“You start in a tavern,” is the most stereotypical TTRPG campaign opening. However, despite being one of the most commonly seen TTRPG locations, the tavern rarely gets a moment in the spotlight, merely acting as a liminal space where people from various backgrounds can bump into each other before embarking on the main adventure. Bar Stool Stories by GNAW Guild changes this by spotlighting the humble tavern and its patrons, turning it into an environment rich with story potential.
Bar Stool Stories is a storytelling game for 2 to 5 players. Players select roles, with one player acting as the bartender (the Bar Stool Stories equivalent of a GM) and the rest as the bar’s various patrons.
A Tavern Where Every TTRPG Fan Knows Your Name
Once the roles are decided, each player comes up with their character by answering a simple series of questions that cover things such as the character’s age, gender, quirks, and relationship to the bar and its other patrons.
After this, the bartender welcomes the patrons, and the game begins. Bar Stool Stories is split into rounds, with each round being one topic of conversation. Each round starts with the patrons ordering drinks from the bartender, who serves them (or roleplays serving them) before a topic is suggested. These conversation topics can come directly from the bartender, or one of the other players can raise the topic. After this, each player gets a turn where they can talk about or tell a story related to the discussion topic.
Once everyone has shared their story, the players can freely banter. When the conversation dies down, the round ends. After this, the players order another round of drinks, and the process starts again. At the end of the game (once a certain number of rounds have been reached or when players have had enough,) a final scene happens where the bartender collects the glasses and gets the drinkers to pay their tabs before the end games.
Nailing The Classic Pub Feel
One of the best things about Bar Stool Stories is how it captures the classic barroom feel. The main reason for this is that the rules are packed with fun details and flourishes that gently guide players into the right headspace and encourage a style of play that fits the theme. The fact that the game tells players to interject with wisecracks, personal anecdotes, and non-sequiturs during other player’s stories is a perfect example of this. People who frequently go to old-school pubs (or those who have seen them on TV) know that while sharing stories is common, it’s not a structured event nor treated as a performance to be respected. A tale never goes from start to end without another drinker giving their two cents, often leading to the conversation going down strange tangents.
However, the rule of thumb within the improv and TTRPG spaces is that players should avoid talking over one another to make sure each player gets spotlight time. So, having this element written in the rule helps make sure that players know what the game wants from them while pushing them towards the style of play the game is designed for.
This is enhanced by the game’s handling of the bartender role. Instead of being a generic GM with a thematic name, the rules go out of their way to make the bartender act like a real-world bartender. Having specific phases where the bartender takes drink orders from the players and serves them (even just as roleplay) does wonders for the game’s mood, instantly informing players of the game’s tone and getting them in the right headspace for the game.
A Unique Use For The GM
This detail also helps spotlight the unique nature of Bar Stool Stories’ GM role. Unlike in other games, the GM isn’t a distant meta-figure controlling the entire universe. While they are in charge of structuring the game and keeping the story flowing, they’re also playing a character within the scene, one who is part of the conversation but separate from the rest of the group due to their status as the bar owner, effortlessly evoking the common movie trope of the bartender who offers an open ear and sage advice to the characters as they drink their sorrows away.
In a nice touch, the game comes with several prompt tables. These tables further help establish the game’s tone and act as a fantastic safety net for players new to improv. Because if they can’t think of anything to say, they can check the game’s manual for a quick burst of inspiration without bringing the whole game to a halt.
Bar Stool Stories is a fun improv game that takes the traditional TTRPG tavern scene and turns it into an excellent storytelling experience perfect for both TTRPG newcomers and experienced roleplayers. While it is a fun game in its own right, it would also pair well with other games. A game of Bar Stool Stories could help players flesh out their characters and their backstories during character creation or session zeros. It would also make a fantastic downtime activity, letting players reflect on what their characters have gone through and build up the group’s rapport.
