Extra Extra: PC Opens up Local Tavern.

[Valicor]

Okay my character has reached the range of level 11-12, and Iv'e decided to build a Tavern so that I have something for the character to fall back on later when he retires. My plan is to have the establishment in place and set up a bank accountin which the profits wil be placed. We have a Ultima Online system of bank. For those who do not know what this is, it is a bank system in which you can acsess your accoutns and all possesions within it at any city.

The DM has told me I will need to aquire a buildign permit, and pay for the construction costs myself. I can't do it jsut yet but wil be within the next short while. Ive calculated out the cost of my employee's total to be 69 gp a month. I am trying to figure out how much it would cost to maintain the food supply though, and how much profit I may be able to make from it.

I don't think customers wil be a problem I am planning on building the tavern in the capital city which is easily a metropolis. I also already decided on a tavern name,"The Mercenaries Mace". When I get the profits comming in I plan to establish a adventuers guild from this tavern, also with leadership aquire a underground theives guild, to make profits greater. All people and families that fal under my characters mini-sphere of influence are goign to be well taken care of.

So my question is how should I go about setting the three phases of my plan into action. What kinda costs might the require. Also any creative critisism and ideas are welcome so long as they are not counter productive.

 

[Methinkus]

Im interested in this as well so . . . . . . bump

 

[Heretic Apostate]

There's a recent (as in, the last 20 issues or so) issue of Dragon with an article called "Invest your Loot." Might want to NOT let your DM look at it.

Basically, if you build a tavern/inn, you can expect to take about 20 years to recoup your investment, under the system provided. The general contention is, roleplaying is fun, but getting anxious over income statements isn't.

I'll have to try to find the magazine number for you, if you want.

 

[Kichwas]

Ultima Online banking system?

How's that work? THe bankers are all mages with "teleport funds and records" spells memorized?

Running a business isn't just about tossing GPs into it. You're character will have to heavily involved in local politics, trade guilds, and his/her employee's lives.

You'll have to negotiate with a local brewer, butcher, and farmer's market to keep yourself stocked.

You'll also have to negotiate with the local thieves guild to keep them off the backs of you, your employees, and your customers. No matter how high your level, you can't protect all your customers at once...
And if you don't cooperate but are to powerful to attack directly that's where the guild will get you. They might even go after your neighbors just to get the community to drive you out. Easier to just pay them off.

Saying you're going to 'buy the thieves guild' is like saying you're moving to New York and planning on buying the Gambinini's. Even if you're Bill Gates the mob just doesn't work that way. (I always chuckle when I get a rogue player who wants to try and join or take over the guild... asking if he has what it takes to be a 'made man'... IE: is he 'family'? Otherwise you'll never be more than a hired hand.)


Profits will be very small.
This is the kind of business you set up so you can retire, raise kids, and join the community.

Assume you get a place with 5 tables, assume you fill the tables on 2 nights a week, and get about 30% full other nights.

Assuming you're open from sundown to just past the 'witching hour'; you should presume each table generates 3 customers 3 times a night.

So you serve 157.5 meals a week, or 675 a month. That's a pretty hot business actually, these figures may be too high.

(I'm tossing random figures out of the air here, figures that just sound reasonable to me).

A meal generates 3sp of income.
Not including employees it costs you the following to generate say... 5 meals:

1lb flour 2cp
(1 pig+1 goat+10 chickens)/12 35cpAssorted veggies
(here we guess that they cost 2 chickens) 4cp
Supplies for gallon of Ales (we'll assume the brewer's guild lets you have a hefty profit of 20%) 16cp

So we're talking 57cp, or 11cp per meal.

So you 'make' 19cp per meal. Making 128gp, 2 sp, 5 cp in a month.

Then you subtract employee wages, rent, morgage, or property tax, guild dues, taxes, bribes, and so on.

Just an idea.

 

[hong]

Aaagh, baking bread! Run away! Run away!

 

[Kugar]

Somehow I don't think that the profit in selling food to travelers is going to be significant compared to the untold riches one finds in ancient tombs and long lost cities.

If you hire someone to take care of the place while you are away, expect to pay him/her most of the take. Otherwise what is stopping him from running his own establishment. When you retire to run things the income should be enough to offset expenses and keep your vast reserves in tact. Anything else is just a plot hook

Kugar

 

[Matafuego]

I love the idea of the PC's making their own tavern. My first PC had one (it was carved into a Giant tree in the middle of the woods, we enlarged the tree and we wew very proud of it ) of course, back then we didn't care too much for realism.
The tavern isn't going to generate a lot of income but I never saw that as a problem, I always thought you had the tavern as: a place to crash, some free food or drinks, a place to celebrate victories, a place to find the people you need for the job and somewhere to get the latest gossip.

If you have a tavern you have to decide whether you want it to be high, medium or low class. And a lot of extra more things, the first will cost you more but also give you more income and contact with the high sphers, but also attract thieves, the later will cost you les but it will have some problems such as fights or criminals...
Just some ideas.

 

[Valicor]

The idea has been remodeled slightly to make it a Tavern/trainingcenter/adventuer guild. Me and another player are gonna team up to tackle the issue. Profit isn't the number one motivation. As was mentioned above it is a base of operations and Somethign for me to say, I established a perminate influence in the campiagn world.