Bards and Taverns

Mike McQueen

I think having more reasons for people to visit and hang out in and around Taverns/inns is important as a social space to find groups etc. Would be nice to have Bard based incentives, ie. long lasting (maybe an hour?) buffs from songs and stories especially for groups who can't find a bard to roll with, and also incentives for bards to play in those establishments like maybe a stage that can only be occupied by one bard at a time where they can passively make money or the like. Just a thought.

Damokles

I would rather have the ability to rent NPCs that play in the tavern tbh.
(said as a bard player)

daveywavey

Damokles wrote: »

I would rather have the ability to rent NPCs that play in the tavern tbh.
(said as a bard player)

Yeah, I don't really want to be spending all my time stood in the same place giving other people buffs to play the game, while not actually playing it myself.

Nerror

Hey now, I had great fun interacting with all the Twi'lek women dancing for me and giving me buffs in Starwars Galaxies for tips! It also led to interesting "other interactions" out of game in a few cases! I am definitely too old to find that kind of thing interesting now, but young me had a blast with it. The women did too!

My point is, it's not for everyone, but if a certain percentage of the player population enjoys the more roleplay-like aspects of it, I think it's good for the game.

It should probably not be super strong buffs that make them mandatory, just minor stuff.

Aszkalon

Damokles wrote: »

I would rather have the ability to rent NPCs that play in the tavern tbh.
(said as a bard player)

Why not both ?

I suggest an Option that when Oneself is the Tavern Owner, that One can set if Players can play Music inside the Tavern. Or NPC's. Or that they have to take turns on a Music Stage.

StewBad

With the amount of WFH today, I think this could be a good idea. There will likely be a lot of people who like to find some semi-AFK activity to do.

I would suggest, if we're starting with a base timer of 1 hour buff duration, that a person could have the option of multiple buffs at a greatly reduced duration.

1 buff = 1 hour
2 buffs = 30 minutes each
3 buffs = 10 minutes each

3 buffs being the max. I would also limit the available buffs to the group buffs, hp regen/mana regen/move speed(maybe?).

Perhaps instead of each patron paying an individual bard, the Tavern/inn could pay the bard a rate and the group buff the bard is playing would affect all the patrons in the building.

arkileo

Not my cup of tea, but I know from SWG that there exists a subgroup of people that heavily enjoy this ultra-social playstyle of standing in a tavern all day and just chatting/buffing.

ReLamas

Your suggestion to enhance taverns and inns as social hubs in Ashes of Creation is a great idea. These locations could indeed become vibrant centers for player interaction, especially with Bard-related incentives. Implementing long-lasting buffs from Bard performances, accessible through taverns, would not only benefit groups lacking a Bard but also encourage players to visit these establishments.

Creating a unique stage for Bards where they can perform and potentially earn money or other rewards could add a layer of immersive role-playing. It would make taverns feel alive and bustling with activity, fostering a sense of community. This could also encourage players to gather for events, form groups, and share information.

Overall, integrating these social and gameplay elements in taverns would enrich the in-game experience, making these spaces more than just a place to rest or store items. It would be exciting to see how the developers could expand on this concept to make taverns a key part of the game's social fabric.

Clone20

I love the idea of bards being able to play music for a tavern or location. Perhaps another way to work it is to add a 'performance' skill?

You could make a new skill that modifies other abilities turning them into looping performances and lowering their effect while increasing the duration. This could be an easy way to add an entirely new playstyle too.

For example a bard could then create a nice atmosphere no matter where they are. Whether they go on stage in a tavern or stand near a campfire in the woods. They could activate their performance skill, switching the intense combat skills over to a more passive buff play style. Then bards could string together their normal performances and practice skill rotations if they'd like. The buffs could be massively lower, say a 1% speed buff for example, and the duration could be longer, like up to an hour. That would give bards a way to ready adventuring squads or sit idle in a tavern, while not being so valuable that it feels necessary to upcoming fights. If the buffs are low enough I don't even see them affecting the world meta, but still being appreciated nonetheless. Reminds me of the holiday item buffs from WoW and other MMOs, where they are so small it doesn't matter but people still collect the items to help speed up travel and such.

Even without a dedicated skill and long lasting bonuses, I could easily see bards already doing that with what we have seen but less incentivized and more of an improvised playstyle. It reminds me of how in WoW i had a friend who would do 'magic tricks' in calm areas for new players. He would sit in the starting areas when he was queued for a dungeon and would cast his abilities and emotes in such a way they looked like a magician performance. I can see someone doing the same with bard as is, where they play songs while idling in a tavern. Making this a rewarded playstyle would only make it more common and I could really see tavern owners wanting to seek out a good bard player for their skill at making music or crafting a fun atmosphere.