There Can Bea Only One

Bea Arthur must choose which of her two beloved characters will represent her in the TV hall of fame. Should it be Maude, who skewered the status quo, or Dorothy, who drew fans from every demographic? The obvious solution is to summon her characters, and the casts of her shows, into the courtroom of her mind and let them duke it out!

Long Description

Bea Arthur is being honored as one of the top faces of television history, and a golden statue of her in character will be placed in the hall. The problem is that unlike such legends as Jerry Seinfeld, Henry Winkler, and David Hasslehoff, Bea Arthur is associated with two incredibly influential characters - Maude Findlay, whose independent feminism pushed even further against the 1970s status quo than its launchpad series "All In the Family", and Doroth Zbornak, whose show about four retired women in Florida somehow managed to become a cultural touchstone dominating every single demographic in the 1980s.

While Bea Arthur herself, a well decorated Marine who served during World War II, is an incredibly decisive and strong-willed person, even she has a hard time picking between her two Emmy Award Winning roles. (Thankfully, she only won one Tony, so that decision will be easier)

So she enlists the best help possible - herself! Only, much to the ever constant suffering of the characters, the nincompoops that she had to put up with on the shows come along for the ride, as does one surprise guest star who MIGHT just be there to stir the pot.

Can this ragtag group of loons help the Bea Arthur decide, or will she just blow her top dealing with six idiots while Maude and Dorothy laugh together in the corner?

Players will take on one of the following roles: One of three Bea Arthurs (Bea Arthur, Maude Findlay, Dorothy Zbornak) One of three Golden Girls (Rose Nylund, Blanche Deveraux, Sophia Petrillo) One of three Maude related characters (Walter Findlay, Carol Traynor, Arthur Harmon, Vivian Cavender Harmon, Florida Evans, James Evans, Edith Bunker) One Secret Guest Star (One of Five Distinct Characters, All Typically Masc Presenting)

Game Structure:

Pre-Game Casting: Each of the buckets has a list of associated characters (shown above). Shortly after the LARP selection rounds are completed, a survey will be emailed out giving each player the opportunity to rank their top three characters from their assigned bucket and provide notes to the GM. The Secret Guest Star will receive, separately, a list of five characters, all of whom are Masc Presenting. Note: Because Gender roles are incredibly important to the dynamics of both of these shows, while players of any gender or non-binary may elect to play any character, it is the expectation that each character is played consistently with their established gender representations.

There will be 10 minutes of light workshopping after a brief explanation of the rules. This is a very low mechanics game, and there is not an expectation for romance or intimacy rules needed. (Sorry, Blanche.) Most of this time will be spent allowing the casts of the two shows to interact and get comfortable with each other, as well as form any possible connections they might want to see come to life. Bea Arthur will be briefed on how to wield her mighty mind. The Surprise Guest Star will be allowed to arrive a few minutes late. Because, SURPRISE!

Then the casts of the two shows will be split, and be given a few minutes out of character to work up any connections within their group, as well as come up with a fun TV Guide style episode synopsis.

The LARP will begin with the four stars of the two shows returning from the first commercial break of the episode they agreed upon during workshops. At a time of her own choosing (because who else is going to choose for her?) Bea Arthur will arrive to interrupt the action. Once the shows have been interupted, the characters will be able to all interact freely, using whatever means they deem fit to convince Bea Arthur to enter the hall as either Maude or Dorothy. Note: Characters do NOT need to try to sway Bea Arthur towards their own show if they do not wish to.

Each character will come with a pre-written sheet that describes their history, their personality, and some highlighted moments from each show. The digital PDF version will include links to some scenes publicly available on YouTube or other free streaming. These are not required viewing, and familiarity with the shows is NOT necessary to enjoy the LARP, but it certainly would be helpful. Additionally, each character will have ONE special power that can be used ONE TIME to impact the overall decision. But be forewarned - some people's minds are more stubborn than others. (Yes, I am talking about the Beas.)

After two hours or so of deliberations, or however long Bea Arthur determines is necessary, a decision will be made, and the characters will have a few minutes to say goodbye to their new friends forever. Or taunt the losing side. Whichever is a better use of time.

Costuming is encouraged - because who doesn't want to dress up like Sophia? - but not mandatory.