Space Stops: Spungo’s Bar by Dave Woodrum is a generic role playing game supplement published by Fishwife Games. It describes a small location for a space opera setting.
This is a 15 page PDF that is available from DriveThruRPG for $3.00 but was purchased at the reduced price of $2.01 during a sale. One page is the front cover and one page the front matter and Table of Contents.
The brief Introduction states that this is the first in a series offering detailed locations for a science fiction setting. However, it is actually the only one in the series.
The Setting Information explains that the series is intended to be in a space opera setting, and Homo sapiens and similar species are referred to as Terrans; this should be altered if appropriate. There are notes on the currency, stating that credits are used and these should be considered to be 1USD/1 Euro equivalent.
Background gives a couple of paragraphs on the bar, a dive that could be in seedier space ports or space stations (think Mos Eisley Cantina, but a step down).
Map Locations has a map of the bar at a 5′ scale. There are sixteen numbered locations, which have read aloud descriptive text then some game information.
Notable Encounters is actually a list of NPCs. These are the bar’s owner, the cook, two bouncers, one of which is a modified android, and two customers, a hooker and a bounty hunter.
Bar Drinks has seven different alcoholic drinks that can be served at the bar, with detailed descriptions and prices.
Bar Food is similar to Bar Drinks, but with nine different snacks.
Finally, Adventure Hooks has four different adventure hooks related to the bar.
Space Stops: Spungo’s Bar in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is complicated enough that it could have used them. The Table of Contents lists the major sections. Navigation is fairly poor. The text maintains a two column format and appeared to be mostly free of errors. There are a few stock images, some colour and some black and white, as well as the map. Presentation is adequate.
This is a useful little location that could be dropped into a setting. There are no stats, so this makes it compatible with many settings. The food and drinks served in the bar, though, are assumed to be widely available. They are extensively detailed, but they may not fit into a setting without some tweaking.
Spungo’s Bar is, on the whole, very well detailed. So much so that it needs to be made a focal point of part of a campaign, otherwise much of the effect will be lost. It could be used as a home base of a sort and the adventure hooks will help tie players to it to a degree. It could perhaps be fleshed out more if the GM develops a few more interesting customers.
Space Stops: Spungo’s Bar is a nice little location to drop into a suitable campaign and it can be found by clicking here.
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