running an inn: what skills?

[whswhs]

One of the PCs in my campaign was looking for a permanent residence. When her information source got a natural 3, I came up with a moderate-sized inn whose owner was ready to sell. Originally the PC just wanted a residence, but now the player has decided to keep running it as an inn, in the hope that it will pay for itself, while giving her living space and a staff.

Since she's going to be away adventuring, she's planning to hire (and train) a manager.

What skills do you use to run an inn? Let's leave Professional Skill (Bartender) out; another employee will be hired to perform that function. Should there be Professional Skill (Innkeeper)? Or is the function covered by Administration, Housekeeping, and maybe Merchant? In any case, are those skills needed, and are there other skills that are necessary?

[Donny Brook]

Somebody senior on staff will have to have Housekeeping or the place will turn into a sty. If food service will be included, someone should have Cooking or there will be a lot of food waste and too frequent dissatisfied guests. Depending on the clientele, whoever acts as conceirge/desk staff might do well to have an appropriate Savoir-Faire skill or a viable substitute. If mounts and draft animals are being stabled grooms will need Animal Handling (while vehicle valets might do well to have Driving it's possibly not essential).

Additional useful skills would be Merchant (to deal with suppliers especially), Administration, Carousing and Area Knowledge.

[Kromm]

I've always handled it as Merchant, maybe Accounting, and social skills.

Staff who aren't the innkeeper handle Animal Handling if there's a stable attached, Cooking if there's a kitchen, Gambling if there are games tables, Housekeeping if there are rooms to let, Professional Skill (Bartender) if there's a bar, Wrestling if a bouncer is needed, and so on. An innkeeper who "came up through the ranks" might well possess one or more such skills, but that isn't obligatory.

Despite all those hires, though, Administration ("the skill of running a large organization") seems like too much skill for anything smaller than a modern-day hotel with entire departments for business, hospitality, housekeeping, etc. I could see Accounting, however: Merchant suffices for day-to-day transactions, but in the era before professional accountants, Accounting manages wages, purchases, upkeep, etc., and is a better fit to the task than Administration would be.

As for the social skills: On the staff-facing side, those fill the "handling people" aspect of Administration in what I feel is a more believable way for a small business. They could be almost anything, depending on management style, though I lean toward Diplomacy for the fair-minded sort, Intimidation for the iron hand, and I suppose Leadership for someone who runs things like the army.

On the client-facing side, Diplomacy is once again a leading option. Savoir-Faire (High Society) and Savoir-Faire (Servant) – yes, both – might work better in wealthier areas. Carousing and Streetwise would be a better pairing in rougher ones. If the inn is a thinly disguised brothel, maybe Sex Appeal and Streetwise instead.

But of course there are sleazy places where Fast-Talk would be aimed at both clients and staff, kind of like a cut-rate version of Diplomacy, which I've also recommended in both roles. I'm thinking of the used-car-salesman type who promises customers the world and is always a week late paying the staff . . .

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I've always handled it as Merchant, maybe Accounting, and social skills.

Thanks for the very detailed response.

Granting the point about Administration, are the alternative skills suited to getting more work done in a day, in the style specified for Administration and Leadership in the rules for long-term tasks?

It seems to me that on one hand, an inn manager ought to have some skill in Housekeeping for the same reasons that an officer ought to have some skill in Soldier; and on the other, if I were hiring someone to be the head servant in a household, the main skill governing most of their tasks would be Housekeeping, even if they were directing the chambermaids and other underlings to do the actual cleaning. So maybe Housekeeping is necessary?

For the kitchen, while Cooking would be useful, could the cooking part of Housekeeping be sufficient for an inn that was going to serve "good, plain food"? Or is Cooking still needed for any institutional kitchen?

Finally, part of the job is going to be seeing that the inn/household keeps running in the style Nergul wants even when Nergul is away. Does this involve any particular skill? Or is it more a matter of attitude, maybe expressed as Code of Honor (Professional: servant) or something of the sort?

[Kromm]

Here are a few sample personalities, each with five skills:

The Entrepreneur: All that matters is the bottom line. Staff are replaceable; so are clients you'll never see again, once you have their money (until then, be nice). Skills: Accounting, Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Intimidation, and Merchant.

The Majordomo: Provides the best service to the discriminating customer, which includes maintaining a harmonious working environment so there are no loud disputes or sullen staff. Skills: Diplomacy, Housekeeping, Merchant, Savoir-Faire (High Society), and Savoir-Faire (Servant).

The Panderer: Sees the inn as a place to cater to vices, whether that means drinking in the front, gambling in the back, or whoring upstairs. Skills: Carousing, Fast-Talk, Merchant, Streetwise, and one of Gambling, Professional Skill (Bartender), or Sex Appeal.

The Veteran: Mustered out and decided to run an inn. Runs the place like a military camp, which means order, tight corners on the bedsheets, and perhaps too much drinking. Skills: Brawling, Carousing, Gambling, Leadership, and Merchant.

The Yeoman: A no-nonsense type running a business on a road somewhere in the countryside. Considers the local farmers their peers; the inn, their home. Skills: Animal Handling, Carousing, Housekeeping, Intimidation, and Merchant.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Granting the point about Administration, are the alternative skills suited to getting more work done in a day, in the style specified for Administration and Leadership in the rules for long-term tasks?

I think almost any social skill ought to be able to function that way. Intimidation has served drill sergeants and chief petty officers well for centuries, and the current school of thought – where everybody is assured they're special – seems like Diplomacy (or Psychology . . .).

Originally Posted by whswhs

It seems to me that on one hand, an inn manager ought to have some skill in Housekeeping for the same reasons that an officer ought to have some skill in Soldier; and on the other, if I were hiring someone to be the head servant in a household, the main skill governing most of their tasks would be Housekeeping, even if they were directing the chambermaids and other underlings to do the actual cleaning. So maybe Housekeeping is necessary?

I guess. To go with your military example, there's always the green LT who has by-the-book Tactics but no useful level of Leadership or Soldier. And in the hotel business, there's always the person who seems unhappy with the work but couldn't do it themselves, almost as if they have Connoisseur (Hotel Rooms), though I suppose Savoir-Faire might cover it. I think there's latitude, at any rate.

Originally Posted by whswhs

For the kitchen, while Cooking would be useful, could the cooking part of Housekeeping be sufficient for an inn that was going to serve "good, plain food"? Or is Cooking still needed for any institutional kitchen?

The distinction is about innovation and presentation, not scope. I doubt the person slinging slop at the penitentiary or hash in the enlisted mess has Cooking; they would have Housekeeping even if they serve hundreds. On the other hand, the personal chef of a rich person would have Cooking even if they serve only one. I'd say that any inn courting the custom of the wealthy – or these days, seeking stars from reviewers with Connoisseur – needs someone with Cooking on staff. Your typical roadside inn, today or in yesteryear, isn't serving anything Housekeeping wouldn't cover.

Originally Posted by whswhs

Finally, part of the job is going to be seeing that the inn/household keeps running in the style Nergul wants even when Nergul is away. Does this involve any particular skill? Or is it more a matter of attitude, maybe expressed as Code of Honor (Professional: servant) or something of the sort?

Well, a Code of Honor like that, or a Sense of Duty to the proprietor, would be the best-case scenario. Barring that, I think "anticipating the bosses' demands" is best covered by Savoir-Faire (Servant) in GURPS.

[Bruno]

I'm not sure "Keep the business running and make sure it doesn't burn down while I'm gone" is any kind of skill. That's more a function of the NPCs loyalty/reaction roll to their boss, and general personality.
Lacking traits like SoD, Lazy, Compulsive Behavior (Workaholic) etc that would force the issue, the major game mechanic to me seems to be that loyalty.

Do we have rules in Social Engineering about maintaining a reaction roll during an extended absence?

Some workers will get a bit irritated with their boss being absent for months on end, and some will be just fine given a free-enough hand and enough resources to do their jobs. Some might start pinching pennies for themselves after enough time unsupervised.

[SionEwig]

Just to throw this out there, but it might be very useful for someone on the staff (maybe the owner, maybe not) to have Scrounging at a reasonable level.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I'm not sure "Keep the business running and make sure it doesn't burn down while I'm gone" is any kind of skill. That's more a function of the NPCs loyalty/reaction roll to their boss, and general personality.
Lacking traits like SoD, Lazy, Compulsive Behavior (Workaholic) etc that would force the issue, the major game mechanic to me seems to be that loyalty.

Do we have rules in Social Engineering about maintaining a reaction roll during an extended absence?

There are rules for NPC loyalty even in the Basic Set, so I imagine that the stuff that improves the initial reaction roll that sets the loyalty rating would be useful for the hirer, as would anything that improves loyalty over time or prevents its degeneration. See pp. B518-519.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Some workers will get a bit irritated with their boss being absent for months on end, and some will be just fine given a free-enough hand and enough resources to do their jobs. Some might start pinching pennies for themselves after enough time unsupervised.

It might be a modern thing, but my experience has been that most people prefer an absent boss. In effect that lets them be their own boss (whether or not they officially have a free hand). I'd represent that in the game by capping any skill the employee has at the level of the social skill the boss is using for management. You could have Accounting-20, but if your boss with Diplomacy-12 is always micromanaging you, stopping by to ask how things are, encouraging group hugs and teambuilding, and so on, you're operating at Accounting-12.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Kromm

It might be a modern thing, but my experience has been that most people prefer an absent boss. In effect that lets them be their own boss (whether or not they officially have a free hand). I'd represent that in the game by capping any skill the employee has at the level of the social skill the boss is using for management. You could have Accounting-20, but if your boss with Diplomacy-12 is always micromanaging you, stopping by to ask how things are, encouraging group hugs and teambuilding, and so on, you're operating at Accounting-12.

I'd also note that I think that loyalty may mean that the employee will keep the business running as a going concern, and perhaps follow the owner's doctrines about how this ought to be done, but it won't prevent them from finding ways to enrich themselves in the process.