So, thanks to The Rose and Dragon, I find myself in posession of a bottle of mead. Which means naturally my mind has turned to the question of how to turn its consumption into a larp.
Who drinks mead? Vikings! They’re the original mead-louts. What do Vikings do? Brag about their victories! Its an enormous part of their culture. So, a game about bragging Vikings then. Which leads me to this:
Hrothgar’s Hall
A monster has been attacking the hall of King Hrothgar, abducting his thralls in the middle of the night and eating them, leaving the bones for others to find. The King has been forced from his hall as a result. Now he has summoned his mightiest warriors, who have gathered to determine who shall have the honour of slaying this monster.
(Some people may find this tale familiar…)
This would be a “New Voices in Art” style Nordic framework game. The characters are all Viking (well, Danish) warriors. They’ll respond to some leading questions, then get a random piece of paper about how they feel about taking on the monster, and some social cues about the need to present as the biggest badass in a group of badasses. Hilarity should then ensue, aided by a monologue mechanic (though tankard-tapping seems a bit… weak… for Vikings. It needs another physical cue. Back slapping?)
Live combat to determine who is the mightiest warrior should be encouraged (with wrestling and so forth determined by paper-scissors-rock and then acted out). The game ends when they’ve reached a decision, or when they are “too drunk to continue” (say, two hours or so). As for the winner’s struggle against the monster, well, that is another saga…
For safety, actual mead wouldn’t be involved.