Neutral Tavern
Added 2021-01-25 14:35:52 +0000 UTCWhen your party enters a tavern (or inn / market / Airbnb / etc), you'll often want to immediately spell out the vibe: jovial melting pot! dour dive bar! seedy meeting place! But other times, you might not want to immediately reveal all your cards. A lot of tavern scenes in RPGs need to feel neutral. Yes, the players will likely realize that they are about to be given a quest, but you shouldn't always tip your hand so quickly as to whether these patrons are secret succubi or benevolent freedom fighters.
I don't typically make music with a truly neutral valence, but I've been playing a lot of Baldur's Gate lately and I quite enjoyed the tonality of the "Friendly Arms Inn" music. My new track "Barleywine" is a tad more upbeat, but there's a similar sense of uncertainty in its character. "Barleywine" is very typical medieval / renaissance fantasy: plucked strings, tambourines, and simple recorders. Baroque key changes and dorian modes sell the whole "ye olde faire" vibe as well. In addition to taverns and inns, this is pretty ideal for your generic fantasy town.
If you want a slightly more refined version of this track for the upscale parts of town, there is a chamber music variant available at the Artist Tier and up. Thanks, y'all! Have a great week!
