Bell and Key
A downloadable LARP
This is a LARP about what ordinary people do when the world they hold dear is threatened by forces beyond their control. Specifically, it is about the struggles faced by grand hotel concierges amidst the rise of fascism in a fictionalized Europe in the lead-up to World War 2. Players will take on the roles of members of a secret society of concierges, the Order of the Bell and Key. You will help one another face increasingly dire challenges and threats to your world over four Acts, beginning in 1934 and culminating in military occupation of your nations by fascist forces in 1940. It is not possible for all, or even most, characters to achieve a happy ending, as you will be forced to use dwindling resources to choose between your personal wellbeing, your ideals, and the survival of your hotel. While the game is intended to be tragic and explore weighty matters, there is an inherently farcical quality to the concierges and some of the situations in which they find themselves, especially in Act 1. These lighter elements are meant to coexist with, and accentuate, the poignancy of the heavier elements.
At the beginning of each Act, each player will select a Challenge they and/or their hotel are currently facing, with multiple options for how to resolve it. The in-character, biennial meeting of the Order of the Bell and Key then commences, during which you will have the opportunity to solicit help with your Challenges. Each Act concludes with a Storyboarding phase, wherein the chosen resolution of each Challenge is read out and then collaboratively elaborated upon by the players. Challenges are resolved by spending an in-game currency of Favors, which you are welcome and encouraged to spend on one another’s behalf. The game is deliberately designed such that by Acts 3 and 4, there are insufficient Favors to achieve positive resolutions for all the Challenges. Challenge resolutions affect your hotel’s Reputation score, which determines the ultimate fate of your hotel at the end of the game.
This LARP is heavily inspired by Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, and to a lesser extent the musical Cabaret, but familiarity with these media isn’t necessary to play.
Download
Install instructions
The "Bell and Key GM guide" file contains the game itself.
The other three files contain everything you need to print and cut out in order to play the game.
In lieu of payment, we encourage you to donate to a social justice or anti-fascist cause of your choice if you are able.
Comments
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I played this game at Tapestries 2025, run by the author himself! I had a tremendous time. I enjoyed creating a concierge and a bellhop and characterizing their relationship, and I enjoyed how the tone of the game progresses naturally from lighthearted to serious and even grim, towards the end of the game. The way the challenges (prompts) are worded - that they are challenges that are happening at your hotel - really helps make them feel personal and real.
Characters can spend "favors" to help other charactesr resolve their challenges. At the beginning of the game, there are enough favors to go around and help everyone resolve their challenges. That helps players get comfortable role playing as their characters and helps players figure out the nature of their favors. But later on in the game, the challenges require more favors to resolve, and the characters are forced to choose which challenges to resolve successfully and which to fail.
The "favor economy" felt very well balanced and in line with the intention of the game, where "one good turn begets another" at the beginning of the game, which becomes less true as the game goes on. Also, the way the "suboptimal" outcomes are worded on the challenges all feel very heroic, so even if your character may not be passing with flying colors, it still feels like they tried their best and weren't shortchanged by GM fiat. It truly feels like your character is making a heroic sacrifice, especially if you play with open information and read the consequences of each choice before making your decision.
Thanks Aaron for being such a great facilitator! Bell and Key was the highlight of Tapestries 2025 for me. I've donated $15 to Trans Continental Pipeline in lieu of payment. <3
Played this game, had a great time. Recommend it!
This could fit into the same slot as a long board game; it requires minimal prep, no pre-work, the rules are dead simple, and it doesn't require a GM (you can have a facilitator, but there are no secrets, so it's fine if they play).
A very collaborative game; characters are working together to help each other (or at worst, rivals forced to work together by circumstance).
The meat of the game is in-character roleplay and discussion. Not a lot of action or plotting, but the game gives lots to talk about.
I played this game and really enjoyed it! It had a good balance of lighthearted, even farcical elements along with serious, weighty choices as the game progresses. There’s a lot of leeway within the game to find the challenges and topics that are interesting to you for the narrative and character you’re exploring. I loved how much of the content was player-generated during play - I think this game would have excellent replay value! Overall a very tight, enjoyable experience with great historical details and immersion.