BASIC VS. ADVANCED FEASTING

So I think it's safe to say Basic Feasting is concerned w/ what you're eating, whereas Advanced Feasting is concerned w/ what you're drinking.

Menu @ Tavern in Keep on the Borderlands

Menu @ Inn of the Welcome Wench, Village of Hommlet

Both menus, Gary Gygax, circa 1979. 

TOWN DESIGN: PART 3 - THE INN SHOULD COME LAST

Is this the way out? Faces turn to the windows, but no one dares ask, not out loud. Rain comes down. No, this is not a disentanglement from, but a progressive knotting into---they go in under archways, secret entrances of rotted concrete that only looked like loops of an underpass... - Gravity's Rainbow, pg. 3, Thomas Pynchon

If you're anything like me, when you work up a town/village, the inn/tavern is the first thing you deal w/: innkeeper's name, random NPCs that happen to be there, etc. For the inn/tavern is generally the first place PCs check out, right?

I now realize that going this route will keep deeper development of a town in limbo. An Inn by itself, or w/ two other buildings @ a crossroads is one thing, but when dealing w/ a sizable settlement, that may be a campaign hub, you need to seriously consider fleshing out the rest of the town before focusing on the Inn.

Here's WHY:

I. The more framework you have to your town, the more your random NPCs will make sense & come to life, i.e. their reasons for being in town will become simple to work in.
II. The more framework you have in your town, the more possible intrigues to weave together during play - the knowledge & entry into these divergences can all web into & out of the tavern.
III. The more framework you have to your town, the easier it is to place random townsfolk (see below) into the tavern/inn that arent just generic townsfolk - their purpose in the town will be known & this will help immensely during in-play elaboration.
IV. The more framework you have in your town allows the inn/tavern to be the eye of the storm, versus an unprepared storm for the GM.
V. Lastly, having a solid framework to your town before focusing on the Inn will allow ideas to present themselves that will seem organic to the town, vs. sitting around trying to think of adventure hooks from inn outwards... In other words, again, let the town weave into the inn & then out again...

So let's say you have a basic layout of buildings, you know what goes on in each one (e.g. that building is the miller, that's the blacksmith, those are farms, etc.), you know generally how many people live in each (e.g. there's a widow here w/ one son, in that place are 2 clerics, etc.), you have a few religions that correspond to your alignment rules & you have a basic idea of the hierarchy in town...

In Hommlet, you get the Inn of the Welcome Wench. The first key for the Inn is rather simple. You get the basics: innkeeper's name is Ostler Gundigoot, he has a wife & two daughters. Also living @ the inn is a young stableboy, a groom, a serving wench or two & a pair of potboy apprentices. Stats are only given for the young stableboy (who is a member of the militia) & for Ostler Gundigoot.

The meat of the Inn of the Welcome Wench does not come, however, until the key for the map above. Here we learn how to handle the COMMON ROOM and who is there, as well as those NPCs that are staying in the PRIVATE ROOMS. As you know, the COMMON ROOM of the Inn, & those NPCs that stay in the PRIVATE ROOMS are generally always adventure springboards, so given my spiel above, lets take a look @ what Gygax gives us here (italics are passages straight from T1).

The COMMON ROOM is 1:

How many customers are present there? 4d4 (4-16) & these are travellers of various sorts-merchants, tinkers, and peddlers-and local folk in an even mix. One thing I would also suggest, is for locals, guessing that your buildings are numbered on your town map, using those numbers & the appropriate die/dice to determine what locals (see above) are present @ any given time. In the evening, there will always be more people, so double the number rolled.

What about them NPCs? In addition to the normal patrons, there will be a 50% chance that the NPCs who have chambers above... will be in the common room. Roll for each, once per hour.

NOW, ABOUT THOSE NPCs & their PRIVATE ROOMS:

There are 5 of them, 80%, or 4 of them, have actual objectives to their stay in Hommlet. They have deeper ties to the goings on of Hommlet & nearby, they have motive, they have depth... If & when players encounter these NPCs it will most likely shift the game. These NPCs either have specific places, or folks, that they are searching out, if not a specific mission altogether. Only one of them is a rambler, who appears to possibly roam from town-to-town only aware of his present circumstance.  Generally, they have come knotting into Hommlet.

LAME WRAP-UP:

Where I think it is easy to create unattached NPCs for inns, being what an inn is, a place for those passing through, the bottom line is that if you create your inn first, w/o the rest of the town, it will be next to impossible to create this depth (well, it could be possible if you are a highly dedicated DM, but you understand what I'm getting @). Given the importance of the inn to your game, if you save it for last, just think how those NPC ideas will float w/ ease & how the webs of adventure will form all around. Next time I start a new town, the inn comes last. Perhaps I will post more about it then.

[for other parts of series click "town design" label below]

TOWN DESIGN: PART 2 - PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY

The village of Hommlet is home to the following occupations: eight farms (one mainly a dairy & one w/ a manor), two herdsman, a woodcutter, leather worker, smithy, weaver, tailor, trader, carter, moneychanger, cabinet maker, potter, brewmaster, miller, wheel & wainwright, carpenter, stone mason, innkeeper, druid & church leaders.

While one can simply use the above info & duplicate this spread while designing their own town building-by-building, here's a Hommlet-esque 3d10 table that will randomly decide what an NPC's occupation is (if your result is a building reroll), or what kind of building/who lives there (unless farmer or herdsman, if you roll a duplicate, reroll (that is, if you dont favor the duplication)):

1. Castle/Keep
2. Ruins
3. Guard Tower
4. Camp of workers
5. Construction site
6. Potter
7. Church
8. Dairy/farmer
9. Miller
10. Wheel & wainwright
11. Carpenter
12. Stone Mason
13. Tailor
14. Farmer
15. Farmer
16. Farm w/ manor
17. Herdsman
18. Druidic site
19.  Brewmaster
20. Cabinet maker
21. Trader
22. Carter
23. Moneychanger
24. Weaver
25. Smith
26. Innkeeper/Inn
27. Village Hall
28. Leather worker
29. Woodcutter
30. Herdsman

Interestingly, the key in T1 that mentions "pillars of the community" is in regard to a family that doesnt seem special in any other way. They tend to be cool toward strangers - suspicious with good cause.

As for the village militia (Hommlet Company), there are approx. 57 of 76 males (75%) in Hommlet that will call-to-arms. Also, it is worth noting that of these 57, 2% are secret spies of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Generally, the 19 that are not part of the militia are either selfish adventuring types, outcasts, religious folk, or just too old. Of one family it is written, These people do not follow any religious persuasion, so they are excluded from most village functions; however, interestingly, the male head of household is a member of the militia. Despite this man's will to fight for the community, this quote displays how religion in Hommlet affects the community at large.

The basic hierarchy of Hommlet goes something like this:

VISCOUNT OF VERBOBONC (nearby noble Lord to the NW) stations BURNE the Magic-user & RUFUS the Fighter in Hommlet to oversee the building of the Castle/Keep there. Burne establishes himself in the community, while Rufus is COMMANDER OF THE VILLAGE TROOPS.

However, as for the true community inner-workings, look to the council of the VILLAGE ELDER. He brings everyone together: DRUID OF THE GROVE, CHIEF CLERIC OF THE CHURCH, CAPTAIN OF THE MILITIA, SERGEANT OF THE MILITIA, BURNE & RUFUS & the "PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY".

Note: In these posts I am not factoring in the Mercenary camp, or the guards @ the tower. I am concerned w/ those that live in Hommlet b/c it is their home, not b/c they were sent there on a specific mission (that is, except for Burne & Rufus & those that may appear to be part of the community, but have ulterior motives).

So here's an approximation of Hommlet townsfolk per sex:

 Per age group:

Together:

The history of Hommlet is reflected in the make-up of the community. The lack of elders could be due to the hard times surrounding the battle w/ the Temple of Elemental Evil, whereas the abundance of children shows a bit of a baby boom as peace returned to the land.

Trying to reflect history in the community of your own town may seem like way too much work when prepping a town for play, esp. if you're one that finds half-the-fun is letting the game world build itself during play; but with either approach, whether youve yet to run a session in your town, or have run twenty, looking @ the community this way will help the town come to life. It will add instant depth & should serve well as a catalyst in regard to ideas surrounding town adventures.

[for other parts of series click "town design" label below]

TOWN DESIGN: PART 1 - ESTABLISHED RELIGION

Note: I use the simple OD&D & Moldvay Basic alignments of Lawful, Neutral & Chaotic; so while T1 uses the more complex 8 alignment system, I will only mention this if it's totally necessary...

Within the village of Hommlet the lawful generally attend the Church of St. Cuthbert, the neutral follow the Druid of the Grove, & some chaotics are secret servants of the Temple of Elemental Evil.

There are approx. 29 households/shops/farms/living quarters in Hommlet. Two of these have folks of different religions under the same roof; however, for now, I am assigning that place to whatever the owner is. Likewise, I am focusing on those that live in Hommlet, not those that are staying @ the Inn temporarily & as for workers in a camp, I am not guestimating their wives & offspring, etc. Of the 29 households/shops/farms in Hommlet, 38% follow the Druid of the Grove, 31% follow St. Cuthbert & 3% are secret agents of the Temple of Elemental Evil. That leaves roughly 28% that subscribe to no religion @ all.

Furthermore, there are approx. 188 people that live in Hommlet (above exception also applies here). Split this way, we see that 44% follow the Druid of the Grove, 25% follow St. Cuthbert, 3% are secret agents of the Temple of Elemental Evil, & 28% subscribe to no religion @ all.

The simple reason for the increased percentage of Druid of the Grove followers by body is b/c those that have lived in Hommlet for most or all of their lives tend to be followers of the Druid & have large families. On the other hand, 56% of the households that follow St. Cuthbert are "newcomers" to Hommlet, having moved there within the last two years. One description even goes as far as saying, Having come to the village about two years ago, this family is considered as "outside" folk, and will be until their beards grow gray.... 33% are more dug into the community & of course 11% are keepers of the church.

Of the 28% that do not align themselves w/ organized religion, it is interesting to note that most of them are either loners of the community, or seem to have had tragedy in their lives (widowers, spinsters, simpleton, etc.), here's an example: These people do not follow any religious persuasion, so they are excluded from most village functions; ironically the other slice of this percentage is made up of military leaders & other hubs of the community. While these folks work w/ & may be friends w/ the church & druid leaders, they are not followers of either faith.

Overall, Hommlet is a fairly neutral place; so much so, that even the first listed followers of St. Cuthbert are said to be lawful neutral. Lawful good characters are rare in this town. But this is what makes Hommlet unique, as well. The main thing is to realize how organized religion strengthens T1 (could it even exist w/o it?) & how this approach can be used in designing your own village. Though the evil/chaotic element in Hommlet may be slight percentage-wise, it is sneakily powerful & challenging once perceived. In a game world that revolves around the tension between Law & Chaos, established religion boils it down to the community, which helps create suspense, intrigue, mystery, etc. for town adventures once players get to mingling.

[for other parts of series click "town design" label below]

TOWN DESIGN: ENTERING HOMMLET - INTRO

WARNING: this post ended up being more of a background than actually about "town design" hence the "intro" in the title; however, I felt it appropriate to come before what comes after, so I left the title as is...

I have mentioned this before, but the first time I ever played D&D I was seven-years-old & my fighter PC, Kron*, wandered into the town of Hommlet. I vividly remember the green cover of the module & the removable grid-papered map of the town, that the DM, who was nine (a neighbor), laid flat on the carpet to show me where I was. It took a bit of investigating, but I pinned the module down (T1: The Village of Hommlet) & bought a copy via eBay five years ago. I also remember the yellow-colored character sheet I used (another AD&Dism). That said, I dont recall seeing any other books @ all that day. My main recollection is that I found a horn of some sort (perhaps a Horn of Valhalla?) in some farmhouse & I remember John rolling 2d6 time & time again after I would tell him what I wanted to do next. The game left a huge impression on me.

But when I returned home, I was in for a strange surprise. "There's this game I played that I really want called Dungeons & Dragons," I said to my mom. "Where did you play that game? You are never to play that game ever again, you understand? That is a bad game," she said (or something like that), as if I'd just told her I'd been doing drugs & wanted her to buy some for me. I was confused & bummed (a mood mix I would grow accustomed to around this time in my life). Quite simply, I was a child of the Satanic Panic. The way I can date this rather precisely, in retrospect, is that the following Christmas, I received the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Intellivison Cartridge released in 1982 (I guess this was to appease my wishes for the real game). I also recall the Mentzer Red Box coming out not long after my interest in owning the game, due to my circumstances, had waned a bit. The one RPG I owned within this era was the Indiana Jones one that TSR put out in 1984 & it sucked. It didnt even have character generation rules. I never played it.

I mention all this for a number of reasons: 1) I am surely a bit of an anomaly within the OSR community b/c while I played early D&D mishmash a few times in the early 80's, I did not actually own the game, or play D&D or RPGs that much as a kid & 2) my interest in old school D&D comes from modern boardgaming w/ my girlfriend (now wife) & its bringing to mind that stunted desire to play D&D in the early 80's vs. any disenchantment w/ current versions of the game or modern pen/paper RPGs in general... So, as you can imagine, after perusing copies of Moldvay/Cook grabbed via eBay in 2007 & about to start up a campaign for a few friends using B2: The Keep on the Borderlands, stumbling upon the OSR blogosphere was both exciting & enlightening.  Google+, ConstantCon & FLAILSNAILS have only made it moreso & then finally there's 3) I felt that throwing this info out there would help you understand a) where I'm coming from, and b) give a solid foundation for my interest in T1: The Village of Hommlet, specifically.

I've been working on a number of towns in Furthermoor, so I felt like it was as good a time as any to do a thorough examination of T1. If you wish to play T1 one of these days & never have, I plan to give proper spoiler warning & will try not to include spoilers @ all, unless truly necessary. My plan is to zero in on specific design features that help Hommlet come alive during play, as well as highlight other peculiar/interesting things I notice in the process.

*I cant remember exactly how the name Kron came about, though I do remember I thought it was cool b/c it sounded similar to Tron. Perhaps I suggested Tron & John met me halfway w/ Kron? The reason I suggest this possibility is that "Kron" is an actual name in the Greyhawk setting, i.e. the Kron Hills, which are mentioned in T1 on pages 2 & 7 & sit just west of Hommlet.