For the interactive fiction project I wanted to tell a story of complicity and scarcity through a story of finding water in the desert. The player will play as a “pirate” on a post-apocalyptic desert where water is scarce. One day, the crew stumbles across an oasis in their travels and quickly scavenge all the water from the ship for a seemingly glorious feast.
However, at night the captain will ask the player to help him steal the water for a bath which puts the player in the position of choosing between loyalty to the crew and loyalty to the captain. Regardless of what happens, the player will find that the next morning, all the water is gone. There will be a conflict and investigation to figure out what happened and the player will have to navigate their own motivations and values in the process.
At some point, even though the conflict might lead to lasting consequences, the player and the crew will try to return to the oasis to find that it was a mirage all along.