Part 1 is here! [name_f]Do[/name_f] that first.
~Year 1~
Five families, along with a small crew, have boarded the S.S. [name_m]Ulysses[/name_m] in search of a better life. Everyone’s reasons are different, but they’re now united in one effort: making it across the ocean alive. It’ll take one year to reach the new continent, and it won’t always be an easy ride.
Main Plot
Applies to the whole group. Roll 1 die.
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- Crossing the open ocean is tough, and gracious host villages on uncharted islands can look extremely welcoming when supplies are running low. One such village ends up being both a curse and a blessing. They have enough food to keep the ship fed until they hit the new world, but there is a terrible disease they want cured. For each doctor or scientist you have on board, roll 1 die. [name_m]Even[/name_m], they’re infected. Odds, they manage to treat the infected without catching the disease themselves. In search of their own adventure, two young girls from the village stow away in rum barrels. [name_m]Roll[/name_m] to name them - 1 2 3 4 5 6. Their ages are up to you.
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- Having been overly cautious in preparing for their journey, the ship’s inhabitants have more food and supplies than they could ever need… enough to trade with some of kinder islanders they come across in their travels. Spices, fruits, rum and wine become the norm and they are living the high life. That is, until they find themselves pursued by a pirate crew that wants a piece of what they’ve got. [name_m]Count[/name_m] the number of a.) politicians/lawyers, b.) police/military, and c.) socialites/comedians/bartenders on your ship. If you have more politicians/lawyers: roll 1 die. Evens, they make a deal with the pirate captain, and he leaves your ship alone. Odds, he kills one of the politicians/lawyers and takes everything. If you have more police/military: roll 1 die. Evens, they take out the pirate captain and agree to let their ship leave only once they’ve been given some of their treasure. Odds, the pirate captain kills one of the police/military and takes everything, plus two of the children for daring to defy him. If you have more socialites/comedians/bartenders: roll 1 die. Evens, they convince the pirate captain to join your ship. His age and name are up to you. Odds, he leaves your ship alone, but convinces one of the socialites/comedians/bartenders to go with him.
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- Supplies have held up pretty well, until your ship hits a long patch of open ocean as far as the eye can see. Food is tightly rationed, and the ship’s inhabitants are quickly becoming malnourished. Fertility is non-existent, so any pregnancies otherwise rolled in family plots are cancelled out. For every person 4 or younger, or 56 or older, roll 1 die. 2-5, they survive until the next stop. 1 or 6, they die. If no one is between those ages, congratulations! Everyone makes it to the new world in one piece.
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- [name_u]Early[/name_u] on in the voyage, spirits are high and the crew and pilgrims are getting along well. A little too well, it turns out, as the excessive barrels of wine and deceptively lawless lifestyle lead to two unplanned pregnancies, between two sets of people not partnered to each other. One set end up in a relationship, the other set does not. [name_m]Roll[/name_m] 2 dice to find the result of each pregnancy: 1 - Girl, 2 - Boy, 3 - GG or BB, 4 - triplets of any gender combo, 5- Girl, 6 - Boy. The children should all have the same first initial as their father, and the same middle initial as their mother.
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- On one of its many stops, the ship comes across a village destroyed by a storm. The villagers ask for help, and will in turn share their food and medicine. If you have ten or more adults between the ages of 18 and 45, you’re able to help them. They gladly share what they have. The stay goes so well that the captain falls in love with a woman on the island, marries her, and brings both her and her 13-year-old daughter along when you leave. They are both named after flowers, with [name_m]French[/name_m] middles. If you have nine or less adults 18-45, you cannot help them, and your ship leaves without new supplies.
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- It couldn’t be all sunshine the whole way, even if everyone hoped it would be. A not-so-friendly group turns up on one of the ship’s stops, wanting to kidnap some of the children. If there are two or more nurses/teachers among your ship’s inhabitants, roll 1 die. Evens, they come up with a plan to save the children and themselves. Odds, one of them is taken, creating enough of a diversion to let everyone else get away. If there is one or less nurses/teachers on board, two of the children are kidnapped, and the ship must leave without them.
Any new additions to the ship form their own families with whoever they came with (i.e. the stowaways are one family, the pirate captain counts as his own family, if the captain marries he and his new wife and step-daughter become their own family).
Family Plots
[name_m]Roll[/name_m] 1 die for each family, including the crew.
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- The family unit is strong, and getting stronger. If the family is headed by a heterosexual couple, they give birth to a new baby boy. His first name is related to adventure, and his middle name sounds like his mother’s first name. If the family is headed by a homosexual couple, they adopt an abandoned, female toddler from one of the many uncharted islands they visit. Her name sounds familiar, but with an altered spelling, and her middle name has to do with her tropical origins. If the family is headed by a single parent, the family is unrelated, or if there are no parents, one family member gains a romantic interest - whoever is closest to their age, and not related to them.
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- An unfettered life at sea has a tendency to make one forget one’s morals. If the family is headed by a couple, one becomes romantically involved with someone else. If there is no couple, one member becomes romantically involved with someone of a drastically different age.
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- If any of the children are girls, and 16 or older, one becomes pregnant after falling for a boy from one of the islands. Although she has to leave that boy behind, she’s left with… well, roll 1 die to find out. 1 - Girl, 2 - Boy, 3 - GB, 4 - Girl, 5 - Boy, 6 - your choice. First name is a virtue or personality trait, middle name is one syllable. If there are no eligible family members, nothing happens.
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- Someone can’t sleep, and takes a midnight stroll out onto the deck. Not used to the strong winds in that particular area, they’re swept overboard. [name_m]Roll[/name_m] 1 die. Evens, someone hears their screams and is able to dive in with a rope, saving their life. Odds, the winds are just too loud, and they drown.
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- Someone, 13 or older, bonds with one of the (other) adults, learning all about their life and their trade. If they already have a profession, add a new one (i.e. someone who is a singer bonds with a scientist, becomes a singer/scientist). If they don’t already have a profession, they’ve gained one.
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- Nothing happens. There’s enough drama going on around this family; they’re just trying to hold on.
At the end of this chapter, all babies have been born, and everyone is a year older. Part 3 coming soon!