Last Tea Shop Expanded Edition

A solo game about running a tea shop on the border of the living and the dead.

Last Tea Shop Complete

You run a tea shop on the border of the living and the dead. The recently deceased visit for one last hot drink before their long journey into the Great Beyond.

Time is strange here. Days and memories blur. Nobody visited yesterday—you are sure of that. Someone passed last week, but you can't recall their face.

The fog thins. A figure approaches. You stoke the fire.

Last Tea Shop Complete is a revised and expanded version of a one-page solo game about tea and conversation. Set up your stall and wait for visitors to emerge out of the mist. Over a cup of tea, chat to the visitor about their life and help prepare them for their trip into the Lands of the Dead. Record their thoughts, fears, dreams and hopes in your journal for posterity.

Play finishes when the mysterious Veiled One comes to visit.

You will need:

• An hour or so of quiet time
• Pen and paper
• One or two six-sided dice
• Tea (optional, but recommended)

Differences from Last Tea Shop Classic

The original "classic" version was created for the one-page RPG jam 2021. It will always remain free.

This complete edition is a 16-page zine. It stays true to the original single page version, but adds options and a few secrets.  It expands the number of settings, visitors, tea ingredients,  questions and affinities. People who play through a multiple times should have very different experiences.

Last Tea Shop Expanded Edition features illustrations by the amazing Stoneshore.

Actual play

Tim from Old Dog Games illustrated a game of Last Tea Shop Classic and shared it on Twitter.  See Tim's complete playthrough at Old Dog Games.

Old Man Gaming and Wizard's Respite streamed a two-person playthrough of Last Tea Shop. It was amazing to see their story unfold. Part one is embedded below. 

Two-player variant

Last Tea Shop was written with solo play in mind, but it works well with two players. Instead of a journalling game, play it out as a series of conversations. One player takes the role of the tea shop owner. The second person plays the various visitors. 

Here are a few tips for running a duet game.

• Death is a theme in the game. Have a conversation about tone before play. Use safety tools (e.g. X-Card, Lines and Veils) to ensure the story stays safe for all players.
• The tea shop owner controls timing and pace. You can linger on one part of a customer's life, encouraging more detail, or advance to the next step in the question ritual. If in doubt, move the ritual forward.
• As tea shop owner, if you're unsure how to move to the next question, try leading with, "So, tell me...".
• As tea shop owner, remember to ask customers how they knew the previous visitor. This is key to building an overarching story.
• Each visitor should briefly describe their appearance and approach to the tea shop. Incorporate emotional state into the description.
• Some emotional states are can be challenging to play as a visitor. Whatever happens, keep the story flowing—even if it's in small steps. For example, if you are confused, instead of saying "I don't remember anything" try "I can only remember fragments..."
• Foraging  only involve the tea shop ownerin the game guide. Consider adapting the rules so that a visitorhelps collect supplies.

Tea shop playlist

Quiet songs to conjure mists and rain.

https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/6zN5op9RM59FobSHuDm5F3?utm\_source=generator&theme=0

Acknowledgements and inspirations

All illustrations by @Stoneshore.  See his excellent art and games at stoneshore.itch.io

The following games influenced and inspired Last Tea Shop.

• Lighthouse at the Edge of the Universe for tone and vibe
• Garden of Ynn and Labyrinth: The Adventure Game for roll to go deeper
• Maze Rats for random tables as world building
• The Skeletons and Artefact for the passing of time
• Lasers & Feelings because LTS (somehow) began life as an L&F hack

License

Game textis © 2022 by Spring Villager.

Game format is open for hacking + remixing under a CC-BY 4.0 license.

Hacks and reimaginings encouraged; word-for-word reprints are not.

Most, although not all, illustrations are licensed as CC-BY 4.0  through Stoneshore's Tabletop Art Pack.