What books to help characters own/run a bar?

[Cpt_Clyde]

Say my players want to get into some crunch around building/owning/operating a bar. The setting is Space Opera so something of a cantina I guess, which would act as the front to their HQ. Is this possible to game-ify for the players with the right books? Can anyone recommned which books might be usefull and why?

I'm aware of the Pyramid article about building Lairs, Boardroom and Curia, and Realm Management. Would those get the job done or am I misunderstanding what they do?

Thanks for any info.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Yeah, I don't think those are likely to help much. The idea of a small bar as a sort of HQ for an adventuring group has implications which can be fleshed out a bit with Ravenpenny's lair article and, to some extent, B&C, but neither of those will give you rules for the day to day operation of a small business. And, indeed, this is exactly the kind of thing which is usually abstracted away into job rolls. The closest thing I can think of is a brief passage in Low-Tech Companion 3 about capital requirements and how the turnover rate of stock impacts the effects of job rolls. But there's no "GURPS Running A Small Business" yet.

[whswhs]

There are some things in GURPS Social Engineering that are relevant:

* The My Day at Work and Buying and Selling campaign ideas on pp. 8-9
* Making an Impression on pp. 17-20
* Searching for Hirelings on p. 22
* Social Perception on pp. 24-26
* Reaction Rolls in Buying and Selling on pp. 26-27 (especially the quick rules for haggling in an established commercial relationship)
* Reaction Rolls in Recreation on p. 28 (since people will come to the bar for that purpose)
* Substitutes for Influence Skills and the complementary skills rules on p. 31
* Manipulation on p. 37, especially based on Psychology (Applied)
* Continuing Relationships on pp. 39-43 if you want the bar employees or customers to have a lasting attachment to the bar or barkeeper
* Searching for Organizations on pp. 45-46 to locate services, investors, or government offices
* Being in Charge on p. 51 for running an organization
* The Mood of the Crowd, Direct Observation, on p. 56 for assessing how the customers feel on a given night
* The Benefits of Status on p. 59 if owning a bar grants a level of Status
* Entertainment on p. 60 for reactions to entertainers
* Cultivating a Persona on p. 61 for a crucial barkeep skill
* Advertising and Propaganda on pp. 61-62 for bringing in customers
* Revolutionary Politics on pp. 64-65 if the bar is a hangout for conspirators
* Economic Rivalry on pp. 66-67 for dramatic treatments of economic activity and entrepreneurship

I will also back up TBS's mention of Low-Tech Companion 3, particularly the passages about short-turnover businesses (though a bar with fancier booze might instead count as long-turnover, having a lot of bottles that won't empty in a week or even a month).

I have run campaigns that involved some "nuts and bolts" treatment of business activities, but my players tend to get bored with the details after a few sessions. But I can provide some notes on that if you like.

[Cpt_Clyde]

Well said, yes I think as GM I am not interested in running day-to-day mundane job rolls and should abstract that away. But I was thinking about allowing them to design, build (and pay for) the building and facilities. Perhaps I'll just use the random events table form Realm Management (with modifications) to check for periodic action around the bar which will need their attention.
Thanks for the info!

[whswhs]

I think for setting up the bar you want Boardroom and Curia. And for setting up the area around it, you might look at City Stats.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Cpt_Clyde

Say my players want to get into some crunch around building/owning/operating a bar. The setting is Space Opera so something of a cantina I guess, which would act as the front to their HQ. Is this possible to game-ify for the players with the right books? Can anyone recommned which books might be usefull and why?

I'm aware of the Pyramid article about building Lairs, Boardroom and Curia, and Realm Management. Would those get the job done or am I misunderstanding what they do?

Thanks for any info.

I actually wrote an article in pyramid for running a business. It's technically for low-TLs, but should be readily adaptable. I made it that way.

It's in Pyramid #3/87: Low-Tech III, p. 9. It's called "Purveyors of the Priceless".

[The Colonel]

A lot will depend on whether the PCs are actually running the place - which will either bore them or derail the campaign - or just owning the place and having some pros run the bar.

I'm also reminded of the old Cash Peters book [I]The World Domination Handbook/I], where the Abercorn family note that utility of a bar or cafe as a base, but only if you can prevent actual customers wandering in and out and intruding in you ...

[jason taylor]

Oxford Book of Wine

Oxford Book of Beer

Oxford Book of Spirits and Cocktails

Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold

World's Best Cocktails by Tom Sandham

Hows your drink by Eric Felten

Smuggler's Cove by Martin and Rebecca Kate

[jason taylor]

Club Life of London by John Timbs.

[Phantasm]

I have some B&C stats for a similar modern-day bar that can be used as a hideout. Since you say the players just want to use it as an HQ, it's probably best if they treat the bartender(s), wait staff, and short order cooks as hirelings, possibly with some turnover in wait staff around certain times.

I'd also look into finding some floor plans for RL drinking establishments in areas similar to where the game is happening, or sketching out a layout. A good idea is to have the main room(s) where the public is welcome, a "back room" for the PCs to meet and discuss things away from the public, a restroom or two with a toilet and sink each, the beer and hard liquor storage area, and possibly a kitchen for their short order cook (several of the bars I frequented also served burgers and fries in an effort to keep folks from getting drunk as fast, as the starches absorbed the alcohol; this is also why pretzels are a thing). And of course the office where the owner/manager does the paperwork/makes calls for restocking the booze.

And don't forget the jukebox and area for either karaoke or live bands. (A live band helps distract the public from raised voices in the back room.)