A good old-fashioned slugfest breaks out over spilled ale or harsh words, and after only a few seconds pretty much everyone is involved. The air fills with bottles and jugs, and don’t forget the effects of alcohol (WFRP p. 115). The fight lasts 1d10 rounds, after which the ones still standing help clean up the mess.

Someone at the inn challenges one of the PCs to a wager that could be amusing, unfriendly, high-stake, life-or-death or—why not?—all at once! The bet can be about pretty anything from a drinking contest, game of cards, disagreement over some fact or a duel.

The PCs overhear a quarrel in the kitchen and sees a very angry cook throwing a stained apron in the Innkeeper’s face. The cook takes his two daughters who also work there, with him and leaves immediately. The Innkeeper is miserable and turns to the PCs for help with running the inn until he can hire a new staff. He can offer some pay, but also free food and boarding for some time. If they accept, for a night they will have to face the nasty things in the cupboard, disappointed guests demanding refunds (or ‘refillsch’!), quarrels between guests and all the charm of running an inn. (Innkeeper: WFRP p. 73)

The PCs hear a scream from one of the rooms, and a few seconds later a half-dressed woman in her early 20s comes running down the corridor or stairs. After her comes a likewise half-dressed man in his late forties. He catches up with her and slaps her so hard across the face that she falls to the floor, dazed. She is Klara, an orphaned girl from another village who ekes out a miserable living as a prostitute. Unless the PCs intervene (no one else will) she can offer little resistance as he grabs her and starts carrying her back to his room. Whether the PCs intervene or not this is quite likely to have consequences.

Some time after dinner it becomes clear that pretty much all the guests in the inn suffer from food poisoning. As the queue to the privy grows longer, more urgent and less civil, the Innkeeper and cook swears they did nothing wrong. If the PCs investigate they will notice that the lock to the pantry has been picked. (Galloping Trots: WFRP p. 136)

One of the PCs is challenged to a drinking contest by a slim looking fellow who presents himself as Adelbert. Drinks are on Adelbert, but last man standing receives 1 gc. As the ales go down the gathering crowd starts cheering the two contestants along. Adelbert has a Toughness score of 56 and Consume Alcohol +10%. (The Effects of Alcohol: WFRP p. 115)

Like every other inn this one is brewing with rumours, gossip and hearsay. Whether there’s any truth to them is hard to say, but for the inhabitants of the Old World it is far from unlikely:

Outlaws are currently troubling the area, but you can be safe because they only seem to attack people with money.

Someone allegedly made a strange observation in the next village, where all the inhabitants were behaving very strangely.

A notorious criminal just escaped, and the authorities are searching the vicinity. Watch out, because he is desperate and prone to violence!

An inappropriate love affair is much talked about, between a noble or merchant or senior official and a peasant girl, waitress or handmaiden.

The settlement has a serious rat problem, and Rat Catchers are currently being summoned to do something about it.

A merchant was gruesomely murdered yesterday. However, the perpetrator was caught and it was the poor merchant’s heir. He must have been the only one who didn’t know the victim was broke!

An attack on the settlement is imminent, but the authorities refuse to issue a warning. The militia is armed, the watch is doubled and mercenaries are hired.

A large quantity of beer is missing, stolen from a local brewery. And then, at the next inn or tavern the beers are strangely cheap…

A well-liked inn was recently closed for reasons untold, but there seemed to have been something wrong with the sausages served there.

A local tradesman cheats his customers, selling products of lousy quality. He is protected by a trade guild, so there’s no point in complaining.

The Innkeeper is very pleased with a new dish he has prepared and is anxious that all his visitors get at least one large serving. Quite happy with himself he walks around serving everyone personally. Unfortunately it is quite horrible. In fact, swallowing even a mouthful requires a successful WP-test (with a +10% bonus for Resistance to Poison) to swallow. Failure–or declining altogether–might have consequences.

The PCs are awakened in the middle of the night by a loud noise. It can be a door slamming shut, gunshot, a brawl, a dispute, a shout for help or something more unnatural. May very well be a false alarm– or even a dream–but there’s always a chance it isn’t.

Also staying at the inn is a nicely dressed middle-aged man with a local dialect who presents himself as ‘Ulman’. Articulate and inquisitive, ‘Ulman’ engages in conversations with pretty much anyone and seems very keen on getting people to reveal their view on religious matters and the local leadership. In fact, he is the nobleman (or senior official, or cleric) Freiherr Erich von Regensburg, who likes to skulk around his subjects in disguise. He then uses the information to his own ends. He has two bodyguards with him, who sit at another table. The PCs, likely being a rather conspicuous bunch, soon attract his attention—for better or worse.