The Innkeeper RPG

Andhaira · Feb 24, 2008

You know, I've always wondered, what if there was an rpg where all you, the main chracter did, was run an inn. The npc's could include heroes and villains, wizards and warriors all of whom would stop by your place during quests and stuff.

You could hold lengthy conversations with them, and figure out numerous plots going on. Then, you could actually influence the outcome of these plots by giving npc's advice when they talk to you.

Character creation could consist of charismatic innkeeper, surly innkeeper, an innkeeper who is a veteran adventureer who retired to run an inn (and can train npc heroes andvillains in fighting skills), a retired sorceror, etc etc.

You could have random events such as a dragon descending and destroying your inn,monster invading in the night, etc etc.

Basically there would be an entire workld out there, and you could even go out in the wilderness and explore and stuff. But since you are just an innkeeper, you would not stand a chance against monsters.

Youy could have drivable wagons, carriages, horses etc and could visit other cities for trading and business. The entire game could have a viable economy, thats affected by the general quests done by heroes and villains, some of whom you influence.

Basically crafting skills are quite popular in MMORPG's, so perhaps this typeof game would be a success with that crowd, and with anyone as a general change of pace.

Thoughts?

sheek · Feb 24, 2008

Sucks.

Fez · Feb 24, 2008

Sort of like Dwarf Fortress but "Dwarf Inn" instead? Narrowing the scope of it but fleshing out the narrative in return and to add more RP options? It could be quite interesting. You'd have to be awful sure of your writing and crafting of this world if you're going to confine them to it for the duration and not allow the escape of combat, collecting loot and other useful crutches.

Ivy Mike · Feb 24, 2008

It's an interesting idea to be sure. Basically it's a more narrow take on games such as Majesty. The reason why I think it's interesting is that instead of running a whole kingdom you'd have to make a more narrow focus work with the same game mechanics as other kingdom simulators, and make it enjoyable to boot.

caliban · Feb 24, 2008

You really need to get out more. Go get a beer or something.

vrok · Feb 24, 2008

Kingston · Feb 24, 2008

Fez said:
Sort of like Dwarf Fortress but "Dwarf Inn" instead? Narrowing the scope of it but fleshing out the narrative in return and to add more RP options? It could be quite interesting. You'd have to be awful sure of your writing and crafting of this world if you're going to confine them to it for the duration and not allow the escape of combat, collecting loot and other useful crutches.

I dunno, you could always have monsters attack at night or have brawls with the drunks. You use the stuff you get from monsters to refurbish the interiors or sell the fat loot and expand the inn. It could be done in a humorous way, but it would easily become wacky.

Admiral Rimjob POOBUM · Feb 24, 2008

Kingston said:
It could be done in a humorous way, but it would easily become wacky.

Fez · Feb 24, 2008

That's not a bad idea for it, Kingston. Depends on how you want to style it. Nothing wrong with humor if you do it right. I had visions of Mr. T and his claim that he got his famous chains from those who he beat and threw out when he was a bouncer.

DraQ · Feb 24, 2008

This idea reminds me of a severely malformed baby.

It's certainly intriguing and atypical, but rather ill-suited when it comes to survival and general viability.

Fez · Feb 24, 2008

It sounds like a good project for one of those 7-day roguelikes or similar. A quirky test bed for ideas rather than worrying about commercial viability or final polished products. Things like Dwarf Fortress probably sounded unlikely to ever happen or work before it appeared in working form if you look at it like that.

Andhaira · Feb 24, 2008

Clue me in on dwarf fortress; how is that sinilar to this? Is the entire game revolving around breakinginto a fortress or something, and stealing a treasure?

cardtrick · Feb 24, 2008

I hate to say it . . . but I like this idea. Particularly Kingston's revision of it, which allows for more typical RPG endeavors (combat, looting, trading) in a single small environment.

Obviously this would be great for an indie project, since it would drastically limit the art resources required. (I'm ignoring Andhaira's suggestion that you actually be able to leave the inn and go explore the countryside and fight monsters who you would never actually be able to beat, because it's stupid.) You would only have to model and texture the inn itself -- nothing else.

Actually, this is getting me kind of excited. It seems like such a great project for a one-man team to attempt. I'm picturing lots of humor, and the integration of sim and city builder elements into the basic RPG formula. I wouldn't even try to make it make sense -- I'd have an opening cut scene in which you're an adventurer decked out in full gear, preparing to strike down an evil archmage in his castle. With a flick of his finger, the mage freezes you, unable to move, and then curses you with an eternity never able to leave the comforts of a small local inn -- the very worst fate possible for a brave adventurer such as yourself. Then the game starts; you're stuck in this inn, never to leave, and you don't even own it to begin with. Through quests for the innkeeper and visitors, combat with unruly folk and marauding monsters, and some nice resource management, you soon rise to own the inn and then can expand it. It's a freeform game, but you're stuck in the inn by this curse, so one sensible approach is to make your prison as comfortable as possible. The player can add furniture, facilities, expand the building, etc., and many of the additions will have additional gameplay options (adding a trading post creates conflicts with local merchants and also opens up trading sim gameplay in which you decide on trade routes, adding a gambling hall may eventually lead to criminal activities and black market interactions, etc.).

It's a fairly small-scale game, approachable for an indie dev, but with unique gameplay. I'm thinking somewhat cartoony graphics, lots of goofy decorations and building additions available, and oddball NPCs. It wouldn't be a Codexian RPG, really, but it might do fairly well in a variety of niche markets; it's the kind of unique, fun game that would fit in well at Rampant Games, for example, and might get some crossover audience from both hardcore and casual players.

It's a nice idea. I'm tempted to try it myself.

Andhaira · Feb 24, 2008

The infinity engine that powers baldurs gate games could work well with this. Winthrop's in, right where you start of in Bg1 is very well designed from the outside and the inside.

DraQ · Feb 24, 2008

It still doesn't seem to have potential as a full-scaled game. Some small, indie freeware, game, maybe, but it doesn't seem able to keep player's attention for a mere five, let alone fifty, hours. It also lacks focused story with it's critical points without really offering anything (like free roaming and exploration) in exchange.

Kingston · Feb 24, 2008

I could see it working. Give it the graphical level of Fate. Keep the game simple, keep it goofy. You get weird visitors, magicians with seeds that sprout dungeons when you place them in your cellar, where you can venture or put other adventurers that stay in the inn. The further on you go the bigger and stranger the inn gets, until you've got a huge castle, all based in the inn that was a small damp house at the start.

cardtrick · Feb 24, 2008

Kingston said:
I could see it working. Give it the graphical level of Fate. Keep the game simple, keep it goofy. You get weird visitors, magicians with seeds that sprout dungeons when you place them in your cellar, where you can venture or put other adventurers that stay in the inn. The further on you go the bigger and stranger the inn gets, until you've got a huge castle, all based in the inn that was a small damp house at the start.

Exactly! We're on very much the same page here, I think.

Hory · Feb 24, 2008

It's entirely besides the point to try to replicate usual RPG features in a game such as this one. Then, the Inn will be no more relevant to the game than the BOS home-bunker in Fallout: Tactics.

Seeds that sprout dungeons? How convenient. Why not teleport-to-towns scrolls as well? Maybe then it will be a real RPG, huh?

I can see the benefit of adding some depth to the inn, but it has to be in a way characteristic of this game, not every other RPG.

Make the inn an ancient building, abandoned but mysterious, with secret rooms that the player could find progressively, with interesting events associated to them, not so that they simply serve as dungeon-crawling spaces.

Have the player organize combat championships in an arena. Have the player break into the rooms at night and assassinate (or fight if sneaking failed) certain patrons. But giving him a magic dungeons generator? This is as well integrated as having a time-traveller NPC that brings the player a computer which can run Nethack.

afewhours · Feb 25, 2008

Well, we've already had Harvest Moon, so... yeah. It sounds like fun! And if it works, you could easily update it for modern times by switching the inn for a hotel. You can see the entire world in one of those places: drugs, vice, local tensions, police, civil development, students, etc. etc. The single location thing could spur a lot of good ideas.

Game length needn't be a problem. A 5 hour game that you can replay 5 times is as good as a 25 hour game you can only play once, right?

Besides, many full games are pretty short these days. Bioshock was only about 10-12 hours, wasn't it?

Hory said:
It's entirely besides the point to try to replicate usual RPG features in a game such as this one. Then, the Inn will be no more relevant to the game than the BOS home-bunker in Fallout: Tactics.

Agreed. The premise interests me enough on its own.

Jasede · Feb 25, 2008

I loved "The Guild 1". Maybe it's called Europa 1394 (or some year) in English. You could be an inn-keeper, with stats. Nice.

Silly thread.

galsiah · Feb 25, 2008

Hory said:
It's entirely besides the point to try to replicate usual RPG features in a game such as this one.

I'm going out on a limb here, I know, but could it be that there is more than one reasonable direction to take the idea "RPGish game set in an inn"???
Surely not. That would be insane.

But giving him a magic dungeons generator?

Because everyone knows that there's only one way to realize dungeons, and absolutely no way to tie dungeon-based exploits in to the situation in the inn? Oddly enough, most elements aren't well integrated until someone goes to the trouble of integrating them.

Of course the tightly-defined, narrative-led concept could work well. It's just not the only one.

Hory · Feb 25, 2008

galsiah said:
Hory said:

It's entirely besides the point to try to replicate usual RPG features in a game such as this one.

Click to expand...

I'm going out on a limb here, I know, but could it be that there is more than one reasonable direction to take the idea "RPGish game set in an inn"???
Surely not. That would be insane.

If you just want a reasonable game, yes, there are plenty directions.

Schauman · Feb 26, 2008

Placing the game in a setting with prohibition of alcohol would bring challenge, no? Heroes and other wandering folk demand spirits but the evil protectorate state condems such sinfull activity. Hell, you could even set it at more modern times and still make it fun. Something like Mafia with an open city and setting, toss in tons of RPG elements along business managment and you have a game I would try.

Would be more of a mafia simulator instead of inn but it could still play along the same rules. Influence the city, blackmail pesky politicians who try to shut you down, competing mobs try to rub you out along the the few coppers who refuse to ignore you. Start from minor booze smugling ring and rise up the ranks until you are Senator Roark, ruler of the underworld and holding the city by it's balls. Add a interesting narative that is heavily affected by C&C to make the game stand out of the other business simulators / GTA and you got gold coming up.

Actually, scew the modern setting. Bar keeping in a world where Arcanum collides with Sin City would be grand.
For pure inn/bar keeping, Casablanca maybe? The controversy from it would be horrible though, socializing with the Nazi party instead of shooting it to hell while you have to balance between the conflicts surrounding you.

RK47 · Feb 26, 2008

charisma, to persuade drunkards to leave
combat stats, to 'persuade' drunkards to leave (permanently)

magical steampunk setting where elves n dwarves argue about magic & gunpowder in a tavern would be interesting too.

Andhaira · Feb 26, 2008

You could also have a 'Night at the Six Feathers' type of scenario (y'know, the famous module for wfrp pnp )

The Innkeeper RPG

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Arbiter

Erudite

Scholar

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Arbiter

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Erudite

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collides like two planets pulled by gravity

Arcane