History Main / GameBetweenHeirs

* In one story arc on ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', a will specified that the deceased's "million-dollar note" would go to whoever had a foot bearing a certain name on it--which turned out to be Bullwinkle. Except that [[OnOneCondition to claim the money]], he had to spend the night in the owner's mansion (with the owner's sons making various attempts to get him out of the building). Rocky and Bullwinkle succeed, but then it's revealed that Bullwinkle's foot no longer bears the mark, because apparently it was just an imprint from his shower mat. So the million-dollar note goes to the sons. [[TwistEnding BUT!]] It turns out to be a ''promissory'' note, placing the sons in a $1 million debt, while Bullwinkle gets to go home to the happy status quo (telling Rocky that although that mark on his foot was just a temporary imprint, the mark on his ''other'' foot "never comes off").

* This is the premise of the "Russian Doll Case" in ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles''. A famous mystery writer have died without heirs, and he selects five close "friends" as his potential beneficiaries to his enormous wealth. These heirs must solve the mystery he's set up in order to win the inheritance.

* This is the premise of the Russian Doll Case in ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles''. A famous mystery writer have died without heirs, and he selects a bunch of unrelated strangers as his potential beneficiary to his enormous wealth. These heirs must solve the mystery he's set up in order to win the inheritance.

* ''Film/ScavengerHunt'': 1979 movie based on this premise. Milton Parker dies and leaves his fortune to the person or group of people that win his scavenger hunt. There is no motivation to make them become a family.

May be a result of InadequateInheritor. Compare OnOneCondition. If the "game" is just the aspiring heirs killing each other, and the inheritance is on a very large scale, see SuccessionCrisis.

* ''Manga/KamiNoShizuku'': The whole plot is basically the main character getting into a wine tasting contest with his adoptive brother to inherit his father's vast and valuable wine collection.

May be a result of InadequateInheritor. Compare OnOneCondition.

* In the video game ''{{Safecracker}}'', a millionaire hides his will in a house full of bizarre safes, every one of which must be unlocked to access the document. When found, the document leaves it up to whoever successfully cracks the safes to decide who gets his fortune.

* The [[{{Cluedo}} Clue]] VCR game from TheEighties had one of these as Mr. Boddy's third will. (Apparently in case the previous two were destroyed, which they were.) The challenge was to divulge secrets about the others and the one who exposes the most wins. Mrs. White says that the challenge was geared towards her since she's been cataloging secrets about the others in her diary, except it's been stolen by Mr. Green. [[spoiler: In the end, nobody wins since they're all driven to kill each other.]]

* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'': It's something of a tradition for the princes of Stormhold to kill each other off before their father dies, until only one remains to inherit. [[KingOnHisDeathbed On his deathbed]], the king expresses some disappointment that his sons didn't manage it, and announces that his heir will be the one who manages to obtain a ruby he threw into the sky.

* In one story arc on ''WesternAnimation/TheRockyAndBullwinkleShow'', a will specified that the deceased's "million-dollar note" would go to whoever had a foot bearing a certain name on it--which turned out to be Bullwinkle. Except that [[OnOneCondition to claim the money]], he had to spend the night in the owner's mansion (with the owner's sons making various attempts to get him out of the building). Rocky and Bullwinkle succeed, but then it's revealed that Bullwinkle's foot no longer bears the mark, because apparently it was just an imprint from his shower mat. So the million-dollar note goes to the sons. [[TwistEnding BUT!]] It turns out to be a ''promissory'' note, placing the sons in a $1 million debt, while Bullwinkle gets to go home to the happy status quo (telling Rocky that although that mark on his foot was just a temporary imprint, the mark on his ''other'' foot "never comes off").

* Diana Dors (1931-1984), English actress and sex symbol, was said to have put away 2 million British pounds in banks across Europe for safekeeping. Her son and heir Mark Dawson was then given a code that would lead him to the inheritance. Her widower Alan Lake had the key that would solve the code, but [[LostForever ended up killing himself five months]] after Dors died. Unlike the above examples, the money has yet to be found in spite of the heir's best efforts, use of professional cryptographers, and even a TV documentary.

* ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'': The successor to the Ushiromiya family's headship and fortune (which includes 10 tons of solid gold) seemed to be locked and set--and then a letter from the [[MagnificentBastard resident witch]] arrived, announcing that the spoils have been made fair game to anyone who can solve the Witch's Epitaph, a long riddle which incidentally, details a ritual requiring human sacrifice. Mind games (and [[AnyoneCanDie lots and]] [[KillEmAll lots of murder]]) ensue.

* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'': Before he dies, the king of Stormhold announces that his heir will be the one who manages to obtain a ruby he threw into the sky.
** An unofficial version would be that it seems to be something of a tradition for the princes to kill each other off, until only one remains. The king expressed some disappointment that his sons didn't manage it, suggesting that it wasn't just the case with them.

* Most of the plot of {{Literature/Stardust}} comes from a set of heirs competing to inherit the throne. The expected method of succession isn't primogeniture, but for one son to murder all the others before his father dies. When this fails to happen the disappointed father sets them on a competitive quest to prove their worth.

* ''Scavenger Hunt'': 1979 movie based on this premise. Milton Parker dies and leaves his fortune to the person or group of people that win his scavenger hunt. There is no motivation to make them become a family.

* ''TheHudsuckerProxy'': The terms of Mr. Hudsucker's [[spoiler:LostWillAndTestament state whoever becomes the first person to replace him as the CEO of Hudsucker Industries will inherit his shares of the company]].

* In the interactive book ''TheDandeeDiamondMystery'', the reader/protagonist's rich and eccentric uncle left the Dandee Diamond to the one who most deserves it. However, before the protagonist can figure out who deserves it the most, he must find the diamond, and the uncle's only clue in the will was talking to his parrot.

* ''TheWestingGame'': Samuel W. Westing chose 16 people apparently at random as his heirs; the book opens with them summoned to hear the reading of the will. He leaves everything to the winner of the puzzle he calls [[TitleDrop The Westing Game]]. Who will win? That's the entire book.
* ''EdgarAndEllen'': Augustus Nod, [[OurFounder the founder]] of Nod's Limbs, willed his estate to whoever finds the original limbs of the statue erected to him.

** Something similar happened in "Love and the Baby Derby", a episode of ''LoveAmericanStyle''. The brothers learn, at their uncle's funeral, that the first one to marry and have a son will inherit. Then the uncle rises from the coffin: he'd faked his death, 'cuz he's such a funny guy, but he was serious about the "baby derby". Given his sense of humor, its not surprising that after both brothers do father children, the uncle reveals that he himself had married and had a son, so the money stayed with him. (He tells the brothers that their new families are the "real" wealth. Their response: "Wanna trade?")

* In one story arc on ''TheRockyAndBullwinkleShow'', a will specified that the deceased's "million-dollar note" would go to whoever had a foot bearing a certain name on it--which turned out to be Bullwinkle. Except that [[OnOneCondition to claim the money]], he had to spend the night in the owner's mansion (with the owner's sons making various attempts to get him out of the building). Rocky and Bullwinkle succeed, but then it's revealed that Bullwinkle's foot no longer bears the mark, because apparently it was just an imprint from his shower mat. So the million-dollar note goes to the sons. [[TwistEnding BUT!]] It turns out to be a ''promissory'' note, placing the sons in a $1 million debt, while Bullwinkle gets to go home to the happy status quo (telling Rocky that although that mark on his foot was just a temporary imprint, the mark on his ''other'' foot "never comes off").

* In chargesdotcomdotbr web series "Só Levando", there was a season where MichaelJackson {{Expy}} "Miguel Jackson" died and wrote a will leaving one million dollars to one child from each nation. One of the main characters of that series is a boy named Johan, who, as his name suggests, is a German. However, he was adopted by a Brazilian family after his birth parents were killed during a police raid. Johan's foster parents entered a game show held to decide which Brazilian child would get the money. [[spoiler:Johan won. However, because his foster parents never went through the proper channels to adopt him, he still was, for all legal intents and purposes, German, disqualifying him.]]

* ''Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'': During a Family reunion, Malevola [=DeVil=] announced she'd bequeath her whole estate to the relative who takes Dearly Farm for her. [[spoiler:[[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Since nobody won the "game"]],]] see [[spoiler:InsurrectionistInheritor]] to learn who got the inheritance.

* The series ''The Goodwin Games'' (premiering on Fox in the 2012-13 midseason) is about three heirs competing for their father's inheritance, making it similar to TheWestingGame.

* In LMMontgomery's ''Literature/ATangledWeb'', eccentric Aunt Becky willed that the name of the heir of a priceless heirloom will only be disclosed a year after her death. Because the will dropped a few hints that a unknown judge would be selecting the heir, the family members spent the rest of the year trying their best to live up to what Aunt Becky would have wanted in an attempt to win the heirloom.

* ''Film/ScavengerHunt'': 1979 movie based on this premise. Milton Parker dies and leaves his fortune to the person or group of people that win his scavenger hunt. There is no motivation to make them become a family.

* ''Film/{{ScavengerHunt}}'': 1979 movie based on this premise. Milton Parker dies and leaves his fortune to the person or group of people that win his scavenger hunt. There is no get them to be a family motivation.