On the Oar

You’re below deck on a fully-armed Galleon in the middle of a windless sea.

The Captain of your vessel orders the sails unfurled in hopes of catching a breeze.

The First Mate relays the Captain’s order to the Crew, who carry out the Command.

Crew Members who climb to the top of the rigging spy a storm brewing on the horizon.

They relay this to the First Mate.

The First Mate tells the Captain.

The Captain replies they can’t see the storm from the deck.

The Captain continues.

“I’ve been through plenty of severe storms before. There’s no need to worry. All is well.”

The Captain continues to the First Mate.

“Crew Members will always complain and avoid hard work. Remember this when you take Command.”

“Certainly.” The First Mate responds.

The First Mate tells the Crew nothing can be done.

Seasoned Crew Members suggest the First Mate could ask the Captain to stow the sails and use the Galley Slaves to make for a nearby island.

The First Mate, who’d recently graduated with honors from an elite sailing school and personally disagrees with the practice of slavery, dismisses these suggestions.

Tension rises within the Crew.

Some climb the rigging to get a better look at the storm.

They observe it looks deadly.

These observers are berated by the First Mate for hazarding their lives by climbing the rigging without being ordered to do so.

The observers respond by describing the storm they’re observing.

The First Mate interprets their action as disrespectful to the position of First Mate.

The First Mate invokes the title of First Mate and, as the First Mate, lawfully orders the observers down from the rigging.

“I order you to cease your reckless endangerment of Company Property.”

Back on the ground, the observers explain the severity of storm, but are silenced by the First Mate, who calls them “unhelpful, disgruntled troublemakers” and accuses them of letting too many years on the job turn them both cynical and lazy.

Some Crew Members, not one of whom climbed the rigging to observe the storm, speak out in support of the First Mate and Captain’s position.

The Seasoned Crew Members who’d climbed the rigging suggest that the First Mate climb the rigging and observe the storm.

The First Mate climbs halfway up and scans the horizon.

They climb down and report everything will be fine and they should all trust the Captain’s decision.

One of the most Seasoned Crew Members shouts, “Damn the Captain’s decisions, if we don’t act now we’re all going to die!”

The First Mate orders the Crew to place this Member under arrest and chain them to the oars with you and the rest of the Galley Slaves below deck.

This Act causes the building tension to resolve in Violence.

A few impassioned Crew Members attack the First Mate.

The First Mate is killed before Loyal Crew Members overwhelm their fellow Crew Members, killing some and beating the rest into submission.

The survivors are dragged below deck and chained with you and the other Galley Slaves.

After this, the wind begins to pick up.

The remaining Crew Members cheer.

The Captain praises their Loyal Crew for their dedication.

The ship begins to move, but the approaching storm, now clearly visible from the deck, is moving faster.

With so many Seasoned Crew Members dead or chained below deck, the short-handed Crew is unable to achieve the full potential of their ship.

As the storm overtakes the vessel, the desperate Captain orders the chained Crew Members brought up from below deck.

When they’re back on deck and released, the Captain orders the recently chained Members to save the ship and its Crew.

The recently chained Members kill the Captain moments before the vessel capsizes.

Below deck, chained to your oar, you drown.