"They speak in tropes, at sea."
— Stephen Maturin, H.M.S. Surprise
Tropes related to oceans and the deep blue sea.
Because Space Is an Ocean, a lot of these tropes also show up in Space Opera, or have space-operatic equivalents.
Tropes
Media category:
Trope categories:
- Abandon Ship
- Accordion to Most Sailors
- Alien Sea
- The Ark
- Artistic License – Ships
- The Bermuda Triangle
- Boarding Party
- Born Under the Sail
- Boundareefs: Fence-like, closely-spaced that conveniently bound off the paths you need to take in a game.
- Burial at Sea
- Burning the Ships
- The Cabin Boy
- The Captain
- Commanding Coolness
- Cool Boat
- Davy Jones
- Deserted Island
- The Drunken Sailor
- Eldritch Ocean Abyss
- Emergency Cargo Dump
- Epic Ship-on-Ship Action
- Father Neptune
- Flaunting Your Fleets
- Flooded Future World: In the future, the world becomes covered by the rising oceans.
- Friendly Pirate
- Ghost Ship
- Going Down with the Ship
- Gunboat Diplomacy
- Hello, Sailor!
- Horny Sailors
- Houseboat Hero
- Improvised Sail
- Island Base
- Island of Mystery
- Isle of Giant Horrors
- Leaf Boat
- Lighthouse Point
- Lord of the Ocean: A Poseidon-like figure who rules over the seas.
- Lost at Sea
- Married at Sea
- Mega Maelstrom: A giant whirlpool that sucks in the sea and anything on it.
- Nautical Knockout
- Naval Blockade
- Noah's Story Arc
- Not-So-Safe Harbor
- Ocean Awe
- Ocean Madness
- Ocean of Adventure: The sea portrayed as a place of mystery, wonder and adventure.
- Ocean Punk
- Old-Fashioned Rowboat Date
- Parting the Sea
- Pirate: Engagers of seaborne larceny and mayhem.
- Plucky Middie
- Port Town
- Prongs of Poseidon: Using a trident as a weapon. Usually associated with sea gods and others with sea association. (Type I)
- Running the Blockade
- Ruthless Modern Pirates
- Seadog Beard
- Seadog Peg Leg
- Sea Mine: A spherical, studded bomb attached to a chain, which floats in the water and goes boom when approached.
- Sea Monster: Giant hungry things that live in the sea.
- Ship Out of Water
- Shipshape Shipwreck
- Silent Running Mode
- Sink the Lifeboats
- Sinking Ship Scenario
- Spy Ship
- Submarine Pirates
- Sub Story
- Super-Sargasso Sea
- Superstitious Sailors
- Swan Boats
- Symbolic Serene Submersion
- Tropical Island Adventure
- Turtle Island
- Waltz on Water
- Wealthy Yacht Owner
- Wooden Ships and Iron Men
