How to Run a Tavern in 12 Easy Steps!

[Stargate525]

Or, My Players do the Darndest Things.

My players decided, upon arriving in town, that they would set up a tavern in the house I granted them as their base of operations. Not being one to complain, I winged the first session, then sat down afterwards and figured out exactly how to do this. The following is what I came up with. Feel free to comment or critique, as I want to see this refined.

First you determine the patronage of the tavern. To do this you count the number of seats and assign them a die roll, like so;

 [table=patronage per eight hours]
[tr][th]Name or Attribute[/th][th]Max seated[/th][th]Die roll[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Banquet Hall[/td][td]-[/td][td]none, allows banquets to be held[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Private table/booth[/td][td]-[/td][td]x2 normal for table[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Longtable[/td][td]6-8[/td][td]4d4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Large Circular Table[/td][td]6[/td][td]2d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Circular Table[/td][td]4[/td][td]2d4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Square Table[/td][td]4[/td][td]2d4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Small Table[/td][td]2[/td][td]1d4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Booth, Large[/td][td]6[/td][td]1d10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Booth[/td][td]4[/td][td]1d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Half Booth[/td][td]2-4[/td][td]1d8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Stool, pair[/td][td]2[/td][td]1d4[/td][/tr]
[/table]
You've also got a number of modifying rolls that aren't based on seating. The ones I have are listed below;
[table=Non-seating modifiers][tr][th]Modifying event[/th][th]roll modifier[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Music/Entertainment (perform 10-)[/td][td]-3d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Music/Entertainment (perform 10-20)[/td][td]+1d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Music/Entertainment (perform 21-25)[/td][td]+2d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Music/Entertainment (perform 26-30)[/td][td]+3d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Music/Entertainment (perform 31+)[/td][td]+4d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]VIP recently came here[/td][td]+1d4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Newly Opened (first three days)[/td][td]+1d10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Famous for specific drink/food[/td][td]+3d4, +1d6 on that item's sale[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]On a busy intersection/road[/td][td]+2d8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Received a good review within a week[/td][td]+1d6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Received a bad review within a month[/td][td]-3d4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Is in a particularly low-traffic area[/td][td]/2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Is in a particularly high-traffic area[/td][td]x1.5[/td][/tr]
[/table]

[table=Quality of Tavern][tr][th]Rating[/th][th]Modifier[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]10 (five star restaurant, seats booked months in advance)[/td][td]x2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]9 (french name, Suit and tie only)[/td][td]x1.8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]8 (the soup is 8.50)[/td][td]x1.6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]7 (fancy place, mom makes you wear slacks)[/td][td]x1.4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6 (clean, family owned resaurant)[/td][td]x1.2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]5 (average)[/td][td]-[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]4 (Mc Donald's)[/td][td]x.8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]3 (a filthy taco bell)[/td][td]x.7[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]2 (health inspectors have nightmares)[/td][td]x.6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1 (rats won't even eat here.)[/td][td]x.5[/td][/tr]
[/table]
 [table=Overall Tavern Fit]
[tr][th]Fit[/th][th]Modifier[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Perfect Fit[/td][td]x1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tavern is a bit out of place[/td][td]x.75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Local "Rebels" go there to make a statement[/td][td]x.5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sticks out like a sore thumb[/td][td]x.25[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Locals despise it[/td][td]x.1[/td][/tr]
[/table]
Take all the dice and roll them, then take that and multiply by the quality modifier. The result is how many people walked into your tavern today. Once you have the number, note it, as it will be used to determine the profits.

Each drink has a demand associated with it, from 1-10. The higher the number the more will be drunk. The table is as follows;

[table=Drinks][tr][th]gp/gal.[/th][th]Demand number[/th][th]#sold/people[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]21+[/td][td]1[/td][td]2d10/100[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]16-20[/td][td]2[/td][td]1d4/90[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]11-15[/td][td]3[/td][td]1d6/70[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6-10[/td][td]4[/td][td]1d8/50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1-5[/td][td]5[/td][td]1d10/45[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].81-.99[/td][td]6[/td][td]1d12/40[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].61-.8[/td][td]7[/td][td]2d6/35[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].41-.6[/td][td]8[/td][td]3d6/30[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].21-.4[/td][td]9[/td][td]2d10/25[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]0-.2[/td][td]10[/td][td]3d10/15[/td][/tr]
[/table]  

the number on the left is how many gold pieces a gallon of the stuff would go for at the price you're selling it. This will require some calculation beforehand, as you will need to figure this out for every drink your tavern sells. The middle number I use to give my players an estimation of the sale rate of the drink without giving them all the table.

These die rolls are made individually for each drink. The number rolled is the amount sold of that drink, so then multiply that times the price and you have your profit.

[Tybalt]

That's not too bad. I'd add that you can also do a simple table to determine how good a tavern is. 1 being a vile pit of despair, 10 being a place with gorgeous staff and velvet lined seats that serve expensive wines and an exquisite menu.

[Ravenspath]

My players are doings something similar except they are building an entertainment troupe/management agency to run also as a spy ring.

In the DMG II there is actually a section on PC's setting up a business, starting costs, profitability and how to figure profit. I'm modifying it a bit but it has some good points about starting costs including licenses, bribes and such. It aslo talks about partners versus staff and such. It may give you some more ideas, even if you aren't using d20.

[Stargate525]

@Tybalt: That's a good idea. Consider it added.
@Ravenspath: Yeah, I've seen that one. I just don't like that table too much, doesn't go into enough detail and things.

[Ravenspath]

Agreed, it is lacking but it brought up some points like bribes that I had not thought about. I like what you said in your post about figuring profit. I need to come up with some more details for the troupe. Maybe I will come up with a table based on the prestige of the tavern the performers are in with how many tables filled.

[Stargate525]

Tables have been updated.

[Naryt]

Take all the dice and roll them, then take that and multiply by the quality modifier. The result is how many people walked into your tavern today. Once you have the number, note it, as it will be used to determine the profits.

Are you rolling once for each table type or once per each table?  e.g. Roll 2d6 once for the three Large Circular Tables or roll 2d6 three times, once for each table?  I'm guessing once for each table.  After you have the rolls and modifiers finalized, how are you using that final number to determine the profits?  How does the number of people walking into the tavern today figure into the number of drinks sold, what about meals?

[Stargate525]

Are you rolling once for each table type or once per each table?

Once per table.

After you have the rolls and modifiers finalized, how are you using that final number to determine the profits?  How does the number of people walking into the tavern today figure into the number of drinks sold, what about meals?

that number is rounded to the nearest ten, then noted. Say you had 50 people walk in, and the only thing you sold was ale (for this example a 9 on the demand number scale) so for every ten people, you roll 2d10, making the total number of ales sold 10d10. Once you know how many are sold, I assume you know how to figure out profit.

Meals would be handled the same way, except they would probably have a table with smaller rolls on it, simply because no one walks into a bar and orders 2+ meals.

[LordVreeg]

Interesting variation.  3 of my players are extremely enterprising and own a number of establishments.  Love the charts and the use of them.

with any business, you also need a list of fixed costs, normally based on the pay rate or the rental rate of the space.  How much does staff cost, building, bouncers, protection, food cost vs waste/spoilage and basic materials cost?  if it was just gross profit-cost of goods= profit, every restauraunt ever opened would still be in business.  The rule of thumb is that most entertainment business' take three years to turn a profit.

So keep what you have, because it's really nicely done.  But at the end of every week, hit the players up with a bill that is 20-30% of the gross profit for the week (d%).  This assumes basic fixed costs, payroll, etc.  Better musicians, Make them run it like business.

modify from there.  never let them know these exist.
thief guild/bribery issues +2-11%
Bonuses given prior week -2-5%
 capitol improvement made within 2 weeks -2-5%
 capitol improvement made within 30 days -1-2%
 major competitor focussing on them +1-8%
etc.

Also, you might want to add capitol expenditures to non seating modifiers, such aS CAPITOL IMPROVEMENTS and advertising.  gotta go!

[Naryt]

Are you rolling once for each table type or once per each table?

Once per table.

After you have the rolls and modifiers finalized, how are you using that final number to determine the profits?  How does the number of people walking into the tavern today figure into the number of drinks sold, what about meals?

that number is rounded to the nearest ten, then noted. Say you had 50 people walk in, and the only thing you sold was ale (for this example a 9 on the demand number scale) so for every ten people, you roll 2d10, making the total number of ales sold 10d10. Once you know how many are sold, I assume you know how to figure out profit.

Meals would be handled the same way, except they would probably have a table with smaller rolls on it, simply because no one walks into a bar and orders 2+ meals.

Thanks for the clarifications, great information all around.

Adding in fixed costs would be a grand addition as LordVreeg mentions.

I'm trying to fit all of this into a spreadsheet for a bit more ease of use and will share it here when/if I can make it work.

[Ravenspath]

Dang Naryt! :fencing:

I was just about to do that too. I figured put those wonderful tables into Excel and let it do all the math for you!

I look forward to see what you create!

[sparkletwist]

On the issue of quality, I would suggest that it would not necessarily be a completely linear arrangement, and would depend on the environs as well.

If the community is more affluent, the modifiers may be even more harsh for a sub-par tavern, for example.

The reverse is more interesting: A five-star establishment in a poorer community might be seen as an uppity extension of the ruling oligarchy, and people wouldn't go there-- or the local bourgeoisie might take a liking to the place, and try to keep the plebs out. To take this one step further, it may even be seen as a symbol of the fundamental class struggle in society, and prone to the wrath of the third estate. There's a couple of adventure seeds in there, too, I dare say.

[Naryt]

[table=Drinks][tr][th]gp/gal.[/th][th]Demand number[/th][th]#sold/people[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]21+[/td][td]1[/td][td]2d10/100[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]16-20[/td][td]2[/td][td]1d4/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]11-15[/td][td]3[/td][td]1d6/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]6-10[/td][td]4[/td][td]1d8/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1-5[/td][td]5[/td][td]1d10/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].81-.99[/td][td]6[/td][td]1d12/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].61-.8[/td][td]7[/td][td]2d6/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].41-.6[/td][td]8[/td][td]3d6/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td].21-.4[/td][td]9[/td][td]2d10/10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]0-.2[/td][td]10[/td][td]3d10/10[/td][/tr]
[/table]

After you have the rolls and modifiers finalized, how are you using that final number to determine the profits?  How does the number of people walking into the tavern today figure into the number of drinks sold, what about meals?

that number is rounded to the nearest ten, then noted. Say you had 50 people walk in, and the only thing you sold was ale (for this example a 9 on the demand number scale) so for every ten people, you roll 2d10, making the total number of ales sold 10d10.

OK, the table is listed in gold pieces per gallon but as per the second quote, we're actually figuring servings and not gallons sold (unless we're selling ale by the gallon tankard :huh: ).  That being the case, am I correct in thinking that we'll need a price per drink as well to actually calculate each day's incoming coin or am I just missing something obvious?

[Naryt]

On the issue of quality, I would suggest that it would not necessarily be a completely linear arrangement, and would depend on the environs as well.

If the community is more affluent, the modifiers may be even more harsh for a sub-par tavern, for example.

The reverse is more interesting: A five-star establishment in a poorer community might be seen as an uppity extension of the ruling oligarchy, and people wouldn't go there-- or the local bourgeoisie might take a liking to the place, and try to keep the plebs out. To take this one step further, it may even be seen as a symbol of the fundamental class struggle in society, and prone to the wrath of the third estate. There's a couple of adventure seeds in there, too, I dare say.

It seems to me that you could take the current tables as a tavern perfectly fit to its environment and then apply another multiplier for lower quality fit:

 [table=Overall Tavern Fit]
[tr][th]Fit[/th][th]Modifier[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Perfect Fit[/td][td]x1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tavern is a bit out of place[/td][td]x.75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Local "Rebels" go there to make a statement[/td][td]x.5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sticks out like a sore thumb[/td][td]x.25[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Locals despise it[/td][td]x.1[/td][/tr]
[/table]

[Stargate525]

Woo, discussion!

It seems to me that you could take the current tables as a tavern perfectly fit to its environment and then apply another multiplier for lower quality fit:

 [table=Overall Tavern Fit]
[tr][th]Fit[/th][th]Modifier[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Perfect Fit[/td][td]x1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tavern is a bit out of place[/td][td]x.75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Local "Rebels" go there to make a statement[/td][td]x.5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sticks out like a sore thumb[/td][td]x.25[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Locals despise it[/td][td]x.1[/td][/tr]
[/table]

I love it, consider it added.

OK, the table is listed in gold pieces per gallon but as per the second quote, we're actually figuring servings and not gallons sold (unless we're selling ale by the gallon tankard :huh: ).  That being the case, am I correct in thinking that we'll need a price per drink as well to actually calculate each day's incoming coin or am I just missing something obvious?

Yeah, you'll need a price per drink. The reason that's not listed is that my game's list of 50+ items, and I'm sure your's would be different.

Thanks for the clarifications, great information all around.

Adding in fixed costs would be a grand addition as LordVreeg mentions.

I'm trying to fit all of this into a spreadsheet for a bit more ease of use and will share it here when/if I can make it work.

Thanks, that will be added.

The irony is since I don't have excel, the system's creator won't be able to use it!

Interesting variation.  3 of my players are extremely enterprising and own a number of establishments.  Love the charts and the use of them.

with any business, you also need a list of fixed costs, normally based on the pay rate or the rental rate of the space.  How much does staff cost, building, bouncers, protection, food cost vs waste/spoilage and basic materials cost?  if it was just gross profit-cost of goods= profit, every restauraunt ever opened would still be in business.  The rule of thumb is that most entertainment business' take three years to turn a profit.

So keep what you have, because it's really nicely done.  But at the end of every week, hit the players up with a bill that is 20-30% of the gross profit for the week (d%).  This assumes basic fixed costs, payroll, etc.  Better musicians, Make them run it like business.

modify from there.  never let them know these exist.
thief guild/bribery issues +2-11%
Bonuses given prior week -2-5%
 capitol improvement made within 2 weeks -2-5%
 capitol improvement made within 30 days -1-2%
 major competitor focussing on them +1-8%
etc.

Also, you might want to add capitol expenditures to non seating modifiers, such aS CAPITOL IMPROVEMENTS and advertising.  gotta go!

Soon I'll get a list of employees, as well as overhead.

As for capitol improvements, what do you mean? If you're going to improve the place, it should show up in either a quality bump or some other bonus. I don't see why it need be its own bonus.