After having gone in-depth with the possible motivations of the innkeeper in the last post we can understand where they sit in the world and its lore, as we want them to be a fully realized individual who the player has limited interaction with. Adding the lens of curiosity will invite the player into the conversation with the lens of impact making the interaction worthy of the player's time and effort and giving reason for more interactions to be sought after in future scenarios.
In terms of a narrative game it is slightly more difficult to get these lenses across without access to visual actions having to rely on describing the actions can lead to too much exposition which is the enemy of curiosity. Basically giving the player answers before they've had to chance to ask questions.
It is typical of fantasy-based games for innkeepers or bartenders to be placed in the game as a source of information or side quest givers so perhaps the player would have previous knowledge of this, with the genre of the game fitting their style, but cannot be relied upon. The innkeeper could beckon the player over after they've gone to the quest board - their husband is a hunter after all so may have explored the tomb or nearby already/ maybe asking to keep an eye out for signs of their husband whilst on the expedition/ the wood elf possible party member could be her daughter etc. These are examples of the player overtly being shown that the innkeeper wants their attention there are more covert methods such as having your tankard empty forcing you to go back to the bar and interact with the innkeeper which would add dialogue to create immersion and one of the options could be to talk about the quest the player has chosen to undertake more like a natural conversation, having a back and forth using the character and players motives before the further information is available.
The original piece of text to initiate the idea of using the innkeeper for information was -
"After studying all individuals around the room you recognize a few faces that have frequented the Inn quite often and may be in a similar financial situation as you as well as other feisty types who look more brawn than brain, ideal candidates to come on the adventure but not be as successful at collecting treasure. You could also ask the innkeeper for her opinions on the guests in case anybody else has taken an interest in this particular quest, though she may want to discuss your ever-increasing bar tab, and your remaining funds might be needed to persuade some individuals to take part in the quest."
Far too instructional and overt especially the second half of the text, so let's try the more covert method with the empty tankard.
"After mulling over the potential of your fellow patrons you take another swig from your tankard only to discover its contents have run dry. Requiring one last beverage for a bit of courage before broaching the subject of the quest with strangers you slowly head to the bar awaiting the innkeeper."
Here we are forced to interact with the innkeeper but the player will still have the choice to ask about the potential party members, this way we can gain some characterization of the innkeeper through the next few pieces of dialogue but keep the players' choices open so they have interactive elements and feeling of still being in control of what occurs. Also utilizing the necessity of another ale for courage is relatable to many, especially for talking to strangers in a bar.
As we can see here, we have a simple description of the innkeeper and start to divulge some observations of her connection to her daughter as mentioned in the previous post without making it overtly known of the connection to the player allowing for that curiosity. The innkeeper serves her basic function as a trader in an attempt to upsell a new ale giving the player a choice that ultimately makes no difference to gameplay as they both go to the next level of dialogue but should give the player a feeling of control over their actions.
As the dialogue continues we can provide more valuable opportunities to gain a rapport with the innkeeper to the point that she would be willing to share information on other possible party members, since she is a good individual who has no previous connection this wouldn't normally be information willingly given - she isn't a gossipmonger so the effort will have to be required on the players' behalf and this would be rewarded with the exacerbation of positive or negative alignment later on.
Moving the dialogue forward we have the added observation of the innkeeper continuing to observe the female alluding to some significance between them, with the added interest of her being an elf. How the innkeeper changes tone adds depth to her character from the background we established in the previous post. Giving the player meaningful choices afterward, they can remove themselves from the conversation completely where they will gain no extra information or try and attempt conversation. Given that the innkeeper has responded quite sternly to us looking at the elf most players may avoid directly talking about her due to social conventions and perhaps talk about something else first which is correct. If you immediately start talking about the Elf the innkeeper will be more standoffish and not be willing to divulge as much info compared to talking more about the village and providing an impression of someone who's not looking to make advances on her daughter. A later option to learn about the link between the innkeeper and the elf can be found by following this pathway.
As you can see opting for the more direct approach doesn't end well and sends you away from the bar with no gained information, again reiterating this effort and reward idea presented by Adrienne when it comes to the lenses of curiosity and impact with the players' motivation.
You get a much better response by talking more about the village and warming the innkeeper up to you, learning a bit more about the village and how it was formed informs the player that the innkeeper is a source of information so perhaps information could be gained.
The player is then given the option to talk about the conversation naturally with questions about hunting, this can lead to knowledge about the local area and the quest you've picked up or ask about her family, whilst not as intrusive as before it can still seem a little forward so will result in no information about potential party members but the innkeeper will not react as harshly toward the player.
Even though we don't get information on other potential party members, the players' effort is rewarded with knowledge of the innkeepers' background, as well as the potential for a side quest along the adventure as you now have knowledge of her husband out hunting who you could run into on your way to the quest which is something not permitted by earlier exits from the conversation. So thus providing some reward for some effort, as I feel it should be a scaleable effect of narrative games. The player shouldn't have to jump through all the hoops to get a reward as that level of exertion can get tiresome, but if some effort has been taken then it should be recognized.
By talking about hunting we gain the same level of backstory of the innkeeper and her family but in a less forced dialogue and a more emotional and inviting response which gives a more overt notice of the potential side quest to seek the husband, even though it's more overt its still authentic to the conversation given the dialogue choices from the player and the motives of the character. It flows smoothly into you informing the innkeeper of your quest where now she will be more inclined to help you with the information given that you have detailed how you will help ease her worries and seek out her husband's safety.
Finishing the dialogue with the innkeeper we can set her info for the 7 individuals to true which is a score that allows for the later exacerbation of responses if they are spoken to later. Her responses and actions are still authentic with the player, that she may worry he might get her husband to join in so letting her know that's not the case is in line with the direction the player has taken with the conversation to get here. Doesn't mean they can't change their mind later on if and when they meet the hunter. The player doesn't overtly get given the information on the other characters here but it is merely suggested to keep the curiosity present and imply that they could perhaps talk to the individuals as well since talking to the innkeeper has been so rewarding thus far. Hopefully promoting the idea of conversing to gain information and following social conventions and positive approaches to gain better rewards. If the player doesn't gain the innkeepers' information but still chooses to talk to the individuals they will ponder if the innkeeper could have provided some added details for them thus inviting the same curiosity for conversation with the player. If the player talks to nobody within the bar before making their choices not only will it be a less engaging experience for them, they will face consequences from the characters, would people be so willing to put there life in danger later on in the quest if the player has formed any sort of bond or kinship with them, again effort reaps rewards.
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