So I’m running a non-campaign campaign.

That is, I’m running an indefinite series of linked one shots with a pool of players, all set in the same general area and with recurring themes and NPCs. Not all of my players have to play every game – the premise is that they’re part of an adventuring guild and whoever plays, their characters are the ones who show up that day for a new quest. I’ll think of fun ways to explain the absence of the others. The bard guy from last time? Oh, he’s playing battle of the bands in Waterdeep. The surly ranger? Got into a long argument with a druid about the best way to climb trees.

Each game will probably start in the same tavern (I call it the Tumbling Teeth Tavern, because I came up with that name months ago and I’ve been dying to use it in something). This is DnD and who doesn’t love a DnD tavern, right? But how can I make the tavern seem new and interesting for my players?

Well, first of all, I won’t be trying to make it seem new. A tavern in DnD is never going to seem ‘new’. But I can make it interesting.

DnD is a simple game. The real joy lies in putting players into a somewhat structured world and watching them weave and bend the narrative around themselves. Creating silly or funny or creepy NPCs and giving players a sense of agency, even if the story they’re playing is actually quite linear.

And a linear story isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as players can have fun along the way, they probably won’t mind being swept along in a steady plot. Someone who loves Monopoly doesn’t complain about having to go around the board. Similarly, in DnD players ‘know’ there will be the offer of a quest in some form, NPCs they need to talk to, some combat and some red herrings. Knowing these things doesn’t make them any less enjoyable.

That doesn’t mean DMs should be lazy and unimaginative, of course. But the first and most important rule for any DM is: the game should be as much fun for the DM as it is for the players. So for DMs writing homebrewed games (as I’m doing) using established locations, tropes, storylines etc is necessary if you want to keep your sanity and run reasonably regular sessions. Fight that enticing urge to homebrew everything and give yourself a break.

But back to the tavern…

I love a bar interaction between players and barkeep. It’s a nice, easy bit of roleplay to start a session, allowing players to get into their characters without the pressure of being with an important NPC that they need to question/threaten/impress. My tavern is run by a friendly half-orc selling ales for 1 silver. I am planning, at some point, for there to be a dead rat in one of the barrels, and players will have a roll a CON save to see who will be vomiting shortly after glugging the ale. I won’t actually inflict the poisoned condition on them because honestly, as a DM I find it a little boring and I don’t want to make life too tedious for my players. Instead, I will absolutely make them roleplay puking for at least five minutes of real time. That’s far more fun.