  
 
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction. Below is a transcript of Choice of Broadsides, written by Adam Strong-Morse, Heather Albano, and Dan Fabulich. Choice of Broadsides was released in 2010. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting the ifWiki.WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page. |
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| Jacqueline asks (of skg), "Hi, sorry, I should have caught you sooner. You know we're about to play as a group, right? In half an hour?" | * Jacqueline has added skg to the channel. | |||
| skg says, "jacqueline Yes--thanks for adding me" | ||||
| skg says (to jacqueline), "I don't have the syntax quite worked out for normal interaction. :P" | Jacqueline says (to skg), "I suspect we'll have some other new folks today, so I'll hold off until the top of the hour to explain the controls." | |||
| maga arrives, full of fun and funk. | ||||
| skg nods. | Gunther says, "ew n00bs" | |||
| Gunther ducks | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Gunther), "You're in Time Out, buddy." | ||||
| skg says, "I'm a n00b here, but I played about a third of Zork III when it was new" | ||||
| skg says, "Only a third because I was, like, eleven." | ||||
| skg shrugs. | ||||
| skg pokes at help to figure out the channel stuff. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to skg), "He can't hear you because he's in another room. To speak on the channel, type #CLUBFLOYD HELLO WORLD to designate the channel, then once you've designated the channel on which you wish to speak, you can just type a semi-colon, such as ;HELLO AGAIN" | ||||
| skg says (to jacqueline), "Yep, just noticed that. Thanks." | skg says, "hello world" | |||
| skg says, "n00bism is relative." | ||||
| Gunther says, "yeah, I was kidding" | ||||
| skg says (to Jacqueline), "Handy, the .. and ; abbrs. I'm used to Diku (only)." | skg says, "No worries." | |||
| Nitku says, "I think we have to have a driver today" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes" | ||||
| Nitku says, "because every action advances the plot" | ||||
| Ghogg arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | skg says, "Agreed." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "We should wait until the top of the hour to discuss, as there is a live group playing along with us from meatspace today." | ||||
| skg says, "Hopefully such a group will manifest--the weather's not great in San Francisco." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of skg), "Are you part of dfabulich's group?" | ||||
| skg says (to Jacqueline), "I'm his spouse :)" | Jacqueline says (to skg), "Ah, you're his spouse." | |||
| skg says (to Jacqueline), "And I'm at home, not where the group will converge." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Once we begin, you'll definitely need to speak on the channel, but even now it would be good, since I'm the only one in the room with you." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The people elsewhere can't hear you." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "If that makes sense." | ||||
| skg nods. | Ghogg asks, "wait what live group?" | |||
| skg pokes ahstrongmorse. | Jacqueline says, "dfabulich can explain when he arrives." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Unless skg wants to." | ||||
| Ghogg asks, "did we Choose the Floyder's Choice?" | ||||
| skg says, "Let's wait for dfabulich." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, we're playing Choice of Broadsides today." | ||||
| Ghogg says, "oho" | ||||
| skg says, "ahstrongmorse, Broadsides' co-author (dfabulich is the other), is logged in but seems to be IOW." | ||||
| skg says, "Or AFK." | ||||
| Ghogg says, "neat" | ||||
| skg says, "(Correction: three authors--Heather Albano is the third. I don't know whether she's coming, though.)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "There's dfabulich" | ||||
| dfabulich arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| Nitku arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| dfabulich says, "I forget how to type into the clubfloyd channel :-p" | ||||
| Nitku says, "#clubfloyd hello and later ; hello again" | dfabulich says, "hello" | |||
| dfabulich exclaims, "Whew!" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "I'm afraid my elaborate scheme of a combination online/offline event may be in shambles" | ||||
| skg asks, "Why shambles?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Weather?" | ||||
| Alex says (to Jacqueline), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that The weather is funny." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Most of the people who RSVP'd to attend the SF Bay Area meetup have replied saying that they can't make it" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "We're having record-breaking thunderstorms" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "[LINK]" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "'"The record was .16 in 1947. We've already doubled it and it's still raining," meteorologist Ryan Walbrun said.'" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ah." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Now I feel doubly bad for not just running Broadsides last week :-p" | ||||
| skg asks, "No technical difficulties, though, I hope?" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "But I suppose it's fitting to play a Royal Navy game in the midst of a torrential downpour" | ||||
| canadianpuzzler asks, "Have you directed the no-shows to the IFmud, at least?" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Yup." | ||||
| canadianpuzzler says, "(At least your event had a built-in back-up plan.)" | ||||
| dfabulich -) | ||||
| dfabulich says, "er, :-)" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "I need to reboot my computer, brb" | ||||
| dfabulich goes home. | canadianpuzzler says, "(The umbrella emoticon was equally appropriate, fwiw.)" | |||
| skg exclaims, "Indeed!" | ||||
| dfabulich arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | skg says, "I am technically a no-show, for that matter (my excuse is that it's too wet outside for a little baby)" | |||
| dfabulich says, "That was fast" | ||||
| djfletch arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Jacqueline says, "I hate to say it, but I won't be too involved today, either. We are having a birding festival in town and one of the lecturers couldn't make it, and so I am hastily prepping for a presentation I have to give this afternoon on something I know a lot about, but haven't really presented on in years." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "And the talk is in a few hours." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Understood" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "We should probably have a designated driver for this game" | ||||
| skg says, "heh. All best for the talk" | ||||
| Allen says, "that's right! Give 'em the bird!" | ||||
| maga says, "don't worry, nobody will be terned away" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "If everybody randomly shouts out "..floyd c" then people might accidentally make two choices at once" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Allen&maga), "Actually, judging by where I am in the schedule I'm going to be surprised if more than 5 people show up, but I need to prep regardless, so." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But Perry is logging and all that good stuff, so..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Still, we'll need a driver. It could be dfabulich" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "While you shouldn't play, D, you could definitely be the one to do the input." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Unless someone else would like to." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Or you'd like someone else to do it." | ||||
| skg says, "I can't reliably--once the baby wakes up, I'll be semi-afk for a little while." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "I'm certainly willing to do it, but I'll yield to anybody else who would enjoy doing it" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of skg), "That's what Benedryl is for, right?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(kidding)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(I actually meant Sudafed)" | ||||
| skg ) | ||||
| skg:) | ||||
| Fang arrives, full of fun and funk. | ||||
| rockersuke arrives, ready to play with the toys. | dfabulich says, "So, I still have this ustream livestream set up, which we might use, or not" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, it's the top of the hour... unless you'd like to wait and see if some of your meatspace friends show, D." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "In principle it could be fun to have a separate reader and driver" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Let's give it another couple of minutes" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "The BART subway is delayed today, too" | ||||
| Fang says, "I've played broadsides before, but I assume we won't go the same route" | ||||
| skg says, "ustream chat doesn't load for me, possibly because I'm not logged into FB." | ||||
| skg says, "It's easier to keep chat in a single window (here), anyway." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Fang), "The odds are very slim that we'll make exactly the same choices" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to skg), "Good to know" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "hiya all! ustream chat is also nt working for e (but it's my first time there, so i have no idea how it actually works" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to rockersuke), "I also can't seem to figure out ustream chat" | ||||
| rootmos arrives, ready to play with the toys. | skg says, "Let's ignore ustream chat :)" | |||
| dfabulich says, "Good thing we've got this room :-)" | skg says, "You can see dfabulich typing madly, though, if you want." | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Hello" | * rootmos has joined the channel. | |||
| skg says, "[LINK]" | ||||
| skg says (to ahstrongmorse), "hi." | ||||
| rockersuke exclaims, "someone's coming... this is fun!" | ||||
| skg ahstrongmorse type #clubfloyd hello | ||||
| genericgeekgirl arrives, ready to play with the toys. | * Jacqueline has added ahstrongmorse to the channel. | |||
| dfabulich says, "We have a new challenger! :-)" | ||||
| skg kicks her own mistyping. | ||||
| jasonstevanhill arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jacqueline says (to ahstrongmorse), "Now try speaking on the channel." | |||
| jasonstevanhill asks, "can you see me now?" | * Jacqueline has added jasonstevanhill to the channel. | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "hello" | ||||
| jasonstevanhill says, "wowzers" | ||||
| skg waves to jasonstevanhill. | ||||
| rockersuke asks, "who's our new friend?" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to jasonstevanhill), ""Type #clubfloyd hello"" | Jacqueline says, "To speak on the channel, type #CLUBFLOYD HELLO WORLD to designate the channel, then once you've designated the channel on which you wish to speak, you can just type a semi-colon, such as ;HELLO AGAIN" | |||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Hello again to the channel!" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "OK, so I now think we'll actually try to use this ustream thing" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "For the purposes of our transcript, it's best if everyone speaks and emotes on the channel, and that only the game is seen in the room." | ||||
| dfabulich exclaims (at ahstrongmorse), "Hello!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, and to pose on channel you'd type ;:smiles." | ||||
| skg asks, "Mostly, ustream lets me hear dfabulich type noisily. FWIW. Also, hello, other person; have you a name?" | ||||
| Jacqueline smiles. | ||||
| skg says, "Other person is named Mike." | ||||
| rockersuke exclaims, "hi mike!" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Hi Mike!" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "So, I think the best best way is for me to be the driver and the reader" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "I'm surprised that I keep "exclaiming" things!" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "That way we can go at ustream pace" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse smiles. | ||||
| skg says, "It's the !." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Sounds great. I can't handle the stream from ustream... will it be recorded?" | ||||
| jasonstevanhill says, "how can I change my ifmud password? I'll never remember the one they gave me." | dfabulich exclaims, "Bang!" | |||
| DavidW arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline asks, "Such that I can link to it in the ClubFloyd transcript?" | |||
| Gunther says, "ustream can record shows and has urls for them yes" | ||||
| skg says, "I see an Ad by Google." | ||||
| rockersuke says, "all google ads I see are in japanese, nice" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I can't see a url overlay." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse asks, "Dan--should we prioritize having the video visible, or is it basically just so we can put faces on voices?" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Yes, there is." | ||||
| skg says, "Yeah. It's blurry but there. Good jbo." | ||||
| skg says, "Job." | ||||
| skg says, "Let's get moving, though." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "load broadsides" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | "Fire the starboard broadside!" shouts the Captain. Floyd | Floyd | Cannons roar as H.M.S. Courageous attacks the enemy frigate. As one of Floyd | the junior officers--really, more of an officer in training--you Floyd | command three guns on Courageous's main gun deck. The guns of the Floyd | battery next to yours fire, leaping back against the heavy ropes that Floyd | prevent them from smashing across the ship. Clouds of white smoke Floyd | billow about you as you give your gun crew the commands to ready your Floyd | battery's cannons: "Swab! Powder! Wadding! Shot! Run out the Floyd | guns!" Floyd | Floyd | The Captain yells out, "Fire as the guns bear!" You give your gun Floyd | crews orders to load and fire as quickly as they can, without waiting Floyd | for the rest of the broadside. Floyd | Floyd | They swab out the bore, push in a charge of powder, push wadding down Floyd | on the powder, load the shot, push the gun out through the gunport, and Floyd | fire the cannon, with you commanding each step of the process. "Swab, Floyd | powder, wadding, shot, fire! Swab, powder, wadding, shot--" Floyd | Floyd | The world turns upside down as the enemy's broadside rips through the Floyd | hull some ten feet away. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ahstrongmorse shrugs. "Looks pretty crisp to me, but YMMV." | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | As the enemy cannonball tears through the side of the ship, giant Floyd | splinters of wood fly through the air. One of the splinters, perhaps a Floyd | yard long, rips through the stomach of Davies, a sailor under your Floyd | command. A fragment of a cannon ball smashes Fisher's arm, mangling it Floyd | horribly. Your sailors seem stunned by the carnage, standing in shock Floyd | while Davies and Fisher scream in agony. Floyd | Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: Attend to the wounded personally--the safety of my sailors is my top Floyd | concern. Floyd | B: Give some quick orders for them to be taken to the surgeon in the Floyd | cockpit, then turn back to my duty in commanding the guns. Floyd | C: With a gut wound like that, Davies is done for, but Fisher can still Floyd | be saved. I order some sailors to take Fisher to the cockpit but leave Floyd | Davies on the deck to die. I need the extra sailors to use the guns Floyd | effectively. Floyd | D: My duty to the ship outweighs my duty to two sailors. I ignore the Floyd | wounded and concentrate on firing my guns as quickly and accurately as Floyd | I can. Floyd | | Jacqueline exclaims, "Looks like all is in order here, so I'm going to focus on prepping for my presentation this afternoon - have fun, everyone! I'll speak to you later about the transcript details, dfabulich (it's being logged, I just mean the details of what to include in the header wrt the ustream...). Bye!" | |||
| dfabulich asks, "votes?" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "b" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "B works for me, but no strong preference." | ||||
| Fang says, "Let's be ruthlessly efficient C" | ||||
| skg says, "Sure, B." | ||||
| Jacqueline waves and makes an isquiesque departure for home. | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > "Jones!" you shout, and a master's mate under your command looks at Floyd | you expectantly. "Take a team of sailors and get Davies and Fisher to Floyd | the surgeon." Floyd | Floyd | Your gun crew leaps into action and carries the wounded away. Their Floyd | screams continue to echo, but you do your best to put them out of your Floyd | mind and focus on the battle. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | We should take a moment here to establish a few important facts about Floyd | you. Floyd | Floyd | In this game, you take the role of a young officer in the Royal Navy of Floyd | "Albion" (an imaginary nation rather like England) fighting battles at Floyd | sea with "Gaul" in the time of the Napoleonic wars. Floyd | Floyd | But you're not just any young officer. Nobody knows it yet, but you're Floyd | going to be one of the most famous officers in all of Albion. The Floyd | "Naval Chronicle" will publish stories about you; sailors will tell Floyd | tall tales of your adventures; one day, if you're lucky, people will Floyd | write histories about you. Floyd | Floyd | Why? What makes you so notable? Floyd | Floyd | A: My skill in sailing ships. Floyd | B: My combat ability, both commanding the guns of a ship and with Floyd | pistol and sword. Floyd | C: My leadership--people instinctively follow me. Floyd | D: My high birth gives me strong patronage that will ensure that I Floyd | quickly rise to high command. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Fop! D!" | |||
| skg says, "Pragmatism says A." | ||||
| Fang exclaims, "leadership!" | ||||
| jasonstevanhill asks, "will being a ridiculous fop get us laid?" | rockersuke says, "b" | |||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Collect the complete set!" | ||||
| jasonstevanhill says, "I don't think I've ever gotten a wife." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > As the younger child of a minor peer, you have strong connections Floyd | both throughout the Royal Navy and even in Parliament itself. You can Floyd | always expect the best assignments and the most opportunity. Floyd | Floyd | What's your second most notable quality as a young officer? Floyd | Floyd | A: My skill in sailing ships. Floyd | B: My combat ability, both commanding the guns of a ship and with Floyd | pistol and sword. Floyd | C: My leadership--people instinctively follow me. Floyd | | DavidW says, "I don't see E: Fabulous moustache." | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Or we could go with whatever gets seconded." | ||||
| Fang asks, "I guess we are highborn, so leadership?" | ||||
| rockersuke exclaims, "b again!" | ||||
| jasonstevanhill exclaims, "Fabulous Mustache!" | Fang says, "could order around all the kids from nursery" | |||
| Fang says, "decide who lives, and who dies" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > As an officer, you are first and foremost a warrior, defending Albion Floyd | with your skill in battle. Floyd | Floyd | That tells us what you're good at, but you can't be perfect. What's Floyd | your greatest weakness as an officer? Floyd | Floyd | A: My skill in sailing ships. Floyd | B: My leadership--I have trouble getting people to obey me. Floyd | | skg says, "B." | |||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "Why not." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > You don't sail as well as you could, but after all, isn't that what Floyd | the sailing master and master's mates are for? Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Do you lead by knowing the correct action or by reading the people Floyd | around you? Do you sail based on knowledge of technique and expertise, Floyd | or through an able reliance on your sailors? In short, would you say Floyd | that you are characterized more by your intelligence or by your ability Floyd | to make people like you? Floyd | Floyd | A: Definitely my intelligence. Floyd | B: Mostly my intelligence, but I'm also likeable. Floyd | C: A little of each. Floyd | D: Mostly my skills with people, but also my intelligence. Floyd | E: Overwhelmingly my skills with people. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "I lean towards A." | |||
| Fang says, "I'd say D" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "E" | ||||
| rockersuke says, ";e" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | > Remember, you'll do better as an officer if you avoid situations that Floyd | strain your weaknesses, and pursue strategies that play to your Floyd | strengths. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | Ghogg says, "rely on others if he's weak on sailing" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "If we were smart, we'd be a better sailor and less good at leading." | ||||
| Ellison arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | This game is set in a fictional world, similar to our own but with some Floyd | differences. Floyd | Floyd | For example, perhaps the ships are crewed by women. You are a young Floyd | and gallant officer, but are you a young gentleman or a young lady? Floyd | Floyd | A: I'm a young gentleman, of course, and rather confused by the Floyd | question. Floyd | B: I'm a young lady. The idea of gentlemen going to sea and being Floyd | exposed to the horrors of combat--it's a frankly revolting idea. Floyd | | Fang says, "I kinda prefer A... I don't really like how the game implements the female route, I'm afriad" | |||
| Fang says, "*afraid" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I'm not sure I've ever played A except in playtesting." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > Of course, of course. The officers and crew of a Royal Navy ship are Floyd | all men. Let's move on. Floyd | Floyd | You are about nineteen years old now. When did you first go to sea as Floyd | a Midshipman? Floyd | Floyd | A: When I was 3 Floyd | B: When I was 10 Floyd | C: When I was 13 Floyd | D: When I was 16 Floyd | | skg says, "C" | |||
| DavidW says, "This whole intro setup is a bit unusual." | ||||
| dfabulich asks, "why so?" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > Thirteen is about the average age for a new midshipman. Floyd | Floyd | We'll need to know your surname. Floyd | Floyd | A: Leighton-Pierce Floyd | B: Villiers Floyd | C: Smythe Floyd | D: Brown Floyd | E: I don't like any of those names. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "A or B." | |||
| genericgeekgirl exclaims, "E!" | ||||
| skg says, "E." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Actually, it's the name of the Duke of Buckingham." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's just not often done. Usually the PC is either a blank slate, an everyperson, or someone already very specific and pre-chosen." | ||||
| skg says, "Going semi-afk :P" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A major historical figure." | ||||
| rockersuke says, "E call him ROCKERSUKE :-p" | ||||
| Fang says (to DW), "it's kinda the way choice of * does things" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "It may also show up in Aubrey, of course." | ||||
| skg says, "I'm okay with 'Rockersuke'" | ||||
| genericgeekgirl says, "Oh, fine. A." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | > Very well then. What is your surname? Floyd | Floyd | >Type Something | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "Rockersuke" | ||||
Floyd | A very respectable name, in light of your class, of course. What about Floyd | your given name? Floyd | Floyd | A: Henry Floyd | B: Richard Floyd | C: William Floyd | D: Edward Floyd | E: Horatio Floyd | F: Something else. Floyd | | rockersuke D | |||
| skg says, "That's traditional enough for IF :) (okay, really going semi-afk for a bit now)" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Edward Rockersuke works for me." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > Excellent. As the game begins, your officer may be described as Floyd | follows: Floyd | Floyd | Name: Mr. Midshipman Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Age: 19 Floyd | Sailing: 27% Floyd | Gunnery: 63% Floyd | Leadership: 63% Floyd | Fighting: 70% Floyd | Patronage: 80% Floyd | Tact: 82% Floyd | Likeability: 80% Floyd | Honor: 55% Floyd | Courage: 50% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 43% Floyd | Intelligence: 20% Floyd | Wealth: 60% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | With that out of the way, let's get back to the battle. You've dealt Floyd | with the injured, in a fashion. Now, you need to keep firing your Floyd | guns. But in the midst of all the excitement. . . what's the next Floyd | step? Floyd | Floyd | A: Swab the bore. Floyd | B: Ram in the powder. Floyd | C: Place the wadding on the powder. Floyd | D: Load the shot. Floyd | E: Run out the gun and fire. Floyd | F: I have no idea . . . Floyd | | DavidW says, "my goodness. Stats." | |||
| jasonstevanhill says, "FIRE" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | > "Run out the gun!" you yell. As the gun carriage bounces on the hull Floyd | of the ship, you shout, "Fire!" One of the ratings touches the fuse to Floyd | the powder, and the gun leaps back with a roar. You were correct and Floyd | kept your gun firing as quickly as possible. Your able performance has Floyd | helped your ship win the battle. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ahstrongmorse says, "I know the answer, so I'm not going to say." | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The battle rages on, but finally the Gaulish ship hauls down its colors Floyd | and surrenders. Floyd | Floyd | In the aftermath of the battle, a young midshipman runs up to you. Floyd | "Captain's compliments, sir, and he asks you to report to the Floyd | quarterdeck." Floyd | Floyd | When you get to the quarterdeck, the Captain looks over at you. "Mr. Floyd | Rockersuke! I'm rating you as an acting-lieutenant. Take a section of Floyd | twenty men across to the prize and assume command. Make any necessary Floyd | repairs and set sail for any Albionish port." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir! Thank you, sir!" You quickly gather your men and head Floyd | across on your first command. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | As you prepare to leave Courageous, you run into Mr. Bryce, the second Floyd | lieutenant. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, well, well! 'Acting-Lieutenant' Rockersuke!" he says, grinning Floyd | widely and slapping you on the back. "I know you'll do smashingly with Floyd | your first command; I have the utmost confidence in you!" Floyd | Floyd | "Thank you, sir," you reply, touching your hat in salute. Floyd | Floyd | Just at that moment, first lieutenant Pigot rounds the corner. "Mr. Floyd | Rockersuke," he remarks, somewhat stiffly. "Fine piece of luck you've Floyd | had." Floyd | Floyd | Pigot, with over twenty-five years experience, is by far the most Floyd | senior lieutenant on board--perhaps in the whole fleet--but it's not to Floyd | his credit. He's too incompetent to earn a promotion to commander; he's Floyd | watched countless younger, more competent lieutenants pass him by, Floyd | while he racks up years of "valuable experience." All he has to show Floyd | for it is the power to boss the other lieutenants around imperiously, Floyd | and he rarely misses an opportunity. Floyd | Floyd | "Luck has not a bit to do with it, I say!" Bryce counters cheerfully. Floyd | "Well, go on then! Don't want to keep the prize waiting!" Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir!" Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You make your way across to the prize ship with your detachment of 20 Floyd | men. You are the only officer, but you have Jones, a master's mate, Floyd | with you as your second-in-command. The Gaulish ship is a 36-gun Floyd | frigate--a square-rigged three-masted ship with an ordinary crew Floyd | complement of some 250 men. Your detachment of 20 will be sufficient Floyd | to sail the prize, of course. Warships carry much larger crews than Floyd | similarly sized merchant ships because of the need to staff the Floyd | broadsides, as well as to have men available for detached duties such Floyd | as prize crews. And, of course, the larger crew size allows for a Floyd | substantial number of casualties before the ship is incapacitated. Floyd | Floyd | The long and the short of it is that you can fairly easily sail the Floyd | frigate, but your prisoners outnumber you roughly 10 to 1, even taking Floyd | into account the substantial losses they took before striking their Floyd | colors. As you arrive, you quickly send some of your men to bring the Floyd | prisoners below and to lock them in the hold, where they will spend the Floyd | rest of the voyage. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | A Gaulish officer, no more than a few years older than yourself, Floyd | approaches you and offers his sword in surrender. He addresses you in Floyd | Gaulish. Floyd | Floyd | Given your social class, your tutors taught you Gaulish as a matter of Floyd | course. You understand him perfectly, and can reply with an almost Floyd | native accent if you choose. Floyd | Floyd | "I believe you are the officer of the prize party, sir?" he says. Floyd | Floyd | Do you deign to respond to him in Gaulish? Floyd | Floyd | A: Yes, anything else would be churlish and unworthy of a gentleman. Floyd | B: Yes. He may not understand my language and it will be useful to Floyd | open communication with him. Floyd | C: No. I may have the opportunity to overhear useful information if Floyd | the prisoners do not know I speak their language. Floyd | D: No. We defeated them, and we will make them behave on our terms. Floyd | | ||||
| canadianpuzzler inserts an extra S into the 'exits' sign, then changes his mind and removes it. He disappears. | rockersuke says, "A" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A" | ||||
| Fang exclaims, "D!" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | genericgeekgirl says, "D" | |||
Floyd | > "I am. Acting-Lieutenant Edward Rockersuke of H.M.S. Courageous." Floyd | Floyd | "I am Lieutenant Villeneuve of the Gaulish Republican Navy. During the Floyd | battle, the more senior lieutenants were all killed, and the Captain Floyd | suffered a wound that incapacitated him shortly after we struck our Floyd | colors. I am now the senior active officer of this ship." Floyd | Floyd | "I understand, sir," you reply. "You understand that we now command Floyd | this prize?" Floyd | Floyd | He nods. "Alas, I do. I offer you my parole, sir." With that, Floyd | Villeneuve has promised not to seek to escape, and not to interfere in Floyd | your efforts to steer the ship. Floyd | Floyd | Do you accept Lieutenant Villeneuve's parole? Floyd | Floyd | A: Of course! He is a gentleman and would never think of breaking his Floyd | word. Floyd | B: I suppose. He's probably less dangerous after giving his parole Floyd | than in the hold trying to escape. I'm not returning his sword, Floyd | though. Floyd | C: Normally, I would, but given how few men I have, I cannot afford to. Floyd | D: He is a captive and one of the enemy. Into the hold with him! Floyd | | maga says, ">TWIRL MOUSTACHE. RAISE EYEBROW" | |||
| Fang exclaims, "D!" | ||||
| Fang says, "GODDAMN FRENCHIES" | ||||
| skg says, "A" | ||||
| skg asks, "we're a fo, right?" | ||||
| maga says, ">ZUT ALORS" | ||||
| skg says, "fop" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "A!" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > You laugh as he finishes his request. "You are a prisoner like any Floyd | other, your rank notwithstanding." Floyd | Floyd | He looks frankly shocked. "But. . . but we are both gentlemen. . . Floyd | Our militaries have always accepted the parole of opposing officers!" Floyd | Floyd | "Jones!" you call to your master's mate. "Take this Gaul below and Floyd | lock him in the hold with the rest of the enemy." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir!" responds Jones, with more than a little vicious Floyd | enthusiasm. Floyd | Floyd | Jones smiles as he returns to the deck. "The Gaulish officer is in the Floyd | hold, sir. It's nice to know that after all the suffering they put us Floyd | through--and the deaths of good men like Davies--that they'll get a Floyd | taste of suffering on the way back to Albion. It can't be too nice Floyd | being cooped up in that hold without any daylight. I reckon it will Floyd | take us a week or two to make it back to Albion." Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | A few days later, one of you crew passes the word that Lieutenant Floyd | Villeneuve has a question for you. Floyd | Floyd | "Sir," he inquires, "may we have access to some additional medical Floyd | supplies? A member of our crew has suffered a compound fracture; Floyd | without further attention, he may die." Floyd | Floyd | A: Provide medical supplies. Floyd | B: Deny medical supplies. Floyd | | genericgeekgirl says, "A" | |||
| skg says, "A" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "Thank you, sir. Thank you." Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The next several days pass smoothly. You get used to the routine of Floyd | the passing watches, even with the new experience of commanding the Floyd | prize ship. The process of trimming the sails, taking your bearings, Floyd | and setting the course is nerve-wracking--never before have your Floyd | decisions been the final word, leading a ship either on a safe and Floyd | direct course to your destination or towards disaster. But the weather Floyd | is blessedly easy, with a steady breeze but clear skies, and you go Floyd | through the process, relying on your training and your experience. Floyd | Floyd | On the fifth day, Jones comes to you with a disturbing piece of news. Floyd | "I've found something below deck that I need to bring to your Floyd | attention, sir." Floyd | Floyd | "What is it, Jones?" Floyd | Floyd | "We're taking in water in the hold. We'd missed the hole at first Floyd | because it's beneath the waterline." Floyd | Floyd | Sure enough, he's right. You order your crew to start pumping out the Floyd | water; with Jones's help, you manage to patch the hole in time to Floyd | prevent any further damage to the ship. Floyd | Floyd | Why do you think Jones pointed out the damage to you? Floyd | Floyd | A: He did it out of duty. Floyd | B: He did it to get on my good side. Floyd | C: He did it to save his own neck. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "But they're still "frogs."" | |||
| ahstrongmorse asks, "Or maybe they're toads?" | ||||
| skg says, "c" | ||||
| Fang says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > Perhaps you're right. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | rockersuke says, "C" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | On the sixth day, one of your men calls down to the deck. "Sail to Floyd | lee!" Floyd | Floyd | "What sort of ship is it?" you call back, as you search with your Floyd | spyglass. Floyd | Floyd | After a minute, the sailor calls back, "She looks to be a Gaulish Floyd | sloop-of-war, sir." Floyd | Floyd | A sloop-of-war. . . That presents you with a difficult choice. A sloop Floyd | carries no more than 20 guns, and often fewer. What's more, a sloop's Floyd | guns will be of lighter weight than those of a frigate. If you had a Floyd | full crew, you could easily capture her. But with only a prize crew at Floyd | your disposal, the sloop would have a much greater rate of fire and Floyd | substantially larger number of men. Floyd | Floyd | How do you want to handle this? Floyd | Floyd | A: Engage the enemy sloop directly. Floyd | B: Attempt to capture the enemy sloop through a clever ambush. Floyd | C: Avoid the enemy sloop--it's not worth risking the more valuable Floyd | prize in a battle that would likely go badly. Floyd | | Fang says, "C" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "stats" | ||||
Floyd | > Name: Mr. Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Rank: Acting lieutenant Floyd | Seniority: 0 years Floyd | Age: 19 Floyd | Sailing: 27% Floyd | Gunnery: 66% Floyd | Leadership: 63% Floyd | Fighting: 70% Floyd | Patronage: 82% Floyd | Tact: 83% Floyd | Likeability: 81% Floyd | Honor: 47% Floyd | Courage: 50% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 43% Floyd | Intelligence: 28% Floyd | Wealth: 60% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >OK | rockersuke says, "B" | |||
| Fang exclaims, "but we aren't clever!" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "So A or C then." | ||||
| Fang says, "we're too foppish to risk ourselves in an actual battle" | ||||
| skg says, "A" | ||||
| maga says, "so try a stupid ambush, duh" | ||||
| skg says, "oh, right. C" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "I think we were raised to believe in duty!" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "i retract a" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Yeah, I think I lost. :)" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | A: Engage the enemy sloop directly. Floyd | B: Attempt to capture the enemy sloop through a clever ambush. Floyd | C: Avoid the enemy sloop--it's not worth risking the more valuable Floyd | prize in a battle that would likely go badly. Floyd | | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > You do your best to evade them, but the sloop's commander realizes Floyd | that you are not sailing like a Royal Navy frigate would. He claws his Floyd | way towards you, tacking and taking advantage of a sloop's generally Floyd | better maneuverability. Your only real advantage is a higher speed Floyd | running before the wind, but running before the wind takes you ever Floyd | closer to the enemy. You haven't the skill at sailing to avoid him. Floyd | There is no choice for it--you will have to fight to defend your prize. Floyd | Floyd | As your ship and the sloop close with each other, you time the order to Floyd | open fire with the guns carefully. Your small crew has had the time to Floyd | load the entire starboard broadside once, one cannon at a time, but you Floyd | know that they will not have that luxury again. You have no choice but Floyd | to endure some long range cannon fire from the sloop--since you will Floyd | only have one opportunity, you need to make the most of it. Floyd | Floyd | Finally, you decide that the moment is right. You bring the ship Floyd | around in a tight turn, presenting the starboard broadside directly Floyd | towards the enemy sloop. You run from gun to gun, giving the order to Floyd | fire each one as it bears on the enemy sloop. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | maga says, "it's out duty to seize their booty" | |||
| smartgenes arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | maga says, "(s/out/our, and apologies)" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | As the cloud of smoke from your broadside clears, you can see that the Floyd | Gaulish sloop is damaged, but not badly. The sloop answers your Floyd | broadside with one of its own--its guns are light, but splinters still Floyd | kill three of your men. The enemy captain seems to have understood the Floyd | situation and maneuvers to board your prize ship. Floyd | Floyd | Now for the moment of truth: Do you rally your crew for a desperate Floyd | melee, hoping to somehow prevail despite being badly outnumbered, do Floyd | you strike your colors and surrender, or do you try to flee despite Floyd | having brought your ship deep within the enemy's range? Floyd | Floyd | A: We will never surrender while we still live! Floyd | B: We did our best, but now we have no choice but to surrender. Floyd | C: Escape is our only hope! Make all sail! Floyd | | ahstrongmorse exclaims, "A!" | |||
| rockersuke says, "C" | ||||
| skg says, "a, because we're a dumb fop" | ||||
| jasonstevanhill says, "A" | ahstrongmorse says, "Given what we did to the prisoners, surrendering will go badly for us. :)" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > You do your best to rally your crew, but it's obvious even to you Floyd | that they are unwilling to fight (and likely to die) against Floyd | overwhelming odds. As the Gaulish boarders cross over from their sloop Floyd | to your prize ship, you fight them almost alone. You charge at the Floyd | enemy swinging your sword, but you are quickly surrounded. Despite Floyd | your best efforts, they knock your sword aside and stab you, driving Floyd | you to the deck. After you fall, your surviving men promptly throw down Floyd | their weapons. You survive, although it is a close thing, and some Floyd | months before you recover fully. The Gaulish have recaptured your Floyd | prize, and your first command has ended in failure. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You spend the next several years in a Gaulish prison. You are not Floyd | mistreated, precisely, but it's still a terrible experience. Finally, Floyd | after years of waiting, you and your men are exchanged for some Gaulish Floyd | prisoners. Floyd | Floyd | You finally return to H.M.S. Courageous, only to discover that the Floyd | Captain has removed your status as an acting-lieutenant for failing to Floyd | deliver the prize safely home. You resume service as a midshipman. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You return to your duties as a midshipman on H.M.S. Courageous. The Floyd | days pass much as before. You study under the ship's master, you run Floyd | errands for the officers, and you command your small section of men in Floyd | routine tasks. As a year passes, you have the opportunity to practice Floyd | various skills that you expect to be tested on in the lieutenant Floyd | examination. Which of your skills do you devote the most effort to Floyd | training? Floyd | Floyd | A: Sailing. Floyd | B: Gunnery. Floyd | C: Fighting with sword and pistol. Floyd | D: Leading the men of the ship. Floyd | E: Currying favor with my superiors. Floyd | | maga exclaims, "they made us drink... *table* wine! And pain au chocolat without coffee!" | |||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "a" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > An excellent choice. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Finally, it is time for your lieutenant examination. You dress in your Floyd | finest uniform and head over to a ship of the line, H.M.S. Dreadnought, Floyd | where a board of captains has convened to examine a plethora of Floyd | acting-lieutenants and midshipmen on the finer points of naval skill. Floyd | Those who pass are promoted to lieutenant. Those who fail must spend Floyd | at least another year at sea before trying again. Floyd | Floyd | After an interminable wait, your name is called and you present Floyd | yourself to the trio of captains. They take a perfunctory look at your Floyd | papers and then launch into the examination. Floyd | Floyd | Captain Fitzroy--a middle-aged captain with a particularly hard cast to Floyd | his face--begins questioning you on gunnery. "How many ounces of Floyd | powder should be loaded into a long 8?" Floyd | Floyd | You immediately rattle off the correct answer. Floyd | Floyd | The examination continues, and your answers continue to please the Floyd | captains. After a relatively short examination, they confer privately Floyd | and then inform you that you have passed the examination. Floyd | Congratulations! You are now a lieutenant. Your responsibilities as a Floyd | lieutenant are much greater, and your duties have changed Floyd | significantly. Where previously you were often on deck as an assistant Floyd | for the officer of the watch, you now take your turns as an officer of Floyd | the watch. Your duties studying under the ship's master have Floyd | completely ended. And where you previously commanded a small group of Floyd | guns, you now command a broadside. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "Ten minutes before eight bells, sir," the quartermaster reports. A Floyd | steady breeze pulls your ship inevitably west, bound for Kingsport. Floyd | Floyd | "Very good," you say. "Pipe the watch below." Floyd | Floyd | The first lieutenant, Mr. Pigot, arrives promptly to relieve you of Floyd | your dog watch. Floyd | Floyd | "I relieve you, Mr. Rockersuke." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir. I stand relieved. Good night, sir." Floyd | Floyd | "Good night, Mr. Rockersuke." Floyd | Floyd | Not long after, you find yourself lying in your cot, drifting off to Floyd | sleep. Soon, you begin to dream. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ahstrongmorse says, "Please. We're now a "leftenant."" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "We're Albionish not Gaulish." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You find yourself sitting for your lieutenant's examination. Three Floyd | gigantic captains are looking down at you with terrible grins, larger Floyd | than life. Floyd | Floyd | "Good day, Mr. Rockersuke. My first question to you is as follows. Floyd | You are in temporary command of a 36-gun ship, returning to Albion with Floyd | maximum haste. The wind is with you, and you are at full sail. The Floyd | barometer reports a sudden drop in pressure. What do you do next?" Floyd | Floyd | A: I don't know the answer! I'm going to fail the exam! Floyd | B: Stammer and stall for time. Floyd | C: Make something up. Floyd | D: Admit that I don't know. Floyd | | skg says, "b" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > The captains laugh cruelly. "Failing the exam already, Rockersuke? Floyd | Any officer would know that a sudden drop in pressure indicates the Floyd | arrival of a major storm! By the time you'd reef the sails, you'd Floyd | probably lose a mast!" Floyd | Floyd | "Here is your next question," the second captain says. Floyd | Floyd | "You are in temporary command of a 36-gun ship, returning to Albion Floyd | with maximum haste. The wind is with you, and you are at full sail. Floyd | The barometer reports a sudden drop in pressure. What do you do next?" Floyd | Floyd | A: Didn't you just ask me this question? Floyd | B: A strong wind is coming. Let out more sail to pick up speed. Floyd | C: Cut holes in the sail to maintain speed through the weather. Floyd | D: We're about to be calmed. Prepare oars for rowing. Floyd | E: Oh no! All of these answers are incorrect! Floyd | | rockersuke says, "C" | |||
| skg says, "c" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > The captains shriek with laughter, chilling your bones. "Even the Floyd | most novice seaman would know that a drop in barometric pressure means Floyd | an oncoming squall! You should have chosen to furl the sail!" Floyd | Floyd | "This is your final question," the third captain says, disapprovingly. Floyd | Floyd | "You are in temporary command of a 36-gun ship, returning to Albion Floyd | with maximum haste. The wind is with you, and you are at full sail. Floyd | The barometer reports a sudden drop in pressure. What do you do next?" Floyd | Floyd | A: A storm is coming. Furl the sail to avoid disaster. Floyd | B: A storm is coming. Furl the sail to avoid disaster. Floyd | C: A storm is coming. Furl the sail to avoid disaster. Floyd | D: A storm is coming. Furl the sail to avoid disaster. Floyd | | smartgenes says, "a choose your own adventure adventure" | |||
| ahstrongmorse laughs. | ||||
| skg laughs. | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > "Mr. Rockersuke, you have officially failed this lieutenant Floyd | examination. This is the worst performance I have ever seen in an Floyd | acting-lieutenant. Furthermore, it is the unanimous agreement of the Floyd | examination board that you shall be disrated and pressed into service Floyd | as an ordinary sailor. Good day, 'Mister' Rockersuke!" Floyd | Floyd | You awake with a start. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Drowsily, you can hear Pigot call the watch; it's midnight. The ship Floyd | is heaving erratically. As you yawn deeply, your ears pop. The Floyd | pressure has changed. Floyd | Floyd | A: Fall back asleep. Floyd | B: Send word above deck. Floyd | C: Go above deck. Floyd | | Ghogg says, "har" | |||
| DavidW says, "deja vu" | ||||
| skg says, "c" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > By the time you get yourself dressed and on deck, you find that Floyd | things are already going to hell. Last night's steady breeze has Floyd | become a gale; you feel the mist of rain on your cheek. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Rockersuke," says Pigot, greeting you formally. It's hard to see Floyd | clearly, but you think you can spy Jones up in the riggings, along with Floyd | two other men. Floyd | Floyd | A: Tell Pigot to furl the sail. Floyd | B: Politely bring up the weather and ask what he suggests. Floyd | C: Go back to bed. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "I think i like ;C" | |||
| skg says, "a" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "a." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > No, no, no. You can't just tell Pigot what to do! He's your Floyd | commanding officer. This violates every protocol of the Royal Navy! Floyd | Floyd | A: To hell with protocol! He could get us all killed! Floyd | B: Firmly insist that he furl the sail. Floyd | C: Politely bring up the weather and ask what he suggests. Floyd | | skg asks, "b?" | |||
| Alex says (to skg), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that B IS B." | ||||
| Ghogg says, "hmmm....c. if he says no furl then you can insist I'm guessing" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > Pigot laughs. "You came all the way up here to tell me that?" Floyd | Floyd | "I've already got the men furling the sail! What do you take me for?" Floyd | Floyd | Just at that moment, Captain Kent appears from his cabin. "Captain on Floyd | deck!" yells Pigot. Floyd | Floyd | Just then, Jones falls from the riggings of the mizzen mast. Another Floyd | sailor reaches out to catch him; the wind shrieks and the ship groans Floyd | and leans precipitously. You hear a pop as someone's arm dislocates. Floyd | Before anyone can say a word, both sailors have fallen to the deck, one Floyd | of them killed instantly on impact. Floyd | Floyd | The Captain takes over from here. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | After breakfast, all the officers of the ship gather together in the Floyd | Captain's cabin. Floyd | Floyd | Pigot takes a moment to turn to you and hiss, "What were you trying to Floyd | do last night--make it seem to everyone that I don't know my job? Floyd | You'll pay for your insolence." Floyd | Floyd | You have no opportunity to defend yourself before the Captain calls for Floyd | everyone's attention. Floyd | Floyd | "My question for you, Mr. Pigot," the Captain says, "is: why were there Floyd | still men on the riggings when the storm arrived?" Floyd | Floyd | "I could see from on deck that Master's Mate Jones hadn't reefed the Floyd | sail correctly," replies Pigot, "so I ordered the men to return aloft Floyd | to secure it properly." Floyd | Floyd | The Captain counters, "Jones says that you gave the order to reef the Floyd | sail too late, and that he and Wilson were already under heavy Floyd | weather." Floyd | Floyd | "With all due respect, sir, Jones is an insubordinate and unskilled Floyd | master's mate. I'm not surprised he has invented an excuse. I gave Floyd | the order when it was needed." Floyd | Floyd | A: Support Jones. Floyd | B: Support Pigot. Floyd | C: Stay out of it. Floyd | | skg says, "a" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "mike votes b" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "Sir," you interject, "may I ask a question?" Floyd | Floyd | "Certainly," Pigot replies nervously. Floyd | Floyd | "The storm arrived quickly, as you said. How and when did you know Floyd | that the sails needed to be reefed?" Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Rockersuke, you must be quite inexperienced to have to ask such a Floyd | question. I knew the sails had to be reefed immediately when the wind Floyd | picked up and the rain set in." Floyd | Floyd | "And not when the barometric pressure dropped?" asks the Captain. Floyd | Floyd | There is a brief silence, as everyone in the room realizes that Pigot Floyd | has just admitted to a serious blunder. He turns red with rage and Floyd | embarrassment. Floyd | Floyd | "I gave the order at the right time!" he insists, banging his fist on Floyd | the table. "I demand that Jones be flogged for his error reefing the Floyd | sails." Floyd | Floyd | "I'm sure he did the best he could, under the circumstances," you Floyd | suggest. Floyd | Floyd | "But his best was simply not good enough, and now two men are dead." Floyd | The Captain is silent for a moment, then says, "Mr. Pigot, I will not Floyd | mention you by name in my report on this to the Admiralty, but I will Floyd | remember this as I prepare future reports. As for Jones, the bosun Floyd | will administer twenty lashes under Mr. Pigot's supervision." Floyd | Floyd | Bryce pipes up, "Jones is still under the care of Dr. Miller." Floyd | Floyd | "Very well; his punishment will be postponed until such time as Dr. Floyd | Miller agrees to allow it. You are dismissed." Floyd | Floyd | Once you're both out of earshot, Pigot leans in to whisper to you: Floyd | "Mark my words, Rockersuke: your career in the Navy is well and truly Floyd | finished!" Floyd | Floyd | >Next | Fang says, "What a curr" | |||
| smartgenes goes home. | ||||
| smartgenes has disconnected. | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | As soon as he's able to walk, Jones is laid out for twenty lashes. Floyd | Pigot has the bosun beat him as hard as he can; he's immediately Floyd | returned to the surgeon's care. Floyd | Floyd | Later that night, a midshipman wakes you from very deep sleep. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Pigot's compliments, sir, and he's passing the word for you." Floyd | Floyd | Because he is senior to you, you have no choice but to report when he Floyd | sends for you. You stagger out of bed, quickly pull on your uniform, Floyd | and make your way to the deck, where Mr. Pigot awaits you with a nasty Floyd | smile. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Rockersuke, did the weather change at all during your watch?" Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, sir," you reply, as clearly as you are able, "the wind changed Floyd | twice during the evening. At the end of my watch the wind was Floyd | favorable." Floyd | Floyd | "Very well. You are dismissed." Floyd | Floyd | What an odd question. Couldn't he have gathered this information from Floyd | the log? Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| rockersuke gets bored and wanders off to the Toyshop. | ||||
| rockersuke arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You find that you're a bit tired the following day. You find it Floyd | difficult to avoid yawning disrespectfully, but you're in the Royal Floyd | Navy; you can manage it. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | But two days later, Pigot wakes you up again, in the middle of your Floyd | sleep cycle. Floyd | Floyd | "How many times did you throw the chip log to measure speed?" he asks. Floyd | Floyd | "Uh, three times, sir," you slur. Floyd | Floyd | "Come again, Mr. Rockersuke?" Floyd | Floyd | "Sir, I said three times." Floyd | Floyd | "I see. Mr. Rockersuke, in my opinion, you appear to be inebriated Floyd | with rum." Floyd | Floyd | "Sir, no sir." It's almost three bells; you're exhausted, but you're Floyd | not drunk. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, I'll see to it that this won't happen again. You're not to have Floyd | another drop of rum until my order, is that clear?" Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir." Floyd | Floyd | "You are dismissed, Mr. Rockersuke." Floyd | Floyd | Pigot wakes you again three days later, to ask whether the Captain gave Floyd | you any standing orders that he should be aware of as the next Floyd | watchstanding officer. Floyd | Floyd | And again two days after that. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Mr. Pigot wakes you at least once every two or three days for the next Floyd | three weeks; sometimes he takes the opportunity to lecture for an hour Floyd | on the importance of respect and good discipline on a ship. He's doing Floyd | everything in his authority to make your life hell. Floyd | Floyd | The following evening, you catch yourself nearly falling asleep on Floyd | duty--an offense punishable by death. Floyd | Floyd | A: Try to apologize to Pigot. Floyd | B: Ask Mr. Bryce what to do about this. Floyd | C: Complain directly to the Captain. Floyd | D: Tough it out. Floyd | | skg says, "d" | |||
| rockersuke says, "D" | ||||
| skg says, "our fop hasn't had a baby, apparently" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > The next night, Pigot wakes you again at three bells. The following Floyd | afternoon, you catch yourself dozing during duty. It couldn't have Floyd | been more than a few seconds; no one appears to have noticed this time. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| jasonstevanhill asks, "Uh... aren't we a fop?" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | As you head below deck, you see a handful of sailors whispering Floyd | together. As soon as they catch sight of you, they stop abruptly and Floyd | go their separate ways. Floyd | Floyd | What do you think they're whispering about? Floyd | Floyd | A: It's harmless gossip. Floyd | B: They're planning a mutiny. Floyd | | ||||
| skg says (to jasonstevanhill), "Yes." | rockersuke says, "B" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > What do you plan to do about it? Floyd | Floyd | A: Loudly ask what they were whispering about. Floyd | B: Pull one of them aside to ask what they were whispering about. Floyd | C: Tell someone about the whispering. Floyd | D: Do nothing. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "B" | |||
| Ghogg says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > "Allen, may I have a word with you?" Floyd | Floyd | You move a little closer to your cabin. "What was that little Floyd | gathering about?" Floyd | Floyd | "With all due respect, sir, I don't think you want to know." Floyd | Floyd | A: Swear to secrecy. Floyd | B: I don't think I want to know. Floyd | C: Threaten Allen. Floyd | | Fang says, "B" | |||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "a" | ||||
| Fang asks, "it's probably a surprise party, right?" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "hee hee" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "You can swear up and down, but there's nothing to tell you. Sir." He Floyd | emphasizes the word "sir" oddly. Floyd | Floyd | A: I don't think I want to know. Floyd | B: Threaten Allen Floyd | | Fang says, "A" | |||
| skg says, "a" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "Maybe it's best if I don't know." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye, sir. Aye aye, sir." Floyd | Floyd | Are you really going to ignore a potentially murderous mutinous Floyd | assembly? Why? Floyd | Floyd | A: It might not really be a mutiny. Floyd | B: If one of my superior officers dies, I'll advance in the ranks. Floyd | C: The hierarchy on this ship is fundamentally unjust. Floyd | | Fang says, "A :)" | |||
| skg says, "b" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "hm, A." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > We'll see about that, won't we? Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | A few days later, another major storm hits. At almost four bells, you Floyd | find yourself wide awake, entirely against your will. Unable to return Floyd | to sleep, you pull on your uniform and go above deck for some fresh Floyd | air. Floyd | Floyd | On deck, you encounter a most unusual sight. The sky is pouring icy Floyd | rain. Mr. Pigot is wrestling with two sailors on the edge of the deck. Floyd | They are trying to push him overboard; they are trying to murder him. Floyd | Floyd | Another sailor is on deck, watching the fight, but not involved. Floyd | You're pretty sure he hasn't noticed you yet. Floyd | Floyd | A: Save Pigot's life. Floyd | B: Return below deck for some much-needed sleep. Floyd | | Fang says, "B :-D" | |||
| skg says, "...b" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > In a tragic "accident," Pigot falls overboard, lost at sea. Floyd | Floyd | How do you feel about Pigot's death? Floyd | Floyd | A: Saddened. Floyd | B: Frightened. Floyd | C: Angry. Floyd | D: Relieved. Floyd | E: Happy. Floyd | F: Nothing. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "D" | |||
| Ghogg says, "D." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "D" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > Mr. Bryce, now the first lieutenant, asks you privately, "Mr. Floyd | Rockersuke, do you really think it was an accident?" Floyd | Floyd | A: "Yes, I'm sure it was an accident." Floyd | B: "No, I don't think it was an accident." Floyd | | Fang says, "A" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "B" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "B" | ||||
| Fang says, "cackle" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "bit of lag here" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "I suppose you're right." Life aboard Courageous slowly returns to Floyd | normal--running much more smoothly under Bryce's hand than under Floyd | Pigot's. Months pass. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The tropical sun is hot even through your hat, and it glares painfully Floyd | off the water. Through your stinging eyes, you can see looming up ahead Floyd | the cliffs of a little island--a tiny place, uninhabited according to Floyd | the charts. About halfway between the prow of Courageous and the Floyd | island, the sea is marked by the white canvas sail of a Gaulish Floyd | merchant ship--streaking towards the island as fast as she can go, Floyd | running desperately away from Courageous's pursuit. Floyd | Floyd | "More sail!" the Captain commands. Floyd | Floyd | Immediately the men jump to obey, feet pounding on the deck and shouts Floyd | echoing from the rigging. Canvas snaps and billows overheard. Floyd | Floyd | But you can tell it isn't enough. The little Gaulish ship is faster Floyd | under the light wind, and has too great a head start. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "I do not think we can catch her," you say quietly to Bryce. Floyd | Floyd | "We must catch her," Bryce replies, "before she gets much nearer shore. Floyd | We can't manuever Courageous in those shallow waters--" Floyd | Floyd | And, indeed, before very long the Captain is forced to call off Floyd | pursuit, citing just that reason. Courageous stays a safe distance out, Floyd | in deep water. You and many others stare resentfully at the escaped Floyd | prize--nestled against shore in the company of another Gaulish merchant Floyd | vessel, one that was already there. The Gauls must use this island Floyd | often for resupply. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Bryce! Mr. Rockersuke!" the Captain's voice cuts through your Floyd | reverie. "In my cabin, if you please!" Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "We can hold them pinned here indefinitely," the Captain says, "but we Floyd | can't get close enough to engage them directly. Which means a Floyd | cutting-out expedition is called for." A group of men will be sent to Floyd | approach the merchant ships in the dead of night, board them secretly, Floyd | take them over, and sail them away from the island as prizes. Floyd | Floyd | "There are two ships, so our force will be divided in two. Mr. Bryce, Floyd | you will command one half; Mr. Rockersuke, you will command the other. Floyd | Expect that each enemy ship has a complement of thirty men. You will Floyd | each have forty under your command." Floyd | Floyd | Few lieutenants get such a chance to prove their capabilities. If you Floyd | are able to pull this off, it will be a significant boost to your Floyd | career. Floyd | Floyd | So how are you feeling about this? Floyd | Floyd | A: Thrilled. I have been waiting for this sort of opportunity for a Floyd | while now. I have no doubt at all I will succeed brilliantly and Floyd | impress the Captain. Floyd | B: Determined. This is going to be difficult, but I will give it Floyd | everything I have and hope that is enough. Floyd | C: Terrified. If I am NOT able to pull this off, it could represent a Floyd | signficant setback to my career! Isn't that just like the Navy, to put Floyd | you into positions where there is only a tiny chance of success, and Floyd | then punish you for failure? I wish the Captain had chosen someone Floyd | else. Floyd | | Ghogg asks, "ok, give a moment to read?" | |||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "hm...B." | ||||
| skg says, "b" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > That's the spirit! Floyd | Floyd | You give serious thought to how you will organize your men, and then Floyd | you go to brief the ones who have been assigned to you. They consist of Floyd | two midshipmen and forty sailors. Floyd | Floyd | "We will take two boats," you explain. "I shall command one, with Mr. Floyd | Midshipman Stuart to assist me. Mr. Midshipman Mason will command the Floyd | other. My boat shall come along the starboard side of the Gaulish Floyd | vessel, and Mr. Midshipman Mason's along the port side. We will climb Floyd | aboard secretly, and then attack from two sides with plenty of shouting Floyd | to frighten the spineless Gaulish boys." Floyd | Floyd | The men grin. Floyd | Floyd | You pause. You know that one of the three officers must be made Floyd | responsible for cutting the anchor cable, so that your men will be able Floyd | to sail the Gaulish ship out to where H.M.S. Courageous waits. Another Floyd | must be responsible for ascending the rigging and loosing the topsail Floyd | to get the ship underway. And a third must be responsible for taking Floyd | over the steering of the ship. There are three officers available--you Floyd | and the two midshipmen. Which job do you want for yourself? Floyd | Floyd | A: Cutting the cable is the most important job. It will have to be done Floyd | while hand-to-hand fighting is still raging on the deck. I will take Floyd | responsibility for it myself. Floyd | B: Ascending the rigging to loose the topsail is both important and Floyd | dangerous. It will require iron nerves and great agility to climb to Floyd | that unsteady height in the dark while fighting rages on the deck Floyd | below. I will take responsibility for it myself. Floyd | C: Steering the captured prize back to Courageous is the proper job for Floyd | the officer in command. I will take responsibility for it myself. Floyd | | Ghogg asks, "could we see the stats again?" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "stats" | ||||
Floyd | > Name: Mr. Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Rank: Lieutenant Floyd | Seniority: 4 years Floyd | Age: 28 Floyd | Sailing: 37% Floyd | Gunnery: 66% Floyd | Leadership: 64% Floyd | Fighting: 73% Floyd | Patronage: 74% Floyd | Tact: 83% Floyd | Likeability: 71% Floyd | Honor: 19% Floyd | Courage: 44% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 51% Floyd | Intelligence: 31% Floyd | Wealth: 60% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >OK | Ghogg says, "A" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "C" | ||||
| skg says, "a" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | A: Cutting the cable is the most important job. It will have to be done Floyd | while hand-to-hand fighting is still raging on the deck. I will take Floyd | responsibility for it myself. Floyd | B: Ascending the rigging to loose the topsail is both important and Floyd | dangerous. It will require iron nerves and great agility to climb to Floyd | that unsteady height in the dark while fighting rages on the deck Floyd | below. I will take responsibility for it myself. Floyd | C: Steering the captured prize back to Courageous is the proper job for Floyd | the officer in command. I will take responsibility for it myself. Floyd | | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "Once we are aboard, I shall cut the anchor cable to release the Floyd | Gaulish ship from its mooring," you continue. "Mr. Midshipman Mason, Floyd | you shall ascend the rigging and loose the topsail, to set the ship in Floyd | motion." Floyd | Floyd | Mason pales slightly, but nods. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Midshipman Stuart, it shall be your task to make your way directly Floyd | to the wheel, and steer the prize out of harbor once we have taken Floyd | her." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir," Stuart says crisply. Floyd | Floyd | "Now, you men--you'll each be provided with a pistol and a cutlass. We Floyd | will leave at four bells--you will be roused." Floyd | Floyd | Before dismissing them, you think over the plan--is there anything else Floyd | you need to say? Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | No, you can't think of anything. "Dismissed!" you say. Floyd | Floyd | The next few hours pass nervously, as you go over your plan again and Floyd | again. Finally, four bells sounds, and you hasten to the deck to take Floyd | command of your party. Along the way, you encounter Bryce, who seems a Floyd | little nervous too. "All set, Mr. Rockersuke?" he asks. Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, sir, Mr. Bryce," you say. Floyd | Floyd | "You've set someone to climb the rigging and loose the topsail, right? Floyd | And someone to cut the cable?" Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, sir." Floyd | Floyd | "And there's an officer responsible for the steering?" Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, sir." Floyd | Floyd | "You've told the men to keep their damned pistols half-cocked until you Floyd | give the word? All we need is a premature shot to give away the game." Floyd | Floyd | "Oh." That was the thing you forgot. Floyd | Floyd | What do you say? Floyd | Floyd | A: "Uh, no, sir, I--it slipped my mind. I'll make sure they know before Floyd | we leave, sir." Floyd | B: "I'll tell them when we're ready to go, sir. Wouldn't want them to Floyd | forget." Floyd | | skg says, "b" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > Bryce raises an eyebrow at you. You are uncomfortably certain that he Floyd | knew you had forgotten, and isn't overly impressed by your attempt to Floyd | cover your error. "See that you do," he says tersely. But then he Floyd | manages a somewhat strained smile. "Good luck to you, Mr. Rockersuke." Floyd | Floyd | "To you too, sir," you say, and go to shepherd your men into the boats. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "Now see here!" you order your men in a fierce whisper. "Not one sound Floyd | from any of you once we're out on the water! And keep those pistols of Floyd | yours half-cocked until I give the order otherwise! Any man who Floyd | disobeys will be kissing the gunner's daughter tomorrow!" Floyd | Floyd | They all nod, and you join them in the boat, satisfied that you covered Floyd | your earlier mistake brilliantly. No one would ever guess you entirely Floyd | forgot to give the order before. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The oars skim smoothly over the water, and the men obediently keep Floyd | quiet. You can feel your heart hammer in your throat as the great dark Floyd | shapes of the Gaulish ships loom overhead, and you hope your hand Floyd | doesn't shake on the tiller. It is your responsibility to get the boat Floyd | close enough to board the merchant vessel, without letting their Floyd | lookout see anything. You hope your sailing ability is up to the task. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "Uh, Mr. Rockersuke," Stuart whispers loudly. "Uh, sir, begging your Floyd | pardon, but I think we're drifting--" Floyd | Floyd | To your horror, you realize that Stuart is right. You hastily fumble to Floyd | correct your error. Do you thank him for his assistance, or order him Floyd | to keep quiet? Floyd | Floyd | A: I nod my thanks as I correct course. Floyd | B: I order him to keep quiet. Floyd | | skg says, "a" | |||
| Ghogg says, "a" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "a" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > Acknowledging the contributions of your subordinates--that's a good Floyd | quality in a senior officer. Floyd | Floyd | Unfortunately, Stuart's warning came too late. From far above, you hear Floyd | the shout of the lookout on the Gaulish ship. He has seen you. Your Floyd | sailing skill apparently wasn't up to the task after all. Floyd | Floyd | This is all going to be much harder now. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You fling yourself at the chains that snake up the Gaulish ship's side, Floyd | ordering your men to follow and remembering to call over your shoulder Floyd | the additional order to cock their pistols. Above your head, you can Floyd | hear shouts and pounding feet as the Gaulish sailors rush to defend Floyd | their ship. Floyd | Floyd | You and your men climbs as fast as you can, but your poor sailing Floyd | ability gave the Gauls a chance to get themselves prepared. You were Floyd | counting on the advantage of surprise, and you have largely lost that. Floyd | Still, nothing for it-- Floyd | Floyd | "For Albion!" you shout, and plunge into the fracas on the deck. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You cut to the left and the right with your sword, shouting as loudly Floyd | as you can. At first, the Gauls scatter before you--but then they begin Floyd | to regroup. Floyd | Floyd | One rushes you from the left, and you turn and plunge your sword into Floyd | his chest. He falls--but there is another diving in from the right, Floyd | closing fast as you struggle to extricate your blade from his dead Floyd | shipmate. Floyd | Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: I use all my strength to wrench my sword free, and then I turn and Floyd | fight. Floyd | B: I can't waste an instant. I abandon my sword, and turn to fight with Floyd | my pistol. Floyd | C: There isn't enough time to turn. I dodge to the left. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "C" | |||
| Fang says, "B" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > You let go of the hilt and spin around, leveling your pistol as your Floyd | new opponent swings his sword. Steel whistles past your ear--you fire Floyd | at point-blank range--and the Gaul falls to the deck, a smoking hole in Floyd | the center of his chest. In a smooth motion you pick up the fallen Floyd | Gaul's sword and pistol to replace your own. Floyd | Floyd | You turn your attention back to the task at hand: fighting your way Floyd | through the mass of bodies to the cable. You have almost reached your Floyd | goal when you find your way blocked by two massive, angry Gauls Floyd | standing shoulder to shoulder. You aim your pistol--and just then, out Floyd | of the corner of your eye, see Mason fighting a desperate duel on the Floyd | other side of the deck. Floyd | Floyd | If Mason falls, his task will go uncompleted. On the other hand, if you Floyd | spend your bullet to save his life, you will be out of ammunition. And Floyd | then you will have to fight both these Gauls with just your sword. If Floyd | they cut you down, your task will go uncompleted. Floyd | Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: I am confident in my ability to win any swordfight, even two on one. Floyd | And it is my responsibility to see to the safety of those under my Floyd | command. I turn and fire at Mason's attacker. Floyd | B: Mason can take care of himself--he is a well-trained officer of the Floyd | Royal Navy. It is my responsibility to see my own part of the mission Floyd | successfully executed. I fire at one of the Gauls in front of me. Floyd | | Allen asks, "WHAT IS GOING ON?" | |||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Combat! Combat is confusing." | ||||
| DavidW says, "A" | ||||
| Ghogg says, "A" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| skg says, "a" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > Mason's attacker drops like a stone. Mason looks over, Floyd | wide-eyed--then gives you an awkward nod of thanks and scrambles to his Floyd | task. Floyd | Floyd | You, meanwhile, turn back to see two large Gauls with drawn swords Floyd | charging at you. Floyd | Floyd | You howl an incoherent challenge and rush to meet them. Steel clangs Floyd | against steel, and pain scores across your left leg as one of the Gauls Floyd | lands a blow. You are not fighting by any honorable rules now, but Floyd | desperately for your life, using elbows and knees as well as the blade Floyd | of your sword. You manage to elbow one Gaul in the throat, and he falls Floyd | back, choking curses. That gives you the opportunity you need to wound Floyd | the other slightly and run before he recovers. Floyd | Floyd | At last you pummel your way through the mass of bodies to the anchor Floyd | cable, and hack through it with your sword. The Gaulish ship is Floyd | drifting freely now. Floyd | Floyd | You look up, and pick out Mason's dark figure, very high up in the Floyd | rigging. As you watch, the topsail flutters free. Floyd | Floyd | You turn back to the fight. In no time at all, Gauls are surrendering Floyd | all over the deck. You take prisoner those who still live, get the Floyd | prize underway, and take her safely back to Courageous. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | skg says, "this may be our only unanimous one" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Bryce's prize beats you there by no more than a few minutes. You and he Floyd | meet on deck, and he looks as flushed and giddy as you feel. You reach Floyd | over to shake his hand, and he squeezes yours warmly. Floyd | Floyd | "Brilliant!" the Captain says in approval. "Very nicely done indeed, Floyd | the two of you!" He orders you and Bryce to take command of your prizes Floyd | and sail them to Albion--adding, with a smile, that he would be much Floyd | surprised if you did not each receive a promotion to Commander. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | And indeed, the Admiralty promotes you to the rank of Commander. It is Floyd | a proud moment indeed when you first walk down a street in Chesterport Floyd | with an epaulette pinned to your left shoulder. And now you are Floyd | eligible to command a sloop of your own, and to receive the courtesy Floyd | title of "Captain." Floyd | Floyd | Well done, Captain Rockersuke! Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You experience the greatest thrill of your life when you step onto the Floyd | deck of your first command: H.M. Sloop Hotspur. You are very pleased Floyd | indeed by what you observe there--she is a gleaming almost-new sloop Floyd | that reportedly handles like a charm, crewed by good men obviously Floyd | accustomed to working well together. A plum command, particularly for a Floyd | new commander such as yourself. That night, you dream of all the fine Floyd | things you will do now that you have a sloop of your own. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | In the morning, you wake to a general hullaballoo on the dock and in Floyd | the streets of Chesterport. Peace has been declared between Albion and Floyd | Gaul. Floyd | Floyd | Oh, the details are not yet finalized, but documents have been signed Floyd | and hostilities suspended. Before you know it, you find yourself once Floyd | again in front of the captain who commands the port--but this time, to Floyd | hear the unwelcome news that Hotspur is to be paid off. That is, Floyd | decommissioned. The Admiralty won't have need of such a large fleet in Floyd | peacetime. Floyd | Floyd | Your career has--for the moment, at least--vanished in a puff of smoke Floyd | and diplomats. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "Might there be any chance of another command becoming available, sir?" Floyd | you ask deferentially. Floyd | Floyd | The Captain grimaces. "I wish I could say, Mr. Rockersuke. There will Floyd | be ships needing captains, of course, but there will also be a great Floyd | many post-captains and commanders seeking positions. A bright youngster Floyd | like yourself has a tolerable chance, but. . . it may be some time. Oh, Floyd | but it's not so bad! You're entitled to half-pay, and of course you Floyd | have your prize money. You should enjoy your leave. You will receive a Floyd | letter when a command becomes available." Floyd | Floyd | How are you feeling about this? Floyd | Floyd | A: Pleased. It will be nice to have a holiday, and I can manage quite Floyd | nicely on half-pay plus prize money. I am confident that I will get Floyd | another command before very long. Floyd | B: Resigned. I serve the Navy in whatever capacity they require. I can Floyd | be patient. Surely it won't be very long before I am offered another Floyd | command. Floyd | C: Nervous. I am uncertain how long I can survive on half-pay, even Floyd | augmented by prize money. And what if I am not offered another command? Floyd | I am hardly trained for any other career! Floyd | | rockersuke says, "A" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I'm a gentleman, I'm certainly not C." | ||||
| Ghogg says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > A perfectly understandable reaction. Floyd | Floyd | One day some weeks later, on your way back from drawing your half-pay, Floyd | you run into your old friend Bryce. "Rockersuke, what good luck to meet Floyd | up with you! You must come and dine with me tonight. I want to Floyd | introduce you to my wife." Floyd | Floyd | You enjoy the meal very much. Mrs. Bryce is a charming hostess, Floyd | gracious and sweet and well-mannered, and Bryce is obviously devoted to Floyd | her. After dinner, you and Bryce sit drinking rum and storytelling long Floyd | into the night. Floyd | Floyd | Suddenly Bryce says, "So what about you, Rockersuke? High time you got Floyd | married, isn't it?" He looks at you shrewdly and laughs. "You're about Floyd | to tell me you've been too busy to think of it. Well, you'll have Floyd | plenty of leisure while you're on half-pay! You should think about it Floyd | now!" Floyd | Floyd | You consider the idea. What do you conclude? Floyd | Floyd | A: Bryce seems to have stumbled onto a good thing. It might be. . . Floyd | kind of nice to have something like this myself. A home to return to, a Floyd | loving wife. . . Floyd | B: Bryce is right: marriage to the right kind of woman could be very Floyd | useful as I try to advance in my career. Floyd | C: Marriage? Not me! I don't want to be tied down to anyone. Floyd | D: The idea of a wife has never held any appeal for me. . . It's Floyd | not--ahem--it's not women I find attractive, you see. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "I don't really need an income." | |||
| Allen asks, "what are we playing today??" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Choice of Broadsides" | ||||
| Allen says, "oh well, I got run errands for vacation next week." | ||||
| Ghogg says, "this is nice, but I need to get scooting" | ||||
| Ghogg goes home. | rockersuke says, "C" | |||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| Fang says, "never managed to get a wife" | ||||
| Fang says, "in this game" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > "Well, all right," Bryce says, "if that's the way you want it. Have Floyd | another glass." Floyd | Floyd | And to his credit, Bryce doesn't bring up the topic again. He does, Floyd | however, convince you to go with him and Mrs. Bryce to the Assembly Floyd | rooms one evening. Truth to tell, you're not hard to convince: even if Floyd | you're not in search of a wife, an Assembly is quite a sight to see. Floyd | Floyd | The Assembly rooms are crowded with young people dancing and flirting. Floyd | In rooms off to one side, those disinclined to dance or flirt are Floyd | playing at cards. You walk around the ballroom, getting your bearings, Floyd | enjoying the pomp and circumstance and splendor. . . Floyd | Floyd | Suddenly, a voice you know cuts through the chatter around you. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Rockersuke!" Floyd | Floyd | You turn, astonished. It is Lieutenant Villeneuve. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | skg says, "b" | |||
| skg says, "late" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | He is not wearing the uniform of the Gaulish Navy, but it is Floyd | unmistakably the same man whom you met aboard a Gaulish prize some time Floyd | ago. The years since have treated him well--his skin is more Floyd | weather-beaten, perhaps, and a scar seams his left cheek, but he looks Floyd | to be otherwise in good health and good spirits. And not hurting for Floyd | money, either: he is dressed in a very fine linen shirt and a coat with Floyd | gleaming gold buttons, and he carries a pair of elegant gloves such as Floyd | a gentleman wears when dancing. He has clearly come to this Assembly Floyd | intending to dance. It is a small shock to you to realize that a Floyd | Gaulish officer is here as someone's invited guest. Floyd | Floyd | How do you respond? Floyd | Floyd | A: "Mr. Villeneuve! What a surprise." Floyd | B: "What on earth are you doing here?" Floyd | | ||||
| jasonstevanhill says, "We're likeable, and we have tact and patronage." | ||||
| jasonstevanhill exclaims, "let's get it on!" | rockersuke says, "A" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > "It is a surprise to see you as well." His Albionish comes more Floyd | easily than it did when you first met, though it is still heavily Floyd | accented. "Though I do acknowledge the surprise must be much more great Floyd | on your side--to encounter me upon the soil of Albion--no?" He smiles Floyd | disarmingly. "I have cousins who reside not far from here. Many Gaulish Floyd | families can say the same. Marriages in between Gaul and Albion are not Floyd | uncommon, after all, during the years of peace. And the years of peace Floyd | have returned. . ." He gestures around the pleasant room. ". . . so a Floyd | man once again has freedom to visit his relations. It is a very fine Floyd | thing, peace. It permits--" He inclines his head at you. "--civilized Floyd | gentlemen to interact in a civilized manner." Floyd | Floyd | This is as frank an overture of friendship as any you have ever seen. Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: Respond in kind. Villeneuve is a man of honor. There is no reason to Floyd | think him anything less than sincere. Floyd | B: Proceed warily. Villeneuve is a Gaul, after all, and the war hasn't Floyd | been over for that long. He might have some nefarious purpose in Floyd | seeking my friendship. Floyd | C: Pretend to respond in kind. It could be useful later if Villeneuve Floyd | comes to trust me. Perhaps he will tell me things. The peace might not Floyd | last, after all. Floyd | D: Put this presumptuous Gaul in his place. Floyd | | ||||
| skg says, "no one can hear you" | ahstrongmorse says, "Dan--I think you should slow down a little on entering choices--there's some lag issues." | |||
| skg says, "jason, you need to prefix ;" | Fang says, "D" | |||
| skg says, "b" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > Too damn right. It was not so long ago that Villeneuve was capturing Floyd | Albionish merchants and taking the lives of Albionish sailors. How dare Floyd | he come and claim friendship with me now? Floyd | Floyd | "On the other hand," you say coldly, "peace deprives men like me of the Floyd | opportunity to remove scum like you from the face of the earth." Floyd | Floyd | Villeneuve looks utterly taken-aback for one instant. And then his face Floyd | slowly flushes red. A few people nearby turn their heads curiously. You Floyd | must have spoken more loudly than you intended. Floyd | Floyd | "Ah," Villeneuve says between his teeth, "Albionish civilization. Floyd | Apparently, not all it is boasted to be. Sir." He inclines his head a Floyd | bare fraction and turns on his heel. Floyd | Floyd | Wait a minute. Did he just insult your country? Floyd | Floyd | >Next | Fang says, "HMPH" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | He did. He actually did. The cheek of that damned Gaul. Floyd | Floyd | What are you going to do about it? Floyd | Floyd | A: Maintain a dignified silence and walk away. He is beneath contempt. Floyd | B: Insult him back. Floyd | C: Call him out. Floyd | | Fang says, "C" | |||
| Fang says, "DUEL" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Sure, at this point let's go C." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > "I beg your pardon, sir?" you say, loudly enough that heads all over Floyd | the room turn in your direction. Floyd | Floyd | Villeneuve regards you sardonically. "There is nothing wrong with your Floyd | ears. You heard me." Floyd | Floyd | Bryce suddenly appears at your side. "Rockersuke, what in hell are you Floyd | doing?" he demands in a whisper. Floyd | Floyd | "I have been insulted," you say calmly. More calmly than you feel, to Floyd | tell the truth: your palms are sweating. You never have fought a duel Floyd | before. To Villeneuve, you say, "I demand satisfaction, sir." Floyd | Floyd | Villeneuve laughs. "I am all willingness to oblige, sir. My cousin Floyd | shall stand as my second. Who, sir, shall serve as yours?" Floyd | Floyd | You look at Bryce. Floyd | Floyd | "I. . . I will, of course," he says heavily. "Mr. Villeneuve, as the Floyd | challenged party, yours is the choice of weapon. Do you choose pistols Floyd | or swords?" Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, swords, of course," Villeneuve says. "A bullet might go anywhere, Floyd | after all, but steel. . ." Floyd | Floyd | "Very good," Bryce says. "We shall see you at dawn tomorrow." Floyd | Floyd | So at dawn tomorrow, you will be fighting a duel. By breakfast-time Floyd | tomorrow, you might very well be dead. How did you get yourself into Floyd | this mess? Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The next morning dawns unseasonably cold. . . or maybe it just feels Floyd | that way to you. You dress carefully in your uniform and buckle your Floyd | sword at your side. Bryce appears and conducts you to the field where Floyd | matters of honor are usually resolved. It is even colder here. A faint Floyd | mist floats over the grass. Floyd | Floyd | Villeneuve is standing too far away for you to read the expression on Floyd | his face. Bryce goes to confer with Christy-Palliere. He comes back Floyd | looking grim, and that doesn't help. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall stand five paces apart," he says, "and begin when the signal Floyd | is given. Until first blood. Are you ready?" Floyd | Floyd | Are you? Floyd | Floyd | A: Not really, but I would never admit that. Floyd | B: Hell yes! Floyd | | Fang exclaims, "B!" | |||
| skg says, "(afk again, ustream off for a bit)" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "B, indeed." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > "Of course!" you say to Bryce. Floyd | Floyd | "Good luck, Edward," Bryce says. Floyd | Floyd | You face Villeneuve. You still can't read his expression. Floyd | Christy-Palliere shouts the order to begin. Floyd | Floyd | Villeneuve shifts at once into a guard position. You and he circle each Floyd | other, eyeing, probing for weakness. Floyd | Floyd | Do you want to approach this duel cautiously and keep your moves mostly Floyd | defensive, or do you want to mount an aggressive offensive? Floyd | Floyd | A: I want to fight defensively. Floyd | B: I want to fight aggressively. Floyd | | Fang says, "CHARGE" | |||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "In for a penny, in for a pound! B." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > You throw yourself into the fight with reckless abandon, and Floyd | Villeneuve does the same. At first neither of you can gain the Floyd | advantage. But then you see an opening, and lunge for it. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The abrupt ferocity of your attack takes Villeneuve off-guard; he moves Floyd | to parry, but not quite quickly enough, and your blade slices down his Floyd | left arm. Floyd | Floyd | "Hold!" Bryce shouts. "First blood! Honor is satisfied!" Floyd | Floyd | You step back, breathing hard. Villeneuve clutches his left arm, and Floyd | blood seeps through his fingers in a bright red gush. Floyd | Floyd | "It's all right," Bryce says to you, "it's all right. You haven't Floyd | killed him. He will bear the scar the rest of his life, though. Serves Floyd | the Gaul right." Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | DavidW says, "I'm a little disappointed we're so bloodthirsty." | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "stats" | ||||
Floyd | Name: Mr. Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Rank: Commander Floyd | Seniority: 0 years Floyd | Age: 29 Floyd | Sailing: 37% Floyd | Gunnery: 66% Floyd | Leadership: 64% Floyd | Fighting: 73% Floyd | Patronage: 74% Floyd | Tact: 71% Floyd | Likeability: 73% Floyd | Honor: 19% Floyd | Courage: 44% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 51% Floyd | Intelligence: 31% Floyd | Wealth: 64% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >OK | Fang says (to DW), "I was a lot nicer in my playthrough" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The abrupt ferocity of your attack takes Villeneuve off-guard; he moves Floyd | to parry, but not quite quickly enough, and your blade slices down his Floyd | left arm. Floyd | Floyd | "Hold!" Bryce shouts. "First blood! Honor is satisfied!" Floyd | Floyd | You step back, breathing hard. Villeneuve clutches his left arm, and Floyd | blood seeps through his fingers in a bright red gush. Floyd | Floyd | "It's all right," Bryce says to you, "it's all right. You haven't Floyd | killed him. He will bear the scar the rest of his life, though. Serves Floyd | the Gaul right." Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The peace with Gaul does not last. Before long, hostilities have Floyd | resumed and the Admiralty is building back up its Royal Navy, to combat Floyd | the Gaulish threat to the freedom of the seas. Floyd | Floyd | The letter arrives by special messenger, very early on a cold morning. Floyd | You slit the seal. Your orders are written in fine black script on Floyd | heavy, cream-colored paper. Floyd | Floyd | It reads, "You are requested and required to assume command of H.M. Floyd | Sloop Defender. . ." Floyd | Floyd | Your own command at last! Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | At the crack of dawn, you walk to the end of the long pier, where you Floyd | first catch sight of H.M. Sloop Defender. Floyd | Floyd | It's . . . not all that you might hope for. There are barnacles on the Floyd | hull; the sails are tattered at the edges; the paint is worn. It's no Floyd | better as you find yourself standing on the dirty, uneven deck, Floyd | introducing yourself to your first (and only) lieutenant. Floyd | Floyd | "Welcome aboard Defender, sir," says Mr. Benton proudly. "Finest sloop Floyd | in the navy!" His uniform looks as if he'd put it on in the dark. He Floyd | wouldn't know the finest sloop in the navy if it raked him with a Floyd | broadside. Floyd | Floyd | You promptly draw out the orders from the Admiralty placing you in Floyd | command of H.M. Sloop Defender. Floyd | Floyd | When you finish reading your orders aloud to the crew, you are Floyd | officially the new master and commander of the sloop. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a familar sailor: Master's Mate Floyd | Jones! Ah, make that just "Jones" since he was disrated in connection Floyd | with that unpleasant business with Mr. Pigot back on H.M.S. Courageous. Floyd | Floyd | He greets you with a salute and a smile. At least there's one good Floyd | sailor on this sloop! Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "Captain Rockersuke, sir?" says a middle-aged man coming up from below Floyd | deck. "Carter, reporting for duty. I'm the senior master's mate and Floyd | acting master of Defender." Floyd | Floyd | A post-captain would have a sailing master under him as the most senior Floyd | warrant officer, but on a sloop the commander is technically also the Floyd | master. You still have a few master's mates--experienced ratings Floyd | working to get their warrants as masters in the Royal Navy. Mr. Floyd | Carter, as the senior mate, will fill the role of the sloop's sailing Floyd | master in all but title. Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Carter," you reply, "make the sloop ready for some shake-down Floyd | maneuvers. I want to see her capabilities." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir!" Floyd | Floyd | You inspect Carter carefully as he readies the sloop for basic action. Floyd | You quickly realize that this man is the only force holding the sloop Floyd | together; Benton gives orders, but Carter has them followed. Under Floyd | Carter's guidance, you manage to get the sloop out onto open waters. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The shake-down maneuvers are embarrassing. You sail the sloop around, Floyd | clear for battle, and fire off a broadside. The sails are not hauled Floyd | taut, it takes longer to raise and lower the sails than it should, and Floyd | it takes much longer (a full minute or more) to clear the sloop for Floyd | action than it ought. The broadside is ragged and slow, and one sailor Floyd | injures himself by getting his foot crushed by a gun carriage. Floyd | Floyd | At this point, you believe that, overall, the crew is reasonably happy Floyd | but poorly disciplined. Floyd | Floyd | You're going to have to turn this sloop into a credible fighting Floyd | vessel; to do that, you'll have to put the men to work. It looks like Floyd | this crew isn't particularly used to hard work yet. Floyd | Floyd | Where do you want them to focus their efforts? Floyd | Floyd | A: Drill them on gunnery. Floyd | B: Practicing sailing maneuvers. Floyd | C: Clean the sloop completely. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "B" | |||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Sounds like they need All of the above." | ||||
| Fang says, "let's play to our strengths" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > For day after day, you drill the men on sailing. You hoist all sail, Floyd | then send the hands aloft to lower and reef the sails. As soon as the Floyd | last topman is back on the deck, you send them back up to unreef and Floyd | spread the sails again. You tack into the wind, rapidly switching your Floyd | sailing points and drilling the crew on switching tacks. Then you Floyd | bring the sloop about and order the crew to quickly set the sails to Floyd | run before the wind. As soon as they are done with that adjustment, Floyd | it's time to turn across the wind. When the men have adjusted again, Floyd | it's back to tacking into the wind. The work is hard and requires Floyd | constant attention--any carelessness aloft could be deadly. Mr. Carter Floyd | times every maneuver, with a tongue-lashing or worse for any sailor who Floyd | is slow about his duty. By the end of the day, the men stagger down for Floyd | their dinner. And then the next day, starting with a tired crew, you Floyd | do it again. Floyd | Floyd | After several days of this brutal regimen, you see real improvement. Floyd | The men are more alert, quicker in responding to the changes you order. Floyd | The crispness and speed of the sloop's maneuvers improves, and you find Floyd | that the sloop is both more maneuverable and faster than you had Floyd | thought when you first assumed command. The men groan as you order Floyd | them aloft each day, but slowly they are becoming a credit to the Royal Floyd | Navy. However, it's clear that they haven't had to work this hard in Floyd | quite some time; you manage to overhear a few surly grumbles from the Floyd | crew, though you don't manage to catch any particular sailor grumbling. Floyd | Floyd | A: Keep working them as hard as they can. Floyd | B: Let's take it easy for now. Floyd | | Fang says, "B" | |||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > In compensation for how hard you've been working the men, you give Floyd | them a "rope yarn Sunday"--a day when their duties are cut back to the Floyd | bare minimum necessary to keep the sloop sailing. Even though the rope Floyd | yarn Sunday doesn't fall on an actual Sunday, you let them relax as if Floyd | it did, and in fact more than on most Sundays. Some of the men skylark Floyd | on deck, while others take to gambling and similar recreations. The Floyd | mood of the crew improves dramatically as the men have some time to Floyd | themselves and a little bit of an opportunity to relax. Floyd | Floyd | Unfortunately, a relaxed mood is not necessarily what you want in the Floyd | Royal Navy. You begin to notice that some of the men are slow to touch Floyd | their brows when they address an officer, and even forget to say "sir" Floyd | when they ought. The omissions are small, but the Royal Navy requires Floyd | shows of respect for a reason. As the rope yarn Sunday ends, the men Floyd | grumble about returning to their duties, muttering among themselves and Floyd | taking their time in obeying their orders. Floyd | Floyd | The sloop's happiness increases, but its discipline decreases. Floyd | Floyd | You believe that, overall, the crew is reasonably happy but poorly Floyd | disciplined. Floyd | Floyd | "It's a difficult crew, sir," volunteers Mr. Carter. "Many of these Floyd | landsmen came from the jails. I've done what I can with them, but the Floyd | previous captain and his lieutenant struggled to keep them in line." Floyd | Floyd | A: Punish the whole crew harshly. Floyd | B: Identify the worst sailors and punish them. Floyd | C: Punish lightly. Floyd | D: Don't punish at all. Floyd | | Fang says, "B" | |||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > Thanks to your expert leadership, you're able to successfully judge Floyd | the character of these sailors; you manage to separate the sheep from Floyd | the goats (for the most part). The worst of the sailors receive double Floyd | work duty, numerous lashes, and, perhaps worst of all, they're cut off Floyd | from rum completely. Floyd | Floyd | They soon begin to learn what sort of behavior will get them caned; Floyd | some of them even start to avoid such behavior. Floyd | Floyd | Discipline increases greatly. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | One evening, you head below deck as some of the men are taking dinner; Floyd | you find Jones telling a bawdy joke about the lascivious habits of Floyd | women in London. Floyd | Floyd | He tells it quite well; you hadn't noticed before, but Jones has a Floyd | certain natural charisma about him that makes others turn to listen to Floyd | him. Floyd | Floyd | A: Chastise Jones for behavior unbecoming a sailor. Floyd | B: Have Jones whipped. Floyd | C: Keep an eye on him, but do nothing for now. Floyd | D: Tell a bawdy tale of my own. Floyd | | Fang says, "C" | |||
| rockersuke says, "D" | ||||
| DavidW says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > At this point, you believe that, overall, the crew is reasonably Floyd | happy but poorly disciplined. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | A few days later, Mr. Carter brings you a landsman sailor whom he found Floyd | asleep on watch. Floyd | Floyd | "Terribly sorry, sir," he mumbles groggily. Floyd | Floyd | A: Whip him soundly. Floyd | B: Arrange a (questionable) jury to have him court-martialed and Floyd | hanged. Floyd | C: Put him on double watch, and forbid him from rum. Floyd | D: Let it slide. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "C" | |||
| Fang says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > Discipline increases slightly. Floyd | Floyd | Cutting him off from rum should have helped, but you are soon enough Floyd | informed by a young volunteer that he has fallen asleep on duty a Floyd | second time. Floyd | Floyd | A: Whip him. Floyd | B: "Court-martial" and hang him. Floyd | | Fang says, "A" | |||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > As captain of this sloop, you have His Majesty's authority to have Floyd | any of your sailors flogged. Floyd | Floyd | How many lashes? Floyd | Floyd | A: Five lashes. A sting, but no permanent harm. Floyd | B: Ten lashes. He'll feel that for some time. Floyd | C: Twenty lashes. He'll be unable to work effectively for a while. Floyd | D: Thirty lashes. He should consider himself lucky that he won't be Floyd | crippled. Floyd | E: Fifty lashes. Make an example of him. Floyd | | Fang says, "C" | |||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > He screams out in pain, but he's back at work later that week. Most Floyd | of the crew seems to agree that he deserves it; all of them now Floyd | understand the penalty for insubordination on your sloop. Floyd | Floyd | Discipline increases substantially, but happiness decreases. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | As you head below deck, you see a handful of sailors and midshipmen Floyd | whispering together, including Jones. As soon as they catch sight of Floyd | you, they stop abruptly and go their separate ways. (You experience a Floyd | brief moment of "deja vu," as the Gauls call it.) Floyd | Floyd | A: Loudly ask what they were whispering about. Floyd | B: Pull one of them aside to ask what they were whispering about. Floyd | C: Whip them soundly. Floyd | D: Use a spy to find out what they were discussing. Floyd | E: Do nothing. Floyd | | ||||
| Ellison goes back to Squeamhurst.. | rockersuke exclaims, "D a spy!" | |||
| Fang exclaims, "Oh, another surprise party!" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Troubling that Jones is part of it." | ||||
| skg laughs. | ||||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Maybe it's a surprise party for us this time!" | ||||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > You pass their names to Mr. Carter. Floyd | Floyd | "Watch them, Mr. Carter." Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir. I will, sir." Floyd | Floyd | At this point, you believe that, overall, the crew is tolerably happy Floyd | and with reasonable but not great discipline. Floyd | Floyd | There are definitely some bad apples in the crew. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The next day, Mr. Benton reports that Mr. Carter has died in a fatal Floyd | accident. "Fallen down the hatchway, sir. He must have overbalanced." Floyd | Floyd | Do you think it was really an accident? Floyd | Floyd | A: Of course. Floyd | B: Absolutely not; this was murder. Floyd | C: I'm not yet sure. Floyd | | DavidW says, "eep" | |||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| Fang says, "B" | ||||
| rootmos says, "B" | ||||
| skg says, "c" | ||||
| DavidW says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > Mr. Carter was an experienced and expert sailor. The only Floyd | explanation for his death is murder. And since you doubt Benton killed Floyd | him, and you know that you didn't, that's tantamount to mutiny. Floyd | Floyd | So the question is: What are you going to do about it? Floyd | Floyd | A: Investigate the murder. I know he was murdered, but I don't know by Floyd | whom. Floyd | B: Seize the most likely suspects and proceed straight to a Floyd | court-martial. It's better to be firm and swift in response than to be Floyd | right. Floyd | C: Think about it some more. I have to respond correctly, and that's Floyd | more important than acting quickly. Floyd | D: Ignore it, at least for now. Starting an investigation could lead Floyd | to an open mutiny, and I can't risk that. Floyd | | skg asks, "stats?" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "stats" | ||||
Floyd | > Name: Mr. Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Rank: Commander Floyd | Seniority: 2 years Floyd | Age: 31 Floyd | Sailing: 46% Floyd | Gunnery: 66% Floyd | Leadership: 64% Floyd | Fighting: 73% Floyd | Patronage: 74% Floyd | Tact: 71% Floyd | Likeability: 73% Floyd | Honor: 19% Floyd | Courage: 44% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 51% Floyd | Intelligence: 31% Floyd | Wealth: 64% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >OK | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | A: Investigate the murder. I know he was murdered, but I don't know by Floyd | whom. Floyd | B: Seize the most likely suspects and proceed straight to a Floyd | court-martial. It's better to be firm and swift in response than to be Floyd | right. Floyd | C: Think about it some more. I have to respond correctly, and that's Floyd | more important than acting quickly. Floyd | D: Ignore it, at least for now. Starting an investigation could lead Floyd | to an open mutiny, and I can't risk that. Floyd | | Fang says, "B" | |||
| Fang says, "nail Jones" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I think A." | ||||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| Fang says, "we're too dumb to be an investigator" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > At the end of the investigation, you have no idea who did it. You Floyd | have a few possibilities, but none of them are really convincing. Floyd | Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: I continue investigating. Floyd | B: I pick a few likely suspects and hang them for the crime, even Floyd | though they might be completely innocent. It's what the sloop needs, Floyd | and that's more important than the truth. Floyd | C: I let the matter drop. I won't be able to find the guilty parties, Floyd | and I refuse to punish the innocent. Floyd | | Fang says, "B" | |||
| rockersuke says, "A" | ||||
| Fang exclaims, "believe in my own justice!" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > You keep investigating, and the atmosphere on the sloop becomes Floyd | poisonous as every member of the crew fears that you will turn on them. Floyd | You make no progress in solving the crime, however. Floyd | Floyd | Happiness decreases substantially. Floyd | Floyd | You are now in the difficult position of selecting a new acting-master. Floyd | Mr. Carter's two mates both leave something to be desired. Floyd | Floyd | There's MacDougal, the senior mate. He's intelligent, but he usually Floyd | diverts his intelligence toward finding clever ways to avoid work. You Floyd | doubt he'll set a good example for the crew. Floyd | Floyd | Then there's Avery, the junior mate. He's staunchly loyal to you and Floyd | to the ship, but that's about all you can say for him. He's Floyd | simple-minded, to put it kindly; a moron, to put it plainly. Floyd | Floyd | Of course, there's also Jones. As commander of H.M. Sloop Defender, Floyd | you have the authority to restore him to his old grade as master's Floyd | mate; you could then promote him to acting-master. Jones would Floyd | certainly appreciate it; it might help to have another strong friend on Floyd | the crew. Floyd | Floyd | A: Appoint MacDougal. Floyd | B: Appoint Avery. Floyd | C: Restore Jones's grade and appoint him. Floyd | | Fang says, "B" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "It can't be MacDougal." | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| skg says, "yeah, but" | ||||
| DavidW says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > A few nights later you awake with a start, to the sound of shouts and Floyd | clanging metal outside your cabin. Floyd | Floyd | You swing up out of bed, grabbing for your sword--just as a team of Floyd | armed sailors breaks down the door. The leader's face is twisted into a Floyd | sneer. "Not so powerful now, are you?" he says scornfully. Over his Floyd | shoulder, you can see the Marine sentry and a sailor bleeding to death Floyd | on the deck outside. "Throw down that sword." Floyd | Floyd | Do you? Floyd | Floyd | A: I can't win. I throw down my sword. Floyd | B: Never! Floyd | | dfabulich says, "Reminder: you can watch the livestream online [LINK]" | |||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "B! I'll kill them all if I have to!" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > You attack so ferociously he stumbles back in surprise. Ruthlessly Floyd | following up your advantage, you cut your way through the mutineers and Floyd | manage to maneuver your way out of your cabin. On deck, you see that Floyd | the mutiny is just getting started. Floyd | Floyd | You rally the loyalists, and assess the tactical situation. Though Floyd | parts of the crew were unhappy enough to risk their lives to kill you, Floyd | notwithstanding your efforts to build discipline. . . the numbers are Floyd | still on your side. Floyd | Floyd | For now. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | "We must re-take control of this ship!" you shout, and the men Floyd | surrounding you nod. Some of them are armed, with blades or pistols; Floyd | some have only their bare hands. But at least they are all on your Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | "For Albion!" you yell. They follow you as you charge back down the Floyd | deck, no longer fighting defensively but now actively attacking anyone Floyd | in your way. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | From around a corner come a contingent of mutineers--some of the ones Floyd | who broke into your cabin, and some others. They stop when they see Floyd | your party of loyalists. You stop too. Your two groups glare at each Floyd | other along the deck. Light glistens off the blades of their cutlasses. Floyd | Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: Bluff them into surrendering. Floyd | B: Charge down the deck and engage them directly. Floyd | C: Grab a pistol from one of your loyal men and start shooting from Floyd | here. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "C" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | > Without bothering to speak, you snatch Cartwright's pistol and fire Floyd | at the closest mutineer. He falls--and the others come charging up the Floyd | deck. Your loyalists meet them squarely, and then the battle is Floyd | engaged. Floyd | Floyd | A bullet rips through your shoulder, and your vision contracts with Floyd | pain, but that doesn't stop you. Shouting and slashing, you fight Floyd | mutineers for control of your command. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ahstrongmorse says, "B." | |||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Laggity lag!" | ||||
| skg says, "XMLHttpTransport Error: 0" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Doubt it." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "It looked like the lag was on my end, to m." | ||||
| skg says, "Oh good, another Ad by Google." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "I've restarted the broadcast. Hopefully you'll be able to see with little to no lag." | ||||
| zarf says, "hello strangers" | ||||
| skg says, "Hi, zarf" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "video working fine here" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "Hello! We're playing Choice of Broadsides, and livestreaming a meetup at [LINK]" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I'm not getting lag on the video." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The battle is long and bloody, but in the end, the loyalists are Floyd | victorious. Floyd | Floyd | Easily a dozen men have died, and a further two dozen more are unable Floyd | to work, but with that show of force, you have put down the mutiny and Floyd | re-established control of your sloop. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | H.M. Sloop Defender continues her cruise. On a bright and clear day, Floyd | you come into sight of a Gaulish merchant convoy, with no apparent Floyd | warships to defend it. There are a dozen Gaulish merchant ships in Floyd | all. Floyd | Floyd | How do you plan your attack? Floyd | Floyd | A: We stay to windward, planning on picking off the Gaulish ships one Floyd | by one as we overrun them. With the advantage of the wind gage, we Floyd | will be able to catch any ships that try to run easily. Floyd | B: We head to the middle of the convoy. We want to get as many ships Floyd | in cannon range as quickly as possible. Floyd | C: We sail to lee of the convoy. With the wind pushing them towards Floyd | us, they will have little choice but to come to us, and Defender is Floyd | faster and more maneuverable than any merchant ship. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "I'm getting lag of my speech showing up." | |||
| skg says, "Typing." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "No, I mean my typing." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Yes." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "But intermittently." | ||||
| Fang says, "B" | ||||
| skg says, "MUD lag brings back my old Diku forays. Mmm. Also, I vote B" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > You snap off orders, closing with the Gaulish convoy and running up Floyd | the ensign of the Royal Navy. The Gaulish ships begin to scatter, Floyd | hoping that you will have to chase one or two and allow the rest to Floyd | escape. Floyd | Floyd | Defender's crew responds to your orders well. The men are not the most Floyd | disciplined crew that you have ever served with, but they are adequate Floyd | to the task at hand. You maneuver the sloop well, overtaking one Floyd | Gaulish ship after another, and a barrage of cannon fire at the Gaulish Floyd | sails cripples your prey. Inevitably, most of the merchant ships Floyd | escape, but you capture five of the enemy. You have deprived Gaul of Floyd | much-needed supplies and earned yourself a sizable payment of prize Floyd | money. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | In recognition of your able service turning H.M. Sloop Defender into a Floyd | worthy part of the Royal Navy, the Admiralty promotes you to Floyd | post-captain and assigns you to command H.M.S. Dauntless, a 38-gun Floyd | frigate. Floyd | Floyd | The Admiralty asks if you have a preference for your first lieutenant. Floyd | Floyd | A: I ask for Mr. Stuart from H.M.S. Courageous. Floyd | B: I ask for Mr. Mason from H.M.S. Courageous. Floyd | C: I ask for Mr. Benton from H.M. Sloop Defender. Floyd | D: I make no requests; the current first lieutenant will serve Floyd | admirably. Floyd | | skg says, "b, perhaps" | |||
| Fang says, "D" | ||||
| Fang says, "need someone that knows the ship" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "B or d would be fine to me." | ||||
| skg says, "hm, good point" | ||||
| rootmos says, "indeed, d" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > The current first lieutenant is a man in his early thirties named Floyd | Evans. He is competent and able, but nothing more than that. Also, by Floyd | not making personnel management more difficult for your superiors, you Floyd | have earned a small additional amount of support higher up in the Royal Floyd | Navy. Floyd | Floyd | Your frigate, H.M.S. Dauntless, sails into Kingsport harbor. Kingsport Floyd | is the principal harbor city in one of Albion's major colonial Floyd | possessions in the tropics. The fleet based out of Kingsport consists Floyd | mostly of frigates like your own--perfect for raiding Gaulish shipping Floyd | and for defending Albion's own merchant marine from the depredations of Floyd | the Gaulish Navy and privateers. Assignment to this fleet is quite a Floyd | plum, with great opportunities for prize money and pleasant ports of Floyd | call on the tropical islands. Floyd | Floyd | Shortly after your ship makes port, while you are overseeing the Floyd | process of taking on new supplies, the signal midshipman runs up to Floyd | you. He touches his hat in salute and says, "Signal from the flag: Floyd | Admiral's compliments, Captains of Dauntless, Vigilant, and Intrepid Floyd | please come to the flagship at your convenience." Floyd | Floyd | "Acknowledge the signal and inform the officer of the watch to have my Floyd | boat prepared for immediate departure," you reply. When an admiral Floyd | asks you to report to the flagship, it is "convenient" for you to drop Floyd | whatever you are doing and to head over immediately. Floyd | Floyd | Within a minute, your boat is lowered over the frigate's side. Upon Floyd | your arrival, smartly dressed sailors and a marine honor guard pipe you Floyd | aboard H.M.S. Indomitable, the admiral's flag ship. The flag Floyd | lieutenant touches his hat to each of the arriving captains. "Sir, if Floyd | you will please accompany me? The Admiral is waiting in his Floyd | stateroom." Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | The three of you are shown into the Admiral's stateroom--a surprisingly Floyd | large cabin for a warship, with a large heavy table set in the middle. Floyd | The Admiral is in late middle-age, his youthful vigor long since having Floyd | given way to a prosperous roundness. His flag captain murmurs each of Floyd | your names as you enter. Floyd | Floyd | The Admiral pours a glass of port for each of you and clears his Floyd | throat. "As you know, one of our principal responsibilities on this Floyd | station is protecting Albion's merchant shipping. The foodstuffs and Floyd | raw materials from these colonies are vital to Albion's security. Floyd | Recently, however, a Gaulish commerce raider has taken a large number Floyd | of our merchantships as prizes. Floyd | Floyd | "The Gaulish frigate has recently made port on Blue Island. Blue Floyd | Island is a possession of Jutland and thus still neutral, so we can't Floyd | take the frigate there. But we do have our spies keeping their eyes Floyd | out, and so we got a report of the frigate. She's a 44-gun frigate, Floyd | called Lynx, under the command of a Captain Villeneuve." Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | You startle slightly at the name of Lynx's captain, and the Admiral Floyd | raises an eyebrow. "You know of Villeneuve, Captain Rockersuke?" Floyd | Floyd | "Our paths have crossed a few times, sir," you reply guardedly. Floyd | Floyd | "All the better. I'm assigning each of you the mission to hunt down Floyd | Lynx. You are to make all efforts to capture or destroy her. I know, Floyd | I know. . . you would rather be hunting rich Gaulish merchantships. I Floyd | would rather you were hunting merchantships as well." The Admiral Floyd | smiles--after all, he receives fully one-quarter of the value of any Floyd | prizes his ships capture. "But we have our duty to think of. Because Floyd | of the rules of neutrality, none of you can take stations within sight Floyd | of Blue Island. I want Vigilant to patrol to the east of the island, Floyd | Intrepid to sail to the west, and Dauntless to patrol to the north. Floyd | One of you should be able to force Lynx to action as she sails out. Floyd | Floyd | "I am also well aware of the fact that a 44-gun frigate is Floyd | significantly more powerful than any of your ships. However, I have no Floyd | heavier frigates to send, and a ship of the line would be unable to Floyd | force Lynx to fight. I trust that the superior sailing and gunnery of Floyd | the Royal Navy will be more than sufficient for you to prevail. And, Floyd | as their Lordships say in the orders giving you command of a ship, Floyd | 'fail in these duties at your peril,' eh? Unless there are any Floyd | questions? Best be about it, then." Floyd | Floyd | You quickly return to your ship. As soon as you have the most Floyd | essential supplies on board, you make sail to fight your oldest rival. Floyd | Floyd | How do you feel about fighting Villeneuve? Floyd | Floyd | A: I look forward to it. Floyd | B: It is a duty like any other. Floyd | C: I dread fighting him, but it is still my duty. Floyd | D: Surely, there must be some way to avoid this! Floyd | | rockersuke exclaims, "got attacked by a phone call... did we win the mutiny... I guess we did!" | |||
| dfabulich says, "we did indeed win the mutiny" | ||||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > At last, old scores will be settled. Floyd | Floyd | You sail H.M.S. Dauntless into position--north of the main port of Blue Floyd | Island, but out of sight of the port. Staying on a specific station Floyd | requires a certain amount of tacking and sailing back and forth, but Floyd | that provides you with an opportunity to drill your crew into a high Floyd | state of readiness. On the third day after you arrive in position, a Floyd | sailor in the crow's nest calls down, "Two sails--one to port, one to Floyd | starboard!" Floyd | Floyd | You pull out your spyglass and look at each ship. The ship to port Floyd | looks like a fully-loaded large Gaulish merchant ship. It would be Floyd | easy prey for a 38-gun frigate like Dauntless and would fetch you a Floyd | substantial payment in prize money. Floyd | Floyd | But the ship to starboard is a warship. You can't be certain at this Floyd | range, but that ship is probably Lynx, the Gaulish 44 that you have Floyd | been sent to defeat. Floyd | Floyd | What do you do? Floyd | Floyd | A: There is no glory in taking merchant ships as prizes. A battle Floyd | against another frigate is exactly what I want. Floyd | B: Duty demands that I fight the warship despite the dangers. Floyd | C: I could take the merchant ship, but the consequences if the Admiral Floyd | realized that I shirked an opportunity to fight the Lynx would be too Floyd | great. Floyd | D: I can't really be sure that the frigate is the Lynx. Better to take Floyd | the prize and not worry about it. Floyd | | rockersuke says, "B" | |||
| skg says, "d" | ||||
| Fang says, "C" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Not D." | ||||
| skg says, "heh" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "b" | ||||
Floyd | > "Set a course for the ship to starboard, Mr. Evans, and beat to Floyd | quarters," you say calmly. Floyd | Floyd | "Aye aye, sir," he responds. Floyd | Floyd | Drums echo throughout the ship as the crew clears the ship for action. Floyd | Floyd | Neither ship has the wind gage as you approach, but the wind is blowing Floyd | strong and steady, giving you a fair degree of speed and Floyd | maneuverability. Lynx is the stronger ship in terms of armament and Floyd | construction, but the men of the Royal Navy are generally better Floyd | trained and more reliable than those of the Gaulish Navy. Floyd | Floyd | How do you plan to win this battle? Floyd | Floyd | A: Charge straight at Lynx--the sooner I can make this a boarding Floyd | action, the better. Floyd | B: Stay at range and fight a gunnery duel, relying on my ship's Floyd | superior gunnery to offset Lynx's heavier broadsides. Floyd | C: Lead Lynx into a trap. If I can make Villeneuve think he has Floyd | damaged my ship worse than he has, I will be able to gain the Floyd | advantage. Floyd | | Fang says, "A" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "stats" | ||||
Floyd | > Name: Mr. Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Rank: Post-captain Floyd | Seniority: 0 years Floyd | Age: 34 Floyd | Sailing: 46% Floyd | Gunnery: 66% Floyd | Leadership: 64% Floyd | Fighting: 73% Floyd | Patronage: 75% Floyd | Tact: 72% Floyd | Likeability: 73% Floyd | Honor: 31% Floyd | Courage: 49% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 53% Floyd | Intelligence: 31% Floyd | Wealth: 65% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >OK | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | A: Charge straight at Lynx--the sooner I can make this a boarding Floyd | action, the better. Floyd | B: Stay at range and fight a gunnery duel, relying on my ship's Floyd | superior gunnery to offset Lynx's heavier broadsides. Floyd | C: Lead Lynx into a trap. If I can make Villeneuve think he has Floyd | damaged my ship worse than he has, I will be able to gain the Floyd | advantage. Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "A, as well." | |||
| rockersuke says, "C" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > You set a course to take you towards Lynx as quickly as possible, Floyd | while maintaining a broadside to broadside fight. Captain Villeneuve Floyd | clearly anticipates your plan and tries to edge away from you, keeping Floyd | this a gunnery battle for as long as possible. Floyd | Floyd | Despite your best efforts, however, Lynx keeps you at medium cannon Floyd | range. Each ship fires broadside after broadside, trying to batter the Floyd | other into surrender. Floyd | Floyd | Dauntless and Lynx exchange broadside after broadside, but the results Floyd | are inconclusive. Lynx throws much more lead with each broadside, but Floyd | the Gaulish gunners are no match for the Royal Navy's rigorous Floyd | training. Several of their cannon balls rip across your deck, smashing Floyd | men and material alike to pieces. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | rockersuke exclaims, "woth trying!" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "We could try anyway." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Thus far, you've given as good as you've gotten. The battle could go Floyd | either way. Captain Villeneuve is trying to close with Dauntless to Floyd | force a boarding action. Floyd | Floyd | It will be hard to maintain the battle as a gunnery action--you'll have Floyd | to either carry the enemy by boarding or try to damage their rigging Floyd | enough to sail away. Floyd | Floyd | Which will it be? Floyd | Floyd | A: I've done enough to be able to break off the battle Floyd | honorably--that's all I really wanted. Floyd | B: I would really like to press the battle, but it's too dangerous. I Floyd | must flee. Floyd | C: I think I can win this one. Floyd | D: The only possible end to this battle is Lynx's surrender or Floyd | destruction. Floyd | | Fang says, "D" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "D! We're going to kill that toad Villeneuve! Or that frog Villeneuve. Whichever he is." | ||||
| rootmos says, "D" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | > That's the spirit! Albion is proud to have defenders like you. Floyd | Floyd | Finally, the battle comes down to a boarding action. As the ships come Floyd | alongside each other, the crews charge forward, screaming and waving Floyd | their cutlasses. The fighting is bloody and vicious. Floyd | Floyd | As you rush onto the enemy quarterdeck, sword in hand, you come face to Floyd | face with Captain Villeneuve. He swings his sword up in a salute and Floyd | drops into a guard position. Floyd | Floyd | The fight is intense. You quickly wound Villeneuve, but he answers Floyd | with a vicious blow to your left arm, hurting you badly. You fear that Floyd | he will prevail, but finally you feint towards his left, then beat his Floyd | sword aside and thrust towards the right of his body. Villeneuve Floyd | slumps to the ground as you run him through. Your long years of battle Floyd | experience tell you that he will be dead within minutes. Floyd | Floyd | How do you feel about Villeneuve's death? Floyd | Floyd | A: At last! I've finally killed that dog. Floyd | B: He was a worthy foe, but a foe nonetheless. Floyd | C: C'est la guerre. I had no choice and have no regrets. Floyd | D: My heart is heavy, but duty required nothing less. Floyd | E: But. . . but. . . What have I done? How could I kill my friend? Floyd | | ahstrongmorse says, "A" | |||
| ahstrongmorse says, "No, no we don't." | ||||
| skg says, "are we no longer a fop? c" | ||||
| Fang says, "A" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "B" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "A is the only option that makes characterological sense." | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "a" | ||||
Floyd | > Wise words, indeed. In any event, he is dead, and you have won the Floyd | boarding action. Floyd | Floyd | H.M.S. Dauntless is lightly damaged, when all is said and done, and you Floyd | have captured Lynx. You sail back to Kingsport with the prize. The Floyd | Admiral is most pleased, and promotes Mr. Evans to commander as a sign Floyd | of his regard. Floyd | Floyd | You are then assigned commerce raiding duties--by the time you receive Floyd | orders to return to Albion, you have made a small fortune in prize Floyd | money. Floyd | Floyd | Finally, you arrive back in Albion. You are hailed as a hero upon your Floyd | arrival--the whole nation rejoiced over the report of your victory. Floyd | Floyd | The King himself requests your presence at court. The King calls you Floyd | forward and commands you to kneel. He strikes you on each shoulder Floyd | with a sword and confers the title of Knight of the Most Honorable Floyd | Order of the Vigil upon you. Congratulations, Sir Edward. Floyd | Floyd | >Next Chapter | skg says, "Fair, Adam--and I've been coming and going a lot" | |||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | With that, your adventure comes to an end for now, Sir Edward. Floyd | Floyd | As one of the heroes of the Royal Navy, you are always in demand. Floyd | Whenever a choice assignment is available, your name comes up. And if Floyd | you choose to, you could easily win election to Parliament or gain Floyd | entree into the highest echelons of Albion's society. Floyd | Floyd | As the years go by, you steadily climb up the naval list. As your Floyd | seniority increases, you finally receive promotion to rear admiral. Floyd | You receive an important command. You finally retire from the Royal Floyd | Navy before promotion to the highest ranks. Floyd | Floyd | You have barely enough money to buy an estate and to live as a country Floyd | gentleman on the relatively rare occasions when you are on half-pay. Floyd | Your success and heroism has not been matched with commensurate Floyd | financial rewards. Still, with commands easy for you to secure, you Floyd | live a comfortable life. Floyd | Floyd | As a national hero with a very successful naval career, you are an Floyd | extremely eligible bachelor. You can easily make an excellent marriage Floyd | if you wish, whether pursuing an old flame or courting anew. Floyd | Floyd | >Next | ||||
| inuredbyheavyrain arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Your final statistics are: Floyd | Floyd | Name: Sir Edward Rockersuke Floyd | Rank: Rear Admiral Floyd | Made Post-Captain: 34 years old Floyd | Sailing: 46% Floyd | Gunnery: 66% Floyd | Leadership: 64% Floyd | Fighting: 73% Floyd | Patronage: 77% Floyd | Tact: 72% Floyd | Likeability: 73% Floyd | Honor: 41% Floyd | Courage: 58% Floyd | Bloodthirst: 60% Floyd | Intelligence: 26% Floyd | Wealth: 75% Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | >Next | inuredbyheavyrain asks, "What game are we playing?" | |||
| maga says, "I should warn you, Presidente, that your retirement may not be easy financially" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "We just finished up Choice of Broadsides" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "We've been livestreaming the video at [LINK]" | ||||
| dfabulich says (to Floyd), "go" | ||||
Floyd | Thank you for playing "Choice of Broadsides"! Floyd | Floyd | Please support our work by sharing this game with friends! The more Floyd | people play, the more resources we'll have to work on the next game. Floyd | Floyd | >Play again | dfabulich says, "[LINK]" | |||
| DavidW says, "That was much better than I was expecting for a CYOA." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Impressive, even." | ||||
| rockersuke exclaims, "i agree, it's been a lot of fun, and with a lot of subtle things here and there!" | ||||
| Fang says, "it's unfortunate that we seemed to have skipped the entire 'finding a wife' chapter :(" | ||||
| skg says, "Good-bye, ustream thingy" | ||||
| rockersuke exclaims, "bye video thing!" | ||||
| maga says, "*and* you didn't romance *COUGH* spoilers" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Looks like there was a lot of possibilities in that storyline." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "There are quite a few interesting possibilities" | ||||
| dead_dog arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | dfabulich says, "We did skip entirely over the "get a wife" plotline (by opting out of it)" | |||
| DavidW says, "I'm curious what if Villaneuve was our friend all through this." | ||||
| dead_dog goes home. | skg says, "DavidW, that's how I played it my first time--it's what leads to the why-can't-there-be-romance subtext" | |||
| dfabulich says, "You're welcome to try it here, or at [LINK] (or in our iPhone/Android/Kindle app)" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I think that's the most satisfying storyline, DavidW." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "I should also mention that we've created a programming language for writing these games, ChoiceScript, that anyone can use" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'll have to try it later. My browser doesn't like me much today, alas." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "If Villeneuve is your friend, than it takes on this quasitragedy melodrama feel." | ||||
| dfabulich says, "IMO it's a lot easier to get started writing games like this than it is to get started writing parser-based interactive fiction" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "[LINK]" | ||||
| rockersuke says, "a final fight against Villeneuve after beeing friends would have a lot of interesting drama efeect" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "Yeah, exactly." | ||||
| dfabulich disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | dfabulich says, "oops, disconnected." | |||
| skg pokes lag experimentally. | ||||
| dfabulich says, "but I should wrap things up here and head home anyway" | ||||
| djfletch says, "I think you lose something of the naval genre by not having geography" | ||||
| dfabulich says, "thanks for playing, everyone! feel free to play the game some more in the toyshop." | ||||
| djfletch says, "Ushant, Scilly, the Bay of Biscay, all those shipping forecast names" | ||||
| skg says, "Hmm, interesting point, djfletch." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I need to get going; see you guys later." | ||||
| skg says, "Me too. Thanks, everyone" | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "That is an interesting point, djfletch. Thanks for mentioning it." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse says, "I'm going to take off too." | ||||
| ahstrongmorse exclaims, "Bye!" | ||||
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