Tea Dance Tussle: A Retro Queer Honey Heist Hack

About the Game

It’s the second half of the 20th century. Your squad is headed to the town hotspot for the first tea dance of the new social season—and you aim to impress. Dance, serve tea, and claim your place atop the social hierarchy!

"Tea" is a central feature of Tea Dance Tussle. Though the game takes its inspiration from the non-alcoholic beverages that were a required feature of a queer tea dance (see below), the characters are not actually serving up drinks, but gossip and knowledge with wit and skill.

Read more in this great article that breaks down the history, evolution, and nuances of "tea":

Tea Fit for a Queen

What You Need to Play

• At least 1 six-sided die, or access to a digital dice roller app or website.
• Something to write with to keep track of your stats and character details.
• A desire to have fun with your fellow players!

The game includes an optional Page 2 full of GM tables and guidance to make your Tea Dance Tussle a really retro fun time!

What's a Tea Dance?

The tea dance is an important part of queer history in the US, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. As this fantastic article explains:

Sunday tea dances were a weekly highlight for the high society social scene from the late 1800s to WW1 as the late afternoon tea service was quite popular. These social melees included an appropriate place for single women and men to meet and socialize. These types of social clubs eventually petered out in the ’50s.

Gay people were still very closeted in the ’50’s due, in large part, to the asinine laws that forbid men dancing with men, women dancing with women, and knowingly selling alcohol to homosexuals, but found some respite in the speakeasies and underground social bars. Should a raid happen on one of these establishments, men and women could quickly pair up as a mixed couple to avoid arrest.

About a decade later, the tea dance had taken over Cherry Grove on Fire Island in Suffolk County, New York. As it was still illegal to sell alcohol to known homosexuals, many venues did not have alcohol licenses and promoted the afternoon dance as a way to avoid attention. Holding them during the day also allowed New Yorkers to catch the last ferry home. By the late ’60s, tea dances were held as many as 7 days a week.

Please note:

While this game is inspired by history, it is not limited by it. The tea dance as imagined here is racially diverse and inclusive of everyone in the queer community. Keep this game fun and safe for all players by using safety tools.

Learn more about tea dances in queer history:

• https://www.pineshistory.org/the-archives/the-tea-dance-est-1966
• https://www.tiktok.com/@jisnotontiktok/video/7245038772784516398?_r=1&_t=8onYUZG...
• https://www.vice.com/en/article/nyc-tea-dances/

Game page background image by Prawny from Pixabay | All other art by Canva Pro.