J. Conrad
Piracy / AA App
I must admit that I believed for years that this novel was French and that Conrad was therefore a French author – since the starting point of the story is in France.
Cruel disappointment: the book is in the original English
Slight consolation – for me – Conrad is of Polish origin. It’s of no interest, I know.
Let’s move on – in the series: are there other stories than Treasure Island when it comes to piracy, there is this novel : The Rover.
It’s a strange piracy – it’s not the famous pirates of the Caribbean anymore, Morgan and his kind are long dead. These pirates have sailed other seas, in more recent times. The story takes place just after the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire.
How to live in peace in France after these terrible times? Well, we were pretending.
Did we like the English? At that time? You’re kidding – the English, that deceiver – that traitor – that rascal, with his one-eyed admiral, hm! prouf – forced to unite with all of Europe to defeat the French – so, no, the English were not so welcome on the land of France.
This is the main character: Peyrol – dishonest privateer, member of the Brotherhood of the Coast (this is the title retained for the French translation) – who decides to return to Toulon to retire.
Toulon, city of the Mediterranean between Marseille and Nice – city still of great memory in the French, since it is from Toulon that the young Bonaparte made his first steps as a great war leader – against the English.
Toulon, which is still a great military city of the French navy, by the way. Because of the configuration of the coast.
The former pirate chooses a retreat from men – you never know.
To be on the safe side, he will go to a farm that scares everyone, since the man is a former “madman” of the French Revolution, one of those fanatics who cut off the heads of those suspected of counter-revolution.
But of course, there is a young girl there – who attracts a lover – who is a lieutenant it’s true but chased by the former Revolutionary: he won’t touch the girl – and who asks for the old pirate’s help.
There, it was ruined, the retirement.
Here they are, both of them, fighting once again against the Englishman.
You can’t fight “fair” when there are two of you against an army. The old pirate finds the tricks of his life… infiltration mission mode: hardcore.
From that moment on, when the story really gets going, all players will find themselves in familiar territory.
All of them have sweated blood and water in the worst of the worst undercover missions.
And you know what? If Altair exists, this undercover mission, this part of the story, will be done by the players/viewers.
Remember the AA App?
Used to the fullest for a show like this.
First part, before the show – in the room: in multiplayer mode to determine who will be the pirate, who will be the lieutenant, who will be the scouts – those will have the mission to deceive the English.
and those who will be the English.
Once this is done, the show begins.
Played by actors – all is well – as soon as the infiltration mission begins, on stage you will have the screen.
In the room just the spectators.
Outside the room – so that they don’t cheat by ‘seeing’ everything, the two groups: French and English.
And we let them do it – they are good players – at least we hope so.
Each one has his mission – and maybe they will find the same end as Conrad – it is possible, it is horrible this end – or maybe it will be another end.
And that’s a story that has been hijacked a little bit, for the sake of the game.
Hijacking a pirate story is like stealing from a thief – it’s morally acceptable.
And even – even though I want to be ultra-sympathetic and let everyone in the room play – instead of giving an important moment in the story, I give a taste of the problems between the French and the English at the time, with a nice added scene of scuffles between them, all in the room with the AA App and the screen showing everything to those who don’t want to play. That way I still have an entry mode, less stress from the audience and I don’t bite on the e.sport concept.
ALTAIR - Concepts 