Bookstore and Other Settings

[Regina Wellston]

I was thinking there could be npc librarians and custodians but really they are the protectors of the books. Tall stacks, full of all different kinds but also full of RhyDian history. I think there can be a book store in the library where new authors and old authors books can be sold. One central room for reading. As far as the bookstore in the library it could also be a cafe or coffee shop or whatever. There can be food trucks that come outside too! There can be more events at a library than at a book store, possibly encouraging players to have them. I for one think a poetry reading night would be great there! As far as a name? I really think it should be dedicated to all of RhyDin from past to present a tribute or homage to all of the players that have helped create RhyDin even if they aren't with us anymore.

[Michelle Montoya]

Hello RoD Community!

Thank you again for your continued input and enthusiasm. Out of the fourteen people I’ve either talked to in DM or who responded to his thread, we have five in the camp of a Bookstore, four who prefer a Library, and five who have no preference or want both. With that in mind, we’ve decided to work on a Bookstore.

The feedback can be organized into a few themes: layout, types of books, staffing, shop/cafe, and features.

Layout
One central open-concept room on the main floor, with multiple levels including a mezzanine. The upper floors contain labyrinthine shelves (tall stacks you can get ‘lost’ in) with deep genre pockets and rows and rows of books you can explore. Seating features comfortable couches and chairs with reading nooks. Generally a quiet environment where the focus of the description is the ground floor.

Book Categories
General categories (fiction, non-fiction, travel). A neglected/obscure ancient dusty tomes section. A Restricted Section with dark, forbidden, and scandalous books. A section on the history of RhyDin. Books include everything from leather-bound, hard-cover and hand-written to futuristic discs/chips or technology that mimics books. A music section with every kind of medium.

Staffing
The overall preference was to include NPC staff that start out generic and can be ‘fleshed out’ by the community (for example, a friendly soft-hearted bookkeeper who will occasionally loan out books). These NPC staff are really the caretakers and custodians of the books, plus someone who runs the pastry/coffee shop.

Shop/Cafe
There was an overwhelming preference to include an integrated cafe/pastry shop with a helpful NPC. Suggestions include a counter, a snack-cart, or complimentary coffee. We were asked to make it unique from the other setting ‘food’ vendors, and to include a basic menu to inspire RP.

Features
The following is a list of suggested features:

• a shop cat (perhaps a flerkin)
• ‘lively’ books that replace themselves, snap at you, arrange themselves on a whim
• events including book club meetings, live music, author signings, book launches, poetry readings etc.
• a ‘small’ stage/floor space that could be made into a small quiet performance place for poetry readings or the events mentioned above
• an internet/computer use area for those who come from a past time period, are homeless, low-income etc.

Next Steps

The Roleplay Team will develop these ideas to create a setting. Our process outline is as follows:

1. Have a one-week poll to determine the name of the Bookstore. We will create a shortlist of 5 names, you may vote for multiple (3) names.
2. While the poll is running, we will develop two different setting descriptions that represent unique atmospheres for this Bookstore. The descriptions will be presented to the community where you can give feedback and express your preference.
3. The RP team will make final tweaks to the description based on community consultation.
4. The Bookstore setting will be launched on our website and the Discord Server, along with a Playables post to ‘hook’ your characters.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments please direct them to Michelle Montoya (Anne Ellis#0253), or post to this thread.

~The RP Team~

[Mallory]

Hey everyone!

Wanted to check back in with y'all about a couple of things.

First of all, thank you to everyone not only for contributing to this discussion, but for your setting name suggestions and votes! Our new setting will be called Books and Brews.

As Michelle previously mentioned, we are developing two different setting descriptions that work in the suggested features but represent unique atmospheres for the setting. We hope to have these done the end of this week or this weekend; but, life has a funny way of cropping up when you least expect it to, so we will do our best to meet the timetable of a mid-November rollout. Thanks for your contributions and your patience!

- Scott

[Michelle Montoya]

Choose Your Own Adventure Setting

Hey everyone!

The RP team has developed two different descriptions for Books and Brews. They have similar features but different tones/ambience. Over the next week (until Friday, November 13th) we ask you to consider the two options and respond (either to this thread or in DM) with:

a) Your preference (Option A or Option B)
b) Any specific tweaks you’d like to see (e.g. I want the elf from Option A but the description from Option B)

Please keep in mind that we have a 2000 character limit. Option A currently has 1846 characters, and Option B has 1990.

Regards,

Michelle, Mal, and Ebon

Option A

Books and Brews is a cozy bookstore in southern Old Market not far from Westbridge, tucked away on a quiet side street lined with brownstones and secondhand shops. An old marquee sign hangs above the wide shop window, drawing patrons in with the dual promises of “GREAT BOOKS!” and “GREAT COFFEE!” A small yellow cat can be found snoozing on the book display, but a taped-up warning advises would-be window-tappers: Disturb the flerkin at your own peril.

A painted green door opens into the bookstore’s large, high-ceilinged common area: worn leather couches and wingback armchairs scattered around a few coffee tables, with hand-painted stools to serve as footrests or somewhere handy to put your book or your drink. On the right-hand wall is the cafe counter, often manned by a slender old elf with a gift for pulling the perfect espresso. Assorted pastries, sweet and savoury, line the glass displays beneath the counter, while a towering green chalkboard lists the daily specials and the poem of the day.

The left-hand wall features a small stage with a single wooden stool, just big enough for someone to play a soothing song or read poetry for special events. The stage is flanked by the checkout counter often staffed by younger employees, low shelves packed with vinyl records, and bulletin boards where anyone can tack up posters for upcoming concerts and art shows.

The back of the store is lined with bookshelves, stretching in rows behind the columns that support the mezzanine. Steel stairs to the upper level dump patrons into a labyrinth of tall shelves, with branching paths to cozy reading nooks tucked out of sight and plush armchairs that overlook the common area. History and fiction, first- and second-hand, ordinary and extraordinary books line the maze, offering something for every patron to draw them deeper in.

Option B

Nestled between two shops on the Old Market waterfront is a tall building with a brightly painted door. Some locals will tell you that this quaint establishment has always been there, others will tell you that it appeared suddenly when they were walking home from work. However and whenever it happened, the cozy Books and Brews squeezed into existence between the local knitting nook and a fourth-hand pawn shop.

There is an immediate impression of spaciousness, despite the narrow exterior. A large central room with plump overstuffed couches, worn hand-crafted chairs, and cozy reading nooks for two invites you to sit down and relax. Mismatched but complementary coffee tables are strategically placed to encourage a chance meeting or small, quiet gathering. A word to the wise: stay away from the eastern window seat, where an orange tabby cat languishes in comfort.

Tucked along the right wall is a small counter staffed by a friendly young woman with assorted piercings and her two unseen servants. They can sell you a tome, tell you about the next poetry reading, or offer an exotic tea. An arrangement of eclectic mugs with different sayings and images can be chosen by the customer, but are more likely to choose you instead, appearing by the kettle as soon as you order.

A series of winding staircases and corner lifts take you to the mezzanine and upper stories. Here the bookstore takes on a life of its own, where your next purchase may find itself falling into your hand while you browse, and misplaced volumes languidly flap their way back to the shelves. A keen eye may spot curious and helpful spirits, blinking dust balls that can lead you to the store's best-kept secrets. And deep within the fifth floor is a grim door that reads “Restricted Section.”

The lock is not complicated.

Whether you are winding through the labyrinthine shelves or enjoying the quiet company during a book signing, you are sure to find a place for a cup of tea and mystery at Books and Brews.

[Regina Wellston]

I like them both to be honest, but if I were to have to pick I would prefer option B due to the mystique and pull of curiosity it has. I love that it makes the book store seem more it’s own entity and leads us on with tons of options for adventure.

[Jake]

I love the early details of A. The perfect espresso. I can smell the coffee and pastries as I visualize an entry. Love the poem of the day. It creates an immediate picture for me.

[Delahada]

Oh yes. I absolutely love the perfect ambiguity of Option B. Though I adore the idea of the shop cat being a flerkin, I also love how B leaves it up to interpretation. It's as if you don't quite know but could always suspect, just like the famous one we all know and love. I also love how the description comes prepackaged with rumors. Where did this shop come from? Has it always been here? Why haven't I noticed it before? The element of mystery makes it even more enticing. And most of all I adore the atmosphere of serenity, without a performance stage. A nice quiet place characters can escape to as a refuge away from the usual bustling activity and noise of a busy bar setting. Option B is perfect, in my opinion, and definitely gets my vote.

[Bart Fitzroy]

So, I like that Option B seems to have its own adventure options "folded in the dough" of it, as it were, and the lack of a performance spot; there're plllenty of settings already for more show-y things to happen. I mean, there's tonnnnnnnns of stuff I love about Option B by and large. What I'd include from Option A, however, is the more concrete point-of-sale, cuz I mean, "Brews" made its way into the shop's title, so I think the beverage and noshery part of the equation could use some love.

[Alexia Longbow]

I get a much cozier and intimate feel from Option B and I like that it's focus is more on gentle whimsy and quiet mystery. While both settings have strong merits, I much prefer Option B.

[Caleb Feren]

I thought I had posted.. but I guess I didn't, or didn't hit submit or something...


I'm all for Option B. It has that mystical feel about it, and I love that the books take care of themselves. Perhaps Tass's books and the Brew's books could have a play date or something

[Sylista Ravenwood]

I am also on Team Option B.

[Azriella]

I prefer the mystery and potential adventure of Option B.

[Michelle Montoya]

Hello RoD Community!

Thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this thread, offered constructive feedback, and given this idea both life and enthusiasm. Due to character limitations, we were unable to include all the requested features. However, there is nothing stopping you from rearranging chairs to make a small space for a poetry slam, using eclectic mugs at the cafe, or talking about a bulletin board for local events and advertisements. Here is our final version of the Books and Brews description! You will shortly have a settings page, Discord channel, and playables post to engage with.

Books and Brews

Nestled between two shops on the Old Market waterfront is a tall building with a brightly painted door. Some locals will tell you that this quaint establishment has always been there, others will tell you that it appeared suddenly when they were walking home from work. However and whenever it happened, the cozy Books and Brews squeezed into existence between the local knitting nook and a fourth-hand pawn shop.

There is an immediate impression of spaciousness, despite the narrow exterior. A large central room with plump overstuffed couches, worn hand-crafted chairs, and cozy reading nooks for two invites you to sit down and relax. Mismatched but complementary coffee tables are strategically placed to encourage a chance meeting or small, quiet gathering. A word to the wise: stay away from the eastern window seat, where an orange tabby cat languishes in comfort.

Tucked between the signed books and the old vinyl records on the right-hand wall is the cafe counter, often manned by Eärendil, a slender old elf with a gift for pulling the perfect espresso. Assorted pastries, sweet and savoury, line the glass displays beneath the counter, while a towering green chalkboard lists the daily specials and the poem of the day.

A series of winding staircases and corner lifts take you to the mezzanine and upper stories. Here the bookstore takes on a life of its own, where your next purchase may find itself falling into your hand while you browse, and misplaced volumes languidly flap their way back to the shelves. A keen eye may spot curious and helpful spirits, blinking dust balls that can lead you to the store's best-kept secrets. And deep within the fifth floor is a grim door that reads “Restricted Section.”

The lock is not complicated.

Whether you are winding through the labyrinthine shelves or enjoying the quiet company during a book signing, you are sure to find a place for a cup of tea and mystery at Books and Brews.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

This looks great!

Thank you to all of the effort you've all - including everyone who's contributed to the discussions - put into seeing this come to life. Look forward to seeing it live!

[Kalamere]

Settings page is live: Books and Brews