TTRPG REVIEW: Düngeonmeister: The Deck of Many Drinks
Great news—Jef Aldritch and Jon Taylor are back at it, making more TTRPG-adjacent goodies to liven up your game. Though in this case, adult beverage enjoyers may already be somewhat familiar with the subject matter. But now, it's presented in a way that's even more integrated with the happenings at the table.
One of my local gaming groups has been using the original Düngeonmeister book for quite a while now. This bartending guide includes 75 D&D-themed drinks that, across the board, are freaking delicious. We've yet to have one we don't like, and even the oddest blend of liqueurs ends up tasty. That said, the drinks tend to be their own thing as we play. Sometimes our DM will choose something somewhat adjacent to what we'll be fighting, but usually it's just what looks good and what we can gather ingredients for.
For The Deck of Many Drinks, 50 of those 75 recipes get illustrated cards in a lovely deck. Rather than recipes, though, each card has an effect. The conceit is that, much like the Deck of Many Things, players can pull a random card and get a random effect. But in this case, for the character (and the player, if they like), it's a cocktail. The recipes are in the accompanying book, and each card describes the effects and gives the actual mechanics.
The book even gives ideas on how to integrate the deck into the game. There's a full write-up for the Düngeonmeister Tavern, complete with flavor text, a score of NPCs, and potential story beats that could take place there. There are even thoughts on how to give certain cocktails out as rewards, or how to allow players to craft these cocktails themselves like potions.
I'm a huge fan of the sheer amount of fun tools the Düngeonmeister line offers to spice up a campaign, and The Deck of Many Drinks makes one of its best installments more accessible than ever. I, for one, look forward to a magic-fueled tavern fight using this deck one day. Even if you never make a single recipe in the book, it's a useful addition to your DM bag. (Though if you're a fan of cocktails, I highly encourage you to at least try the Slippery Grippli.)
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