Talk of the Ton
Talk of the Ton is the most popular scandal sheet in the Ton, featuring salacious rumours and gasp-worthy gossip about the prominent members of high society.
The proclivities and private affairs of certain infamous families, such as the Singhs and occasionally the Berrys, are frequently featured in Toot. More discreet families, however, such as the Montgomerys and Liangs, have nary a mention. If, indeed, such illustrious and respectable families have ever been referenced, rest assured the inclusion was complimentary.
Of course, this may change over the course of the larp, subject to the actions and discretion of the players in-game, as well as the observations of the players of the Esteemed Chatterleigh (EC) and the Notorious Tattlesby (NT).
The Esteemed Chatterleigh & the Notorious Tattlesby
The scandal writers have collaborated on every issue of Talk of the Ton since its inception in 1813.
The anonymous authors were originally rivals, individually writing the two most popular scandal sheets in the Ton, until they joined forces to produce the unchallenged best-selling publication in London, TooT.
Despite their partnership, EC and NT have distinctly different styles. EC has a subtler and more refined manner of disseminating gossip, delicately sharing even minor rumours and social infractions. NT, however, reports on only true scandal and outrageous behaviour—often with a tone of such amusement and admiration one might wonder whether they rather meant the inclusion as a complimentary!
Most importantly, one writer merely alludes to the identity of subjects, whereas the other explicitly names the guilty parties. Which writer does which will be decided by their players.
Who Plays the Scandal Writers
On the sign-up form, interested players can opt in to play the Esteemed Chatterleigh and the Notorious Tattlesby.
The scandal writer roles are not pre-chosen for any character and therefore will not affect a player’s casting. We will choose the characters that make the most sense for the narrative from the pool of interested players, and craft the interpersonal relationship between the scandal writers during the character casting process.
Hot off the Presses
A new scandal sheet will be released three times during the game. The first release will happen during the last half hour of the Duchess’s Debut Ball, which serves as the setting for Act I and opens the game. The second and third sheets will be circulated in the last half hour of lunch on Friday and Saturday, during the Luncheon at the Palace scenes (Acts III and VII).
A staff member onsite will serve as an editor for the sheet and assist in arranging the scandal sheet releases. While the editor may fill in some gaps, it is the expectation that the players of EC and NT will complete the bulk of the writing themselves. However, if the players of the scandal writers struggle to complete the task, they may request to simply convey the gossip that should be included to the editor and the editor will organise the writings.
Deciding what gossip and secrets to include in the sheet should create play (and hopefully conflict!) between the EC and NT—especially as the two scandal writers do not need to agree on which gossip should be included in order for it to be printed.
Scandal Box
A scandal box for players to submit their own rumours and scandals (and only their own) for printing will be provided, and used as a method for the EC and NT players to covertly submit the drafted scandal sheet, in- and out-of-game.
The EC and NT may slip their writing to the organisers or staff NPCs some other way for an increased sense of risk, but we aim for enough players to be submitting gossip to the scandal box that the scandal writers can submit their own writing virtually unnoticed.
Which gossip is published from the scandal box submissions is entirely up to the scandal writers.
Players will be asked to submit their gossip during off-game breakfast. The scandal writers will have until 11 a.m. every day to submit their final gossip before TooT goes to the printers. Copies of Talk of the Ton will be dispersed in the following act, during the final 30 minutes or so of the lunchtime scenes in Kensington Palace. The only exception is the first TooT release, which will take place in the final half hour of the very first act and scene at the larp: the Duchess’s Debut Ball.
Maintaining the In-Game Mystery
The scandal writer mystery is a no-transparency subplot. Only the players and characters of EC and NT know their true identities, and the organizing team will ask them to keep the secret from all other players to avoid spoilers reaching players who might want to discover it on their own in-game.
This is a low-relevance mystery at the larp. For those who have no interest in the mystery, it need not be part of their game. The secret identities of the scandal writers is a low-stakes mystery meant to create play for certain characters and interested players, but it is not necessarily relevant to the individual storylines of any player who does not want to be involved. Even members of EC and NT’s families can choose not to engage too closely with the scandal if their identities are revealed.
This is an entirely opt-in subplot for players who enjoy solving mysteries in-game, or characters who have suspicions about the true identities of the scandal writers and wish to utilise/play on that information.
It will be decided by the organizing team and players of EC and NT whether the identities of the scandal writers will be known to each other in- and out-of-game. The players of EC and NT are not required to collaborate in order to write their portions of the scandal sheet, but they are welcome to if they choose in advance to disclose their identities.
Social Risks for the Scandal Writers
The identities of the scandal writers can be used as a social stake for the EC and NT characters, as the scandal of their identities being revealed can threaten their prospects on the marriage market and the reputations of their loved ones. This information can be wielded by a romantic rival to win over a suitor, a desperate individual seeking to improve their situation, or just about any character to achieve their respective ends.
However, the secret identity scandal should never stand in the way of a happy ending, engagement, and certainly not a Love Match.
Identity Reveal
The secret identity scandal falls firmly within the Law of Happy Endings.
We would ask most characters to forgive the scandal writers (and everyone else wittingly or unwittingly involved), unless simply too many bridges were burned and it would make no sense for your character to be forgiving. However, the royal family will forgive the characters of EC and NT if their identities are revealed during the game and will instruct the rest of society to do so as well.