A tavern of the Old World
A tavern or inn is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and where travellers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that has a license to put up guests as lodgers. Over time, the words "tavern" and "inn" became interchangeable and synonymous.
Every town, village, city, and thorp of the Old World has at least one watering hole. Old Worlders like to forget about their miserable lives, the present threat of death, and their general dissatisfaction with lords and their kind. Taverns offer men and women a place to escape, to laugh, sing, and swap stories, and a place to spend hard-earned coppers in the company of friends.[1a]
The typical Old World tavern is usually small, smoky, crowded with tables or bench seating, and has a hearth on which some questionable fare simmers. During peak times, there is rarely room to stand, let alone sit. Such closeness lends an air of camaraderie, but in seedier dives, violence is quick to break out.[1a]
Taverns usually let a room for a modest fee. Most have a back room that serves as a common room for the poor and weary or those too drunk to go home.[1a]
Many taverns boast of providing prospective clients with a nice place to stay. Coaching inns and taverns staffed by Halfings often adopt welcoming monikers. Of course, such places may not live up to the expectations they set.[4b]
Status and Taverns[]
Human society in the Old World is highly stratified, and in larger settlements and cities, taverns cater to a specific demographic group. Large, sumptuous places in wealthy parts of town may refuse entry to anyone who isn't wearing fine clothing and may expect its clientele to pay for membership before they even enter.[4a]
Taverns for the middle class can be boisterous and lively but include private booths or separate bars for those seeking a bit of privacy or exclusivity. Taverns in the poorer parts of town can be violent and serve poor-quality fare, but they still provide a place for people to mingle and network in relative safety.[4a]
Taverns in the Empire[]
An Imperial tavern
Mankind's villages and towns across the Old World are dominated by taverns as much as any smithy or general store.[5b] Taverns in the Empire of Man are often named for historic emperors and empresses, either hailing the virtues of great leaders, or satirising the vices of infamous despots. Other historic figures are sometimes cited, the leaders of foreign nations, famous military heroes, or cultural figures well-known across the Old World such as Jacopo Tarradasch or Leonardo da Miragliano.[4b]
Taverns vary in size and quality throughout the Old World. Food is often an option, and again its quality can vary greatly, from bread with hard cheese that even rats shun to great hearty stews prepared by the in-demand Halfling cooks. But it is the beer that keeps a tavern’s regulars returning, with some establishments even stocking a selection of Dwarfish ales.[5b]
Smaller taverns are often little more than rooms with kegs of ale stacked along one side of a hay-strewn floor. These tap rooms are, by their very nature, small drinking holes, and often very rough and ready in appearance -- both the places and their patrons. Tap rooms by and large sell mannish brews –- ales that a Dwarf would scorn as "cat piss", yet do the job for the weaker constitutions of men.[5a]
Dwarf Drinking Halls[]
A Dwarf tavern, The Red Dragon
Dwarf holds are generally vast, but even the smallest strongholds of the Dawi contain numerous drinking halls with drinking being one of the Dwarfs' major pastimes. "Gorog" is Khazalid for "binge-drinking," which happens all the time. Refectories are interspersed throughout the deeps, allowing those Dwarfs who are on duty -- or who are too far underground -- to reach the grander halls for the purposes of refreshment and to drench their beards in ale.[5c][5d]
Dwarfen drinking halls are always packed with red-faced and wet-bearded Dwarfs, there to quaff large quantities of ale from tankards as large as their axes. As the fire roars in its grate, the drinking gives way to contests of girth and beard length, poetry and singing. Dwarf singing is raucous and grating, yet a joy to hear -- especially when it's a rousing chorus of She Was Only a Halfling's Daughter.[5d]
When food is on the table as well as ale, Dwarfs retire to the feast hall to fill both their bellies and their bladders. Feasting is a very important and social event in any hold. Dwarf kings entertain envoys and other royalty in their grand feasting halls, where course after course of roasted meat and an endless supply of beer is provided. Naturally, guests are expected to keep up with the appetites of their hosts, as should they flounder then offense may be caused and doubt cast upon the lightweight's character.[5e]
Taverns in Kislev[]
In Kislev, large shacks known as "roadhouses" are found along the nation's dirt tracks which sell nothing but kvas, a drink "enjoyed" by Kislevite nobles and peasants alike. Stanitsas meanwhile will have a few karcznaz, gracious hosts who open their houses for the drinking of kvas and Kislevian vodka in great quantities. Found in more established Kislevite stanitsas and cities are gospodas, which are taverns and inns where the varieties of vodkas and kvas on offer are truly impressive.[6]
Taverns in Tilea[]
An Imperial tavern
"Don't think that'll be a problem, Zharrinn. They're like fleas in a Tilean alehouse."
- —Bardin Goreksson, to the Estalian wizard Sienna Fuegonasus[3a]
Taverns and alehouses in Tilea feature several large open bar rooms with massive booths but relatively few tables.[2a]
Staff Positions[]
Landlords[]
The landlords of a tavern or inn combine the skills of the townsman and the artisan (many of them brew their own house ale). Landlords need to be socially skilled, as even the poorest of them must be charming enough to avoid alienating their regulars. The more skilled landlords learn to be both garrulous with customers, efficient with staff management, adept at identifying a good deal on quality booze, and competent brewers.[4d]
Servants[]
An Imperial tavern
The servants in a tavern or inn include the bar staff, cleaners, potboys, and other members of the staff who are not particularly skilled but whose assistance is crucial for the smooth running of the tavern. None are paid particularly well. While quality servants do exist, even high-class taverns prefer to pay for extra staff of less skill rather than provide better wages to more experienced servants.[4d]
Chefs[]
Chefs are artisans. Taverns often look to employ Halfling chefs, who are considered a sign of quality. However, outside of the Mootland and the Old World's larger cities, Halflings are not commonly encountered, and most chefs are Human.[4d]
Doormen[]
Many taverns and inns hire individuals who know how to intimidate rowdy customers and back their threats up with violence if needed. Many taverns prefer to hire Dwarfs for this task, though many Dwarfs consider keeping the door of a tavern to be beneath them, so most doormen are Human. A good doorman combines the skills of a guard and a pit fighter, but they are not expected to wear heavy armour. Their skills are focused on making an opponent surrender before too much blood is spilled.[4d]
Staff Quality[]
- Sole proprietor – In this tavern, the poor landlord is the only member of the staff. The tavern is likely to be their own residence, with a spare room converted to a taproom. The place may not even have a license, and if so, its existence is a secret amongst locals. If this is the case, strangers may not be welcome. Such places are not likely to offer board beyond a common room or food other than snacks.[4d]
- Skeleton staff – In a tavern with this level of quality, the staff consists of a poor landlord and just enough menials to manage the bar and keep the rooms. If food is available at the inn, the lack of a chef means that it will be of poor quality, even if it would normally be normal or fine quality.[4d]
- Adequate staff – For a tavern of this quality, the staff consists of a landlord, enough servants to manage the bar and clean the venue, a doorman, and a chef if the venue serves food.[4d]
- Quality staff – In a high-quality tavern, the staff consists of a quality landlord, enough servants to manage the bar and clean the venue, at least one quality doorman, and at least one quality chef if the venue serves food.[4d]
- Excellent staff – In excellent taverns and inns, the staff consists of an excellent landlord, more than enough servants to manage the bar and clean the venue, at least one excellent doorman, and several excellent chefs if the venue serves food. The inn's staff may also include a groundsman, entertainers, stevedores, coachmen, and a full-time rat catcher.[4d]
Entertainment[]
An Imperial tavern
Entertainment covers acts and distractions that are paid for by the owners of the venue. These entertainments may be performed in the public areas of the tavern (in which case customers will not be expected to pay extra, as the landlord hopes the acts will drum up extra business), or in a private room or cellar (in which case tickets will be sold to cover costs and raise extra cash).[4c]
Poorer taverns may only have entertainment at particular times -- it is common for inns to make an effort to provide their customers with a distraction on festag evenings. Rich venues tend to make their entertainments available every evening, or even on-demand should a wealthy client desire it.[4c]
Notable Tavern Entertainments[]
Cock Fights, Rat Baits, Bear Baits[]
Bloody combat between animals is still considered respectable entertainment in many parts of the Empire. Venues that host such contests usually have a suitable area, such as a fenced-off section of their yard, or a pit in their cellar, where the bouts can be fought.[4c]
Comic Skits[]
Comic skits involve clowning and jesting by a comedic performer, often involving good-natured mockery of local politics and patrons of the bar. In the case of poor-quality skits, the performer may be crushingly unfunny, or their mockery might not be good-natured.[4c]
Brass Tier taverns may place down a crate as a stage so that anyone who fancies telling a few jokes can have a go, though more organized venues may have a dedicated stage or function room and facilitate troupes of clowns or satirical puppet shows.[4c]
Storytelling[]
The archetypal storyteller is an elderly individual with a repertoire of spooky tales about monsters, Ghosts, or Goblin bands. However, a storyteller could also be a popular political agitator, a scholar giving an impromptu lecture, or an old campaigner often found propped up on a bar stool.[4c]
Folk Music[]
Folk music is usually provided by a few local amateur musicians who perform in exchange for a few free drinks. They work their way through well-known standards such as The Reik is Wide and Tomas Wanderer. Poor-quality sessions often devolve into discordant rackets with no two players in the same key, but the better folk sessions are capable of virtuoso flourishes and spirited sing-alongs.[4c]
Mummers[]
Mummers are a group of actors made up of enthusiastic amateurs rather than professional players. They typically perform well-worn dramas by the greatest playwright of the Empire, Jacopo Tarradasch, such as The Lonesome Prisoner of Karak Kadrin or The Loves of Ottokar and Myrmidia. These dramas are much abridged to make up for the lack of costumes, props, cast, crew, sets, and talent available to such mummer groups.[4c]
Class Act[]
Sometimes a venue is known for hosting truly talented performers. Quality music may be provided by a string quartet, a maestro of the harpsichord, or even a small orchestral group.[4c]
Drama may be provided by a rotating cast of travelling players stopping off at the venue before beginning a run at a local theatre. The venue may even host a carnival act, such as one of the performing groups that might otherwise be found at the Middenheim Carnival or Bögenhafen's Schaffenfest.[4c]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Armoury (RPG)
- 1a: pg. 89
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Archives of the Empire - Vol. II (RPG)
- 2a: pp. 13-14
- 3: Warhammer: Vermintide II (PC Game)
- 3a: In-game voicelines
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Taverns of the Old World (RPG)
- 5: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
- 6: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)