Post/Author/DateTime	Post
justin_byrne 08-31-07, 03:09 PM	Hello, I am designing a new campaingn and have some Brilliant ideas for missions and the like, I'm not aposed to the long, hard work of creating all the little detainls of the places I use and the main NPCs i work with, yet there is so much that i might forget or leave out. Right now I am designing an inn which I have used already while DMing called The Inn of Ill Omen, I have fully designed its owner and some of its patrons but I need a list of evrything a bar/taver/inn needs, e.g. mugs, tables, chairs, casks etc. Also I would like a list of all the possible buildings in a city or large town, especially the ones it NEEDS.
Thakowsaizmu 08-31-07, 04:10 PM	It's great that you want to be thorough, but don't go overbord. Unless the Inn is going to play a central part of the game from the beginning to the end, you really don't need to worry about too much about what the Inn has. Figure it's got mugs, food, an ugly bartender with one eye and a faux-french accent named Gaston... As for other place, if it's a large towne, a Guildhall is fun. Tanner, cobbler, mason, blacksmith, towne hall, jail. Those are all helpful too. General store, baker, butcher (candlestick maker, hehe), sage, Church...
soldyne 08-31-07, 04:12 PM	best advise is not to over-prepare. I do this too but I have gotten better over the years. unfortunately all the backgrounds and details that you spend hours toiling over, will most likely be overlooked or ignored by your PCs when you start playing. the same thing can be said of adventures, you will have so many ways for the PCs to solve your adventure, but the PCs will always find a way that you did not think of and all your planning was for nothing (or worse yet, they wont even go for the hook and go somewhere else completely different). if you are worrying about how many plates and mugs your inn has on hand then that is too detailed. for the most part just say that the inn has enough and leave it at that. if you ever need to know how many it has on hand for whatever reason then say it has 10D4 plates or make up a number on the spot. don't be discouraged by this advice. If this particular Inn is intended to be a base of ops for you PCs then having details like that might be ok. but are you going to do this for every building in every city in your game world? but to help answer some of your questions about what a city might need, here is a short list just off the top of my head: bank or center of currency exchange apothecary or place of mundane healing (non-magical herbs) temple of worship (multiple for multiple gods) fletcher blacksmith cartwright stables market or bazaar for trading of small cheap random items general store/sundries store jailhouse/gaurdhouse mayors house good/bad parts of town with middle class housing in between jewelry maker clothier/tailor scribe/library art dealer slave trader (if your world has slavery) food market (might be part of the bazaar) port if near water warehouses and storage areas owned by the big merchants courthouse redlight district (for prostitues or unsavory sinful dealings usually in the bad part of town) and of course Inns, lots of them! also don't forget to decorate, most large cites have lots of landscaping with flowers and trees and fountains and statues. thats all I got right now. you did say it was a city. most of this stuff would not be in a smaller village of course.
justin_byrne 08-31-07, 09:18 PM	Thank you for the responces so far, I'll try not to over do it (erase bit abot 27x mugs). Thank you also for the building lists, many I havn't though of yet, but I'm sure there must be more. Just finished the maps, 4 hours of colouring, photocopying and filling in mountains, rivers, towns and woods for about seven countries. It's quite Raymond E. Feist, I do love his stuff lol. Im starting on the ecology, then towns tomorow, so I'll need some more Ideas before then, but I'll check up a lot too.
Kadrimdorian_Mage 08-31-07, 11:17 PM	best advise is not to over-prepare. I do this too but I have gotten better over the years. unfortunately all the backgrounds and details that you spend hours toiling over, will most likely be overlooked or ignored by your PCs when you start playing. the same thing can be said of adventures, you will have so many ways for the PCs to solve your adventure, but the PCs will always find a way that you did not think of and all your planning was for nothing (or worse yet, they wont even go for the hook and go somewhere else completely different). if you are worrying about how many plates and mugs your inn has on hand then that is too detailed. for the most part just say that the inn has enough and leave it at that. if you ever need to know how many it has on hand for whatever reason then say it has 10D4 plates or make up a number on the spot. don't be discouraged by this advice. If this particular Inn is intended to be a base of ops for you PCs then having details like that might be ok. but are you going to do this for every building in every city in your game world? but to help answer some of your questions about what a city might need, here is a short list just off the top of my head: bank or center of currency exchange apothecary or place of mundane healing (non-magical herbs) temple of worship (multiple for multiple gods) fletcher blacksmith cartwright stables market or bazaar for trading of small cheap random items general store/sundries store jailhouse/gaurdhouse mayors house good/bad parts of town with middle class housing in between jewelry maker clothier/tailor scribe/library art dealer slave trader (if your world has slavery) food market (might be part of the bazaar) port if near water warehouses and storage areas owned by the big merchants courthouse redlight district (for prostitues or unsavory sinful dealings usually in the bad part of town) and of course Inns, lots of them! also don't forget to decorate, most large cites have lots of landscaping with flowers and trees and fountains and statues. thats all I got right now. you did say it was a city. most of this stuff would not be in a smaller village of course. You LEFT OUT THE BAR. LOL! Ironic, isn't it???? Or at least a little silly? Anyway, also consider wheter your town will have districts, to make it easy to find your way around, or so the PC's can find their way around.
Orion__ 09-02-07, 06:59 AM	best advise is not to over-prepare. I do this too but I have gotten better over the years. unfortunately all the backgrounds and details that you spend hours toiling over, will most likely be overlooked or ignored by your PCs when you start playing. Wisest words I've heard in a while!
Alexeduardo 09-02-07, 04:25 PM	the number of chairs and mugs only matters if there's gonna be a battle inside the inn and you have the kind of Player that can use that to his advantage.