Adding Some Color to the Tavern
2009 April 20
It’s a classic staple of D&D adventuring. Â The Tavern. Â Whether it’s just a stopping place for the night or a stepping stone in your quest to save (or destroy) the world, it’s one of the first places you look for once you get back to town. Â The second, of course, being the merchant, ‘cuz saving the world doesn’t always pay well unless you sell your fallen opponents’ stuff.
The tavern is a great place for the roleplayers to interact with the other people in the environment; there’s always someone at the tavern willing to chat with a group of adventurers. Â Sometimes, he’s very obviously giving you information to begin/continue your quest. Â But sometimes, he’s just local color.
For those of you looking to interject a little bit of color to your taverns, whether they are home-brew breweries or established drinking establishments, Alric over at The RPG Athenaeum posted a great list of 100 subjects that might be overheard in a tavern. Â This is a great list, and it’s a handy DM resource to keep the tavern environment light and entertaining, especially for your roleplayers.
If you’re looking for a new tavern-based ways to begin your adventure, Nicholas over at DungeonMastering.com shared a few ideas.  After all, the tavern is the best place to start a campaign.  There are some good ideas here that give you an alternative to the general “you’re sitting at the bar… introduce yourselves” kind of tavern-based start.
If you’re looking for more ideas, there are a couple of fun articles published in the Open Game Table that have some fun ideas to add flair to your tavern.