I recently started re-reading the
Neverwinter Campaign Setting to gather inspiration for my next
campaign. As I looked at the city, I got taken back to one of my
very first campaigns. At that time, I was obsessed with the old
Spanish cities. Sure enough, the city my players were operating from
had a bull fighting arena and bull fights were held every morning.
On one of the few occasions in which
the players were actually in the city at lunch time, they decided to
go to the local inn to spend some well earned gold on decent food and
save on rations (this was 1st Ed. AD&D). As they were
waiting for their food, one of the waiters walked by with a big plate
that had two HUGE eggs. They had been cooked with all sorts of
spices and the succulent smell filled the medium sized hall. After
the waiter served the patron who ordered the dish, the other patrons
in the establishment stood up and clapped and smiled at the man.
As the waiter headed back to the
kitchen, one of the players stopped him to inquire about the plate.
The waiter told him that the plate was called “eggs from the run”
and that it was indeed a very gourmet and expensive plate. The
player decided to order a plate of “eggs from the run,” right
then and there. Unfortunately, the waiter explained, they only ran
one bull in the morning bull run. Therefore, they could only serve
one plate of “eggs from the run” for lunch. However, there would
be another bull run the next morning. For a small deposit, he could
reserve the next day's “eggs from the run”. Of course, he
reserved them.
The next day, the player got his huge
and succulent “eggs from the run” for lunch. After eating his
lunch, he realized that his prime attribute had increased by +2 and
that the effect lasted between 4 to 6 hours. As you can imagine, the
players started showing up every day for lunch at the inn and taking
turns as to who would order the “eggs from the run” for lunch.
After about a game week of this, it was
the party's stalwart fighter's turn to order the “eggs from the run”,
which he promptly did. Contrary to his expectations, he was served
two pretty small eggs. They were similarly cooked as the previous
days “eggs from the run” but they did not smell or taste
succulent at all. The patrons did not stand up and cheer when the
fighter was served. The fighter ate his “eggs from the run” but
did not feel any different. No +2 bonus to strength today.
The fighter stood up from his table,
very upset, and called the waiter. He demanded to know why his “eggs
from the run” were different from those the party had been served
in the days before. “I apologize, sir,” said the waiter... “but
sometimes, the bull wins.”
After a few seconds of confused
silence, the players realized what exactly it was that the fighter
had eaten for lunch and then they could not stop laughing for about
five minutes. Of course, the fact that we were between 12 and 14
years old probably had a lot to do with it. Still, thirty years
later, someone always brings up that story whenever we manage to get
the old group together.
Today's lesson: gourmet food can make
for unforgettable experiences.
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