Video games based on Dungeons & Dragons arguably created the spine of the industry from the late ’70s all the way through to… well… they’re still around now. The world of tabletop dice rolls and figuring out stats has always been present in video games in some form or another. Of course, recent decades have seen Dungeons & Dragons rise to mainstream pop-culture prominence once again, with the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3, Critical Role, and Stranger Things.
It is, however, always surprising to think that the IP has never been expanded upon in a video game sense. Most games try to replicate the tabletop experience, to varying degrees of success. Dungeons & Dragons: Long Rest Tavern is looking to change that.
You aren’t playing the heroes or villains (or those who toe the line), but instead, you are the character serving the band of heroes their food and drink. It’s up to you to build and maintain the ultimate adventurer’s hotspot in this cozy management experience.
During the short preview of Long Rest Tavern, it became quite clear who this was aimed at. It doesn’t require a critical-success Wisdom roll to know that cozy games have a dedicated and enthusiastic following. The softer direction of modern Dungeons & Dragons, tied together with cozy-game styling, makes it a perfect breeding ground for a game like Long Rest Tavern.
The general setup is simple: build up your tavern, employ staff, craft food and drink, and expand. It could fall victim to simplicity becoming repetition, but there’s a sprinkle of charm between each of the pillars propping up the gameplay. You make the calls here: what drinks to serve, how to source the ingredients, and how to best optimize space.
Keeping your customers served is, as expected, the key to success. Their tastes will change, and so will their expectations of the quality you’re giving them. While they won’t leave you a bad review on your quest board, they will frown and lower your renown rating, which dictates your overall progress. Ordering goods to turn into products is an option, but a more interesting approach is sending parties of adventurers to different locations.
Each party member has a class, level, and perks, and all their stats factor into the dice roll that determines the expedition’s success. The better your tavern, the higher the quality of adventurers who will frequent it. Provide them with a room, and they’ll go out on quests for you. This is the core gameplay loop of Long Rest Tavern.
The good news is, it works as the spine of the game. Like a smooth conveyor belt, it carries you along, naturally progressing the game while keeping the player moving and thinking. Keeping the money coming in without skimming too much or overspending is the primary challenge. Hiring staff, paying for materials, and keeping up with upkeep are all things that can creep up on you.
I’d be trying to roll a 20 on a Deception check if I pretended I didn’t have a bit of fun overseeing my little tavern. Even as someone who finds cozy games to be a bit ‘eh’, there’s a nice loop within Long Rest Tavern that prompts a ‘just one more go’ mentality. You see your profits rise by selecting the right brews, arranging seating, and adding decorations to boost efficiency. Those moments when your low-ranking hired help earns a promotion. It’s simple, neat, and digestible.
Long Rest Tavern, as per the preview build provided, is a quaint, targeted take on an IP that feels well placed to succeed. If cozy games aren’t your thing, Long Rest Tavern won’t change that. It’s very soft in everything it does, from the flowery Orc bards singing to you and beyond, putting it into a very ‘all-or-nothing’ corner. The market is there, the game is shaping up, but standing out in a fairly busy section of the modern video-game market may be the hardest challenge Long Rest Tavern faces. But that Dungeons & Dragons IP sure will help.
