Free Role Playing Game Supplement Review: The Elusive Gavel Tavern & Inn

The Elusive Gavel Tavern & Inn by Steven Chabotte is a role playing game supplement published by Lucky Dice Games. This is a generic supplement describing a single inn.

The supplement is available for free from RPGNow and consists of two files. The first is a 13 page PDF, one page of which is the front cover and one page the front matter. The second is a zip file which contains a number of maps. There are two four page PDFs that depict the two floors of the inn, two jpeg files for printing that do the same, four jpegs suitable for VTT, two jpegs per floor, one with and one without a grid and two more single page PDFs each of which has an entire floor on one page.

The first two pages are the Introduction, which essentially explains how the supplement is put together and the different parts.

Next, an overview is given of the location. This is done in a general style so that it can be translated into different systems. This is followed by the history of the tavern, the staff and some regular customers. The neighbourhood is also briefly detailed and finally there are a number of rumours and adventure hooks.

The last page is the Appendix which explains the various maps.

The PDF lacks bookmarks and, although it isn’t that long, these would have been appreciated. Navigation is not as good as it could be. The text maintains a two column format and a number of errors were noticed; the biggest was in the introduction when the same piece of text was duplicated in two different sections. Excluding the maps, there is only one other illustration, that being the inn’s sign.

This is quite an interesting inn. It was founded with a particular desire and, even when what was expected was never discovered, the inn continued. It is popular and in a good part of time, but has a connection to the more dodgy elements. With some tweaking, it should be possible to site it in a number of campaigns. There are no NPC stats, or any stats for that matter, specific to any game system so that it can be used with any.

The Elusive Gavel Tavern & Inn is a decent location, especially as it’s free, and it can be found by clicking here.