Shipwrecked!

Your ship of 64, of whom 16 are able-bodied seamen and 48 are paying passangers, leave from a noted port in the Old World to come make a life in the New.

However, something goes wrong. Your ship goes awry in a storm, and your ship is thrown onto a sandbar. You have ten minutes to evacuate the ship and whatever useful gear you can get off.

The 64 stranded people aren't just anyone. They're randomly chosen from a roster of 256 characters at the start of the game -- and they all have interactions with each other. This man might be a true gentleman towards the ladies, but have a seething hate of Jews; this lady might be slovenly, but have skills that others begrudge her for; this man might be a rabid Englishman, and will only talk with those who speak good King's English; another man might be a contract laborer, and drunk (and wreckless) in his newfound 'freedom'.

You have to organize these people, take care of food, clothing, and shelter, and try to find a way home. You don't know if rescue will come in a year or a decade, if indeed it ever will come at all. Deal with droughts, savages, passing pirates, marraige, death, and usurpers, as this motley cross-selection of the population of Europe circa 1700 has to find a way to live together in peace.