Making Better D&D Towns: How to Make D&D General Stores 

Also they can bark

You're right, guard dogs should be way more common.

Most players are also probably less likely to harm a dog than a guard or thug protecting the store.

Either a dog or a cat. Bonus points if the dog is trained to loudly and excitedly greet anyone that enters.

@@trevynlane8094 bonus bonus points of said dog is a blink dog, it'll rip you to shreds and look cute doing it

I dont know about the people you play with, but the ones I play with play more like the ragtag terrorrist group tipe that would 100% get stuff from target to make a bomb with.

The Avengers going to 7/11 because Bruce Banner needs some chips to recover after Hulking out

@@gabrielandradeferraz386 You work at a petrol station. You see an armored SUV pull up. There's a turret on the top. Out steps four extremely strange individuals, armed to the teeth. They don't get any petrol for their car. They walk inside fully armed with shotguns, rifles, handguns, and grenades sticking out of every container on their bodies. They ask if you sell assault drones, flashbangs, kevlar vests, or teargas. You shakily say no, looking over at what is being sold in the store; some old chips and no-brand energy drinks, maybe pepsi if you're lucky. They scrounge around like a deranged pack of racoons for 20 minutes, they find three rolls of ductape, a rope, and a leftover ethanol can you used to burn away some weeds last week. You don't sell ductape or rope. Fearing for your life, you agree to sell them the goods anyways. Trying to come up for a fair price, you say twenty dollars - You're fairly sure this is under the value of the ethanol alone. They argue with you for an hour to bring the price down to fifteen dollars before you agree, just to get them out of there. They cheer and stagger out. You see a mechanical arm attached to one of their backs steal a bag of chips as they crash through the door and into their car. They did not fuel their car. They come back and blame you for not fueling their car. You quit your job the next day.

@@JagEterCoola sounds like it would be an amazing session

Granted back in the medieval era they were a lot more open carry with armor and weapons back then so anyone who could afford that gear generally wore it to signify their wealth. Though I would love to see a medieval ruler so paranoid about rebellion he bans openly carried armor and weapons just to spice up the flavor of towns

Realistically this should be way more common and I have to say props to your DM for a little throwaway humor that actually makes the world seem like its moving around you 👏👏

That's quite clever. I think having a world react to strange things the player do is a fantastic way to build the world a bit around what the players do. It makes sense there would be an economy around dungeon related items if the players do a lot of dungeon delving in a dangerous area.

Was he really a salesman or more of a pawn shop owner?

@@dubuyajay9964 Pawn owners are a type of salesman

That MF is getting a magic missile up his hole

Alternatively, have the players need to sell their things to a shop that specializes in those things.

@@kennyholmes5196 I would consider that approach if it is an item that would only be of interest to a small number of people, like a very expensive work of art, and make an adventure out of it (the noble that buys the art has a job for the PCs). You might not be able to offload many "valuables" at the general store in a small hamlet, but the players shouldn't have any trouble finding an interested buyer in a larger town or city. Making them jump through hoops just to find the right place to sell stuff is just going to aggravate most players. It CAN be a fun way to get the players to explore the town more that they otherwise might, but it can also be a serious drag. The OPs suggestion of a consignment store is a good way of giving the PCs a place to offload their treasure without making them wander all over town visiting a dozen different stores looking for buyers. The other shopkeepers in town would know that the consignment store gets new stuff in pretty frequently and would likely visit it looking for stuff they can resell, especially if it would make for a good display item. The consignment store owner would also have a good idea of who in town would want certain items and let them know they got some in stock. You can stipulate that the specified values of items (e.g. gems worth 10 GP each) is the value the consignment store gives after taking their cut, if you want to simplify things. The PC could get a bit more if they sold these items to the proper vendors themselves, but not a substantial enough difference to push the PCs toward doing that instead (e.g. maybe a jeweler would by those same gems for 11 GP each, but they'll also try to haggle for a lower price). This way, the party CAN go all over town looking for the right shops to sell everything at and interact with a bunch of different vendors, or they can skip the hassle and let the consignment shop handle the sales for them so they can get back to adventuring. In a similar vein, the PCs might have some servants/attendants that could do all the running around for them.

I mean that's literally how stores use to do it, have a ringing bell so the person who was working out back at the time would know a customer had come in. There's some shops that still have that in the UK, they're rare but they're the kind of shops that have been family run for a long time.

@@luketfer Totally. I think most of them in the US have transitioned to a sensor that plays a chime but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some mom and pop shops that still use a traditional bell.

If you want to be a little more fantastical about this you could also use a magical effect like the D&D spell Alarm. This has the added effect of being more difficult to disable or bypass.

What if they steal the bell?

@@ZarHakkar Make it a tiny Celestial, that looks like (or is wearing an illusion of) a bell, who is very displeased to be moved from it's favorite trader's shop, where it has been enjoying observing all of the friendly interactions. It could even stress to the thief that it wants to return before Wednesday because it wants to know how Mr Benjamin's dogs liked the liver he purchased in the previous week. Treat it like a small child, assuming the purest intentions of the thief (until given good reason to think otherwise), who is addicted to the soap opera that is playing out in the shop.

I'm a little confused. Do all NPCs get death saves in your setting? Do the NPCs take longer to die than players because a mine or forest would be a ways away from the market? Do health potions in your setting sure conditions because it lets them recover from heart attacks?

@@anthonynorman7545 You don't get death saves in real life Anthony.

@@dangnice7794 ...we're talking about dungeons and dragons: a fantasy game.

@@anthonynorman7545 Cool, doesn't mean that regular people immediately die from a broken leg ❤️

@@dangnice7794 you're the only one talking about a broken leg.

A lot of similar ideas are featured in the DMG. And more fleshed out stores are featured in campaign setting books.

One of my favorite books for some stupid reason was the forgotten realms general store book, looked like a sears like catalog wanna say 2nd ed

4th edition may have had problems, but its DM guide does a really good job on describing how to be a good DM by not just following the rules, but by being creative.

@@bhume7535That's been a common thing from as far back as the 2nd Ed AD&D DMG. Back then it was common to require down time and resources to gain levels. Say 2 weeks training per level you currently had to gain your next one once XP limit reached. With those kinds of rules in place buying from shops and spending time in or around towns was common place.

@@Ishlacorrin Dang, yeah - "training"; and from a higher lvl NPC prepared to do it, too; you could keep a whole team down-timed waiting for a year or more to get trained, taking them on trash missions were they couldn't gain any more XP just to watch their little faces crumble as you told them ".. and this is how much XP you _could_ have earned ..." Happy days...

Wouldnt that encourage more adventurers to go and die thus making the shopkeep an accomplice to murder?

@@spencervance8484 Yes. That's why the local shop keeper/ merchant keeps it secret or works for the local crime boss. And the shop keeper is not selling information to the dungeon dwellers/ bandits. The shop keeper is making regular trips to the dungeon by secret entrance/ back door to trade after the fact. The savy party could get wise to the shop keeper and follow them to find a secret entrance/ back door where the guards aren't as expecting of trouble as they are at the front/ main entrance. They can figure this out by clues they see in the dungeon (if it is a large one and multiple trips are required). Say they find a keg of a local beer and it is fresh, but no raids have been reported lately. Or one of the sub bosses or level boss is wearing specially dyed linen clothing that is new. I.e. things that other adventurer parties would not normally be carrying with them, but could be purchased from a merchant. That leads to the question of how the dungeon dwellers are getting them.

What if only some of the party are doing evil things?

@@unwithering5313 That can be difficult if it’s happening because one player is bored and wants to do murderhobo stuff while the rest of the party wants to play in town and be nice. You CAN make consequences fit for the character, but I’d be more likely to make consequences for the player: ask, “how does everybody else feel about this action?” “Stealing is going to sour the town against the whole group, so the group should have to unanimously decide to accept the consequences.” Have no shame about pausing the game whenever things get uncool for some players, and even enforce a simple nonverbal agreement sign for everybody like an “ok” sign so that the group has to sign off on the bad behavior. Good players read the room too; if one player is being super cringy, tryhard, or antisocial, say “nah, we’re not doing that.” I’ve had players try to seduce npcs and I just say “I’m not goin to roleplay seduction, that’s not the game I run.”

Bandits are not thieves Bandits would be executed

@@thodan467 Not historically-people would be banished (the root of the word “bandit”) if they were habitual criminals and the town wanted to keep them from causing more trouble. Thievery was usually the easiest crime to pin on vulnerable communities like the Roma or Jews in the Middle Ages, so that stigma has stuck around to modern times. It is true that you wouldn’t incur a blood debt if you killed bandits outside the city, but you also wouldn’t be hailed as a hero. Laws against killing people with swords acted as a deterrent to popular uprisings, which could happen both inside and (more importantly) outside of urban centers. If the Black Plague hadn’t killed off enough of the serfdom to make labor a profitable industry, there would have likely been some bloody/bloodier rebellions in Europe’s past.

@@unwithering5313 Those who stand by and let evil happen are through their active inaction evil.

Yeah! They do an amazing job of packing tons of thoughtful, usable advice into remarkably compact videos. I like the animations, too. There’s just enough going on to keep your interest and clearly illustrate the concepts, without being distracting or making the videos overlong. Everything is just… _optimal._

Only thing I'll say that's negative is that her voice is a _little_ quiet compared to the music. That said, reducing the music volume probably isn't the way to go there.

The video is so good!!!

Pretty wholesome. Nice

This is the most wholesome case of vigilante justice I've ever seen.

That's a kick-ass DM! Little details like that can really bring a game to life.

I'm in love with this premise. Of course the collective interest of the guild would give them the power and resources to coordinate and protect themselves! So if people with these kinds of intelligence-gathering powers exist, the guilds would be willing to pay to get them. And then you have natural consequences for your players' actions in your world. Genius.

Medieval corporatism complete with private investigators and armies 😂

Heal-tack is an amazing idea. Thank you

If a party ever decides to attack a castle in a game of mine where magic is somewhat common, they will be met with a spice based aos that has two easy saves, but causes blindness on the easiest and muteness in the easy second one the effect also last for a minute

Whenever my players steal from, attack, kill or do anything bad to some seemingly random person, I sometimes roll to see if that one person as actually like a super important noble or parter to a noble, so my players might then find "Wanted" posters on all towns & bounty hunters going on their trail after they mugged that "random" woman

I had my players at the beginning of the campaign sign binding contracts with the Duke of a Province that hired their characters, stipulating various legal protections and rights they have as private contractors under the Duke's employ. Basically what they can do (within reason) and what they can't do that will get them in trouble with the law. The Paladin wanted to be a lawyer, a 9ft white wooly mammoth Loxodon by the name of Grognak the Destroyer Attorney at Law. Ex: They can not be incarcerated for, but may be subject to fines at the discretion of local law enforcement or magistrate: Murder so long as it falls under the specified guidelines of an agreed upon contract signed by a member of the state They actually used this to successfully win a court battle with the local sheriff, who tried to arrest them for kidnapping. They proved the kidnapping was justified under the contract, by proving the victim was apart of group of serial killers.

Murder them for killing a chicken

@@CountKibblesNBits oooo that's really good

Next to the local tavern, general stores were always one of my favorite locations for story building when I was running a game. Even without any special items or encounters in the store, it's a natural place for rumors and gossip to be overheard between customers and other local townsfolk, or to find work from someone or from some kind of message board where people can post public notices. I also like my merchants to have a backstory sometimes like knowing magic and having their store and merchandise kept safe with cantrips, or being a skilled thief so they'll catch most any other thieves trying to steal from them. Shopkeepers can share space with other specialized merchants too, adding other specialized NPC interactions like an someone who sells animals, an alchemist or an enchanter, or a cartographer and historian.. Lots of fun possibilities for a general store.

Today you are less likely to find such a store because such places can exist. In times like the average D&D setting takes place, very small towns would be next to unheard of. For safety people would gather in significant numbers, there is also the point that most towns would only form around fresh water and known trade routes or other naturally important places like mines. While today you can come across a town with only a few dozen people in it, back then you would have 3-4 times that many at least. Even more so in D&D settings where monsters and the like are a thing, not having the numbers to fight off enemies would kill most very small settlements.

One of their homes could turn into a general store if the town gets bigger

@@Ishlacorrin Well, that depends on your interpretation of the fiction. For once, as much as in D&D there are wandering monsters, there are also epic heroes and magic, so that a single person could defend themselves or a small community from most low level creatures and brigands. On the historical side, I'm quite sure In times and regions of peace, plenty of people lived pretty much alone or with a small family; hunters, sheppards, etc. But if security was such a concern so that people _had_ to crowd in large tows, then they wouldn't just let any stranger from distant lands in, would they? That would be pretty un-safe. The idea that you can "drive" into any town and just walk around their shops is also extremely modern, and rests on the widespread common understanding and enforcement of modern national laws.

It's a really good point. Lot's small settlements would probably rely on travelling peddlers or having a communal wagon trip to the "big city" to get supplies. There are entire sets of game drama to be found from such settings and folk in need.

That name is sooo good!

@@masterthedungeon6094 Thank you so much! Do you have any pun name suggestions for a trench warfare themed equivalent of Costco or a grocery store? I'm thinking maybe something like "Stop & Shell" or "11/11" in reference to the day the Great War concluded; 11/11/1918

@@WarChallenger what about War of Nutrition?

@@kimcooper596 Love it! Every food item can come in a strangely similar package to one-another, all wrapped in a paper-like foil with plain black wording to indicate what it is. Anything that can be canned is canned, and they buy back and reuse the cans for 5 copper pieces per can like a modern grocery store.

The reason for that is mainly because you want the counter close to the entrance for security and customer flow.

@@thekirbycrafter7229 ok take the layout shown in the video but put the storeroom behind the counter instead of behind the the customer standing area. The counter would be the same distance from the door so customer flow is not effected, security only gets better from what I can tell because all of the merchandise would be on the shopkeep side as apposed to the customer side, and the shopkeep like I said in my original comment wont have to go through the customer side when fetching items from the storeroom. I honestly cant see a functional reason for the layout as is

@@EdsonR13 some buildings have more advantageous architectural layouts than others but I see your point.

Easy workaround for that is an employee's only route to get to the storeroom

@@KaitouKaiju or above/below the main floor.

Either that or send them to a Specific Store

We appreciate it!

Yep. Basic supplies for threats the town is likely to face would be in stock just like general stores in the old west carried a small selection of guns and plenty of ammo.

I think a small village local blacksmith would be able to make most of the weapons in the Simple catagory, but if you want like a longsword or a rapier then you'd have to go to a town or small city at least. Villages often have to deal with wolves and maybe a small goblin attack here and there and having someone who can make or mend your handaxe or spear would generally just be a good idea.

It's actually really interesting how we went from the old time way of telling the shop keeper your list and they gather it. To modern markets where you shop yourself and then now back to order pick up where you tell the store what u want and they go get it

I remember loving the touch of the old ordering catalogs as the ship menu in Red Dead Redemption 2. I think those old stores would let you put non basic things on order, then theyd place the order, sell it to you when they got it and take their cut.

Not currently, but you can check out the MTD instagram here: instagram.com/master_the_dungeon/ Sometimes there are bonus images not included in the videos.

It also makes it a lot easier on DMs. You don't really need to have a whole list of shop goods prepared. Just have the shopkeeper ask the player what they're after. If you think they should totally have that, they do. If there's no way, they don't. And if you're on the fence, set a percentage and roll for it.

You delightful, helpful sprite. I have been struggling with price conversions in my world. Your mention of 1cp to 1 dollar is going to make my life SO much better!🤩

Also, you can upgrade the guard dog to a well trained: Wolf Blink dog Baby dragon Exotic monsters Ect. Obviously higher upgrades of guard dog will result in more explaining to do, and more threat. Maybe the shopkeeper rescued a baby wolf and now its his hunting dog that sleeps in the shop at night. Maybe he bought a blink dog from an adventurer and it 100% will teleport to him and then the cops in the event of a robbery. Exotic monsters will probably need to be there either of their own free will (like a fey creature facinated with the goings on of the shop keeper, like its own personal drama and nobody can threaten its entertainment) or as the pet of that retired adventure who just want to be a deterance and enjoy some oleasant conversation with the shop keeper and patrons. "Guard dogs" certainly don't need to be dogs, and if your party aren't murder hobos they will absolutely love the blink dog mascot of the general store.