Finishing up with the Broken Cask and the fate of the Banner and Badger Meadhall. Following on from the Broken Cask Start.
Also, had an Interview with the Creator of Broken Cask last week!
Broken Cask solo - intro | start | finish
Disclosure - I'm a DriveThru RPG affiliate
Customising the Broken Cask
broken cask start | starting the game | tavern notes
Continuing on from the Game Start.
Part of solo is making a game your own, including creating your own content for it.
While I was happy with the flow and mechanics of the Broken Cask, I wanted a different flavour for the challenges. So I made my own 1d6 tables for the 11 challenge types. I didn't want to re-write everything, just enough to give a different feel to it.
I kept the results that fit the flavour I was after, were general or using the traits of the inn (tasks such as Bar Fight in Trouble, the Unique Gardening task and Special Delivery in Brewing). The new tables didn't need to be perfect, and the Broken Cask has a default Miss/Hit model when in doubt of Failure table/Tips rolls.
I enjoyed the second part of my Broken Cask far more for making some changes. Making the changes was a fun part of the solo game. The resulting experience afterwards felt easier to envision and kept me wanting to play more.
So if you enjoy a solo game but aren't happy with some parts, consider changing them.
Tables to come in a follow-up article.
Events at the Banner and Badger
broken cask start | starting the game | tavern notes
Continuing on from Start (Sessions 1-3).
Session 4 (GP: 0, Prestige: 1.3)
Autumn passes and winter sets in with a blizzard. Even now, the Banner and Badger is open, with grouchy guests. The only upside is pilgrims and priests continuing to buy the "Holy Honey" made by Takanos, keeping the meadhall going. Dora and Arthur have gone off to have own adventures, with a party of knaves investigating the "Temple of the Faceless Lord"
- Galkos cleans out the kitchens, ready for Takanos to cook a roast goat taken from the garden. The meal is a success and the mood around the place improves.
- Everything turns around when there's some trading among guests trapped by the blizzard, and Takanos picks up a valuable sapphire from an unsuspecting merchant. Takanos sends a letter to the Roadside Rests, offering to buy them out (GP: 37)
- Trouble comes with nasty rumours about the kitchens of the Banner and Badger, maybe spread by Roadside Rests. Ubba is set on it and soon talking about nasty foreign corporations.
- Takanos splashes out on Building a Kitchen
- A merchant guest negotiates with Verth, who convinces them to make a deal to buy a contract. Soon after a dwarf turns up with materials and upgrades the guest rooms to Luxurious Guest Rooms. The merchant becomes a regular - Geoff Redleaf.
- More money is splashed out to Influence nearby opinion, and the Banner and Badger becomes sought after as a place to be seen.
- Disaster is avoided after the badger mascot Rex goes missing, but found by Ubba in a snow drift.
Session 5 (GP: 14 , Prestige 2.4)
Spring and summer roll on by and autumn brings rain and a chance for a break. It's quiet and a few guests gather by soft firelight. There's strange news from the surrounding countryside, where peasants have given up farming to become hermits up on Mount Banner.
- An ogre mercenary appears as a Troublesome Guest, but Takanos persuades them there's a better life for them, and they join as a new member of staff. Wolfa turns out to have experimented as a brewer in their youth.
- A stable is converted into a room for Wolfa with some hurried Building
- There's Cleaning and far more to do in prep for a big birthday event! Ubba rallies everyone but a magic illness strikes everyone down and Ubba appears spellstruck. The event is moved to another venue and the reputation of the meadhall suffers (Prestige 2.3)
- Verth prepares a feast to cheer everyone up a bit and Takanos sends Ubba on a retreat where he can recuperate and Train (+1 Mind for Ubba)
- An unexpected Guest appears, a writer for the Good Taverns Guide. Ubba's there to charm them and they get a glowing review. (GP: 14)
- Takanos stumbles upon some Bilford Bogan's Best at the market, snapping it up for a bargain.
- The luxurious rooms of the Banner and Badger attract a rare guest, haggard wizard with luggage on many legs. Galkos insults them and soon after the wizard moves on without paying, a the satyr left in a daze.
- Takanos closes the Banner and Badger for a week, sending the staff on a retreat. There's some training for Wolfa to become better at greeting guests.
Session 6 (GP: 4 , Prestige 2.5)
After a quiet winter Spring has arrived at the Banner and Badger. Harl of the Lakes is a new regular here, a dwarf prophet who annoyingly predicts everything that happens and taken up residence in one of the guest rooms.
- A merchant arrives, demaning help carrying religious items up to the temple at Mount Banner. Wulfa is sent up, doing a good enough job to get a hefty bonus.
- Takanos declares the construction of the new feast hall finished, and the stock of the Banner and Badger continues to rise.
- A minstrel arrives and there's a legendary singing duel between her and Ubba.
- It gets busy at the meadhall, as Happy Hour becomes a regular thing, Galkos usually on hand as people talk about the songs sung in the duel
- Takanos dusts off the luxury adventuring gear from years ago, and kits out Usila the Humble, who starts their adventuring career as a priest
- Usila goes questing, but defeated by orcs and ransomed back by the Meadhall! (And ending the session early!)
Session 7 (GP: 0 , Prestige 2.6)
It's a foggy winter solstice and the new year is approaching. Harl of the Lakes is grumpy, predicting oom for all. But once again "Blessed Honey" is selling well. There's a little tension as everyone prepares for a large religious festival at New Year's
- A Rare Guest arrives, the local ruler with their entourage! Ubba entertains Lady Banner and does a good job of it. A large tip is left and they put up a sign advertising the room she slept in.
- Versh is given some management Training
- There's Trouble with a lover's tiff as Ubba and Geoff have an argument in front of guests. Wulfa makes them both see sense, locking them in the cellar.
- Usila the Humble goes out questing again, defeating a bookish phooka (GP: 11)
- Brewing for the festival, Galkos step in. There's a bit of a panic as a batch goes bad!
- There's an edge of unease at the Banner and Badger. Tanakos oversees the Prep for Big Event but everything is going wrong. People aren't where they're meant to be and the wrong provisions are arriving (–> Disadv for the Big Event
- On the big night things are disorganised until Ubba starts a series of songs. The mood changes, and the staff, regulars and guests welcome in new year in a memorable night.
- In weeks after Takanos uses some Influence to spread the fame of the Banner and Badger Meadhall. (Prestige: 3.7)
- Verth cooks up a Bread and Ale Pie for a challenge and Galkos hosts a Throwing Night with an assortment of weapons used. Everyone takes a rest in the new year.
Session 8 (GP: 8 , Prestige 3.7)
A few weeks later Winter is starting to give way to spring. The bustling Banner and Badger is becoming known throughout the region. There's rumours of robbers in the area. And Takanos is getting restless...
- An infestation of rats in the cellar is dealt with by Galkos and Usila the Humble though they won't say exactly how...
- Everyone gets the benefits of some training and there's a sense of change in the air
- In the kitchen Takanos makes a special elven cake for staff and regulars (GP: 14)
- Usila the Humble goes to Zenko, defeats another phooka and returns with Steeltree Bark
Serving his special elven cake, Takanos brings all of the staff together and announces it's time for him to move on. He's going to pursue "Holy Hanel" and find the Steelbark Tree.
Ubba settles in as the new proprietor with Verth managing everything day to day. Galkos retires to his garden, Wolfa takes over the brewing and it's time to take on some new staff...
Prospects at the Badger and Banner Meadhall look strong for the coming year...
End.
Tavern Notes
broken cask start | starting the game | tavern notes
The Banner and Badger Meadhall
Gold - 0, Prestige - 3.7 (Region's Finest), Average Drinkery, Feasting Hall, Trader's Stand, Luxurious Guest Rooms, 4 Staff Rooms with Cosier Furnishings, Kitchen
A brownstone mead hall with a large central fireplace, a trading house frequented by merchants and traders. Signature drink is "Banner Brew", wild honey mead steeped in overripe cherries. Best thing to eat is Bangers and Mash, and the main entertainment is throwing games, usually darts.
Near a spiritual centre, offering golem rides up and down the holy mountain. In the cellar there is a bottomless pit, but no-one talks about it. A pesky badger has taken a liking to the gardener. Lore has it there's always been a badger as mascot in the different iterations of the pub here.
Staff of the Banner and Badger
- Takanos Sunborn (innkeeper), an elf with a magical badger pelt and an annoying high-pitched laugh. Escaped an eldritch cult (Can always roll for cooking tasks instead of staff). Body +1, Heart +3, Mind +2
- Galkos Gardener (staff), satyr who sleeps in all kinds of places nearby. Body +2, Heart +0, Mind +1, Morale 2
- Verth the Drunken (staff), human brewer who collects exotic pets. Body +1, Heart -1, Mind +3, Morale 2
- Ubba (staff/innkeeper), dwarf minstrel and empath. Body -1, Heart +3, Mind +2, Morale 2
- Wulfa (staff), ogre brewer, former mercenary. Body +3, Heart +1, Mind -1
Others of the Banner and Badger
- Various traders
- Rex, a pesky badger mascot who seeks out Galkos
- Usila the Humble, level 1 Hero, a half-elf priest who visits Banner Mountain and formerly a regular.
- Geoff Redleaf, Level 1 merchant regular, off-on relationship with Ubba
- Harl of the Lakes, Level 1 dwarf prophet and regular. Forecasts what will happen at inn, but lately unpredictable.
Previous adventurers who went off on own adventures with some knaves.
- Dora, a young human scout, level 2 Hero, wayward, heartbreaker
- Arthur, young human rogue, level 1 Hero, mischievous
Finishing Up
Less to think about than most actual plays of RPGs.
Looking forward to trying out own tables and having more of a feel for the Banner and Badger.
