A Place of Commerce & Enterprise

         

         Without industry, a town is simply an assemblage of farmers, miner or hunters scratching a living out of the ground. Money and trade, whether it be in the form of coin, paper or barter, raises us up from the constraints of the local area and allows us to better ourselves beyond where we started. Intrepid merchants, willing to brave the treks between towns, or those canny enough to fill a need they see locally can easily launch themselves and their communities into wealth beyond their dreams, or their risks can ruin the fortunes of those they sought to help in the first place. While not the reason for the community's existence, it could be argued that their presence makes it worth staying there.

          The fourth in my series of tables to roll up the demographics of a community, this entry focuses on merchants, traders and professionals who populate the various areas of the world. There are undoubtedly more than a single shop in your typical community, so it will be necessary to roll on this table multiple times to give a decent spread of interesting shops and owners. As before, while it may seem bizarre on the surface that each and every shop is hiding some potentially dark secret, Referees need only choose to involve the interesting shops. General stores where the PCs simply buy a horse in a rush probably need not be rolled. These are places to provide interesting hooks with the PCs to interact with simply beyond spending their wealth.

d8	What kind of shop is this?
1	Bank, or another sort of financial institution
2	Smithy or Manufactory
3	Drover/Caravansary
4	Kiln/Glassworks
5	University or other institution of learning
6	Hospital or some sort of healer
7	A crafter such as a tailor or haberdashery
8	An artist, such as a painter, sculptor or poet. 50% Chance of having a Patron.

d8	How's the business doing?
1	Collapsing. Whether through the incompetence of the owner(s) or outside factors, the business is falling apart and is likely up to it's eyes in debt.
2	Dwindling. The flow of customers or clients has almost dried up completely, though this may be the fault of the owner, rather than the community dying.
3-5	Steady. The business is profitable, but not so much that the proprietor is well to do.
6	Busy. The day is constantly packed with things to do, people to help.
7	Growing. Customers or clients find that they have to schedule in advance to get service. The business is looking for more help.
8	Bustling. There's more work than there are hands, and any new clients will have trouble getting what they want in a timely manner

d8	Who runs the place?
1	A family business, perhaps the founder is still alive, but just as likely it has been going for several generations.
2	A number of proprietors, perhaps only a pair, but maybe as large as a board.
3	A sole owner, who may or may not have any employees.
4	A distant and far away owner, such as a merchant prince or a noble. They likely have local representatives to look after their interests.
5	The business is ran by the local government, or is an extension of a government monopoly.
6	A cooperative or group of merchants, teachers or workers run the business.
7	The ownership is contested. This certainly does not bode well for the future.
8	Ownership of the business is unclear or actively obfuscated.

d8	What is unique about it?
1	The owner is getting the majority of their stock or funding from an illegitimate source, such as from smugglers or by acting as a front.
2	The product or training that the business provides is widely considered to be somehow corrupt or scandalous in some way locally. Patronizing it marks you as someone willing to overlook that reputation.
3	The business has paid protection money to local criminals. Any harassment or theft on the premises is going to be met with serious reprisals.
4	The business or institution is famous; they could have made some legendary item or trained or saved some notable personage.
5	Due to reasons inscrutable to those on the outside, the business is only open during certain times, such as during the night or certain seasons.
6	Doing business here is bound by some custom that may not only be immediately obvious, they may only accept patronage from a certain ethnicity, social class or faith.
7	Coin is not accepted here, only barter or service.
8	The business has no set locale or storefront, they may even serve several nearby communities as well.