Squee Challenge #2: Create Something New -- The Age of Sail Literary Fiction Trope Drinking Game
Dear flist,
As part of my squee-challenge entries I give you,
The Ultimate Age of Sail Literary Fiction Trope Drinking Game!
Open a bottle of Madeira, have some rum, and enjoy.
Fiction Rules: Drink whenever one of the following occurs:
Don't stop until you've taken a drink for each category -- if you're insane.
*the “cool” historical figure doesn't have to be world famous but needs to be of some influence in the setting. He or she should either be a respected scholar/sailor/tactician/politician/human rights activist, or be an otherwise immensely powerful and influential figure (i. e. Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I., etc.). Yes, the admiralty's more famous top administrative staff counts too: Sir Evan Nepean totally is a cool character!
Remember: Tropes aren't bad -- unless you drink too much.
Hornblower Bonus Rules
Non-fiction Bonus Rules
Any suggestions for additions or corrections are welcome!
As part of my squee-challenge entries I give you,
The Ultimate Age of Sail Literary Fiction Trope Drinking Game!
Open a bottle of Madeira, have some rum, and enjoy.
Fiction Rules: Drink whenever one of the following occurs:
- Our Fearless Leader!
- Our hero is either tall, dark and handsome; graceful with a couple of feminine qualities; or both.
- There is a scene describing just how hot our main character is from the perspective of a secondary male character.
- No drink for you if the secondary character is gay!
- Empty your glass if that secondary character is a historical figure.
- Empty your glass if our hero is shirtless during the scene, just before, or directly after it.
- Empty your glass if the hero is wet.
- No drink for you if the secondary character is gay!
- Our hero’s superior is antagonistic.
- Our hero's antagonistic superior is incompetent.
- Our hero is a better sailor than his master.
If our hero doesn't start the series with his own command:- Our hero is a better seaman than his captain.
- Our hero is initially disliked by his (present or future) first officer.
- Our hero expresses a distaste for flogging.
- Our hero gets court-martialled.
- Take another celebratory sip if the charge is valid and not fabricated by the antagonistic superior.
- Our hero is either tall, dark and handsome; graceful with a couple of feminine qualities; or both.
- We Band Of Brothers.
- The hands use an affectionate nickname for the main character.
- Someone is gay.
- Someone fucks a goat (other livestock allowed).
- A cowardly character dies in the book's final battle, saving his reputation.
- The lower decks are extremely protective of the hero and don't hesitate to let outisders know -- with their fists.
- Someone is flogged for something they did to protect the hero.
- A midshipman our hero developed paternal feelings for is killed off.
- Take another sip if the middy was related to a friend of the hero's.
- Empty your glass if his demise is explicitly gory.
- Take another sip if the middy was related to a friend of the hero's.
- The surgeon is an alcoholic.
- The purser is stingy even for a purser!
- The master developes fatherly affection for the hero.
- The hands use an affectionate nickname for the main character.
- Fact & Fiction.
- Our hero replaces a historical figure during an action taken from real life.
- Empty your glass if that historical figure is Lord Cochrane (you better skip this rule if you’re reading Master & Commander for the first time).
- It is mentioned that our hero served with Nelson.
- A cool* historical figure takes an immediate liking to the hero.
- Take an extra sip if it’s Nelson.
- Empty your glass if it’s Old Jarvie!
- The hero in some form takes part in one of the following events: Trafalgar; The Capture of the Spanish Treasure Ships in 1804; An encounter with the Spanish Fleet just before the Battle off Cape St. Vincent.
- Our hero replaces a historical figure during an action taken from real life.
- See How Trim She Lies.
- Ships are likened to horses.
- A ship has “wings”.
- Any number of ships are painted like the Trafalgar fleet before Trafalgar.
- The hero’s new command is ugly/old/leaky or plain weird.
- The hero immediately improves her sailing qualities.
- When the hero takes over command it turns out the previous captain was a stickler for cleanliness but lacked an interest in gunnery practice.
- Ships are likened to horses.
- BLOODY MUTINY! (Doesn’t actually have to be bloody)
- Drink whenever a particular mutiny is first mentioned.
- Captain Bligh is mentioned.
- Hermione is mentioned.
- The hero is sent to intervene personally.
If the mutiny is taking place on the hero’s ship:- Drink when the conspirators first mention mutiny.
- Drink when the mutiny breaks out.
- You are probably reading Lieutenant Hornblower and are still drunk from the shower scene. Put away the bottle and feel good about yourself for a minute or two to recover.
- Drink when the conspirators first mention mutiny.
- Drink whenever a particular mutiny is first mentioned.
- Calamity At Sea.
- IT’S A HURRICANE!
- The coffee has run out.
- Someone mentions rats are good eating.
- Take and extra sip if it's delicious rat on a stick.
- Pirates! Arr.
- IT’S A HURRICANE!
- By Now They Should Know Better.
- The hero's vessel loses more anchors than she should have had to begin with.
- A rated vessel is carrying sail on the cross-jack yard pre 1800's.
- An unrated vessel mounts 32 lbers without breaking apart.
- Someone is punished with 36+ lashes and shrugs it off.
- Drummer boys by the dozen!
- An antagonistic captain employs antiquated or over-the-top forms of punishment.
- Empty your glass for every flogging the last man off the yard.
- The hero's vessel loses more anchors than she should have had to begin with.
Don't stop until you've taken a drink for each category -- if you're insane.
*the “cool” historical figure doesn't have to be world famous but needs to be of some influence in the setting. He or she should either be a respected scholar/sailor/tactician/politician/human rights activist, or be an otherwise immensely powerful and influential figure (i. e. Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I., etc.). Yes, the admiralty's more famous top administrative staff counts too: Sir Evan Nepean totally is a cool character!
Remember: Tropes aren't bad -- unless you drink too much.
Hornblower Bonus Rules
- Hornblower clears his throat.
- Hornblower gets naked.
- Hornblower's beautiful hands are mentioned.
- Someone plays whist.
- Hornblower doesn't understand music.
- Hornblower gets distracted by Lt. Gerard's good looks.
- Someone is revealed to be a relative of Mr. Gerard's.
- Hornblower's new servant/staff member was sent to him by Sir Edward.
- Mr. Bush is compared to a dog.
- Hornblower actually says something nice to Mr. Bush.
Non-fiction Bonus Rules
- A biography claims that its subject inspired the character of Jack Aubrey in some form.
- A biography speculates what connection its subject might have had to Nelson, even though they never met.
- The book explains how the "England expects" signal came to be hoisted, even though the book's primary subject is unrelated to Nelson or Trafalgar.
- The book uses the exact same words as every other work about the era to explain how in practice sailors had double the hammock space allotted to them on paper.
Any suggestions for additions or corrections are welcome!