Tell-Tale Hearts

This night feels endless, paced as it is by the hammering beat of restless hearts. The old patient of a psychiatric clinic has been killed and the head physician privately turns to a detective to find out whether the murderer is to be found within its walls. 

But the investigation is in danger of opening an unexpected window to darker depths— what lies there may well be more painful than the blood trail itself.

In Tell-Tale Hearts, the mystery of the Old Man’s death is nothing but a means to explore the twisted inner world of the characters. 

What will happen when others strike at us with harrowing revelations about ourselves? Will we end up believing ourselves murderers, or will we still point our finger to someone else?

The game mechanics aim to trigger a spiral of crushing paranoia, as a homage to Edgar Allan Poe.

Roles: 4 male.
Time: 2 hours.
Replayability: Low. Revealing new and unsettling information is the core of the game.
Leitmotiv: Secrets, paranoia, who’s the real madman?, identification vs. investigation, Edgar Allan Poe.

Tell-Tale Hearts is a chamber larp scenario written by Oscar Biffi for the Italian Chamber Orchestra. It includes everything you need to play with very little prep, including instructions and character sheets.

You can find this scenario as well as 11 other works by the Italian Chamber Orchestra inside the chamber larp anthology Crescendo Giocoso.