Twice-Baked Honey Cake Availability

[HotSnow50]

I am considering allowing one of my players to begin stocking their holding (an Inn) with the Beorning's Twice-Baked Honey Cakes. The player herself is NOT a Beorning, but I am going to give her and her Fellowship the option to travel to Beorningland and try to parley with the folk there about supplying the cakes each month for sale in that player's holding. Am I departing too much from canon here? I know that Beornings don't necessarily seek wealth but, the core book (2014) states that, since coming out of isolation, Beorn has considered levying a toll upon foreign travelers to pass through their land and that they work on their land to support themselves... I wouldn't imagine that sharing a recipe such as theirs with the world in exchange for some coin would be too out of the ordinary...

Maybe I will have them do some sort of task requested of them after a tough courtesy roll to be granted the produce each month for a fee...

What do you guys think?

[zedturtle]

I think you're assuming a lot about overland transportation, cultural secrets and how long baked goods keep withou any sort of climate control. But if you want it to work in your game, go for it. I wouldn't allow any sort of mechanical benefit to the "store bought cakes" though.

[HotSnow50]

I think you're assuming a lot about overland transportation, cultural secrets and how long baked goods keep withou any sort of climate control. But if you want it to work in your game, go for it. I wouldn't allow any sort of mechanical benefit to the "store bought cakes" though.

Perhaps I could, as reward for completing the task I was musing about previously, once or twice a season (or perhaps upon seasonal changes) <insert Beorning baker name here> could come by the Inn and bake the cakes as part of a friendship developed with the player... Could add some neat story arcs

[Glorelendil]

The problem with making the cakes available this way is that it devalues the virtue for Beornings. Maybe you don't have any Beornings in your party so this is a way to make them available anyway, but...

[Morgoth]

I probably wouldn't let my players just buy honey cakes. Maybe (if there weren't any Beorning characters), I'd allow someone to take the Twice Bakes Honey Cakes as a virtue with a raise in Wisdom (if they someone managed to get the recipe. Also they might need the Cooking trait). Or perhaps if they did a great service to the Beorning I'd give them a small stock of them every now and then. If you let players buy honey cakes it lowers the value of virtues.

[HotSnow50]

The problem with making the cakes available this way is that it devalues the virtue for Beornings. Maybe you don't have any Beornings in your party so this is a way to make them available anyway, but...

I'm not sure how one Inn inviting a Beorning to bake at a bi-yearly event devalues the Beorning virtue... The core rulebook (2014) even showed how the purpose for the honey cakes was to enhance hope regen for the entire party... Or, are we supposing that the Beornings only share the cakes with other Beornings? ;D

[Morgoth]

I'm not sure how one Inn inviting a Beorning to bake at a bi-yearly event devalues the Beorning virtue...

Example:
Beorning spends hard earned XP to gain a rank is Wisdom and get Twiced Baked Honey Cakes to help his party.
Hobbit spends a silver penny to do the same.

Who got the better value? Who's cultural virtue just got "devalued?" I'm not saying this is how your campaign is, I'm just saying it's something you might want to watch out for.

[HotSnow50]

Example:
Beorning spends hard earned XP to gain a rank is Wisdom and get Twiced Baked Honey Cakes to help his party.
Hobbit spends a silver penny to do the same.

Who got the better value? Who's cultural virtue just got "devalued?" I'm not saying this is how your campaign is, I'm just saying it's something you might want to watch out for.

Looks like the Hobbit got a foodstuff and the Beorning got compensated... Still not following here. If the Beornings are willing to levy a toll for people to pass through their lands, I'd figure they would be willing to accept compensation for services rendered...

I'd say, the best argument AGAINST what I was proposing would be that each culture has its own respective distinctiveness. The elves have their bows and smithwork, the Hobbits their holes and pipe weed, Dwarves their mead and runic scripts, etc.. It wouldn't feel like Tolkien if we had Elves living in the Shire and Hobbits smithing swords with runic scrawling depicting the tale of "ButterBumper, the Toast Cleaver" the legendary butter knife that spread 10,000 loafs... Much the same as how Twice-Baked Honey Cakes should remain the sole providence of the Beorning bakers...

I was just playing with an idea

[Mytholder]

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.

[Aeglosdir]

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.

Sounds like a good solution. "You gave the man selling True Beorning Honey Cakes with True Beorning Honey (tm) some silver. Mmm, sweet! Now what?"