Cantina

You’ve been traveling long and hard, and now all you want is a place to wet your whistle. Why not stop into the local cantina?

The cantina is a bustling little local watering hole filled with working class folk, locals, and passers-through. A cantina is largely unassuming and will reflect the nature of the people of its area or the personality of the cantina (or canteen) owner. It is not heavy on serving staff, as patrons generally come to the bar to get their libations.

Cantina Description

• cantina, canteen, pub, tavern, boteco, osteria, bar, saloon,
• dimly lit, candle light, oil lamps, low light chandelier, windows or no windows,
• pictures on the wall, carvings and graffiti on tables,
• long bar with stools, tables and booths, patio, porch or veranda,
• outhouse, basement or storeroom toilet room,
• music may be playing, singing, piano, guitar, small band,
• simple decor, whitewashed walls, natural timber, photographs, paintings, soccer team banners, horseshoes,
• smells of cooking, BBQ, bread, roasting lamb, ale, wine, tomatoes,
• the cantina could be built in an old cathedral with beautiful (and meaningful?) stained glass windows,
• railing, balcony, upperstory with rooms for rent (brothel?), common bathroom,

Environments

• small towns, edges of cities, blue collar areas, hamlets, villages, red light districts, ghettos, slum, party zone, bar district, industrial area, casino district just off the strip, just off the main street,
• side street, alleyway, basement of a shop, warehouse district, industrial area,
• attached to an inn, near airports or teleporter rooms,
• in a space craft on the leisure deck, lower deck,
• space port, distant planet, desert moon mining colony,
• cavern of the underearth world, lost city, ghost town, borderland cliffside, forest understory loft platform, floating city, forlorn town on the edge of the wild,
• on a bridge, under a bridge, near the river, near the falls, brookside,

Characters

• locals, neighbors, townsfolk,
• blue collar, working class, lower class, serfs, peasants,
• traveler, adventurer,
• surly brawlers, hooligans, drunks, trouble makers,
• owner, operator, manager, server, bartender, barkeep,
• smuggler, pirate, privateer, bounty hunter, fence, pick pocket,
• organized criminals, ex-cons, bondsmen, bookies,
• soldiers, military personnel,
• bohemians, left-wingers, rebels, philosophers,
• rednecks, hillbillies,
• jazz musician, spoons player, bawdy singer, dancing girls, juggler, bard, poet laureate, accordionist, ballad singer, stand up comedian,
• circle of libertarians, rebel commando, spy for the resistance, agent,
• merchant, hawker, peddler, flower-seller,
• pauper, beggar, drifter,

Stuff in Cantinas 

• food: rice, paella, chorizo, lamb, stew, pork ribs, roasted peppers, meat kabobs, toasted crickets, centipede on a stick
• sacks of onions, potatos, garlic, rice,
• barrels of oil, fish, pickles (eggs, cukes, asparagus), butter, milk, cream,
• ale, beer, wine (tempranillo, garnacha, monastell),
• sideboard, cupboard, cabinet,
• bar, wooden bartop, stools, benches, tables, chairs,
• candle, sconce, lamp, torches,
• plants, trees, vines, climbing plants on trellis, potted herbs,
• pictures, paintings, fresco, mural, tile mosaic, ironwork,
• railing, balcony,
• open timber construction,
• kitchen supplies, buffet,
• stove, oven, cooker, outdoor oven, fireplace, hearth, roasting pit, smoking barrel,
• cleaning supplies, washbasin, tub, pail, mop, rags, soap,
• waste bin, garbage, slop pail, grease pail,
• bell,
• flag, emblem, standard, colors, sigil, mark, code,

Notes and Ideas

• imagine what it’s like when you first walk into your fictional cantina: everyone stops talking and turns to look at you; you are greeted by a boisterous host/owner; everyone is gathered around a TV watching a footy game; it is empty, abandoned, dusty, and derelict; you are welcomed in by a mech, android, or construct; there’s a band playing; there’s a grease fire; there’s a broiling brouhaha (barfight); someone is telling a story, the audience rapt; it’s open mic night! And so on.
• choose one character in your cantina to get involved in whatever your story might be. Perhaps they: have a clue to share, know a secret, fall in love, give advice, are a spy, challenge a main character, poison or drug a drink, seduce a main character, offer to help, are deathly afraid of something, are hiding something (or from someone), have a curious tattoo, know a different language, have a connection, are overly friendly (or grouchy, or troubled, or neurotic or insane), are a mutant, can get you a ride to a nearby planet, have a magic item, know where to get a bomb, are psychic,