This work is based on ​The Wretched​, product of Chris Bissette and Loot The

Room, and licensed for our use under the ​Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Unported license​.

THE WRETCHED™ is a trademark of Chris Bissette. The Wretched and Alone

logo is © Chris Bissette, and is used with permission.

THE MARINER was written by Nick Wheeler and was created for ​Wretched
Jam​.

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 “Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.”

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“I looked upon the sea, it was to be my grave.”

Frankenstein
Mary Shelley

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 The Mariner

You don’t know what possessed you to shoot that bird. Perhaps you
believed the old sailor’s tales of bad omens, of spectral birds with the
power to bring bad weather and seas upon helpless ships. Maybe you
wanted to prove to the crew that as the captain you weren’t afraid of
superstition, or perhaps you were just tired of watching the albatross
endlessly circle above you, round and round, for hour upon hour.

Whatever your reasoning, your crossbow shot didn’t miss. The bird
fell from the sky like a stone, crashed into the ocean and for a time
you thought nothing further of it. Then the winds dropped and the
sea lay still. Hours became days with your sails lying slack. Without
wind or current your vessel drifted, a prisoner upon a flat glass ocean.

Provisions grow fewer by the day and the men are restless and
impatient. As the captain of the ship, your responsibility is to keep
the men in line and morale high, but as days pass, you begin to hear
more and more whispers. You killed the bird. You brought this fate
upon the ship.

How long will the winds not blow? How long will your men wait
without food, without fresh water and without hope​?

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 Introduction

This is a solo GM-less journaling game in which you will document

your attempts to survive the curse that has fallen upon you and your
ship. You will most likely fail, but success isn't impossible.

During the game you will roll dice, draw cards from the deck and
read their associated events, pull blocks from the jenga tower, place
or remove tokens from cards and write about your experiences in
character.

The Mariner is loosely inspired by ​The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

by Samuel Coleridge. Gameplay is based on and draws inspiration
from The Wretched by Chris Bissette.

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 Instructions
To play, you will need:

● A standard deck of cards with the jokers removed

● A 6-sided dice
● 10 tokens
● A jenga or other tumbling block tower (optional)
● Something to write in, such as a notebook or word processor

Set up your tumbling block tower (or replacement). Roll 1d6 and pull
that many blocks from the tower. The remaining standing tower
represents the morale of your crew..

Shuffle the deck of cards and place it within reach. You are now
ready to begin.

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 The Day
The game is divided into turns, and each turn has two steps: the tasks
and the journal.

Step One: The Tasks

Roll 1d6 and draw that number of cards from the deck, placing them
face down without looking at them. Flip over the first card and
consult the tables below, completing any task that the card tells you
to do. Continue flipping over the cards until you have flipped them
all over. Discard all cards unless a card tells you otherwise.

Death is the most likely outcome of this game. If the jenga tower falls
at any time, your crew have reached the end of their patience. As
one, they rise against you and drop you into the sea, a heavy chain
wrapped tightly around your legs. As you rapidly sink, your lungs fill
with water, you die and the game is over.

If you draw all four Kings, you die; the last King you draw will tell
you how.

To win, you must draw the Ace of Hearts and complete the task that
it specifies by removing tokens from it over subsequent days. For a
shorter, easier game, place the Ace of Hearts on the top of the deck
after you've shuffled it, so it's the first card you'll draw.

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Step Two: The Journal

Record your experiences in a journal. Write about what has happened

during the round and what you feel, answering all the questions
presented in the card prompts. If you like, you can use an alternative
to a journal, such as making a voice or video recording, writing
letters, narrating out loud, or simply imagining the scenario in your
head.

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 Tower Alternatives

If you don't have a tumbling block tower, you can use an alternative
to simulate the degrading nature of such a tower.

Count-down Dice. Set aside a number of dice with their displayed

values equaling 30, such as three 10-sided dice or two d20s with one
die turned to 20 and one turned to 10. You will not roll these, but
will use them to count down from 30 to 1. Before you start the game,
roll a 1d6 and subtract that amount from 30. This starting number
represents your already deteriorating body. Each time you would pull
from the tower, reduce the number by an additional 1. When you
reach 12, each time this number is reduced, roll a 12-sided die (or two
d6s). If the number rolled is equal to or higher than the number on
your count-down dice, the tower falls.

Dice Tower. Start with two 6-sided dice sitting side-by-side on the
table. Whenever you are instructed to pull from the tower, instead
add a d6 on top of one of your existing d6s. Your tower can never be
more than two dice wide. If the tower falls at any time, even outside
of a pull, the game is over.

No Tower. If you don't wish to use a tower, you can simply ignore
any instruction to pull from the tower. You are never in danger of
losing the game because the tower falls, which means the game may
stretch on much longer than it normally would. If you want to play a
longer game, this may be a good option for you.

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 Safety
This game includes themes of fear, isolation, suicide, despair and
death. But also, hope.

Read and play with caution, keeping in mind that you can take a
break or stop completely at any time. Your mental health is important
and this is just a game.

This game is designed to make success very difficult and unlikely. It is

meant to be challenging and harrowing and emotional. If that doesn't
sound fun to you, that's absolutely fine.

Remember that you can change, ignore, rewrite or abandon any part
of this game that you want.

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 The Deck of Cards
The deck of cards is divided into four categories based on suits.
Consult the tables below each time you flip a card to determine what
you must do. Some cards will have you pull from the tower, place or
remove tokens from a card, or have you shuffle a card back into the
deck. Some will ask you questions about your feelings or the
situation. Other cards will spell out your death.

Hearts: Provisions

Hearts represent the rapidly diminishing food supplies and other

provisions aboard your ship.

Diamonds: Faith

Diamonds represent the psychological and religious state of mind

of you and those around you.

Clubs: People

Clubs represent your crew. As the Captain your men depend on

you for guidance and strength, but can you keep them in line?

Spades: The Sea

Spades represent the environment around you - the sky, the sea,
and everything that dwells within.

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 Hearts — Provisions
The ship’s navigator approaches you on deck. Something in the air has
A changed and he has a feeling that this will all be over soon. He can’t
quite explain why, but his gut has never let you down before.

Do not discard this card. Put it to the side and place ten tokens on it.
At the end of each day, after writing in your journal, roll a d6. On a
result of a 5 or 6, remove a token from the card. When you remove
the last token from the card, make a final pull from the tower. If the
tower stands, you have won - please read the final section of this
booklet.

If the tower falls, your crew have reached the end of their tether.
Despite salvation being so close at hand, they still cannot forgive you
for everything that’s happened. As one, they rise against you and drop
you into the sea, a heavy chain wrapped tightly around your legs. As
you rapidly sink, your lungs fill with water, you die and the game is
over.

One of the crewmen locates a forgotten small stash of alcohol. For a

2 few hours at least, morale seems to improve.

Unable to fight your thirst any longer, you take a mouthful of water
3 from the dwindling supply. It tastes stagnant and unpleasant in your
throat. Do you drink more in desperation, or allow your thirst to
continue? ​Pull from the tower​.

A crewman hauls up his line to reveal a particularly large fish. His

4 companions cheer, but will he share or keep it to himself?

The quartermaster cracks open one of the last barrels of food only to
5 reveal a foul smelling pile of rotten meat and a mass of writhing
maggots.​ ​You have no choice but to hurl the entire barrel overboard.
Pull from the tower.

The crew spend several hours making repairs and cleaning the ship.
6

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 For a time your situation is almost forgotten and the normality of ship
life resumes. How do you occupy yourself during this time?

The quartermaster approaches you with an update on the supply

7 situation. He’s not sure how it happened, but some of the remaining
rations have gone missing. Either he miscounted something, or there’s
a thief in the crew. ​Pull from the tower.

You order the guns to be rolled out and discharge a salvo of practice
8 gunfire. As the shots splash into the ocean the crew cheer at the
opportunity to be doing something, anything other than wait for
death.

You taste a biscuit only to realise you’ve bitten into a writhing maggot
9 hidden within. You’re not sure you’ll ever get the foul taste out of your
mouth. ​Pull from the tower.

Being Captain has its privileges. You find a small bottle you’d
10 forgotten about stashed in your cabin. You could share it, but there’s
not enough for everyone. Besides, who’d know?

Rats have got into the remaining grain supplies. You catch one of the
J crew sucking on a rat bone. Have things got that desperate? ​Pull from
the tower.

There is a loud crack from below decks and you hear shouting from
Q the crew. The ship has sprung a dangerous leak which takes several
hours to fully repair. ​Pull from the tower.

The quartermaster pulls you aside with a warning. The food is

K practically all gone and the crew blame you for their predicament. If
your luck doesn’t change soon, they might take matters into their own
hands.

Do not discard this card. Set it aside where you can see it.

If this is the fourth King you've drawn, your crew have reached the
end of their tether. As one, they rise against you and drop you into the
sea, a heavy chain wrapped tightly around your legs. As you rapidly
sink, your lungs fill with water, you die and your tale is over.

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 Diamonds — Faith
Having spent hours pouring your eyes over navigation charts, you
A finally drive a pin into the map. You may still be stuck here, but at
least now you think you know where ‘here’ is.

The crew soon hear of your success. Though nothing has really
changed, their mood improves for a time.

Do not discard this card. Put it to the side where you can see it. The
next time you would have to pull from the tower, you may choose not
to, then discard this card.

You find a reminder of home in your cabin. What is it? Is the memory
2 a good one, or is it something you’d rather have forgotten?

An unsettling shadow falls across your vessel, and a cold chill ​ ​fills the
3 air. The crew wrap their cloaks tightly around them and whisper
quietly in prayer.​ Pull from the tower.

You take a moment of quiet to contemplate your situation. Do you

4 pray, or spend your time in silent meditation?

You awake with a scream following a terrible nightmare. Can you

5 recall what you were dreaming to make you so scared? ​Pull from the
tower.

One evening the ocean around you seems to glimmer with fluorescent
6 light. Is it a symbol of hope, or a warning?

You awaken to the sound of sobbing. Is it one of your crew, or are the
7 wails coming from your own throat? ​Pull from the tower.

You take some solitary time away from the rest of the crew and make
8 a sketch at your desk to pass the time. What do you draw?

It’s all your fault. Everything. You know it. Your crew knows it.​ Pull
9

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 from the tower.

As you stare out across the still ocean, you find yourself thinking of
10 home. Where did you grow up and what made you choose a life at
sea?

As you settle down for the night, you reach for your favourite book
J but it isn’t there. Has someone stolen it? Who has access to your
quarters? ​Pull from the tower.

With a crash, the body of an albatross slams onto the deck, its bones
Q shattering from the impact. It convulses briefly before going limp. A
moment later, you blink and it’s gone. You look around, but did
anyone else even see it fall? ​Pull from the tower.

You don’t know how much more of this you can take. As yet another
K dawn breaks over a motionless sea you scream at the horizon with
your crew looking on in fear. Is that any way for a Captain to behave?
Do you even care any more?

Do not discard this card. Set it aside where you can see it.

If this is the fourth King you've drawn, you finally lose all hope. When
night falls and most of the crew sleep, you step from the side of the
deck and drop into the sea. As you sink into the depths, you welcome
the cold final embrace of death and the end of your tale.

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 Clubs — People
A small group of the crew approach you on the deck. For a moment
A you are concerned, but one of their number gives you a smile. They
explain that despite everything that’s happened, they want you to
know that they have your back. You’re the Captain and they respect
you.

Do not discard this card. Put it to the side where you can see it. The
next time you would have to pull from the tower, you may choose not
to, then discard this card.

The crew spontaneously bursts into song. You rise from your
2 melancholy to listen. Do you recognise the tune? Do you join them in
song?

You hear a splash and a cry from the crew. One of their number has
3 vanished overboard. Did he stumble, was he pushed, or did he
succumb to his despair and leap of his own volition? ​Pull from the
tower.

During a quiet moment you exchange tales from the past with one of
4 the crew. What does he tell you and what secrets do you share with
him?

You hear shouting from the deck. A fight has broken out between
5 several members of the crew. Did you break up the fight or let the
crew express their anger? ​Pull from the tower.

A crewman hands you a hand-carved item. What is it, and how does it
6 make you feel?

One of your crew is caught stealing from the dwindling ration supply.
7 Theft cannot be tolerated, but can your men take any more
punishment? ​Pull from the tower.

Despite everything that is happening, you find a moment to share a

8

15
 joke with one of the crew. You see them smile, but is it just because
you’re the captain?

Three crewmen are found dead in their bunks, their throats slit. ​ Pull
9 from the tower.

A group of crewmen are playing cards below decks. They see you
10 looking in their direction and duck their heads. In the past they might
have invited you to join them, but times are different now.

There is an accident below decks and the ship's surgeon is forced to

J amputate the sailor’s arm. You hear the muffled screams from your
cabin. Did the poor man survive, or was the surgeon unable to save
him? ​Pull from the tower.

One of the crew finally snaps, his mind fully broken. Wide eyed, he
Q screams impossible things and thrashes violently at those around him.
Are you able to talk him down, or are you forced to take more violent
measures? ​Pull from the tower.

As you walk along the deck, you feel the eyes on the crew on your
K back. You think you catch the whispered word ‘mutiny’, but when you
turn around, no-one seems to be looking in your direction.

Do not discard this card. Set it aside where you can see it.

If this is the fourth King you've drawn, your crew have reached the
end of their tether. In the dead of darkness you feel a sharp pain as the
tip of a blade erupts from your chest. You never see the face of the
man who killed you, but your tale ends here.

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 Spades — The Sea
For a moment you feel a soft breeze on your face and the sail above
A you flutters slightly. The moment soon passes, but could this be a sign
that the winds are changing?

Do not discard this card. Set it aside where you can see it. If you've
also drawn the Ace of Hearts, you can remove a token when you roll a
5 or 6 at the end of the day.

A powerful whale breaches the surface, spraying a fine mist into the
2 air with its powerful breath. Moments later it vanishes back below the
waves. Later you begin to doubt if it was ever there at all.

The sun beats down relentlessly. The air is dry and unpleasant but
3 there’s not enough fresh water to quench your thirst. ​Pull from the
tower.

As night falls, you catch a glimpse of movement in the water. You

4 stare closely for some time, waiting for another view, but how long do
you wait? Are you able to identify what you saw?

An illness breaks out in the crew. Several feverish men are taken to
5 their bunks, but can the ship’s doctor do anything for them with what
little supplies remain? ​Pull from the tower.

A lonely bird circles the ship high above the mast. You hear its distant
6 cry before it breaks away and disappears into the fog. Could this be a
good omen, or a harbinger of things to come?

A crewman ascends the rigging to carry out essential repairs to the

7 sails. He does not return.​ Pull from the tower.

You see dolphins dancing beneath the waves. One of them leaps into
8 the air before disappearing back into the depths. Some time later you
see its body floating on the surface. ​Pull from the tower.

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 For a moment, you catch a glimpse of a ghostly ship in the fog, a
9 hooded figure at its helm looking in your direction. Or did you? ​Pull
from the tower.

The lull of the ocean lapping gently at the ship’s hull is almost
10 hypnotic. You rest.

The crew falls silent as something scrapes along the hull below the
J waterline. What kind of gargantuan creature could it be? ​Pull from
the tower.

Q You pull a body from the water. Due to its condition, no-one can be
sure if it was one of your crew. But if not, where did it come from?
Pull from the tower.

You hear distant singing in the fog and your crew look at you with
K their eyes wide. Can they also hear it, or is the call of the siren only for
you?

Do not discard this card. Set it aside where you can see it.

If this is the fourth King you've drawn, your crew have reached the
end of their tether. As one, they rise against you and drop you into the
sea, a heavy chain wrapped tightly around your legs. As you rapidly
sink, your lungs fill with water, you die and the game is over.

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 Victory
For a moment you feel a soft breeze on your face and the sail above
you flutters slightly. The crew falls silent, not daring to speak, but
then the breeze returns, even stronger than before. Billowing
outwards, the sail flaps, twists, then slowly fills as the wind returns.
The deck beneath you shifts and the crew cheer.

Finally, the vengeance of the ocean has been satisfied and you and
your men are free. Taking the helm, you grip the wheel gently and
turn a course for home.

You and your men may have survived the ordeal, but have you
learned anything from your experience?

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