Inns & Taverns is a Darkfuries sourcebook with a simple mission. Provide maps and ideas and let the GM fill in the blanks. It's got a few other sweet spots to it, but it's not an ultra detailed book with tons of adventures and NPCs running around.
Masterwork Maps includes 20 inns with 45 maps as well as 15 taverns with 26 maps. Unlike Necromancer Games book of Taverns, these areas range from the simple 1 page Inns like the North Wall and Copper Coin Inns, to more elaborate and expansive ones like Brass Covey and Kamdin House.
Inns are rated with stars with explanations. A two star inn for example, have average quality and average prices. Usual Patrons are listed by general profession so we've got entries like merchants, messengers, and peddles. Another line list the owner, and another the cook. After the 'stat' block is written out, the Introduction gives the GM a quick overview of what the bar is and what it's about. This allows the GM to quickly read the first few lines and help determine where he's going to put it.
For example, the large Redmoon Hospice Inn, has seen border conflicts and provided education, work and a place to life for some children. This allows the GM to get a feel for where this might go in whatever setting he's running. It could also work as a quick hook for a character. “You remember the tales of your father, working in the Redmoon when times were dire.”
The owners are described with history and background as well as current events. These are often a paragraph or two with any hidden secrets noted here.
Another stat block occurs away from the text and that's the features, including descriptions, break DC, thickness, hardness and hit points. The Redmoon for example, has a lodging capacity of 54 double bets and two floors and windows of glad pane with wood shutters and bolt locks. Quick and dirty information when you need it.
My personal favorites are those that go beyond the minimum descriptions like Bindiddle Gambling Hall. A five star tavern of opulent quality and outrageous prices, the gambling hall has descriptions for it's main areas and details on it's Cellar Club where the high rollers come to gamble. The owner, Brikker Bindiddle is a gnome of no small taste but is no illusionist, but rather, an aristocrat with ties to many influential people in the city, gathering information and keeping the patrons happy all at once.
In addition to the locations, there is a Hall of Patrons section, broken up into character types, Adventurers, Aristocrats, Working Middle Class, and Lower Working Class. Each has name, title, game stats, description, background and adventure hook allowing the GM to easily insert them into the appropriate bar or tavern. Some of the adventure hooks are secrets that would ruin the characters if brought to light while others are potential campaigns in and of themselves. For example, Urabi, the first Viscount of the Pale Marsh, is in need of adventurers to clear our the swamps and marshes in his land in order to farm it. A perfect opportunity to bust out Atlas Game's Dynasties and Demagogues.
One of the things I enjoyed about the book that has nothing to do with d20 is at the start of the book, in the section, “What's on the Menu.” Broken up by status, it shows what people eat in the morning and evening so we see that a merchant may start his day with apple fritters made with ale batter while a noble may end his day with veal meatballs, roasted and butter glazed.
Some things I didn't like include the lack of art for the patrons and owners. I understand this isn't one of Flying Buffalo's old city books though and it's primary purpose isn't NPCs but maps. Another thing I didn't like was the briefness of some of the locations While the Black Cat Inn has over twenty locations marked off on the maps, there are no descriptions for those areas. Not vital as the main description covers the most common areas but it would've been nice to have.
If you're looking for detailed adventures and rooms with detailed inventories down to the last carpet, then this book isn't for you. This is for the GM who wants a skeleton map and owner with some patrons that he can fully flesh out and in that aspect, it does it's job well.
