Choose Your Own Time Travel Adventure! As an official in the British East India Company

1. Choose Your Own Time Travel Adventure! As an official in the British East India Company

2. Year: 1857 • Place: Bombay, India • You have been hired as an official in the British East India Company (BEIC) that rules over India. • You will be given an area of land to govern the native population as they grow tea for the company. • Your job is to keep the company profitable, make sure that tea production is not disrupted, and lastly, to make as much money as possible. • For this game, you will be making decisions for your area and trying to make the most money. Certain choices will make you money while making the wrong decision will cost you. • As you play this game, you will be keeping track of your profit on your progress sheet. The progress sheet also has several questions that you must answer as you progress through your adventure. • Lastly, you must use the “Next” button and other hyperlinks to progress through the game. If you do not use the links, you will not be able to make money! Read the directions? If so, you are ready to travel back in time!

3. The area that you command is circled in purple. You have 300 British Troops at your command. 10,000 Indian workers who tend to the tea groves live in villages around your headquarters. Currently your relationship with the natives is reasonable. They are not happy that you rule over them but they do like the modern things you have brought to India such as railroads and hospitals so they tolerate your presence. Next 

4. First Issue: Area Security Bandits have been raiding villages in your area. The villagers look to you to act as the police force. You do not have enough soldiers to cover all 10 towns. And every time you secure one area, the bandits attack another. Calling for help from other officials will not work unless it is a MAJOR emergency and this is nowhere close. What can you do to improve security? Record your choice on your progress sheet before clicking that choice. Choice One Split your force of 300 soldiers between all the villages; 30 per village Choice Two Train 100 men from each of the villages to create militias

5. You chose to split your 300 soldiers into smaller units of 30 per village. This protects the villages but leaves your headquarters vulnerable. The bandits attack your headquarters while it is unprotected and damage the tea crop stored there. You lose $500. Record -5 on your progress sheet. Next ->

6. You chose to train a 100 men in each of the neighboring villages as a militia. While there was some cost in training and supplying this militia with guns, you have made the correct decision. The bandits are captured quickly using this method and no more damage or theft is reported. You have made $500. Record +5 on your progress sheet. Next ->

7. Sepoy Units The sepoy are the militia units you have created from local Hindu volunteers. They are armed with rifles and you trained them on how to use them. The sepoys are to keep the peace amongst their own people. Next ->

8. Second Issue: Gun Problems While dealing with your bandit problem, you find that your rifle barrel gets incredibly hot. Modern day gun oil has not been discovered yet but you need some substance to keep your gun working. What substance could you use? Record your choice on your progress sheet before clicking that choice. Choice One Vegetable Oil (Water-based) Choice Two Animal lard and fat

9. Local Hindus and Muslims approve of your choice as animals are sacred to Hindus and Muslims are not allowed to eat pork. But, water based oil will not keep your rifle in working order as water burns off in the high heat. You lose $100 in gun repairs. Record a -1 on your progress sheet. Next ->

10. Animal grease is the perfect substance to oil your rifle with but the locals are angered by your choice. Animals are sacred to Hindus and Muslims are not allowed to eat pork. Your functioning guns keep your tea groves safe and the bandits away. You have made $100. Record a +1 on your progress sheet. Next ->

11. Issue Three: Drug Production Neighboring officials have begun to turn away from growing tea in their areas to cultivate a more profitable plant. They are planting poppies which are used to produce opium, a narcotic drug. The villagers resent having to produce opium on their lands but the decision is yours. Will you switch some of your tea groves to poppy production ? Choice One Yes, I will begin to grow poppies. There is lots of money to be made in their production and the point of this game is to make money right? Choice Two No, I will not be growing poppies. I respect the opinions of the local villagers and will not force them to grow this drug. Record your choice on your progress sheet before clicking that choice.

12. China becomes addicted to opium! The BEIC makes a huge profit! The British East India Company becomes the largest drug running establishment in human history. You have made a profit of $1000! Record a +10 on your progress sheet. The Hindus are angry that you are making them grow drugs in their own backyards. This is terrible for their culture as their children run the risk of becoming addicted to opium as well. Next ->

13. By not growing poppies, you have gained some respect from the villagers as they do not have to grow drugs in their own backyards and their children’s risk of becoming addicted to opium is lowered. But on the flipside, your superiors in the BEIC are displeased with you. China has become addicted to opium and big money is to be made in producing it. The lands around you are raking in the cash as the BEIC becomes the largest drug running establishment in human history. You have missed out on a huge profitable deal. Record a -10 on your progress sheet. Next ->

14. Issue Four: Village Mutiny A mutiny has started in a northern village. The workers no longer want to work for you. The village council is unhappy with the way you have been running things and wishes to join the neighboring providence to the north. If they leave, production will be cut by 10% and you will miss your quota. Less profit will be made and your bosses will be upset. If you destroy the village, this could also ruin your quota. What will you do? Choice One Let them leave. You can make the other villages work twice as hard to make up for it. Choice Two Punish the village council with beating and keep the villagers there by force Record your choice on your progress sheet before clicking that choice.

15. You let the village go and plan on working the others twice as hard. But now the other villages resent you for working them harder than you normally do and they want to join other providences as well. All the villages are now leaving one by one and soon no one will be working the groves. And if no one is working the groves, there is not any profit coming in. Better send in the Sepoy to stop the villagers from leaving. No profit was made on either choice in this round. Next ->

16. You decide to put the mutiny down by force. This means calling on your Sepoy militia to end the mutiny along side your British troops. The Sepoy are being forced to turn against their own people to keep the peace. Trouble is brewing. No profit was made on either choice in this round. Next ->

17. Issue Five: Sepoy Mutiny When you send in your British and Sepoy soldiers to stop the village from mutinying, the Sepoy troops refuse to fire their animal greased weapons on their own people, and instead join in their mutiny. Now 100 armed Sepoys have joined the 1,000 villagers in open revolt! What are you going to do now? Record your choice on your progress sheet before clicking that choice. Choice Two Let the villagers and Sepoy go and miss the upcoming quota because you will have no one to work the tea and poppy groves. Your bosses will understand why the money is not coming in like it should. Choice One Punish the Sepoy troops. They were suppose to help you put this mutiny down! Not join it! Get them back in line so they can put this down and everyone can get back to making money!

18. You crack down hard on the Sepoys who are joining the village in their mutiny but it is unsuccessful. The Sepoy still have the rifles you gave them so you now have an armed conflict within your borders. The people are growing restless. An all out rebellion is coming... Next ->

19. You let everyone, including the Sepoy, go free. The big bosses of the BEIC are not pleased by your decision and order you to get both the Sepoy and the villages back under your control. Better do this soon or you may be out of the job. (Did I mention the Sepoy are still armed with the guns you provided?) Next ->

20. Issue Six: All-Out Rebellion (Good Luck!) While cracking down on the rebellious Sepoy militia, word spreads to the other villages of this incident The other Sepoy units have joined the other side in this rebellion. Their aim is to drive you and your 300 British soldiers from their lands, and they WILL use the animal greased guns if it means getting rid of your rule. Choice Two Call for reinforcements from the other provinces and save the company. This counts as a MAJOR emergency. Choice One Run away and hide in the mountains. Maybe things will work out on their own. What will you do? Record your choice on your progress sheet before clicking that choice.

21. You run for the hills but are pursued. There are 10,000 angry villagers and 1,000 armed Sepoys who want to drive you from their lands. They can not be reasoned with and they want to kill you. If you want to live, you better call for reinforcements. Next ->

22. Calling for reinforcements was the best idea. There are 10,000 angry villagers and 1,000 armed Sepoys who want to drive you from their lands. You will want all the help you can get if you are going to end this rebellion. Next ->

23. Reinforcements are called in and the rebellion is crushed but what should be done with the leaders? Write your easy, medium, and harsh punishments under #10 on your progress sheet, then click next. Note: You cannot kill all the villagers as punishment. Who would work the tea and poppy groves if they were gone? Next ->

24. Time for this time travel adventure to end. Before we leave 1857, is your progress sheet completely filled out? If yes, then let’s go back to the future! If no, raise your hand for Ms. Burr to assist you. Keep your progress sheet! We will be discussing your punishments for the Indian leaders together.

25. Our time travel adventure may be over but the story of the British East India Company is not over. Please turn off and put away your laptop. Our class discussion will begin shortly. Thank you for the adventure!