# Random Inn Generator w/Floorpalns and now Menus



## InkwellIdeas (May 6, 2010)

I've updated my free Random Inn Generator with options for random menus.  I started it a couple of months ago when I liked some of the tile-based random dungeon generators and then thought I could do something similar for random inn floorplans. (BTW, more floorplan tiles are coming.)

Random Inn/Tavern Generator

Based on early feedback when I posted some food menu options, a few people wanted to see simpler menus, and a few people wanted menus that included fantasy beast ingredients.  I've been able to accommodate both requests by allowing options.  If you set the "Menu Variety" to "poor" you'll be left with only basic menu items.  If you set "Has Fantasy Foods" to "Yes" you will get some unusual ingredients as long as  "Menu Variety" is not "Poor" and it isn't randomly set to "Poor" if you leave it blank.

In the case of drinks, again if the "Menu Variety" is "Poor" you get a menu with just the basic Ale, Wine, etc.  If you pick something other than "Poor" (or the random selection is not "Poor") you'll get seven or eleven drink options.  Many of these have names as if they are named after a city, river, country, etc., or as if they simply have a sort of brand name.

Note that next up will be some more random floorplan tiles.  There are currently at least two random tiles for each part of the inn, but I'm planning on adding at least a whole new second floor.  And I'll also fill in the kitchen area on the existing tiles with a fireplace or two, a few food prep tables, etc.

I'd still like to add more options for foods and drinks, so please post with any suggestions!  I genuinely hope many can find it useful.


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## Mark (May 6, 2010)

Add a downloadable option to your list, perhaps at the end, and you'll be doing folks another solid.


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## InkwellIdeas (May 6, 2010)

Mark said:


> Add a downloadable option to your list, perhaps at the end, and you'll be doing folks another solid.




I'm not quite sure I understand... a way to download the map as one image file?  Or something else?  Thanks for the feedback and I'm just trying to better understand your suggestion.


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## Gilladian (May 6, 2010)

Another good option would be the ability to ask for no restrooms. In my campaign world, anyway, they are all privies out back. There's no sewer system/running water IN most buildings.


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## sjmiller (May 6, 2010)

Gilladian said:


> Another good option would be the ability to ask for no restrooms. In my campaign world, anyway, they are all privies out back. There's no sewer system/running water IN most buildings.



Wow, I was going to say the exact same thing. Indoor plumbing, especially something as fancy as a toilet, is a rather modern invention. Sure, castles and some other buildings had garderobe (a small room with a hole leading to a cesspit or moat), but that was not all that common. Public toilets (or public privies) were much more common.


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## Mark (May 6, 2010)

indyjoe said:


> I'm not quite sure I understand... a way to download the map as one image file?  Or something else?  Thanks for the feedback and I'm just trying to better understand your suggestion.





A version I can have on my laptop (with the other NPC generators, name generators, etc.) for when I have no Internet so I can use it in freeform sandbox games I run on the fly.


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## InkwellIdeas (May 7, 2010)

Mark said:


> A version I can have on my laptop (with the other NPC generators, name generators, etc.) for when I have no Internet so I can use it in freeform sandbox games I run on the fly.




I'll have to look into a way of allowing that in the future.  For now I guess you just just gen a couple of different ones ahead of time and dump them to the printer or print them to a pdf file.  (Tools like PrimoPDF and CutePDF will allow you to save any web page as a pdf by simply going to your browser's "Print" button and choosing the pdf utility instead of a normal printer.)



Gilladian said:


> Another good option would be the ability to ask for no restrooms. In my campaign world, anyway, they are all privies out back. There's no sewer system/running water IN most buildings.




Good point!  Expect this in a future revision.


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## Hussar (May 7, 2010)

Very cool stuff.


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## InkwellIdeas (May 31, 2010)

Just a heads up that there have been major updates to the Random Inn generator:
-I upgraded the random menu generation twice.
-I added a second set of tiles for the upstairs where the center isn't open and contains a few storage rooms (allowing for more rooms along the wall) and a large or common room.
-I now allow you to turn off "indoor privies" and if you don't set it there is a 50/50 chance the inn will have them.
-Next up will probably be rumors followed by NPCs (staff/regulars) and more tile options.  I think now all the base tiles are set, but it would be nice to have more variations.

(I wasn't sure if I should resurrect this thread or not.  I decided to post again because so many people loved the tool and I was addressing one of the specific concerns (privies) mentioned here.  (The other changes occurred gradually over the past few weeks.)  I apologize if I shouldn't have.)


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## IronWolf (May 31, 2010)

indyjoe said:


> (I wasn't sure if I should resurrect this thread or not.  I decided to post again because so many people loved the tool and I was addressing one of the specific concerns (privies) mentioned here.  (The other changes occurred gradually over the past few weeks.)  I apologize if I shouldn't have.)




Very nice generator!  And certainly worth resurrecting the thread for so folks could see there were updates.


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## InkwellIdeas (Jun 1, 2010)

Added two different kitchen layouts today.  Filling in the kitchen was long overdue.


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## Janx (Jun 1, 2010)

indyjoe said:


> I'll have to look into a way of allowing that in the future.  For now I guess you just just gen a couple of different ones ahead of time and dump them to the printer or print them to a pdf file.  (Tools like PrimoPDF and CutePDF will allow you to save any web page as a pdf by simply going to your browser's "Print" button and choosing the pdf utility instead of a normal printer.)
> 
> 
> 
> Good point!  Expect this in a future revision.





On the privies, just because there's no plumbing, doesn't mean there isn't a chamber pot under neath the seat, that then must be taken out back...

On the printing:
make a page that is "just the output" no other controls, Then thrown in a Print, or Save As button.  You can set the MIME type to word, and MS Word will automatically intepret it.  or get a html2pdf converter (there's free stuff for PHP).

Personally, when I use random generators, I copy/paste from them to my Word document for my adventure.  I may include a hyperlink to the tool with the random seed/variables set in it, so I can reproduce it from the site.

On random development ideas:

consider a similar tool to produce shops and homes.  For shops, having an inventory of their merchandise would be similar to producing a menu.

With this, then you could produce a whole city, with all the houses and shops and inns.

One of the project ideas I had, was based on what Jamis Buck started but never finished.  He had built a Dungeon Generator, treasure generator, and NPC generator.  But he never fully connected the dots.

Here's the mega-development plan, as I saw it:

build an NPC generator
build an NPC gear generator and connect it to the NPC generator
build a Monster encounter generator (produces stat blocks from DB content)
build a treasure generator and connect it to the Monster encounter generator
build a random encounter generator and connect it to the monster encounter geneator
build a dungeon generator and connect it to the random encounter generator and NPC generator
build building generators (inns, shops, homes, etc)
build a town generator and connect it to the building and NPC generators
build a world map generator and connect it to the town and dungeon generators

you now have a fully random generated game world.

As with any random generator, the results are subject to editing by the GM.  But it could produce a lot of initial content, for the GM to fluff out later.

The problem with Jamis's tools, was it would only go halfway.  The dungeon generator would give me rooms and treasure, and the name and quantity of monsters, but not the stat block data, so I'd have to go hunt that down to build out my adventure document.

The NPC generator woudl give you a character, but not his ggear.  So that meant using another tool to generate that.

It's about building small tools that can be tied into other tools in logical ways to produce more complete content.


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## InkwellIdeas (Jun 2, 2010)

Janx said:


> It's about building small tools that can be tied into other tools in logical ways to produce more complete content.




Thanks for all the comments/ideas.  Expect to see at least some of them implemented as time permits!


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