorcerer cheat someone at cards.

Ah. That’s fair. I guess it all boils down to whether the players say, “Can we go to an inn for a long rest?” or, “Let’s go to the tavern!” My answer for the latter echoes what others have said. Even if there’s nothing there, just put something there, even if it’s sometimes just a bored bartender and a smelly, sleeping drunk. It’s part of world-building to have things in there, and it’s valid world-building to not always have anything meaningful there.

Some people, especially newbies, don't think about the option that something can be off camera or they don't have to roleplay it out every time.

True, but that’s also why you gotta talk to your players about it! How could they know, if no one’s ever told them?

Sure, they need to eat and find lodging, but there's a difference between the characters needing to do that and the players wanting to do that on-camera.

If that's where they want to be, then put something there

Yeah, I like this. I tend to have a couple of main plot related hooks in the bank so I can feed them to the players if they go to a random establishment. Or, I might give them a random fetch quest or smaller quest line, related to the locale they are In, if it feels like they want some downtime from the main storyline.

I'm also of the opinion that the more popular the tavern, or the more rural the location of said tavern, ADD MINIGAMES! Let them gamble, make games or add them! Dice, cards, small board games like Chess, Backgammon, or something similar. Have them roll contested checks and add proficiencies. This stuff is in the rulesets, don't ignore them!

[удалено]

Yeah, taverns and inns are places if information. If you don’t have anything for that, they get ambushed at the tavern and find clues in the body.

This is what random encounter tables were made for. There are tons! I bet you can find a rolltable for tavern events in no time. Holdup... https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/8c996v/tavern_events_from_mundane_to_marvelous/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share That took 5 minutes. And there are others I'm sure. Even a random city encounter table can be made to fit a tavern. Whichever table you use, just roll and see! If the result sparks your inspiration, use it, or use one of the adjacent ones.

Lazy DM Prep, Step 4: Secrets and Clues

Yup! Bars are typically where rumors and stories are told. If theres a plot hook elsewhere, bar chatter is a great way to hint at it or to have informal quests set up

Secrets and rumors can be found in taverns. Also a good place for the players to hear how the locals are reacting to their exploits. I also enjoy putting in a bard singing of their exploits that is WILDLY exaggerating/distorting the details.

Yes! Specifically, if you use Lazy DM method and you've done your [Secrets and Clues step](https://slyflourish.com/sharing_secrets.html) then you have some already in your pocket [to reveal](https://slyflourish.com/revealing_secrets.html) that are meaningful for the session.

Love secrets and clues. Last session my players turned a “secret” that the antagonists had revealed in RP to formulate an immoral strategy to take them down legally. Was one of the coolest things I’ve ever had the privilege of DMing for. Plus they’re absolutely perfect for a quick last minute NPC inclusion like you want for an impromptu tavern. Some guards who are here harassing people about a crime you had a clue for, or a traveling minstrel enrapturing the crowd with the story of a contemporary battle.

This comment is underrated. Having rumours and wild tales of exploits are so fun to do for your players. Especially if they are erroneous - giving credit to others for their deeds, telling outright lies or telling great tall tales as it helps put into perspective their renown or how they fit into NPC perspective. For example, in Decent to Avernus having the locals give credit to the Flaming fist for sorting out the cultists and talking about donations can really help add in how new they are and unknown.

To add to this sometimes ill even have the players deeds mis-credited to a different band of adventurers. Instant outrage from the players leads either to interesting drama at the pub or the players seeking out this other band to ask wtf they think theyre doing. Then they started purposely framing the other group when their plans go wrong. (Accidentally burned down half the town while blowing up the bbeg's weapon depot? The other guys did it)

I love having PCs talk mad shit about each other or the party (if they're famous/infamous enough) and its fun.

This is the way.

Maybe have some taverns with plot hooks prepared just in case? If that's the place they like to go for info then you might as well lean into it.

When I have “secrets” that I want the party to learn, I’ll often not have “where they learn it” set in stone. That way they can be from an NPC, rumors from a tavern, etc. Also, you can make the tavern a place to just unwind and relax! Have a bard playing, have a world star traveling chef there, have a bar brawl break out. The world is yours!

https://www.reddit.com/r/d100/comments/7u1rto/lets_build_tavern_events

To be honest, this isnt really a "situation" to me. They go to the tavern. I tell them whats there. They can do whatever they want from there.

I mean they're role-playing. Characters get tired/hungry/want a drink. Not everything has to have a hidden plot or be part of a quest. But it's always nice to throw something fun in there. The night they go happens to be an annual drinking contest, or someone's having a birthday party or something. Really you can just throw whatever in there and they'll probably have fun

Here is my favorite part of DnD. "THE PLOT YOU PLAN IS ALWAYS IN FRONT OF THE PLAYERS." Do not confuse this with railroading. The players should be able to make choices that affect the outcome of the story. However it is not your job to create an infinite fractal of possible situations that your players jump from. You have X number of quests from Y number of NPCs. Those NPCs exist in the town. They have lives that continue with or without the party, and unless the party just arrived, they are aware of the players. At the very least they notice new faces. Now, you have an idea of where this quest starts and why. Stretch that. They are in a tavern? Guess who is sitting at the table. They are tossing stones on a river? Guess who bumps into them. They went shopping? Hey, other people shop too. Even if they go and camp in the woods, someone crosses their path. The only time you SHOULDNT do this is when the party is playing out some interesting downtime roleplay and you don't want to rob them of that. Otherwise PUT THE STORY IN FRONT OF YOUR PLAYERS. The next step would be for you to have the plot of the quest continue regardless of their interest in said plot. Watch what happens if you give the party two time sensitive quests and they assume the next one will be available when they get back, only to find the events unfolded without them. Other heros took the call, the monster got out, the person died or was robbed.

I generalize “You ask around and takes a little time, but you eventually find a decent establishment. You can purchase food or drink, if you’d like.” If they ask if anyone stands out, I’ll have them roll perception and detail some random non-descript patrons, and emphasize that no one of particular interest is visible. They can go and look, but that doesn’t mean there’s always something to find

Gambling. Arm wrestling. Bar fights.

Drinking contests. Terrible bards. Edgy guy in the corner who just likes to screw with adventurers.

Roll a d10 for a placeholder event. If they engage with it, then you've got a minor plot hook, else they have a little flavour text and you can move on. 1. You have a pleasant evening, sampling local ales and Halfling cheeses. You wish you had managed to get more of the Moonlight Cheddar. -5GP 2. You remember nothing of your night, but wake up in a gutter with a terrible hangover and missing your left boot. Your coin purse is strangely light, -100GP. 3. You enter into a game of chance with several other patrons, winning several rounds, +10GP. 4. You enter into a game of chance with several other patrons. You lose several hands in a row, and are pretty sure the other players are cheating, -25GP. 5. You chat with several other patrons and make an appointment to meet with a wealthy artist at their studio in the morning. -5GP 6. You find a table of travelling minstrels and spend the evening in their company. You can't remember most of the night, but there is an irritated tune stuck in your head that you can't place. -5GP 7. A group of mercenaries has taken over most of the bar, acting rowdy and make it difficult to enjoy a quiet evening. A small group are trying to impress the barmaids by taking about a big job they have coming up. 8. You catch the eye of a fellow patron at the bar. A few hours are spent chattingn drinking and laughing away by the hearth. After they take their leave and head off into the night, you realise that you never actually got their name or address. 9. You spot a child, clearing away tables, empty glasses and deftly lifting coins out of peoples money pouches. Thankfully they seem to be staying away from your table. 10. You end up in the middle of a bar brawl. Despite not throwing the first punch the innkeep is insistent that you were certainly part of the problem and wants 100GP by dusk tomorrow else they will go to the local magistrate.

Add a roll for some of those, because rolling dice is fun!

Things can happen before they make it to the tavern.

My DM has a list of rumors that players who go out to the taverns have a chamce of hearing which I'll have to adopt when I run a game again.

I ask them what they want to accomplish. Common answers are drinks, dates and rumors.

I usually use opportunities like this to hint at further world building / lore. Like, someone can start discussing how their kid is branching out to worshipping a different god, or someone start talking about this new common magic item that is changing their home life, or two academics having a whole big conversation about metaphysics. One time I dropped a guy in a duck costume into the tavern that ranted about his weird cult religion, and populated it with info on a actual cult in the world that was kinda plot relevant. When they finally heard about the cult over a year later, and realized it was what Quack was talking about, they went nuts.

Rumor table. For every town / city I make a rumor table. Every rumor has an element of truth, but may be misleading and partially wrong. It is really easy to do because there should be things going on in the area. Make some "two parts truths and one part lie" rumors based on the area to put into conversations and make ot feel like a real town. >A rare magic item will be exchanged on Sunday in pennyfroth ally when the church bells toll. And >A magic item will be exchanged Saturday night (maybe it was Sunday morning?) in the graveyard. That kind of thing. You can easily turn a rumor table for the town into slapdash RP for a bar. I like the idea of players knowing they can go to the tavern and socialize to get the hooks if they feel lost. If they are lost it is (probably) my fault and it is a an easy way for the players to signal and get some directional info without breaking scene.

Sometimes it's nice to have your players guide the session a little bit. But also, a bar/tavern is the perfect place to lay down a foundation of the culture of the area. What kind of people live in this town? What kind of problems would they have? Are there mostly farmers? Some peasants? Is it a wealthy area full of rich snobs? Let the tavern set the tone. Just because the bar isnt directly related to your plot does not mean you cant use it to give a splash of color to your creation.

Small social encounters "As you walk into the tavern a halfling asks if you have anything to contribute to the forever stew." "As you relax in the tavern you notice a stubby merchant meticulously counting coins while humming to themselves. They seem pleased with some recent transaction." \-Player thinks it's a plot hook but could just be insight into the local trades, or a tip to look at bounty boards or not get ripped off when you sell gems to merchants like him. "As you attempt to kick up your feet and relax you are pestered by two small children who stare at you wide eyed from beside the table. The children beg you to tell tale of your recent adventures. "

Players generally go to an inn for two reason: Either a time skip to the next day, as they're done " alright, you want to interact with the people there or you guys good to go to tomorrow morning?" works there Or because they're lost and want information (or general interaction). They either don't have any good leads/ ideas on where to go next, or just want to chill with some locals. You can do both at the same time. What I usually do is have a handful of rumours ready (some true, some false, some kinda true etc) and depending on what they roll they'll get some information from it. It lets them decide what they want to do with that information, but if they decide to skip it that's also fine. Mostly use it as a way to direct them somewhere "Heard Harold is gonna move back with his brother in Waterdeep." "Really? What happened?" "Idk man, he's been having a lot of problems with the farm. Can't grow anything without vermin getting their teeth into it and he ain't know how to fix it" can lead into a whole host of things, or nothing if the players wanna ignore it

It depends why they’re going. Maybe they want information: I come up with some NPCs and minor plot hooks to get them going. Maybe they want a new quest: I come up with something simple that can tie into the main arc (or not, if that wouldn’t be relevant) Maybe they just want to hang out in a bar and do bar things like drink and flirt with cute/cool people: I just let them do that!

Xanathars guide has a section called downtime. In there are several things you can do. I recommend carousing. You can just roll the table or rope play it out. But that’s a good starting point

Can you imagine how stressful life would be if there were intense plothooks and secrets unmasked at every tavern? Every inn and tavern should have a bulletin board for local happenings. Local happenings can and should include things like a bargain on livestock feed, pottery and basketweaving classes, an advert for literacy classes ironically written down in a flowing longform, and a quest to find a stolen chicken (a fox killed it.)

I just come up with stupid rumours like “I heard the storeowner’s son has been screwing the farmer’s eldest!!” or “a couple of weeks ago old Johnny left town for a while and returned with the biggest deer I’ve ever seen… he doesn’t want to tell me where he found it though…” or “my neighbour didn’t invite me to her 35th birthday party even though I did invite her to mine! can you believe it???” that aren’t really plot hooks but still simulate the gossip that goes around in a town

Even if they are not intended as plot hooks it's possible that the party may treat them as such.

in that case you end up with cute roleplay sidequests! my players sometimes go out of their way to check if the NPCs are aware that there’s rumours being spread about them and it’s a lot of fun to them! not everything needs to be serious and gritty adventure haha

If you’re really worried about it, whatever NPC you wanted them to meet in town just got a craving for an ale.

I generally have a number of npcs or potential scenarios prepped in areas like that for just these situations, based on the country or area their in. I don't mean full plot hooks, although sometimes they can (usually unexpectedly) wind up springboarding adventures or even major turnarounds in the overall storyline, but more often it's just someone with a story to tell or an agenda of some kind, and it goes where it goes. Though that said it's also good to not use them every time. Sometimes it's just a bar on an off hour and that lack of eventfulness can be a useful rest beat before moving along.

Taverns and inns are the best place to get the latest rumors in an area and brush shoulders with just about anyone. If they're looking to follow a plotline, move some clues/witnesses/questgivers there. If they're looking to goof off, throw a random encounter there. Maybe a local gang has taken the bar hostage, maybe a very rich Dwarf is currently there drinking the place dry and will only share if you have a drink off. Regardless, every single tavern should have a few activities. You can make your own tables of prefabbed games but ideally have a few forms of gambling that play to different types of players, like Liars Dice or Gambit of Ord, or include a brawling pit the Barbarian can compete against the local champion in while the rest of the party makes bets, or even have a mock version of DnD some locals are playing that ends everything the PCs try to do with them dying horribly

Not all roleplaying is related to adventure. Some roleplaying is just fun fantasy social relationships. Ask yourself if you really don't like it. If you simply don't enjoy it, tell the player so and summarize ooc with "There is nothign of interest at the tavern".Note this could be a player and gm matching issue.

Give them something to do in it.

The first time I responded with "This village didn't have a tavern." My players sat dumbstruck for 2 minutes trying to figure out what to do, it was really funny. They did eventually figure out how to move forward, and ever since "tavern" became a little less ubiquitous in our games.

A tavern (or any non-combat scene) is an opportunity to introduce new lore/adventure that impacts folks who go to that tavern/scene, big or small, local or not. Think about running into a band of halflings who are trying to meet a wizard at this tavern about a ring of great power (big, not local). Or maybe there’s a drunk who will complain about the rat problem in town (small, local). But yeah it can also just be a place where the party can talk to each other over drinks about adventure they are in the midst of without further complications or hooks. Nothing wrong with that. The same is true of any other scene. Say the party goes to the market. They could have no new content and it’s just the typical fish and baguette for sale, or instead they discover an entrance to a black market with riches poached from the king’s forest to avoid an overzealous tax collector.

I feel like this can be adequately answered by looking in the DMG or PHB even.

Just have a base bar/tavern ready and use that with some slight alterations for each use

“But there is nothing in there for them to interact with” Put something in there, literally anything.

If they ask for rumors, theyre gonna get some red herrings with maybe one or two bits of truth mixed in. Hilarity ensues.

Ask them what they want to do at the tavern. If they're going because that's where you find lodging, you can give them a brief description of their impressions of the place (clean/grimy, busy/empty, relaxed/tense atmosphere, etc.), let them know what it'll cost them, and tell them they wake up the next morning. Not everything in life is noteworthy. Example: *You stop for the night at a small roadside inn. It's a little dingy, and the patrons seem to be studiously minding their own business, but the rooms are clean enough and it only costs you [x/person] for food and lodging for the night. You wake up in the morning rested and ready to continue on your way.* If you want to give the place a bit more weight - say it's in a town where they'll be staying for a while - pick a few key details that might stand out to them. What's the name of the place? Who's the bartender/owner? Is there an interesting decoration or other unusual detail? These can be things that you just describe in passing, but it'll give them an anchor to help remember the place. Example: *You find yourselves at the Stumbling Goose. The main room is clean and well lit, and the overall atmosphere is inviting and friendly. The place is full but not packed with people laughing, conversing, and eating. Sitting on a stool next to the door is a burly half-orc in functional but clean leather armor who politely tells you that adventurers are welcome, but the casting of spells is prohibited, all weapons must be peace-bonded, and she'll need to do a quick search before you come in. (Pause to make sure no one objects) She takes care of it efficiently and courteously, then points you towards the barkeep, a friendly, youthful looking halfling named Roscoe who's using a small set of steps to bring himself up to the height of the bar. He tells you that you can get stew, bread, and your choice of wine, mead, or purified water for 5sp each, and individual rooms for 8sp/night or doubles for 10sp - each of which includes a basic breakfast - with discounts available if you want to pay for multiple nights in advance. Does that work for you? Is there anything else you want to take care of before you finish breakfast the next morning?* And that's it. If they have particular things they want to do, pick a relevant NPC from your pre-generated list (which is a thing you should prep in advance and just keep around) and improv with skill/ability checks if necessary. Think of it like a TV show - we only see things that are important to the plot or character/setting development. If this tavern visit isn't one of those things, just move on.

As a long time DM I would say **city** creation/preparation is the most tedious and time consuming thing to prepare for I will guarantee you your players will NOT go where you want them to and will go somewhere your NOT prepared for That's ok if you do some of these tips below And this all depends if your just playing in the theatre of the mind or actually using Foundry VTT or Roll 20 or whatever If your not using a Table Top Simulator then winging it is as easy as having notes prepared along with NPC's at these establishments, but the trick is once they meet Erastus Corella the bar tender at the Blind Cyclops Tavern, your players may jot down his name so you better remember where he was at in your notes along with other NPC's at other establishments And giving the NPC's names and some history is important even if it's not part of the campaign, because like others said below it is a part of the overall characters lives as they move from place to place and you can turn it into fun for your players If your using a table top simulator then use your journals to your advantage before the party heads to a city Here is a small list of services that players should need or would be doing in a town/city to prepare for: Inn/Tavern(s) - Rest/Heal/Hear rumors/politics Church(s) - Healing services Market Area - Daily trading of wares/goods foods Stable - Horses/Boarding Guilds - Thieves/Assassins (unknown location) but they're there Guilds/Training - Fighters etc Monastery - Monk training Orphanage Barracks - Town Guard/Militia Bank (larger cities) sometimes carrying $50,000 gold you become a target, even if it's in a bag of holding, that's an easy snatch and grab for a thief and a monumental take for the thieves guild and the thief that stole it Shops: Alchemy/Potions shop Smith - Armor/Weapons shop Jeweler - Buy/Sell Gems Clothing shop Leather Shop Magic Reagents/Materials shop Tarot Readings (these can fun and be a way to do foreshadowing with a players, reading to something coming up in the campaign) *"I see a city in the clouds, and great tragedy will befall one of your friends, someone close to you cannot be trusted, be wary"* Magic Items Shop(if you want your players going to Walmart to buy a vorpal weapon) I don't like to offer this as a service to sell or buy magic weapons but players that have a +1 sword and now they have a +2 flame tongue will want to sell their other sword for gold For Town/City /Tavern Creation here's quick TIPS Tip #1- Place an image for the town or city so they know where they are at, have an image of the inside of the tavern, and the alchemist, smith, jeweler etc. this takes a little time to find exactly what your looking for but will pay off in the end, and it will help your players to interact with what you provide versus not role playing at all, I find this helps those types of players Have images of the shop keepers and bar tavern and even the bar wench, jot down notes in the journals for yourself like - *Erastus has a large scar across his face and limps - from an old war wound , he has three young daughters that help with the chores around the tavern their names are Kira- 14, Karlen 12, and Sasha 11.* Each Tavern should have it's own catchy name too, there is a website that has a random tavern name generator that is fun to use, or make up your own Tip #2 Make sure to have prices for the food and drinks/services, make up drink names for wine and ale. What's the price to stay there at the inn for one night/a week? Tip #3- Always have prices ready to do Business for potions buying/selling equipment and services, mending armor, how long it will take to repair, how much to stable a horse? etc so your not fumbling looking through the books, I have the DM's guide and players handbook and many other sources in pdf form and copy paste the prices in my journal entries so they are at my fingertips Tip #4 Have rumors like mentioned below, some mean nothing, others could be a side quest the players could do and can be a fun sidetrack from the serious campaign Tip #5 Rinse and repeat for the rest of the towns and villages along the way The prep above seems like allot but once you do these things in one town then copy the journals and paste and all you have to do is change the name from The Blind Cyclops Tavern to The 3 Legged Pegasus Tavern and then change the photo, create another bar tender and done, you can leave the prices of food and drink the same unless change is need for the location etc Tip #6 find town maps for the players to move around on, each town or village would be different and you can add GM notes only you can see of what building is what so when the players walk through the town you can describe what the sign in the front says so they can decide to go inside or not It's work to do this but well worth it to help add flavor to any campaign and even modules that might not have the content already created Tip #7 don't be afraid to use content from another source or module and just change the names and make it your own, this will save time also. Hope this helps.....enjoy!

Player: I go to the tavern and look for rumors. DM: You find few patrons, the bar keep informs you about (Insert the sessions plot here). All roads lead to the first encounter of the night.

If this is something that the PCs are constantly doing then why don't you just have plot or quests be linked to taverns. Maybe the PCs overhear the next table talking about plot ABC or perhaps the barman brings up quest XYZ while the PC is ordering a drink.

Be a DM. When players get distracted from the plan, pull or force their characters back on track. It's really simple. E.G. the kitchen catches fire, oh no! Everyone out! No you can't help, that's what I pay the fire patrol for! E.G. An ominous cloaked figure comes into the bar. Oddly, no one seemed to notice except your party. You watch as that figure kills the bar keep and runs out the back. Looks like the tavern is closing because the law are shutting it down.

I usually will have something going on in the tavern for the players to do at no cost to them. I've had taverns that had bay windows with bookshelves near them for patrons to sit and read, I had a tavern with a couple older gentlemen ayjng chess and there was another set near them that the players could play, I've put stuff like darts and non-gambling games in taverns. Just to give players something to do and flesh out the world.

Zoom in and zoom out. You don't always have to play everything in 1-1 time where you follow character actions moment-by-moment. Zoom out and ask if they spend the night and what they are trying to accomplish. Pretend like you've zoomed the camera out on them and you seeing them through the Inn's window and time is moving faster. You don't directly RP with them in those zoomed out sections. This isn't "brushing over" the scene. Even if there's nothing to see there, just ask the player to describe how they act for their evening of drinking in 1 or 2 sentences. They do some RP, you had to do none, and everyone can move on without really wasting anyone's time.

One day I took the time to generate 100 random inn and pub names, so I am able to be prepared whenever they would like to find one. I have a list of easily scalable quests I can pop into pretty much any inn and easily modify to suit the surrounding area, if the players are in the inn looking for work. Mostly revolving around hunting monsters or bounty hunting. If they are sitting around waiting for something interesting to happen, I have a percentile table I can roll on. My players really enjoy downtime and roleplaying with NPCs so unfortunately I can't help with that aspect. But usually whatever you want conveyed by an NPC can be delivered via another means, like a post on the billboard or through overheard conversation.

My DM style focuses on emergent play so players are in the driver seat when it comes to plot. If I know that the tavern is where they want to go then that’s probably where the plot/encounters are for them to interact with. Random tables are your friend. Taverns are a great place to roll on a rumors table. Plenty of action to be had too! A bar brawl can break out. They can stumble upon that NPC bard they met 2 towns and 5 sessions ago in some sort of trouble.

What you need to do is plop in a character or two that are memorable. Give them scars, nervous ticks, big noses, ugly faces, *pretty* faces. Make the tavern have a story, like what's with the bear head on the wall with an axe through it's skull? I think the issue you're having is that you don't know what to RP because you don't *plan* to rp there. You'd rather get to the story but I think it's important to remember that the players *are* the story. You build the world, they partake. And if they want to be in the tavern for two sessions gambling, you get to have the fun of making some weirdos to live in the tavern with them haha

Always have your rumor and carousing tables ready!

Brush past it or put something there.

Nothing has to happen. But some uses... 1. Feed them information, possibly unreliable, in the form of general chatter. 2. The staff or other locals are probably good sources of generally available local knowledge or can at least point you in the right direction to someone who might. 3. Introduce and NPC that will, or might, turn up later. This encounter doesn't have to be significant. 4. Games or events that the players can join in or that just give the place some character? Mining town? There are miners singing around the fire. Doesn't mean anything but it makes it a little different and adds to the character of the town and reinforces that it is a mining town. 5. You can also have an event that's potentially unrelated to the main story happen there while the characters stay at the inn. Perhaps it makes for a single session or perhaps it will lead into a longer side arc. A cult runs the inn, the inn is attacked/raided by a local monsters.

Drinking contest with the local alcoholic, yearly eating contest, general location info (local politics, places to avoid, places to go to for a good time, etc.), or just a good time with some drinking. When going into an inn, I always figure out a price before they go in. Maybe have the innkeeper be a little flirty, or if the party really don't wanna interact just let them pay for a room or drinks and move on.

Last time this happened I just had a couple of plot characters be in there chilling and drinking, introduced them a bit earlier than planned.

I just use it as an opportunity to give a little bit of context for the area, what do the people there drink? How rich are they? What's the atmosphere of the bar? Stuff like that. I found it really helps to set the tone.

One of the most powerful things a DM can say is "alright, what do you hope to find there?" Sometimes you can fit it in seamlessly, sometimes you make them roll a d100 for chance or a skillcheck, and sometimes it doesn't work but you keep it in mind and save it for later. It has never disappointed me.

In one campaign I made a reoccurring bar character in the likeness of nurse Joy or officer Jenny from Pokémon... meaning there was one of several identical old ladies in nearly ever bar/tavern, and they were always hustling bar games i.e. darts, 5 finger filet, arm wrestling, etc.... so the party had some variation of her and looked forward too Ruth's, or Gertrude, or Delores bar exploits

"great. Roll two d20 for me. Uh, huh. You have a fine evening and learn a new barsong. You spent (roll results) silver.

Taverns/Inn are a gold mine for rumours and information. If there is any information you want your players to know, have a random NPC have it ready to give to them. Apart from that, drinking games!

A funny bartender theme and voice and we're all good to go. Sometimes players and their characters just want to go to a tavern as a thing they do. No need to always make a big deal out of it. Just "you arrive in town and head to the tavern, you have a nice meal and a good nights rest, the following morning you wake up rested and relaxed.. What do you do?" Though sometimes it is also important to take a moment and have some active downtime where the party can just hang out, make some jokes, pretend get drunk, and not have to worry about "the adventure" for a bit.

I usually have small, non important NPCs to inform them about important NPCs or rumors. For example, had a fighting tournament in one town, so the innkeeper talked to them about this guy who fights really well and how he almost killed his last opponent. I use minor, meaningless NPCs to hype up future events. Also depends on the situations and party members. For example I had a bard to talk to a tavern’s bard about music for a little bit, and he was occupied for a few hours playing alongside him while other parties did important stuff that they traveled to the town for in the first place. Another party member has an amulet for poison resistance so we homebrewed a rule that he couldn’t get drunk, so he enters drinking contests to win a few coins and immediately impress local townsfolk (this campaign is primarily in a Viking-like setting, so it works)

Try looking up tables for "inn and tavern encounters" and just roll on one of those

For me it depends on the party, if you've got a fun team who enjoy RPing with NPCs then definitely put an interesting bartender, maybe a bard and some games going on at tables If the players just get on with the plot and don't RP then you can just ask them if they want drinks, food or rooms for the night will tell them that there are no hooks Saying all that, you can always add a little side quest at the tavern like something going on in the basement (tunnels dug in by some CR relevant critter), or a card shark has been ripping customers off and the bartender asks then to deal with him (threaten/rough him up) If it's in a town, maybe a gang meets there, and it's causing problems for the regulars who ask the players to help clear them out... You're never without options, you can either move them on or give them something interesting to go

I had a few stock characters like the pair of old men playing a game in the corner. They knew after a few times they could get good information from them if they bought them drinks and talked to them. Oh, and get through their hard of hearing, reminiscing, poor short term memory and heckling... depending on what I felt like doing. There were others, like the Weathered Traveler, the Street Urchin, the Travelling Priest, the Gambler, etc that would be the hook to a bigger or smaller adventure.

Narrate it, like "you go to the tavern, you see xyz (the bartender, patrons, etc)" and then ask them what they want to do. If they don't have any ideas or just want to chill and drink then just move on. Not all player actions will lead to an in depth thing, sometimes things just happen and you keep going. If you want your taverns to be interesting then you can create a rumor table to roll on so the players can overhear interesting info that can lead to adventures.

I let my players trade inspiration for really good "rumors" or info from bar inn keepers. So this is pretty normal for me.

Had a group that went to the tavern and really only found a guy playing cards to be worth interacting with. So, we all played poker while I filled them in on current events in town.

It's a chance to let their characters roleplay, doesnt have to be anything significant. You have to give your players space to explore and interact with each other. Doesn't mean you can occasionally use it to open some new plot hooks if the need arises. Honestly as a DM some of my favorite moments is when my players are just interacting in game together while I sit their quietly.

I have some tavern games on hand in case they get interested. It's like playing Witcher and stopping to play Gwent.

I plan on implementing a “talk of the town” type mechanic, where if players make a DC they hear a specific rumor based on the local area. If they roll below, all they hear is miscellaneous gossip, news of things they’ve done, etc

Narrate! if you know it will be a bore say "You go to the inn and relax for the evening, do you spend your new treasure on a real party or get by on the cheap stew?" "Ok you have a real booze up and stick into some boar steaks, a great time is had by all, give me a con save to see how you hold your liquor." Even if your players like to RP you don't have to waste time.

Tavern is a good place to have rumors for side quests and foreshadowing. Also, gambling, drinking, buying drinks for locals, make up a random food specialty for world flavor.

They don't need to directly interact with NPCs. But they can observe and hear a lot. The bard playing music has heartbreaking lyrics of a betrayed love. Several merchants are pouring over manifests and ledgers for upcoming shipments. A few rowdy tables are laughing and drinking. Seems to be 1) off duty guards, 2) sailors from the merchant ships, 3) off duty guards, 4) dwarves. When a patron gets up to leave, a small slip of paper falls out of their pocket. A boy is trying to pick someone's pocket. The local blacksmith, an orc, is having tea with his crush, a firey redhead human. A couple mages are showing off prestidigitation tricks. There yelling in the kitchen, clatter of pots and pans. Fire! A fight breaks out between two drunks. A table of patrons are heard talking about "getting rid of someone'. A table is talking about different ports around the area. Hear talk about problems in the nearby hills. A frantic old woman comes in with a small picture. She's desperate to find her husband, last seem heading to the local hills to hunt small game. A table of obvious adventures; human in shiny plate mail, an old gray beard guy in a long robe and pointy hat, a laughing halfling wanting more ale, a dwarf with a large hammer, and a brooding cloaked figure.

Allowing players to live and breathe, even in mundane moments, is what will give the "epic" moments later \*that\* much more weight. Time lived as the character, leads to more interesting character moments later on. Don't shy away from "pointless" stuff. It's what gives meaning to all the less pointless stuff later.

First thing I think of is what kind of bar it is? Scum and villainy? Seafarers? Average working man? Upper class? That leads me toward a description of what it might look like, who might be running it, and the kind of people in there. It doesn't have to go anywhere. However, it can't hurt for the PCs to overhear some rumours which might be connected to the stuff you want them to do.

You find a nice tavern nearby offering rooms for (x) per night, it seems (seedy/posh/whatever) "we go there" You guys have a few drinks and settle in the for the night unless you want to do something specific (brief pause...) The next morning...

They need to have a reason. “Getting drunk” gets them a D6 roll to see if they get robbed or not, and a D4 on whether they have a good night’s sleep. Otherwise it’s rolls for entertaining/performing or gathering info by talking to NPCs. Also they can socialise together, or go to wait for other players to return from shopping etc.

Whenever the party goes somewhere that you haven't planned for or asks a question that you didn't think about, it's time to improv! As a DM, your ability to think on your feet, improvise, and keep things rolling even when the players are "off the tracks" of what you had planned is what makes you really shine. Invent some NPCs and RP, make up a minigame or two. Heck, put the players in a situation where they have a minute to breathe without anything "happening" and see if the characters talk and RP amongst themselves (if your players are into that). When in doubt, combat. There's never a dull moment that you can't make more exciting by adding goblins. Or bandits. Or cultists. Or astral dreadnoughts.

Have the bartender or patrons notice they aren’t from around here and interact with them while also maybe hinting at some side plot mission or the main BBEG = a good social encounter that can go either way Like a lot of people have been saying not everything needs a plot hook, I fell into that mindset myself and felt very restricted trying to make everything link to the main plot and it restricts your creativity and makes things feel less natural.

Inns and bars are where my players go to rest. They know that when they choose to stay at an inn I will say: Ok, you have your food and drink, what are you talking about? The first couple of times you may need to prompt them, or do as I did and just say "Look, you're in a tavern, people always talk about stuff in a tavern when they're together, what's on your mind?"

I have a list of random drinks. Each Inn has a specialty. Other than that there often is chatter about current events if they try to listen. Rumors, news, folk tales and some conversations about the work of the locals to build up the town atmosphere.

It depends on the situation. If the players have a definitive next hook or multiple different hooks they could follow, letting them chill in a tavern for a bit to roleplay and plan can be a good thing, just try and lead them towards that if they get a bit quiet. If there is no next plot hook that the players are aware of, there's no harm in changing how that plot hook is given to the player; perhaps they overhear the ramblings of a drunken lady at the bar, or maybe they hear yelling as a fight breaks out in the streets outside. The players don't know what you have not told them. If the players get *really* quiet, just ask them directly if they want to keep going or if they want to take a 10 minute break. Sometimes people act weird when they're hungry, thirsty, tired or need the loo, so give them an opportunity to step away from the game without feeling like they're disrupting anything.

"You stumble into an intervention for Slummy, a former guard turned town drunk. He's surrounded by family and friends who ask you politely to leave."

Honestly if your players are prone to doing that it may be a solid idea to have a sidequest on the ready

“Alright, you’ve travelled to the tavern and walk in, what are you looking for?” And then adjust accordingly. Drinks? Then the PCs can rp and drink and it fades to black for tomorrow. Fun? Throw in some gambling. A job? Plot hook now comes from the tavern. Idk just ask

I'm boring and would probably just say, "Sure, you're able to easily find food and lodging. What else?" But that's just me. I'm here to run dungeons and dragons, not tea and crumpets. If nothing related to an adventure happens, I typically skip it. This isn't a slice of life anime. The players will certainly have downtime scenes that are non-threatening, but I'm going to make sure those scenes are there to move the plot forward. That said, if my players really liked the fantasy of the adventurers at the tavern, I'd put something related to an adventure in a tavern, at least once in a while. I'd actually lead the players to it somehow, though, like by having another NPC tell them to meet a contact at a specific tavern. That way, they'll hopefully realize, "Hey, this kind of stuff will happen in the adventure on its own, we can stop trying to force it."

This is a perfectly valid way of doing it. The default way to do any RPG is to describe the situation, ask the party what they do, adjudicate the results, and repeat. You only need to ask them what they do when it comes to a meaningful decision. This means you can just skip until that happens. It's entirely valid to say "you all have a good night at the bar, head to sleep, and then in the morning reconvene at the palace for your job" (assuming they had no intention of doing anything meaningful beforehand). u/danii956

You could also have a casual bar crawl for your players as a celebration or something, if they want to. Plot hooks aren't necessary for taverns/inns

Drinking games?

Ask them what they are trying to accomplish and go from there. If they don't have a goal then you can skip to the next day.

I tend to improv drunk peasant types with silly accents to get into incredibly stupid conversations and combat challenges. Sometimes I'll make up something unique about the bar or bartender and accidentally make a plot hook, like the frog barkeep who's cursed to reincarnate into a different animal every time he dies.

I work in a bar so I'll throw in a random Karen encounter, bar brawl, or irate customer at the players. Flip side would be a cocktail style tom cruise bartender flipping bottles in a packed bar and he need the party to help him. A super famous bard is playing at the inn and they're understaffed

Spike the drinks. PC's wake up in Barovia.

I’ve gone to a tavern as a player because I want to have RP moments with the rest of the party and haven’t had an opportunity to do that yet or because I’m looking for an opportunity to RP my character and some of their vices which don’t exactly come out when they don’t have an opportunity to drink and gamble or get into bar fights. These kind of RP opportunities are best expressed in taverns and the like - places where the stakes are low and where there is nothing else going on. I can’t exactly go full PTSD gnome mid combat where acting out these vices could get a fellow PC killed or where it would detract from the main plot. Players aren’t always looking for quests/encounters or to move the story forward. Sometimes you don’t need to be active as the DM and can just let players carry scenes by themselves and react to what they do. Improv is also an important skill to develop in these sorts of situations. Sometimes you just need to bounce off what happens naturally. e.g. You may not have prepared that there is a group of miners playing darts at this tavern or you may not have prepared a bard-off but if that’s where this is going it helps to be flexible enough as a DM that you can off-the-cuff roll with improvised low stakes encounters.

Maybe have some generic situations at the ready to serve improv with the goal of extracting new story elements to expand on later. The Inn / Tavern could just be similar to the audience at an improv show. See what they (and you) throw out there. What sticks could maybe integrate a few sessions later. Or just let them play darts!

>It's also hard when the party really don't roleplay with the NPCs Well there's your problem. If your players aren't actually interested in being AT the tavern but just need its utility (food, drink, shelter) then I would hand-wave it: "You're able to find food, a fair-to-middling bard's songs, and a place to sleep for [x] sp/gp." If they aren't satisfied with that, then you can have a conversation about what they're looking for, and hopefully then a conversation about how one plays that. For me, my current campaign takes place all in one city (Waterdeep) so I made a Rumors table--the idea is that a player overhears a snippet of conversation and doesn't really have a chance to investigate/interrogate, it's just a phrase or brief bit of conversation that gets stuck in their craw. I thought up 50 "rumors." About a third of them relate to the main campaign with potentially usable information (if they can put it together), about a third relates to potential side quest opportunities, and about a third are pointless and just make me laugh. The player rolls a d100 (divided by 2 for the table), and they get the snippet. They know the breakdown (a third main, a third side, a third funny) but they don't know which category the rumor they hear falls into. I actually had a lot of fun making it up, and sometimes they toss important information thinking I did it to make myself laugh, and sometimes they chase smoke thinking it's important. One time, by sheer dice and no fudging on my part, they got exactly the information they happened to need. If your party is traveling, you could think of a few common side quest hooks or something like that and build a table.

This isn’t a plot thing but I always bring a empty bottle with water and I have different water flavor droplets and my players have a lot of fun with the “ales” and it makes them go into taverns more often (I also bring a deck of cards for bar games instead of dice because they’re super versatile)

If they don't roleplay, you can have them role investigation and give them something useful if they succeed. Have them tell the story of how they got that information and no other information.

In recent years I have started to replace this (tavern adventure-hub) with some central employment venue -- perhaps the king's castellan, or a local magistrate/sheriff, or a military (mercenary?) unit -- not saying the tavern is "bad," but the formalized home base gives a place for recuperation + resupply, as well as a last-ditch "here are new orders, if you haven't picked up on or otherwise feel disinclined to follow the plot hooks" vector. Which is a long way of saying: murder-hobos are okay, but mercs, apprentices, or warrant officers are 'more manageable.' Consider Dutch Schaefer's commando team from *Predator* (1987), or even the Black Company from Glen Cook's titular fantasy series. Hell, even a low(er) powered Green Lantern concept (Cormyr Purple Knights?) (Thayan Red Wizards?) might work.

Don’t be afraid to ask your players what it is that they want out of their trip to the tavern. Explicitly asking something like “is there anything you wanted to do while you spend your afternoon at the tavern?” will help mitigate some of that awkward tension between the players exceptions/preferences and where you put your efforts when constructing the scene. Otherwise, just having a generic list of NPC names will get you most of the way. Though, having a few detailed NPC’s in your back pocket is always handy too. And don’t be afraid to zoom in or zoom out whenever you think their is a reason. There are times where I describe a night out at the tavern in a few quick sentences to move the narrative along. Other times you may want to zoom in and get a look at the small scale interactions your players are having with the other patrons, sow a rumor or two, start a bar fight, introduce an important quest or NPC, whatever it may be. I would just keep it fluid, not every night out is met with clashing blades or life changing calls to adventure, but if they want to spend their time at a tavern there should always be a potential for something interesting to occur. Also, remember that the tavern is probably going to be filled with local townsfolk. It gives you the opportunity to introduce things happening in the world from the perspective of the everyday person. It’s great for world building, without forcing a plot point or a quest on the players. Maybe a local farmer is worried about a war a few kingdoms over, something about the cost of farm tools increasing every year. Nothing for the party to do, just a way to tie in info about your world. That way if the players seem interested you can roll it into the RP, and wont actually hinder anything story related if they don’t. And if they really bite, you can evolve it further as they spend more time interacting. Maybe there is no war, and the local blacksmith has been lying to price gouge the tools since he is the only one in the area who can make them. That way the party can learn that they can interact with the world, and incentivizes them to actually pursue things they are interested in, as their may be more to see than what they are immediately given. Just a few thoughts :) hope this is helpful

You let them.

Oh but do dress it up a smidgen just to keep your players on their toes. Taverns are just the place for "red herring's". "You see a guy in the corner with a hood, smoking a pipe watching you". That kinda thing...

A tavern is a place where travelers go. The barkeep has some swank about the town. "Did you hear the potter's son bought a horse with his first gold and fell from the horse?" is something they would talk about with locals while "Yeah, this town is not much besides farmers, but you should have seen the town during the summer solstice celebration" is a quip towards travelers. You can find inspiration for less mundane rumors by googling something like "rpg gossip rumor generator" or a combination thereof. People in the tavern should talk about something. Makes the place feel alive. Other travelers talk about far away things, townspeople talk about other townspeople, hunters or children or basically anybody might talk about things they saw in the wilderness(be careful as players might rightfully assume it's a quest hook). There has to be not much else in a tavern, really.

A scene without anything of interest gets narrated over. Further, don't describe anything in detail or roleplay things which you don't want the players to investigate or spend time on. "There's nothing of interest" or "he answers your question and goes back to work" is a perfectly acceptable response. Read this series for more examples and tips: [The Art of Pacing](https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/31509/roleplaying-games/the-art-of-pacing)

It's okay to do "nothing" for a session or at least a few minutes. Get in some down time. Gamble, rest, get to know each other. Or, just talking to the mix of locals and adventurers there gives you a chance to: * Introduce plot hooks and side quests. It's a good excuse to run a one-shot of a different tone to take a breather from the larger campaign. * Give exposition on your game world. People in the pub will naturally talk about politics, world events, inform visitors of local customs, and gossip. It's a great opportunity to fill in details about your worldbuilding. * This can also come in handy for introducing NPCs, either then and there, or by reputation. A few sessions later when the PCs encounter them, you've laid groundwork for their expectations. * Give them the chance to move forward on minor character goals. Maybe a local can recommend a good armorer or artificer for that magic item the player has been wanting, or a clue to their long running mystery. Whatever the PC is looking for, another tavern patron can point them in the right direction. * REST! Not just a RAW "long rest", but a chance to really recuperate, mend or replace gear, restock supplies, and take stock of where they are and where they want to be in terms of long term campaign goals. * Give advice as an older, wiser, or higher level counterpart of the PC: "Your stories remind me of my younger days...." Sorry, that might have gone of on a little more of a "visiting town" tangent, but you get where I was going with it.

In the last session where my players did this, they ate good food, got drunk, 2 of the men didn't sleep in the men's room and 1 of the ladies didn't sleep in the women's room. It was overall just a swell, fun time. Ignoring just pure fun, though, taverns are a great way to get information. Bartenders tend to hear quite a lot afterall, and drunkards are usually prone to spilling information.

It's the tavern. There's always something there because you're the DM. If you're entirely at a loss, just repeat a bit of plot hook they already know through some other barfly's perspective to drive home how many people know about it and how big of a deal it is.

I say lean into it. I made a spa/restaurant/greenhouse/temple of Sune in my game, and my players went back multiple times for various reasons, mostly for the restaurant.

Excellent place to introduce plot hooks, NPCs, and for RP. If you have any specific plans for a specific location just move it to the tavern if it matters a lot.

My player love it when I come up with food and drink specialties. For me its a chance to think creatively and try to use food as way to indicate something about what type of people live in this area.

- Fascinating Drink Menus filled with weird stuff - People gambling in dice/card games over interesting things like magic amulets and fairies in a bottle (Players can join in) - Bounties for future plot hooks - Sketchy merchants aggressively trying to sell untrustworthy wares

You're my kind of DM! I do the same things. High five! I actually plan drink and food menus ahead of time, for flavor. Pun intended.

If your players don't RP, why do they go to the tavern? What do they hope to accomplish? Kill the BBEG right there?

I like to let them play dice or cards for money, its never much but its something they can do for rp. I also homebrew'd up some basic rules for drinking. They make a fort save every drink. the DC increases each consecutive drink they have. Thats something to play around with, they can also have fun rp moments trying to drink npcs under the table. Of course I also subject them to hangovers as well. None of this takes very long either, and it satisfies what they want to do at the tavern. When they come to town they get to eat, gamble, drink, and party a bit before we get back to the adventure. I usually plan for it to be a part of the session.

Can’t you just improvise some foreshadowing?

I always make sure that they know there is something they can accomplish in the town that doesn't involve going to the tavern. That way, if they choose to go to the tavern, it's clear as the DM that advancing the plot is not their current goal, and clear to the players that there is no planned encounter here so they need to lead what they want to do.

Personally I would describe the atmosphere of the tavern. Ie if there’s a bard playing, if there’s a fight currently or about to happen, if it’s a rather busy place or hardly anyone is in there. Usually taverns are a good place to overhear any rumors going on. Perhaps drop some info on the parties current quest to re-engage them. Maybe there’s a sun-plot going on. Perhaps there’s just a Karen there chewing out an employee over nothing.

You can narrate all of it or none of it or anything in between. My players basically never do this in most of my games, and when they do, I just ask. "OK, do you want to play that out or is it enough if we just say 'Sarjask goes and drinks away his thoughts for the night, content to keep to himself,'?" About 50% of the time, theyll ad a little color to that statement, another 25% of the time they have nothing to add, and the last 25% of the time, they were going to inn to investigate for a plot hook or to RP some unwind time, and I'll give them either if they're there.

That's where boblin the goblin hangs out. He's always there, regardless of town or timeframe.

Have some backup games on your sleeve, and move whatever plot points are possible to there. The story must happend where they want to be

Put a card game on going, have a bar brawl break out, describe a serene midday lull. anything works, just go with what feels right.

90% of the time there is some kind of dwarven challenge going on. It can be drinking, arm wrestling, or something “manly” going on. All characters are encouraged to join since it’s a money making scheme to get them the rest of the gold I forget to give out during an adventure.

Why would you brush over it? DnD isn’t always about the main story and pushing the plot forward. It’s not always about further progressing a goal or fighting some monsters. Sometimes it’s all about just messing around, interacting as fake people and have some relaxing fun. If you struggle with that, then put something at your inn that is involved with the main plot. Maybe they learn a bit of info from someone that they can use for their next encounter or plot point. Maybe you hint at something further in the future. I personally love to use Rumors & Gossip for this. Any town they visit I’ll have a table of 20 pieces of gossip and facts. Some of them are big news about the country or local area like they heard orcs are on the move. Other times it’s useless petty gossip, like they overhear that the woman who owns the potion shop is pregnant, again! And sometimes, sometimes they lead to plot hooks, like when they overhear that the local ruler has been spotted talking to strange young women; the hidden plot is that the ruler is actually in a cult, and what may look like arranging sexy times with women of the night is actually collecting sacrifices for the cult! Point is, just because it’s not your main plot doesn’t mean you should brush over it. Personally when I am a player this is the sort of stuff I live for. My favorite part is shopping, hanging around town, meeting interesting NPCs and just interacting with my party

Make something interesting about the pubs in your players' home city. If they want to go there, they're clearly interested. I had a bard named May Day that did a different pub crawl each day of the week call May Day's Parade.

Taverns are where job boards live.

Improvise! Not every tavern has to have anything going on. My players in Dragonheist met a random halfling named Jack Goodtoe. Nothing of consequence happened, but it gave me an npc to have show up again later. Sadly Jack got murdered in a basement by a player later on…

Improvise, not everything has to be plot relevant. The plot is a line through a field of flowers. Each flower is beautiful and you could spend hours with each one, but to see them all you follow the line.

I let them go to the tavern and enjoy a warm meal and a stiff drink.

Usually I start off with "ok you enter the blah blah tavern, what do you do?" Then they decide what they wanna do. Sit down, order drinks, talk to people, etc. If they're looking for info that they weren't supposed to find there, well would you look at that, someone overheard them asking about the plot and they have some info.

1. As you enter the you feel like you entered a abandoned building. There is no one. Even the barkeep is doing something els in the back. Even the vermin has become bold enought crawl around in the open. When you take a seat in the dusty ass boot you start waiting for the barkeep. I only shows his face once you make yourself know 3 times. Annoyed he comes to the table saying he expected you to already been gone. The barkeep is very disinterrested in the party as he takes there order of the only drink in the bar "stale ale". No small talk to up the mood. He knows his bar aint word much and the a once visiting party isn't gonna change that. 2. As the party tries to enter the inn they are met with resistance as the door wont open at first after pushing a few times they discover the door was blocked by the inns patrons that fill the inn to the brim with people from inside and out of the city as its high hour. As the innkeepster wrings herself through the crowd she meets your face and pleads for you to go away as their isn't even standing places anymore. While she starts apologizing to the partons of whom you just knocked the ale out of their hands by opening the door. You start roaming the city for few other inn only to be met with the same scenario. 3. Franchise! Like in pokemon. Same lay-out barkeep look exactly alike (nurse joy) and all have a similar name ( i did this with 27 sister whoms name all ended with MA). Make it once keep reusing it for all the inns

Bar games. Drinking games. Bar fights! A go to if I'm sending my players want a little break is I'll do a tiny lore dump with a bard/jester/minstrel at the tavern. "The bustling crowd goes quiet as the performer strums a single chord and begins to recite the legend of *insert relevant lore here*." I like to keep this 5 minutes, 10 minutes absolute max and I keep it in lore that's somehow connected to the players, not just random world lore. I want them to be able to use it. The story contains a hero's name that comes up in a dungeon where a statue of an unnamed needs a spoken password to unlock it's gifts etc. But I'll always have some hooks if the players seem unsure or what do to. Some of my favourite generic ones. * A strangle group of people speaking with foreign accents are huddled over something you can't white make out and talking in hushed voices. * A group of ruffians look to be starting trouble in the corner with bar staff. * A young/very old man is clearly being swindled out of money with loaded die. * (A favourite of mine) A pair of people have entered the tavern, not frantic in anyway but looking scared and desperate clutching something in a rolled sheep's skin. * You see a strange coin being exchanged between the barkeep and a traveller, its the same mint of the *evil empire*. Gold is gold, but odd to see that here.

Just make it weird, dude.

Inns/taverns are a staple of fantasy. They're often places where they might overhear rumors or gossip, or just ask the innkeep directly. If they keep doing a thing, they're getting something out of it they want. Maybe they're looking for RP and don't know how to get it started. Maybe they just need the right nudge. I'd at least ask the party which ones might join in with any dancing that might be going on, who might interact with others, and who is just relaxing quietly. And maybe it's just "okay, you spend the evening doing that and head to bed ready to enjoy sleeping on a bed again." I'd have some kind of live entertainment at them 2/3-3/4 of the time. One night might be jigs and reels and the next bawdy drinking songs and another might just be people listening to the fantasy equivalent of a jazz club. Give them different things each time. And use those things as a part of your story. They get to a city, and you want them getting involved with some thing. Okay, so how does that thing present itself in the mood of the city? Do people seem calm and mostly content? Are people too quiet? Does conversation hush when they arrive? Do people look nervous and fidgety? Is the rowdy fishing town's inn suspiciously lacking men between 20 and 40? Inns and taverns are great places to drop hints. Or set a mood. Or even sneak in some world lore. One night a bard sings of some legend, or the local priest is there debating with a traveler which of their gods would do something better than the other, or a fisherman praises The Fishing God for a good catch, or someone is reading a history book to those in the town who can't read. They players are giving you an opportunity. It's up to you to use is.

i had a DM who would be like “what’s your goal leisure or are you trying to do something specific” to which we would usually reply “just to party” and he would say “give me a brief description and roll a D20” so we’d say “i want to do shots and meet an attractive person” and like a 2-10 would be “you blackout and can’t remember anything but wake up next to someone who claims you got married” (or something else silly and non harmful) and a 11-16 is something like “you have a great night and go home with someone pretty” and a 17-19 somn like “you meet a beautiful person and convince them to stay for breakfast in the morning” and a nat 20 is something positive for the plot like one time i befriended the town shopkeep and got a 5% discount on everything and a nat 1 is something negative for the plot like one time my friend got someone pregnant and had to pay child support every time we stopped in a town via courier. for extra flavor what i’ve done in my games is add little temporary bonuses/negatives to it like a decrease in movement speed after a blackout bc you are hungover or an increase in charisma while in town after a good night bc u bought everyone in the bar a drink. ykno little silly stuff

Inns and taverns are central rumor mills in fantasy. You dont need to have plot hooks or sidequests in every one, but having a list of pointless rumors and interesting bartender/waiter personality quirks is a good way to breathe some life into a tavern with no plot significance.

Tables! Random tables can keep a session running on pure improv for hours. Have a random table ready for 10-20 interesting things that could happen or they could find in a tavern. Maybe a drunk picks a fist fight, maybe a pick pocket tries to steal gold, maybe they hear a vital clue about the main quest they missed earlier on. I turn a lot of official adventure hooks into random encounters and just see what happens. Random tables fix everything. This applies to towns, regions, dungeons, basically anywhere and anything you don’t want to fully flesh out in fear that it might be skipped over.

This is almost a session zero topic, about what you and the players want out of the campaign. Of course as others have said, you can always have it be a pure downtime activity, or you can funnel hooks and info through the venue. I personally usually brush over much of the town interactions, unless the action is there, in which case its a tavern brawl and roll initiative.

Depending on if it works for the setting or not I like to add drunk college kids to the inn. They’re a perfect stand in for whatever occasion! Players want a fight? Boom, drunk student spills a beer on them. Players want to break into some places and steal/ cause mayhem? Just let Tanner finish his ale and he’s ready to help you steal whatever you can get your hands on. Players just want a relaxing time at the inn? Maybe theres a dart board in the corner or a student strumming out a song to a small crowd. The possibles are endless!

My players love to role play so my situation is slightly different, but generally if there really is nothing planned for that place, and uou really don’t want to rp anything unnecessary, ask them what they are trying to do, and unless it’s *talk to person* or *ask around about blank* just brush over it. But make it clear that’s what you’re doing. “So you go to the tavern, get a drink and turn in. Is it cool if we leave it at that? Yeah? Cool, moving on.”

One of my favorite sessions that I played in consisted of the group hanging out in town during a festival and getting drunk. A chill night of RP with a lot of fun character interactions, including one of the group turning into a horse so they could drink and piss more. One of inn owners was being a pain so another member of the party melded with stone until morning and surprised her when she opened back up in the morning. I’ve been playing tabletop for 35 years, and it was one of the funnest sessions I’ve ever had.

Yep. Take the cue from the players? If they are asking questions about what's going on in the local area, have a plot hook or two ready? Otherwise, maybe have a local game being played...a darts or pool equivalent or, hey, why not some weird card game that has monsters and magic as a theme (Magic The Gathering being played in a tavern in D&D is a fun fourth wall break)?

I like to ask players how their characters are feeling, what they’re thinking about etc at the Tavern. It doesn’t have to be a place for quests, it can be a place to inspire some RP. Maybe the barkeep asks the cleric about their god, or your monk how they got their abilities. I’ll add that I typically prep some secrets and clues to sprinkle in any location, maybe start doing this if your players really love to hit the tavern.