Sea of Thieves and the art of Psychological Warfare

As per the title, Sea of Thives is a game of thievery.  It is a game of fighting and stealing.  You make friends and you make enemies.  The players fighting each other is almost secondary a lot of the time, but when conflict arises you must come out on top.  Most players win the traditional way: with cannons, guns and bombs, but an even better, more effective, way of fighting others players is the less-direct art of psychological warfare.
 
In the United Kingdom there was an elite group of psychological experts whose tactics were used to help cats get out of a catatonic state.  This tactic works just as well with humans, but with the opposite effect: send normal-acting people into a state in which they cannot function or are lacking in function.

This tactic can come in several different variations, but before going out to fight, there are some things you must have prepared.