The Old Man and the Sea

By: Mikkel Bækgaard
Sensory – Narrative – Hemingway
Scenario format: Table-top
Duration: 2 hours
Number of players: 3 – 4

After 84 days without luck, the old man sets out once again in his skiff. He ventures onto La Mar, into the Gulf Stream, determined to hook the fish. Hungry, sun-wrinkled, and stubborn as few can be. And he is salao—the worst kind of unlucky. But this time, he knows he’ll catch something.

The Old Man and the Sea is an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s Nobel Prize-winning novella of the same name. It is a short, lingering, and intense scenario about the solitary journey into the vast, all-encompassing nature – nature that is friend, foe, and brother all at once as the days pass and the man struggles to maintain himself, his life, and his dignity.

The scenario is a storytelling game where all players can take on the role of the old man, while also taking on roles such as the sea, the fish, and memories of what kind of man he once was. It is a scenario where rich descriptions and a deliberate pace take center stage, yet the story progresses steadily as strength wanes and the sharks grow ever closer).

Download The Old Man and The Sea

About the author
Mikkel is Danish scenario writing veteran who has written free form scenarios for the Danish convention scene, especially Fastaval, for almost 30 years. He likes to try new things out and has written many very different scenarios. A handful of these has been played at Stockholm Scenario Festival.