Bitter Coffee a live roleplaying game by Luiz Prado translated by Tadeu Andrade Sooner or later the people we love will say goodbye. Bitter Coffe is a live roleplaying game about departures and the importance of other people in our lives. In this game, you will need:       

2-6 people 1-3 hours (depending on the number of participants) a twine spool or a wool hank strong coffee, without sugar (or any bitter drink, as very strong green tea) a thermos 2 cups 3 chairs (optional)

Bitter Coffee is made of three successive scenes, which present moments of separation between people strongly emotionally bound. Each scene is played by a different pair of people: one of them is departing very soon and decides to tell the other about that. The relationship between them can be of any nature – family, love, friendship, work – but the emotional tie is strong enough for the split-up to be painful for both of them. What the departure consists of is also left for the players to decide: a son leaving his home, a wife who tells her husband about her terminal illness, a lover telling their partner that she or he is moving to another country. One thing is certain: the split-up will put an end to the relationship of you two, and there is no hope of you seeing each other again. The game begins with the players sitting in a circle, handing each other a twine spool or a wool hank to ascertain each scene's pair. Every one must hold the thread beforing handing the others the spool. When this is done, each participant will be linked to other two by the thread, with whom they will play different scenes: in one of them, they will be the person departing, in the other, the one being told about the departure. Keep in mind that each scene is different from the previous one, with new roles, relationships, place and reasons for the split-up. Every scene happen in the middle of the circle, and the participants may play it sitting on a chair or standing. Each scene begins with the character who will depart filling the two cups with coffee, taking one of them to themselves and handing his partner the other one. Once this is done, she or he will tell the other about the reason of the conversation, at same time ascertaining what kind of relashionship exists between them and what the slipt-up consists of, for example: “Gerard, we've been married for ten years and I've never hidden anything from you, and, because I respect you so much, I must say I don't love you anymore and that I must go away”. The characters and the relationship between them will be built during the scene, through the interaction between the two participants, who will develop the elements presented by their partners. Using the same example as above: the person being told about the departure now knows they are a married man called Gerard and can answer reminding their wife of important moments in these ten years of marriage; these elements must be accepted and developed by the other participant. The scene ends when the departing character drinks all his coffee (which must be cold) and says something like: “I've said all I had to say”; then they sit again in the circle and leave the other player alone with their drink. The forsaken character can take their time and think about the scene. When they are finished with it, it will be time to fill the cups again while the next person takes their place in the middle of the circle. The person who played the forsaken character in the last scene will now be the departing one. As soon as the drink is handed to the newcomer, the next scene begins. When the last forsaken person finishes their drink, the game ends. With everyone sitting in the circle, it is now the moment to talk about the sensations and reflexions experienced during the game.