Twice-Baked Honey Cake Availability

[HotSnow50]

I like the idea of having a source of Honey Cakes available from an inn. However, the Virtue of TBHC is the extra Hope point and the reduced TN number for journeys, and Virtue should be beyond price. *

So, ok, I'll spill the beans as to why I asked in the first place. I have three friends that haven't ever played TOR before and I am going to be running a campaign for them in the next few weeks. I used to run a Pathfinder campaign for two of them and, during that campaign, my buddy's girlfriend (one of the aforementioned two) decided that she wanted to open up an inn/brothel in town. I don't know about a brothel in Middle-Earth, but the Inn idea seems ideal for the Holding system, so I decided to start incorporating that into a possible story arc.

I am going to have the party approach the leader/head of whatever area they intend to have the Inn (Bree, Esgaroth, Dale, etc.) and pay 3 treasure to secure the land, then another 10 treasure to purchase the necessities for construction and unforseen initial outlay costs. After which I will start a sort of set of mini-adventures with titles:

Quest #1: "To Acquire the Stone"
Quest #2: "To Acquire the Wood"
Quest #3: "To Stock the Pantry & Fill with Merryment"
Quest #4: "To Spread the Word"
Quest #5: "A Competing Concern"
Quest #6: "A Sticky Situation for the <insert chosen name of Inn here>"

It was at the "To Stock the Pantry..." part where I decided that I would make the party travel to Bree to secure a monthly Ale shipment, to Erabor to secure monthly Meade, to Esgaroth for Wine and Salted Pork from Woodsmen Town... It was at that point where I thought "HEY! What about approaching the Beornings to provide Honey Cakes!" As that was the only culture (I guess other than Dale) that would exist in their set of books (both of them only have the core rule book (2014)) and that way they could get introduced to the different areas of the Wilderlands...

I can just skip the Beorning part, or MAYBE I can have them have another little mini-adventure on their way through Beorningland and have the Inn owning character make friends with a Beorning that possibly saves them from an orc ambush that would have seriously hampered the party had they not been saved... The Beorning then notes that, after learning she is intent on opening an Inn, that he and a group of his fellow Beorning were looking for a place to rest and relax in <insert area where Inn is located here> as they have been through there semi-regularly in the past few months and none of the places they visited were amiable to their style of singing and tale-spinning. Perhaps <insert character with Inn's name here> wouldn't mind a group of Beornings passing through from time to time and rousing up some swapping of tales in front of the hearth with "that Salted Pork and Meade that you spoke of... But don't tell Beorn, he doesn't want us eating many things with faces and parents..." Giving these guilty Beornings a place to let lose and tear into a little meat while they drink and be merry

[zedturtle]

That's cool, and to repeat myself from above... I don't think it's a problem in the story having honey-cakes on the menu; I just advised that there be no mechanical benefit to them in order to protect the niche of Beorning PCs.

[HotSnow50]

That's cool, and to repeat myself from above... I don't think it's a problem in the story having honey-cakes on the menu; I just advised that there be no mechanical benefit to them in order to protect the niche of Beorning PCs.

I think I might go with your idea... And even then only if or when the PLAYERS ask to do this... The non-hope benefit bit, that is

[Robin Smallburrow]

HotSnow50

With your clarification suggesting they are trying to set up an (inn) of sorts and therefore have to deal with trade and all such related issues a simple solution is to just go with what your ordinary Baker in Lake Town (or wherever) would do:

"Are these Beorning Honey Cakes"? says Adventurer
"Of course they are - baked fresh today!! - says the baker in Lake Town.
I am sure similar conversations occur throughout Middle-Earth.

Actual Beorning Honey Cakes are valuable because they do have an inherent 'magic' to them (represented by the Virtue) BUT the real 'honey cakes'' (with the Virtue) can only be made near Beorn's House, because they require: the right bees, flowers etc....
As I see it the only way the PC's could do this would be to transport EVERYTHING that requires the making of honey cakes (including the special soil!!!) and there would still be no guarantee that the honey cakes they made 'somewhere else' would be the same - this is an aspect of the 'Subtle Magic of Middle-Earth' that gives every region its 'distinctiveness'.

In regards to transporting REAL honey cakes they would probably only keep for a week at most (like most such cakes you would get from a baker) - which leads me to a question - have your PC's considered generally how to 'keep' foods during transport? (a major issue for merchants in Medieval times - one of the reasons spices were so valuable). I would recommend that you look this up - foods don't keep for very long!!

Robin S.

[HotSnow50]

In regards to transporting REAL honey cakes they would probably only keep for a week at most (like most such cakes you would get from a baker) - which leads me to a question - have your PC's considered generally how to 'keep' foods during transport? (a major issue for merchants in Medieval times - one of the reasons spices were so valuable). I would recommend that you look this up - foods don't keep for very long!!

Robin S.

While I would agree that to cover thoroughly the notion of transporting baked goods around in a medieval setting would require the answering of "how long will this last before going off," I don't think that's the point of me making the characters go to the various places around Middle-Earth to "secure said goods for transport." I will be using the holding system for treasure point generation and will be running the Holding as such at the end of each phase, but I am coming up with some story arcs for the PC's to work at for the time being that has them going to and from the different kingdoms so they can get the feel for traveling, for hazards, for interactions/encounters and for the general feel of the game as is.

Meads, ales, salted pork and wine will weather the travel, I'm sure of it. As for the baked goods... I'm not too fussed to have them it was just an idea. And, heck... Gotta get shipments from somewhere! I am not going to bog myself down with the vagaries of the Middle-Earth's transport logistics, just gonna make the quests and see where they fall

And I will give an update as to how it all shakes out, to round the bases

[Hermes Serpent]

As far as travel goes I'd mention the product known as India Pale Ale here in the UK. It was produced here and a certain amount of yeast was allowed to remain in the product so that during the long (six week?) trip to India the ale could finish fermenting in the bottle and be ready to drink when carefully poured at its destination.

[Feanor]

Touche !

have a honey-cake...

[Terisonen]

Lembas aren't a food concentrate - they have a spiritual virtue. Similarly, Twice-Baked Honey Cakes aren't just tasty sweets, they're a symbol of the Beornings sharing their strength with their friends and allies. I'd certainly rule that if the Beorning doesn't personally give you the cakes at the start of a journey, along with his blessing, you don't get any benefit.

I'll go with that. Otherwise i't wouldn't be virtue.

[Glorelendil]

It just occurred to me that if there is ever a supplement with Black Numenoreans, Dunlendings, and Easterlings as playable cultures, they should have "Vices" not "Virtues".

[zedturtle]

It just occurred to me that if there is ever a supplement with Black Numenoreans, Dunlendings, and Easterlings as playable cultures, they should have "Vices" not "Virtues".

Yoink!

That's brilliant...