Renaissance Role-Playing: The Colony of Roanoke, part II

Here is the first part of the historical fact outline for The Colony of Roanoke.


The Trip Over

April - July 1587

Act II : The Voyage Over
Background: The fleet of ships in this part of the scenario consists of three ships, The Red Lion, and two ships that are unnamed, one a flyboat and the other a pinnacle. About fifty passengers sail on the masthead of the fleet, the Red Lion with White and Fernandes. The flyboat commanded by Edward Spicer sails with about fifty passengers as well as most of the colony's cargo. The pinnacle under the command of Edward Stafford, which had been with Lane's colony, carry about 20 settlers.

Meet the People
The intention of the following descriptions is to facilitate your student in thinking of these people as real people and not just lifeless facts. Please understand that although actual names from the passenger manifest are used in the following descriptions, these descriptions are entirely fictional. Partly they are fictional because there is little information to be found about the people involved and partly it is because I didn't want to spend an inordinate amount of time researching information that has little bearing on the actual story. They are characterizations of typical people that could have been involved.


John White: Artist and governor of the colony. Referred to as the Gentlemen Artist, he wants very much to have good relations with all. His only fault may be that he is sometimes to reticent for a leader.

Simon Fernandes: A Portuguese navigator and sailor is John White's polar opposite. He is brash, impulsive and selfish. No one gets along with him.

Ananias Dare: Tiles and bricklayer. Ananias is a strong, but quiet man. He is respected among the men and is often the one the men turn to if they want to  address an issue of the colony because he can easily talk to his father-in-law, John White.

Eleanor Dare (and Virginia Dare): daughter of John White,  wife of Ananias, and mother to Virginia Dare, the first child born in the colonies to British parents. Everyone looks to her for advise and hope, especially when John leaves the colony. Eleanor is a bright, upstanding woman who cares for the colonists and keeps their needs in mind. Her biggest secret and fear, the one she has admitted only to her husband Ananias,  is that her father won't return and the colonists will turn on their family. She is positive to the player character.

George White: Master builder by trade, he is a respected man. Colonists know they can get a straight answer from him, albeit a bit rough. He is a hard worker and likes to drink, so he skirts the line between truthful and troublemaker.  He is fiercely loyal to John White and to the colony ' s best interest. He tends to want to hang out with the other men and drink after a hard days work. If the colony is in danger, he is the first to their defense.

Roger Pratt: A middle aged man of good reputation and nature. He volunteered to to lead the colonists spiritually. He takes his duties seriously and will always stop for a word to one and all. He also doubles as the colonists ' teacher.

Nicholas Johnson: The resident barber and dentist, he is always busy visiting every home on a weekly basis,  sometimes just for a chat, and sometimes to perform a service. He always spreads news as it comes to him. He knows all of the colonists,  their habits, who is having trouble,  who is doing well, and anything else of interest. Although he is nosy and annoying,  he is tolerated and even encouraged by the player characters because he is a reliable source of information that is needed from time to time. The colonists, however,  know that if they want to keep something quiet, they don't tell him. On the other hand,  if they want to spread something around. ..

Roger Bailey: A scientist,  lawyer and scribe, he is a respected leader. He is polite and courteous and expects the colonists to be civilized no matter what disagreements take place. He believes it is this courtesy and manners that keeps the colony running in the face of trials.

Dyonis Harvey, Ship builder and master carpenter. Quiet, reserved, but is willing to do whatever is asked of him.

Margery Harvey: Wife of Dyonis, Eleanor 's friend. The two women have banded together for the common good.

Thomas Ellis: Ten years old. He views the colonists experience as one giant, sometimes unpleasant adventure. He keeps track of the other children and fills the need for entertainment.  This frequently gets him in trouble as pranks happen, things go missing. He also spends his time with studies and chores.

George Howe: He is as close to a lawman as the colony has. Educated and talented,  he is officially in charge of the buttery and is the brew master.

Towaye:  While relations at times are tense between the colonists and the Croatian tribe, he still interacts with the colonists.  It is through his efforts that the tribe and colony are not at open war, but at times tensions do run high.

Manteo: Although also Croatoan,  he is very interested in the English and learning the English language and customs. He is the point of contact for the tribe.


First Leg: Plymouth to Canary Islands
The following are things you describe to your students. Be as descriptive as you can so that they can visualize it in their mind's eye.

  • Flyboat separates from the Red Lion and pinnace during a night of bad weather. Write a short journal entry that describes the growing storm and the fact that you are all having trouble keeping the ships together on the rolling sea until, at last you can no longer see the Flyboat.
  • The next day, the storm has past and the sun comes up. You begin again on your way. Describe what it is like to sail on the boats, with the captain shouting orders.
  • Stop briefly at Canary Islands to refresh water casks. Describe the island, and how when you first get off the boat it is hard to walk on the land, which is still and not rolling. Describe filling the water casks from the streams.


Second  Leg: Canary Islands to West Indies
This is the lone stretch, 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Write about what this is like, including at least a few of the following possibilities: 
  • foul weather
  • seasickness
  • fair winds
  • an attack from Spanish warships and Pirates
  • sickness from disease
  • sickness from food spoilage
  • extreme heat

Aside from these conditions,  you should add specific interactions between yourself and one of the above mentioned people. You don't have to go into too much detail, but can include the interactions in your narrative in this way: "John White talks about the wildlife such as deer, squirrels and wild fowl and the endless green fields and woods there." How do you feel about these interactions?

During this portion,  there is plenty of time to exchange stories and talk about hopes for the future. John White describes his experiences in the West Indies and Roanoke.  Manteo describes his people and their customs and ways of life as well as those of the other Indians around Roanoke and the Chesapeake Bay. They both try to describe what it is like as compared to England including the rivers, forests, and wildlife. What are your hopes for the future?

You can also describe the weary routine of being on a ship, the crowded conditions and no privacy. Let your imagination go as you imagine yourself in this historical incident.

Remember that meals follow the same dreary routine : Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: salt beef or pork; with bacon and peas, once a week; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: dried cod, cheese and biscuits; beer and water all days. How do you bear this difficulty?

After 17 days on board, you might see pieces of debris, increasing numbers of birds or even land itself. What does this make you think and how does this make you feel?

You reach land one week later. Once you land in the West Indies, after being so long without fresh food, you are eager for fresh fruit. You see small green fruit that looks like small green apples. Do you  eat them or do you wait to see what happens when others eat them? Also include in your narrative one of the following: 
  • drinking contaminated water from a stagnant pond
  • your face burning and swelling from washing in contaminated water 
  • capturing sea-turtles, which provides fresh meat for everyone who can eat.

You begin to build temporary shelters, and you have a chance to go with a search party to Muskitoes bay, where Ralph Lane built fortified settlement in 1585. Nothing is found but many mosquitoes and you return with itchy bites all over. You are constantly trying to find fresh water, but in the heat, you end up drinking more beer than you can find water. Write a narrative about these events.

Darby Glavin and Dennis Carroll,  two Irish Catholics, have deserted.  White is afraid that they are headed to Spanish authorities to tell of plans to establish colony on Chesapeake Bay as well as where the Roanoke settlement is located. What do you think about this possibility?

Third Leg: West Indies to North Carolina Coast

Fernandes promises to take in salt in Puerto Rico,  but then exclaims that the area is too shallow and commands the crew to leave without stopping for salt.

White and Fernandes begin arguing. White blames him for losing contact with flyboat in Bay of Portugal. He yells at Fernandes, "You intentionally abandoned Spicer!"

White looks for a place to purchase and collect orange plants, pineapples and plantains for cultivation, but Fernandes refuses to cooperate and sails on.

July 21: Off coast of North Carolina, White decides to make contact with garrison left by Grenville and sets off in pinnace accompanied by 40 men. The player characters don't go with this party but hear someone from The Red Lion yell to the sailors not to bring back any of the men. What do you think is going on or what do you think will happen? White sails back to the boat, leaving the men at the garrison. Consider the situation. Was that the plan all along? Do you trust, White? Fernandes? Neither man? White reports that there are no men at the garrison. Only one set of bleached bones. Why did he leave his men there, then?

July 22: The next day, all march to the north end of the island to Lane's fort. There you find the earthworks and palisade thrown down but the houses within and around still standing, uninhabited and "overgrown with Melons (gourds, squash ) of many sorts and Deer within them, feeding." White decides to winter here before moving on to the Chesapeake Bay in the spring.

Over the next few days settlers and crew unload their gear and supplies from ship using the pinnace. They begin repairing the houses and break ground for "new Cottages" for families.

The flyboat arrives with settlers safe and sound, much to everyone's joy.

To make this a more complete history curriculum, you may want required your students to read Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, pgs 258-269 and write a paragraph summarizing each of the topics covered. 

Our story continues with my next post that outlines more adventures on the island of Roanoke...


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