Do you let your players own businesses?

[WereRabbitz]

I ran a campaign for my wife and some of her girlfriends a while back (Started out same campaign as some buddies from high school), but something very different happened that I wasn't prepared for.

There is a part in both of their campaigns where a evil mage is done in who was using illusions to lure people to his tavern so he could test the effects of various poisons on the locals.

My buddies all killed him and left and moved on, but their group finished off the mage and decided they were going to fix it up.

So I found myself DMing a whole new perspective here. Instead of some big monster threatening the world each session that we met up they would inspect the local listing board and look for jobs that might help them repair or Improve the Tavern. This lead to them crawling through dungeons for a magical glowing wood that they made a sign out of, harvesting Ironwood from Giant Territory, and escorting a prized Carpenter from across the sea. As well as defending their Tavern from bandit attacks and repairing as needed.

When someone couldn't make a session they were left behind to run the Tavern and the next session they got to play they would make profit roles to see how it did that day.

The idea was expanded out by me adding in bartering with local traders which led to them buying a boat to get cheaper prices on goods from another region and contend with sea monsters and the like at times, to eventually the druid decide they should buy land and the druid would maintain it to get cheaper Barley.

This influx of profitability allowed them to hire full time barmaids and guards so they could go on longer more complicated journey's to get things for the tavern.
This lead to give away's and contest with the locals and thus I had to Expand on the Town as they were not employing people and expanding the operation.


I think everyone found this a fun alternative route to the normal hack and slash campaign and it escalated to eventually this town in the middle of no where started to become a bit of a trading spot and we quit playing they were building Larger docks to accommodate trade. I was curious if anyone else had ever went down this path?

[Specter]

If there's going to be business, there has to be trouble with business, of the violent, gang type. Otherwise, it all turns into boring commerce. Everybody has normal jobs in real life, and they don't want that in fantasy. Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy give you good examples of trouble.

[BW022]

...
I think everyone found this a fun alternative route to the normal hack and slash campaign and it escalated to eventually this town in the middle of no where started to become a bit of a trading spot and we quit playing they were building Larger docks to accommodate trade. I was curious if anyone else had ever went down this path?

I've seen pretty much everything on this. I've started PCs each owning a share in an road-side inn. I've had PCs who took over their tribe (Mongol-type). I've had characters find a magical wine fountain. I've had players own a fishing ship. I've had a PC who had an armory as a front to his wizard tower and bounty-hunting business. I've been in a campaign where we were helping setup a group of settlers in a mining business.

However... the game is called Dungeons and Dragons. To some extent characters are supposed to be heroes (or anti-heroes) involved in adventure, travel, fighting, etc. If a business is in a safe location, it isn't being attacked by monsters all the time. If it isn't in a safe place... chances are it isn't a great business. As such... I recommend...

a) Such things are generally in the background.
b) You are using them mainly as initial tie-ins.
c) You select businesses which are more dangerous -- a shipping business in a dangerous run, an inn in a roadway which is infested by werewolves and bandits, etc.
d) All the players need to want in on the business.
e) There is someone else running the business (such as an NPC) and it is used for mundane type purposes.

Honestly, running an tavern doesn't require the finest woods, special carpenters, etc. It requires a population, draw, mundane business skills, staff, etc. It isn't likely that dangerous to run. The thieves guild isn't going to attack it daily -- especially when it is clear that the owners aren't going to pay or can take care of themselves.

Most of the time, I meta-game these types of activities. I setup weeks or month pauses between adventures and ask the players what they are doing. Unless it is unusual, I just rule that they can do it. I assume they are off getting linens, hiring staff, securing vendors, paying taxes, etc. If they want to approach the lord and go on some mission to avoid paying taxes or some vendor rips them off using magic... then I roleplay that. I'll typically setup some type of business model for the business -- an inn takes in about 500gp a month and costs about the same to run.

[ZenBear]

I think it's an awesome idea, and props to your waifu and co for doing it of their own volition. Too many games revolve around saving the world instead of actually living in it. I get much more immersed in the game when I feel like our characters have a real stake in events around them instead of being transient heroes/murder hobos whose sole purpose is to defeat X. It makes them more relatable.

Another take on this that I intend to run is a seafaring adventure amongst an archipelago. The party owns a ship and must find work where they can to get by. Any party thst names their ship Serenity without further hints gets to skip level 1. :smallbiggrin:

[TurboGhast]

- Snip -

Honestly, running an tavern doesn't require the finest woods, special carpenters, etc. It requires a population, draw, mundane business skills, staff, etc. It isn't likely that dangerous to run. The thieves guild isn't going to attack it daily -- especially when it is clear that the owners aren't going to pay or can take care of themselves.

- Snip -

I'd say that running a tavern is pretty dangerous because adventurers meet there.

[Theodoxus]

Do I let my players own businesses? Heck no! My players are grunts! They own nothing! They're lucky to have the privilege of meeting me at the LFGS to spend 4 hours a week in my glorious presence. Why, if they owned businesses, they'd be far too busy to play D&D on a weekly basis.

Now, characters on the other hand... the closest was a slaving company, but they never really made any money (or really had any slaves, now that I think about it...) But seeing as I'm an accountant IRL, the last thing I'd want to do is watch a bunch of cooks, airmen and pole dancers try to do economics. I'd be facepalming all night long as they debate supply side vs demand side economies of scale and how best to shake down a vendor for product (while simultaneously avoiding a shakedown for non-payment).

I need more hack and slash in my fantasy life - lord knows I don't get it in my real one...

[Specter]

Do I let my players own businesses? Heck no! My players are grunts! They own nothing! They're lucky to have the privilege of meeting me at the LFGS to spend 4 hours a week in my glorious presence. Why, if they owned businesses, they'd be far too busy to play D&D on a weekly basis.

Now, characters on the other hand... the closest was a slaving company, but they never really made any money (or really had any slaves, now that I think about it...) But seeing as I'm an accountant IRL, the last thing I'd want to do is watch a bunch of cooks, airmen and pole dancers try to do economics. I'd be facepalming all night long as they debate supply side vs demand side economies of scale and how best to shake down a vendor for product (while simultaneously avoiding a shakedown for non-payment).

I need more hack and slash in my fantasy life - lord knows I don't get it in my real one...

Amen to that. Businesses may be a side dish, but definitely not the main course.

[Tanarii]

If there's going to be business, there has to be trouble with business, of the violent, gang type. Otherwise, it all turns into boring commerce. Everybody has normal jobs in real life, and they don't want that in fantasy. Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy give you good examples of trouble.
Only business I've ever had players interested in being actively involved in, as opposed to something that just ran itself in the background, was when they went up against the Zhentarim to take control of the drug trade. This was kicked off by Green Dragon casting Plant Growth on a field of weed they'd grown, which they then sold under the moniker 'Dragon Bud'.

We were in college. Obviously.

[Sigreid]

I do let players do this sort of thing. What you have here is a campaign driven by the characters dreams and goals instead of monster (or crisis) of the week. It makes the campaign more "real" for some players. Look at how much more emotionally invested they are now that it really is all about them setting the agenda.

[ZenBear]

Honestly, running an tavern doesn't require the finest woods, special carpenters, etc. It requires a population, draw, mundane business skills, staff, etc. It isn't likely that dangerous to run. The thieves guild isn't going to attack it daily -- especially when it is clear that the owners aren't going to pay or can take care of themselves.

It isn't about running a tavern. It's about making The Best Damn Tavern Ever. A glowing sign? Baller. Ironwood walls? Impregnable. Flawless artwork carved into every archway and pillar? Priceless. Wererabbitz explained how the story came to revolve around The Tavern, so all the action and adventure you want will literally come knock on your door. What criminal kingpin won't make a play for the most lucrative business in the realm? What red dragon could resist attempting to claim all that gold for itself? Man-eating monstrosities will see the dense population as an all you can eat buffet.

I think there's a lot of potential in straying from the norm and changing perspective.

[Knaight]

I've GMed campaigns with more mercantile aspects, although not specifically within D&D 5e. It's worked fine for me.

[morgante]

I think there's a lot of potential in straying from the norm and changing perspective.

Registered just to post about this topic. My friends are just starting our first 5e campaign & we specifically talked about our PCs' aspirations as a group with our GM: owlbear farmers -we all want to figure out crazy money making schemes. I hope we have more fun creating our own quests than depending on the GM to create them for us. (Just FYI, of course there's nothing wrong playing a tabletop RPG any way a group wants to.)