Many evenings have been spent by road- and world-weary adventurers sitting next to a tavern's blazing hearth fire and nursing their flagons of ale, regaling one another with exaggerated tales of derring-do, bravery and heroism. The tavern is a staple of fantasy literature, and even more so of fantasy gaming. Who can count how many times adventurers have visited the local tavern for information or to seek the seeds of adventure? DMs often rely on the tavern to kick-start adventures, using them as convenient "quest-stops" to get itinerant players together for the first time. As such, the tavern is often relegated to background scenery despite its often-crucial role in moving a story forward.

The Book of Taverns is designed to assist DMs, providing 10 new taverns, each one highly detailed and rich in history and character. They can be used on the fly, pulled from the book at random and inserted into a gaming session without forethought and preparation, or they can be used as the foundations for something decidedly more permanent.