Tavern Keeper Riverbottom is the introductory scenario of the narrative campaign in Greenheart Games' tavern management sim. Your objective is to transform an abandoned swamp tavern in Bog Crossing into a certified, one-star establishment, satisfy the Tavern Keepers Guild requirements, and pass Dorothy Chaddius's official licensing exam to unlock Halflington.
Riverbottom Scenario Setup and Environment
Riverbottom places you in a humid wetland where persistent rain drives patrons inside seeking warmth and shelter. Default balanced settings grant 430 starting gold along with specific scenario rules that make it gentler than later stages:
| Scenario Trait | Rule and Effect in Riverbottom |
|---|---|
| Climate | Swamp climate (warm and humid, cooler water, frequent rainfall) |
| Fire Hazards | Disabled on standard scenario settings |
| Infestations | Disabled on standard scenario settings |
| Financing | Cheaper loan terms with interest rates reduced by 50% |
| Starting Capital | 430 gold (Balanced difficulty setting) |
| Primary Goal | Complete the Riverbottom scenario and earn the official guild license |
Rain causes visiting patrons and employees to accumulate the damp status. Placing a heat source, such as a potbelly stove in the taproom, allows soaked patrons to dry off, preventing happiness penalties. Placing floor mats near exterior doorways stops incoming visitors from tracking swamp muck across your floors.
Opening the Tavern and First Guild Encounters
Starting the scenario requires clearing rubble from the structure, designating a taproom zone, installing a door, and setting up a tap with an adjacent bar counter. When buying initial beverage stock from the traveling merchant's boat, keep barrels inside a designated storeroom. Barrels left on outdoor docks suffer an accelerated spoilage rate of 200%.
Once your doors open and you serve your initial customers, guild representative Dorothy Chaddius visits the tavern. She serves you with an official notice of censure for operating without a license.
During this encounter, players can attempt to argue or refuse the guild. Testing this dialogue reveals a unique narrative fail state: repeatedly defying Dorothy, challenging her authority, and refusing her coin toss causes the narrator to announce "The End" and abruptly close the game client to the desktop. To proceed with the campaign, accept registration as a guild applicant. Dorothy leaves behind a crystal bottle containing Hops, an elemental advisor who provides commentary throughout your campaign.
Achieving a One-Star Tavern Rating
Securing official guild recognition requires reaching a 1-star tavern rating. This milestone demands parallel progress across your drink selection, service facilities, and overall patron satisfaction.
| Requirement Area | Threshold Needed | Practical Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Drink Reputation | 1.0 Star | Maintain at least two distinct brews on tap at once |
| Service Facilities | 1.0 Star | Build an outdoor outhouse/toilet and place a bulletin board |
| Patron Satisfaction | Over 65% | Keep drinks in stock, maintain room warmth, and clean dirty tables |
| Patron Attendance | Volume threshold | Serve at least 8 to 15 tier-one patrons |
During this stage, local reporter Jefferson Applebutter from The Bayou Chronicle visits for an interview. Answering his questions earns your business free publicity in the local paper.
Shortly after, Joe (introducing himself as Joe Town Guy or Joe Townman) enters to sample your tap. He spits out your drink to pitch his own business, Moss Barrel Brewery. If you pass a wits or memory check calling out his changing aliases, he confesses the ruse and sends free sample barrels, unlocking Moss Barrel Brewery on your world delivery map.
Setting Up the Kitchen and Food Service
Earning a 1-star rating unlocks kitchen construction. Dorothy sends a development license alongside a loan allocation to fund initial food equipment.
- Build a dedicated kitchen room connected to the taproom.
- Install a service window in the shared wall so staff can hand meals directly to servers.
- Place a cooking grill inside the kitchen.
- Build a larder shelf in your storeroom to protect raw perishable ingredients from spoiling.
- Order rats (either common rats or swamp rats) via the world delivery map from Stillwater Market. Note that swamp rats carry an unsafe debuff unless properly grilled.
- Open your menu to create the Grilled Skewer recipe using rat meat, set an appropriate selling price, and assign a staff member with cooking proficiency to chef duties.
To fulfill the guild's culinary milestone, your kitchen must prepare and serve meals to eight tier-one patrons.
Passing Dorothy's Bar Exam and Clearing the Scenario
Once your kitchen is running, your debts are managed, and your milestones are checked, Dorothy Chaddius returns to collect guild dues and administer your oral general knowledge exam.
Dorothy expects a payment of 190 gold to cover membership dues and kitchen startup funds. If your liquid gold is short, you can attempt a speech check to defer the payment to a later date.
The oral test, titled "Passing the Bar," presents three randomized questions drawn from guild jurisprudence:
- Question: How do you tell a dwarf and a child wearing a fake beard apart? Correct Answer: Ask them for beard oil recommendations. Most children lack beards and know nothing of beard grooming.
- Question: Which service is not approved by the Tavern Keepers Guild? Correct Answer: Basilisk stabling (or unauthorized distribution of shrinking potions, which fall under the exclusive purview of the Alchemists Guild).
- Question: In the landmark legal case of Thorvac versus the Foggy Sailor, was the judge correct in voiding the plaintiff's privilege to adjudicate beverage consumption and declaring patrons free to spend coin as they see fit? Correct Answer: Yes. Guild policy upholds the freedom of recreational patrons to purchase drinks as they please.
Answering Dorothy's exam questions correctly earns your official Tavern Keepers Guild license. A guild conservator takes over the day-to-day operations of your Riverbottom tavern, completing the scenario and granting access to Halflington and the custom Item Workshop.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you refuse to join the Tavern Keepers Guild in Riverbottom?
If you repeatedly choose defiant dialogue options, refuse Dorothy's legal notice, reject the coin toss, and claim reality is an illusion, the narrator triggers an immediate game over sequence and shuts down the game application.
Why are my employees sleeping on the floor?
Staff will sleep on the floor and suffer energy and happiness penalties if you have not zoned a staff room containing an available bed assigned to their profile. Ensure each shift worker has an assigned bed and access to recreational items like dartboards or lockers.
How do you unlock Moss Barrel Brewery on the delivery map?
Moss Barrel Brewery unlocks after the dialogue encounter with Joe (Joe Town Guy). Interacting with him at your bar counter adds the brewery location to your map, allowing bulk orders of brews such as Mudweiser and Schlam's Pride.
