#stewpot: tales from a fantasy tavern

[no-road-home]

Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern on Backerkit now!

Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern is a GMless one-to-three shot TTRPG based on games like MF0: Firebrands and The Sundered Land. It's a collection of 20 mini-games where former adventurers open a tavern together and reintegrate into society after a life on the road.

What happens after the adventure? What does daily life in a fantasy world look like? Stewpot draws inspiration from stories like Dungeon Meshi, Redwall, Frieren, and Bartender, as well as various aspects of D&D. It's a great way to wrap up a long-running fantasy TTRPG campaign.

Start a garden, cook monsters, run a festival booth, reforge old weapons, flirt with mysterious strangers, and more in a new version of the game with tons of art and new storybook-style layout!

(more info and full description of the mini-games in the read more!)

The structure of the game is based on characters having an Adventurer Job, with Adventurer Experiences that represent their abilities and powers, and a Town Job with Town Experiences. You can make new characters just for the game, or bring in old characters and recreate them with the existing Experiences or write your own.

As you play the game, you'll cross off Adventurer Experiences as you let go of them or let them fade into the background, and gain new Town Experiences that take their place. Along the way you'll upgrade your Tavern and give each other Keepsakes!

Games from the old Itch.io PDF version (0.41):

The First Step: Before you decided to put down roots here, before you found this group of friends, what were you doing? What was the first thing you learned about how to live in town?

NPC Sidequest: Your adventuring days may be over, but there are plenty of people in town that could use your help.

Wear and Tear: There’s always something to fix, or clean, or pay off.

Market Day: You never would have guessed how many things you need just to keep a tavern running. 

Homegrown: There’s something special about using ingredients grown nearby. Why not give growing your own a try?

Sliced: Sometimes supply routes get disrupted. Or maybe you just want to stand out from the rest of the taverns. Whatever the reason, you’re playing this game because you want or need to do one thing: cook with monster parts.

Romancing a Stranger: Someone in the tavern makes eye contact with you, and their gaze lingers a little longer than you’d expect. Your co-workers urge you on, and make every excuse they can to send you over to talk to the lovely Stranger.

Off the Clock: Where do you go after the tables are wiped down? Who’s heard every story you have about the worst people who have walked in?

A Friendly Tavern Brawl: Every tavern has its rowdy patrons. You know they’re good at heart, but sometimes when the ale is flowing and spirits are high, things get a little out of hand. How do you handle the situation?

Festival Day: Your town has a few festival days a year, and they’re some of your busiest. How do you prepare? How do you handle the influx of people?

A Bard's Tale: During your time as an adventurer, you accomplished many daring deeds. In fact, some of those deeds are retold to this day by travelling bards.

A Glass of the Gods: Sometimes a troubled adventurer will come in, looking for answers, and letting them drink themselves into oblivion is the wrong answer. It's up to you  to  mix the perfect drink, something perfect for the situation that can push the adventurer to look inside and find the answer on their own.

A Distinguished Guest: Someone important is in town, and they’re already almost here. The tavern has to be at its best for this guest. After all, they might leave a generous tip.

In the Rhythm of Things: Time passes. Rough edges are sanded down. Before you know it, life in town has become like breathing. You gather in your favorite part of the tavern and wonder where the time has gone.

New games for this crowdfunding campaign:

Shields and Skillets: Enchantments are volatile things, especially when they sit unused for long periods of time. You have to let go of your old equipment before it’s too late.

Shelter from the Storm: Early one morning, you feel it. A familiar ache in your bones. Something is coming.

A Funeral: As an adventurer, you said farewell many times. Sometimes it was only temporary. Most of the time, it wasn't. 

Retracing: You've left town for something: an errand, a vacation, an old favor. Suddenly, you recognize the route you're traveling. You've been this way before, during your adventuring days.

A Fleeting Memory: Something about the way the fire flickers lingers in your mind. The smell of hay and clover brings a tear to your eye. A fading memory resurfaces.

A Familiar Face: An old friend you haven't seen in a while has stopped by. Why not show them around the town and the tavern?

[sunpetal-tavern]

[crtgirl]

my wife’s game, stewpot, is finally crowdfunding today!!

it’s an incredible game about adventurers settling down and starting a tavern. if you have been enjoying dungeon meshi this is a game for you!

[theresattrpgforthat]

Yo, I am under the impression there’s a flourishing market for “campaign supplement” games that can be played as like slice of life side-bars to another campaign? My play group just finished an Ebberon campaign but we still love these characters and I’m wondering what’s out there? I’m curious for whatever but stuff with a focus on settling down or running your new dukedom would be lovely.

THEME: Fantasy After-Campaign Games.

Hello there! Yes, there are a number of games that you can probably use to keep your characters around and explore other parts of their life! I've got a few games that might be somewhere in the realm of what you're thinking, and then I've got some other ideas that popped up in my brain as I was writing this out.

Peace in the Land, by JunkyardTornado.

Peace in the Land is a cozy one page fantasy ttrpg about solving some regular kinds of problems in a fantasy town. There is a very simple character creation process based off a simple system, the Quick and Dirty System, originally designed for one-page rpgs. 

If you want low-stakes problems and quick rules, you might want to check out Peace in the Land. The rules are pretty standard, with a typical success threshold and differently-sized dice according to player abilities. You can probably place the simple rules into a setting that you’re already familiar with, and then generate problems that the townspeople might turn to the player characters to solve. If the group wants to settle down in one location but still go on minor adventures, this might be a game for you.

Pour One Out For Her, by MrPluckyComicRelief.

She was the greatest hero the world had ever seen. She slayed the Beast of Artenfield, rescued every princess north of the Green River, outgambled the demon Jav-Urok The Bold, and she never paid for a drink. All those years ago, all of you stood by her side, as her faithful companions. You supported her through thick and thin, through triumph and tragedy. You thought she would live forever.

But in a cruel twist of fate, you’re all here, standing at her funeral. For her last great prank, she stated, in her last will and testament, that you would all give a joint eulogy.

Pour One Out For Her is a gm-less RPG for any number of players. It's about good times with old friends, reckless adventures, and a celebration of a the greatest hero to ever live, who was taken too soon.

This is more of a one-shot kind of game for a solemn, last goodbye to a character that didn’t make it. Because it’s GM-less, if you traditionally had a GM in the game, this might be a chance for them to embody an important NPC who saw the characters through the bulk of the story.

Pour One Out For Her assumes that the dead companion had a dying wish, and that the companion was a team-player. Apart from that, I think you could use it to remember the ending of a character that meant a lot to the party.

Stewpot: Tales From A Fantasy Tavern, by Takuma Okada.

The adventurer’s life is tough. It's time to call it quits. For years you stumbled through hostile lands, living off stale rations, and struggling to get a few hours’ sleep. Now it’s time to hang up your weapons, sell off your armor, and settle down. If only it were that easy…

Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada is a collection of cozy mini-games that tell the story of a tavern run by former adventurers. Gather your dice, pick up a deck of cards, set aside a shiny coin, and get ready for a new set of challenges. Only this time… your adventures start behind the bar.

Stewpot is divided into a series of slice-of-life scenes, with a different set of simple rules and prompts helping adjudicate each scene. You might be scrambling to cook something edible with random ingredients, bartending for troubled souls, calming down a tavern brawl, going shopping for all the things a tavern needs, and more! Work to upgrade your tavern's cuisine, atmosphere, and service. In the process, you might just learn a little bit about yourself - and your fellow party members.

Takuma Okada is known for a number of thoughtful games, including Alone Among the Stars, a solo roleplaying game of introspection in space. Stewpot looks to deliver a cozy, retrospective experience, probably similar to Dungeon Meshi and Legends & Lattes. Stewpot recently finished funding on Backerkit, so if you’re willing to wait for a little bit, you should be able to order a copy of it from Evil Hat’s website! If you’re not willing to wait, there’s a Sampler PDF available on DriveThruRPG.

Wolves & Spices, by A.Tian.

Wolves & Spices is a simple tabletop roleplaying game, based on the traveling mercantile adventures of the light novel/anime series Spice & Wolf.

You are traveling merchants in the medieval country of Feldland. Your shared dream is to earn enough money and goodwill to open a business as a permanent part of a community.

You could use Wolves & Spices if you feel like your characters wouldn’t necessarily settle down in one place, but rather would be more likely to turn to trade as a way to earn their keep while still travelling from town to town. Your goals will probably be more focused around meeting other people’s needs, using your earnings to help meet your heart’s desires (also called your Wolves). If you want a game where the quest didn’t bring about the happy ending your characters hoped for, you might want to try out Wolves & Spices.

Some Other Thoughts

Another way you could possibly re-visit your character’s stories is to re-visit them in a different genre or setting. There’s a lot of possibilities if you’re up to remixing a game or two! For example, you could re-cast your characters as fantasy investigators, such as in Swords of the Serpentine, or follow their attempts at romance, such as in Passion of the Jukebox or Thirsty Sword Lesbians. You could also follow up with the adventures of your characters’ children; my group followed up our Spectaculars game with a game of MASKS, playing as the children of our characters. Games like Kids on Bikes or Kids and Spirits could also work if you want to combine solving mysteries with passing adventure down a generation!

Games You Can Also Check Out

Merchants & Monsters, by AndieSanade.

Dungeon Mart, by May Day.

So, the Beast is Dead, by Prepared Heathen.

Back Again, from the Broken Land, by Cloven Pine Games.

The Laughing Kobold, by therabidbanana.

[ritunn]

TTRPGs to Try in 2025

For the past 2 years, I've gone over TTRPGs you can check out each year! This year is no different and I want to take a look at some great indie games to consider running, reading, or playing yourself this year. All games are linked to their Itch page in the title.

1. Beacon

Beacon is the perfect tactical TTRPG to fulfill all your Final Fantasy needs as you take on the role of chosen ones of your world to fight against an ever present darkness unique to your specific reflection. Running on a similar system to Lancer, but with refinements that take it to the next level, and downtime activites such as opening loot boxes, there's a lot of fun to be had with it! Fabula Ultima recently released its final atlas this year and is the ever popular top TTJRPG, but if you're looking for something that functions with a stronger wargame aspect with just as much narrative fun and character customization, consider giving Beacon a look. Perfect for those of you who love JRPGs and enjoy the many D&D 4e shootoffs we've gotten recently.

2. Stewpot

Recently released from Evil Hat, Stewpot is a cozy, yet melancholic narrative focused game where you take on the role of retired adventurers. Together, you run and operate a tavern while leaving your old life behind in a variety of minigames ala Warioware that allow for a mix of freeform and structured roleplaying. Through them, you'll slowly acquire more experience as a townsperson until eventually you get into the rhythm of things and your story ends happily. Your old life is behind you, one that was full of adventure, but a new one ahead, plenty of tales to await you. Excellent to play at the end of a high fantasy or scifi campaign or by itself, Stewpot is the perfect recipe for setting up how your characters' ends, as bittersweet as it may be.

3. Worldwizard

A worldbuilding TTRPG you'd often find in another book entirely, World Wizard, inspired by the ever popular Dawn of Worlds, is an amazing new tool and simply fun game to play before starting a campaign to build a world to explore and adventure in together. Going through 4 ages, players take turns adding things to a hex map. It may be civilizations, divine avatars, land masses, historic events, or more! The structured way it uses a point system allows things to stay down to earth, but ever interesting as you and your group work together to make something you can all be invested in.

4. Last Tea Shop

A melancholic game for just a party of one, Last Tea Shop has you take on the role of a tea shop owner at the border between the living and the dead. As you roll for various qualities like days past and the current weather, you'll meet customers, spirits on their way to the beyond, and prepare them tea and listen to their tale. You do this by consulting the weather and following question prompts, asking them and answering them. Eventually, they'll have to go and they'll leave some ingredients for you, but who you'll see next and when is a mystery.

5. Dust of the Traveled Road

You are from the Dreaming City and you were drawn to the Waking Gates, now, you venture to Journey's End, a dream beyond a dream. Taking on a role between Knight, Adept, and Magus, you and your party make your way through various scenes and scenarios unlocked based on your choice of traits between Arms, Knowledge, and Magic of which you have 2 (one based on role and allowed to be the same as your role's trait). As you travel from destination to destination in any way you choose along the branching path, you'll collect dust, experience of how you've changed and grown on your journey. The journey will eventually come to an end, but will you be the same upon reaching it? An excellent narrative focused TTRPG for groups who love roleplaying and fantastical fantasy settings, Dust of the Traveled Road is incredibly easy to get into and a campaign only takes a couple of sessions. No game will ever be the same twice with the branching map and role system... and your own interactions of course! Great for oneshots.

[indiepressrevolution]

Now at IPR - Stewpot: Tales From a Fantasy Tavern

Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada is a collection of cozy mini-games that tell the story of a tavern run by former adventurers. Gather your dice, pick up a deck of cards, set aside a shiny coin, and get ready for a new set of challenges. Only this time… your adventures start behind the bar.

Stewpot is divided into a series of slice-of-life scenes, with a different set of simple rules and prompts helping adjudicate each scene. You might be scrambling to cook something edible with random ingredients, bartending for troubled souls, calming down a tavern brawl, going shopping for all the things a tavern needs, and more! Work to upgrade your tavern’s cuisine, atmosphere, and service. In the process, you might just learn a little bit about yourself – and your fellow party members.

https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Stewpot-Tales-From-a-Fantasy-Tavern-Print-PDF.html

[cannibalhalflinggaming]

Stewpot: Tales from A Fantasy Tavern Backerkit Review

Stewpot: Tales from A Fantasy Tavern Backerkit Review

The tavern is the fulcrum point of the adventuring lifestyle. It’s where wandering heroes can find food and shelter after weeks out in the wilderness, it’s where quests can often begin… and it’s where quite a few stories find their happy ending. After all, being an adventurer is a tough life. Many adventurers, whether they retire after a successful career or call it quits early, get the idea to…

[ftlcast]

Join August, Zachary, and new cast member Annya as we play Stewpot: Tales From a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada. Three adventurers come to a bustling beach city, ready to hang up their hats. But can they make a home here, or will the adventuring life be too hard to give up?

Precious is played by August.

Beck is played by Zachary.

Atlas is played by Annya.

Produced by August.

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ftlcast

Find out more about the games we play (and where to buy them): https://www.ftlcast.com/games-weve-played

Episode summaries available here: https://goo.gl/3nXVpA

Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/zzuPqne

Cover image by @sacalow and original music by @takuma_okada_

Follow the Leader is part of the Standing Stones Productions podcasting guild. Find out more about us and our projects on Twitter: @stones_standing

[theresattrpgforthat]

Did someone ask if there was a ttrpg for that?

Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern, by Takuma Okada, is a collection of slice-of-life mini-games all about running a fantasy tavern together. It's got varying level of difficulty, with some games that work well for introducing yourself to the game, and others that are basically just excuses to roleplay! The game uses a deck of cards to introduce random elements, like ingredients for your dishes or elements of your tavern's atmosphere. If you like cozy fantasy stories with plenty of chances to dive into character moments, you'll love this game.

Faux Claw, by beccamay, is a game about cyberpunk criminal cats, with escalating consequences every time you fail. When you fail a roll, place your failing dice in a stack. The stack grows and grows until it falls, causing a big cat-astrophe! If you want goofy antics and big moments with cartoon-style action, you might like Faux Claw.

Against the Gloom, by Scryptid Games, is a game about fantastical musicians sailing across The Gloom, a dangerous void.It uses a d6 system inspired by Yahtzee! You "harmonize" your dice to get closer to success, and use musical magic to power your ship. If you want dramatic scenes that feel a little bit Saturday-morning-cartoon, you might want to check out this game.

Monster Guts 2e, by Wheels Within Wheels Publishing, is a game about killing monsters in order to defend your village and improve your own weapons and armor. If you're a fan of Breath of the Wild or the Monster Hunter franchise, you might find the cycle of play in this game really rewarding.

Atomic Powered Mutant Girls, by Cilindro Cubico, is a simple magical girls ttrpg inspired by Powerpuff Girls and similar Saturday morning cartoons. When you build your character, you roll 2d6 to randomly determine your girls' mutant magic powers, allowing for really kooky and interesting characters that might create some neat combos! If you like powerful characters and a little bit of creepy to go along with the cute, you might like this game.

Not sure if anything here fits your vibe? That's what the rest of my blog is for. <3

people often talk about how d&d 5e is a horrible starting point that makes players struggle with other systems and that's true but it also does this for GMs. so many people i know had their first exposure to ttrpgs through d&d 5e and so view any GM or facilitator role with absolute dread assuming that it is an unpaid game design role that requires not only hours of prep every session but also to carefully micromanage every aspect of the game to singlehandedly balance it for the specific outcome of 'the party wins, but, like, it feels difficult' while simultaneously remembering everyone's rules for them & being treated like a substitute teacher

[no-road-home]

48 hours left on the stewpot backerkit campaign! just finished going over edits on the stretch goal mini-games, and i'm really happy with how they pull in more about your adventuring days and old friends. they also help expand the town and the surrounding area (with maps)!

[sunpetal-tavern]

Character Highlight: Odysseus

Our first Character Highlight is on the opalescent Odysseus! Join us as we get to know this dazzling druid better and listen every Monday for new episodes of the Sunpetal Tavern!

Pinecast ~ Youtube ~ Spotify ~ Amazon Music ~ iHeart Radio

[this-curiouscat]

I'm immediately reminded of Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern - this character is perfect for the "Sliced" minigame aka "Cooking with Monster Parts"!

CC @evilhatofficial

It's finally done! My backers wanted me to draw a monster chef - and at long last, she's done!

because I'm me, I of course went a little bit overboard

Additional sketches and closeups of the food over on Patreon

[crtgirl]

under two hours to back stewpot!!!

[wanderingandfound]

Indie TTRPG Valentine's made by @/SeaExcursion (the first four) and @/Robohaven (the last one) on Twitter.

[6fu]

The Epilogue Game

If you want interplay and goofs from your silly mouse AP, we’ve got your back. In the summer after the War, Zeke and Christophe affirm their commitment in front of family and friends. But first come the stress, bar fights, uncooperative frogs, and traveling clowns that every wedding planner must deal with.

Part 1 Part 2

This session was played in a homebrew adaptation of Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada, with inspiration for the Venue Search minigame from Millennial Apartment Hunters by James D’Amato.

After listening, feel free to read Grant’s behind the scenes posts about the Finale and this Epilogue to learn about why they took the forms they did, what other possibilities were on the table, and how they came together once those decisions were made.

[ftlcast]

Join August, Zachary, and new cast member Annya as we play Stewpot: Tales From a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada. Three adventurers come to a bustling beach city, ready to hang up their hats. But can they make a home here, or will the adventuring life be too hard to give up?

Precious is played by August.

Beck is played by Zachary.

Atlas is played by Annya.

Produced by August.

Additional music by Jonathan Shaw.

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ftlcast

Find out more about the games we play (and where to buy them): https://www.ftlcast.com/games-weve-played

Episode summaries available here: https://goo.gl/3nXVpA

Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/zzuPqne

Cover image by @sacalow and original music by @takuma_okada_

Follow the Leader is part of the Standing Stones Productions podcasting guild. Find out more about us and our projects on Twitter: @stones_standing