The Last Ship from Venice

RPG system: LARP
Participants: 10 players

By

Tapestries (2025), Embassy Suites by Hilton Milpitas Silicon Valley, California, United States

James Laird (GM)

Description

August 5, 1914. A week ago, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. In the past week, Germany, Britain, France, and Russia have all joined the war, and neutral nations like Italy, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire poised to do so as well.

Last night, the passenger liner S.S. Columbia steamed away from Venice, leaving the Adriatic only hours ahead of a British and French blockade. It is the last ship that will do so; even the Orient Express has stopped running as nations close their borders in preparation for war.

This morning, ten passengers meet for breakfast in the Columbia’s first-class dining room, only to discover that a terrible crime has been committed… and that the culprit must still be on board!

The Last Ship from Venice is a parlour-LARP (AKA theatreform or chamber LARP) for ten players inspired by Agatha Christie, et. al. Players will have the chance to solve (or cover up) a crime, to find or lose love, and possibly to affect the outcome of the Great War.

Players will be expected to read 4-5 pages of character backstory, including a detailed account of what they did on the night of the crime.

Content Warnings
This game is rated PG, comparable with a mystery novel; it contains some themes of war, patriotism/nationalism, romance, crime, and classism.

Played at