Down the Columbia
The original's rafting finale, reimagined in side view. At The Dalles the party lashes the wagon to a log raft and runs the Columbia Gorge westward (right to left): basalt walls, colour-cycled waterfalls, Mount Hood in the haze. Rocks, whirlpools, drift logs and white water come at you from downstream. Read the water: a ripple V that points at you marks a hidden rock, and a V pointing away is the safe tongue. A Scout spots them sooner.
Choose Take the oars, click the scene, then steer lanes with ↑ ↓ and brace for white water with Space.
How it plays
Three lanes of depth
Far, middle and near water. ↑ ↓ move between them, easing across, never snapping. The raft carries momentum, so read ahead rather than react.
Hazards
Rocks (foam rings) cost raft integrity. Hidden rocks show only as a ripple V. Whirlpools drag you toward their lane. Drift logs knock cargo loose. White water spans two lanes: take the clear one, or Space to brace and halve the damage.
What a hit costs
Supplies overboard ("−1 barrel of food"), a soaked or lost tool, and a chance someone goes in. They're usually pulled out, but it's a Phase 2 permadeath moment. The Barlow Toll Road remains the safe, slow alternative (pay the toll, lose days).
Roles and clues
A Scout aboard reveals hidden-rock V's about 60% further out. A Teamster keeps the oxen calm on the raft (fewer panics in white water). A Carpenter lashes the raft tighter (+1 integrity).
The feel
Colour-cycled water and waterfalls, mist at their feet, spray on impacts, and the gorge sliding past at three parallax speeds. The finale should feel like a reward for the whole trail.
Phase 2 hooks
on:raft_hit, on:rapid_braced. Almanac card "River Pilot's Notes" (knowledge-gated) marks every hidden rock. Heirloom "Tarred Rope" adds +2 integrity.
Open questions
Length
About 90 seconds of rafting (7–8 river miles compressed)? Longer risks fatigue; shorter loses the drama.
Away rule
Rafting is a checkpoint that always waits for you: it's never auto-played while you're away. Agree?
Difficulty
Should the chosen occupation and the month you arrive (the river is higher in spring) change the river?