It is 31 December 1919 and the party at Weatherby Manor is in full swing. The guests exchange furtive whispers of intrigue, blackmail and forbidden love. At midnight, a glass of poisoned champagne shatters, dropped from a dying hand. The family has to find – or frame – the killer before the police start looking too closely into their secrets.
Arsenic & Lies is an infinitely replayable and beginner friendly larp inspired by Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie novels. Rather than being a classical whodunnit, it focuses on the emotions, relationships and secrets of the characters involved: solving the murder might be less important to the characters than pursuing their clandestine affairs, arranging marriages of convenience or blackmailing their enemies.
The larp will be played in two Acts, with a short interlude and a break in the middle. No props required. Characters and their relationships will be created collaboratively at the beginning. The workshop at the start of the game also includes a calibration, during which we will discuss if there are any themes the players want to avoid during the game.
Game materials (cards with text) are in English, but the players can also decide to play in Finnish.