ITQ you will buy and sell goods, find a place to live, basic Jobs, and things to do to live through a zombie apocalypse. Zombies are slow. Plenty of things can maim or kill you. Zombie bites can be treated, but there are side effects, or you may screw it up and die. So let's avoid that, OK?You stand in line among several other people, anonymous faces, you didn't count them. You've not seen them before. Some in shoes, some barefoot, one with a blood stained spear, and all of you dirty and unwashed in the cool of the last day of December. You're on the outskirts Northwest of Houston in the shell of what was an old big box store, in the Greens Point area (Guns Point as the locals say). The proprietor has a fan blowing across the line of you, and he has been good enough to put up a pop-up tent outside the entrance to shield everyone from the sunlight, but it's stuffy with all of you crowded together and waiting. On either side of the Line, are cages full of dead eyed ghouls, locked in for now, but watching you.The Merchant calls out "Next" and you step up with your goods. You walk up to a bullet proof Plexiglass window with a pass through container, and big sign over the glass stating:>The outbreak was started on borrowed money, No Credit.You are yourself, just yourself. Your actions are your own choice, but the outcome is determined by post ID roll.Roll for your saleable goods layout by final digit.Subsequent rerolls to determine simple value, 2nd to last digit = quantity, final digit of simple pass fail 1-5 poor, 6-0 good1-backpack of junk, can be sorted for valuables2-live wild animal, must be examined to determine value3-Clothing, must be checked for damage4-Food, may be packaged or raw5-Contraban: cigarettes, alcohol, pornography, drugs6-Weapons: may be functional, broken parts7-Ammunition: may be boxed or loose, good or bad8-Medicine: may be prescription or over the counter9-Chemicals: wet or dry, labeled packaged or not0-information: he may or may not careDoubles= special itempoor items are worth 1/2 head, good items are worth 1 headYour ID characters, in order, determine the quality of your starting gear>Head>Backpack>Chest>Arms>Pants>Belt>Shoes>WeaponLetter=NothingNumber=common variety, used conditionSymbol=Superior variety and New Condition>IMPORTANT>[Returning Players, please use your old name from the previous game, if you want to keep your progress, and so I'll know it's you. New players, go as big as you like with your character, I write fairly in depth scenes to keep the game interesting. You can die, but I'm not out to get you. I play as the Merchant, and narrate the game. If you want to talk IRL, ask a question, or suggest something, use these square brackets [ ], so I'll know. Welcome]See previous chapters>>6046391>>6087641>>6128116
>>6167937New player.Big dude just escaped from some bandits.
>>6167995You made it away from bandits. Or rather what was left of them. The ones trailing further back didn't chase you as hard after seeing what you did to their more fervent comrades.>dis be straight up nastyOne of them was heard to say. But not by you. And a few minutes the remaining pack gave up. It was the fifth mutilated corpse they'd discovered in as many hours. [If my 5th+4th <=10, bandits will be wary of you, granting you +1 against Bandits for the game duration. If more they will stalk you, and all ghoul draw rolls will include 1 or more bandits for the entire game.]Beating them to a pulp didn't slow you down, and you would not be likely to slow down for a few days. Meth, even now, is a mean drug.[If my 4th+3rd <=10, you'll be a casual drug abuser with a mild habit and cravings, and can get clean if you do not consume anything else wile suffering a -1 calamity for 20 turns, after which you will have a focused personality and +1 success for the remainder of the game. If more, you are an inveterate drug abuser and will suffer constant drug cravings and a -2 to calamity until you get your fix, once every 5 turns, at which point you get a +1 to success and -1 to calamity. You have a chance to automatically consume any contraban you find if your roll ends in a 4-0 on any turn where you find or actively possess controban.]The Merchant sees you walk up, in your ragged cloths and feet wrapped in cloth. You're not naked really, but you may as well be. Though in your state, it hardly registers in your mind.[If my 3rd+2nd <=10, you'll have sense enough to protect yourself from danger. If more you'll have a psychotic personality, granting you +2 to all violence and -1 to calamity.]>Happy new yearThe Merchant greets you through plexiglass, and you see several boxes of fireworks have been opened inside his work area. He looks you over, but doesn't seem shocked that you're wearing nothing in this weather. Mostly, he seems to be looking at your cardboard box, which you're clutching, and which, like the label, contains some addictive contraban.[If my 2nd+1st <=5 you have cigarettes, if 6-10 it contains alcohol, if 11-14 pornography, if 15 or more it is drugs. If you rolled as a drug addict, you will not be willing to trade drugs for any price.]>lets take a look at your box there. You trading, or is it just how you like to carry it?The others in line are standing back from you, just a bit. You can see your dim reflection in the glass. The crusted streaks of blood running down from your nose are either a burst capilary or a hard strike to your face. You're not certain which.Your knuckles are split open, and you stink like a drug lab. Somewhere you think you hear tiny popping sounds, like rice crispies or cannons.
>>6167995>Happy New Year Mother AppreciatorA voice yells out as explosions brighten the sky
>>6168095>>6168079"If I can, can't part with my stogies." *searches box*[When you "If my 2nd+1st <=5 you have cigarettes" does that mean the last digits of your post? Like 7 is your first digit and 9 is the second. Because numbers close to No. don't change as often. Happy New Years!]
>>6168106[Yes, the last digits are the ones I mean, so 5th from the end to 1st, or the last digit. <= is as close as I could figure to doing "less than or equal to"][My 5th+4th was 6+8, so you are hunted by the gang for the entire game][8+0, you're a casual drug abuser, currently intoxicated, and can quit if you choose][0+7, you're not a psychotic][7+9=16, so you've got a box full of drugs.]>those crystals are not sea salt, I take it. You cook it yourself or you get it somewhere?PLOT POINT[You get to choose your story arc, since you're going to be hunted anyway.]Did you>cook the drugs [chemistry knowledge, lets you turn 9 rolls into gunpowder and drugs]OR>steal the drugs [+1 searching and loot range]>You've got at least (6) doses. I'm a buyer. It's worth 6 heads. You need shoes? Clothes? There's work to do if you're up to it.The Merchant points to a chalk board of work>wood cutter>oil worker>scrap sorting>messenger service>tool retrieval>Missing persons>road clearing>vehicle retrievalAnd beside these jobs, another list>DEMAND ITEMS:>Canned food>base metal coins>charcoal>wheelbarrows>shopping carts>soap>bleach>ammunition>seeds>kerosine>tools>Buying anything of Value>Rooms to LetYou can see wooden cookoo clock on the wall behind the merchant, a swinging pendulum carved in the shape of a berry cluster. It is 6:40Another explosion sounds in the night, some distance from the entrance.Two of the others in line are discussing lightbulbs and shoe laces. The line chatters with ideas and gossip>they need twenty of these changed a week, the rate they're going. I can't convince him to swap over to lanterns. He says it's too expensive for him to carry the overhead, and not enough coming in to roll the expenses into the trades.>What's the angle on this place? What's it all about?>I'm done til February. Those peach pies are calling me.You have 5 actions [use > to demonstrate your choice, and feel free to embelish or come up with your own ideas]>trade the drugs>ask about a job>buy something>talk to the others in line>ask about gossip>ask about a room>go exploring outside the facility>go hunting for ghouls>use a dose of drugs (may cause addiction)>turn around and leave with your stuff>your idea
>>6168480I've been an entrepreneur at times. *Smiles Big*>cook the drugs [chemistry knowledge, lets you turn 9 rolls into gunpowder and drugs]>trade half of the drugs.>buy pocketknife>ask about gossipKnow where to get some pies?>go exploring outside the facility
>>6168480"Evenin' Shopkeep, and Happy New Year!">Pete raises a hand in greeting as he enters the shop, bypassing the queue. It's been a quiet enough time since Halloween. He guesses this place saw enough wyrdness for a few months. Managing to bring in everything he'd looted then had set him up nicely, even after giving the promised percentage to his impromptu hired help Xavier.>Since then,he's been chipping in to both keep busy and keep his tab well stocked, be it random tasks, helping sort the humongous warehouse next door, or doing some small distance loot runs and clearing any ghouls in the way.>Today was one of those, so he's back late with a trash bag full of proof of kills. That means heads, and yes, they still are the currency of choice around here!"Say...any news on Wyatt?"[Not sure if you're planning on him still being MIA until he comes backs tumbling in or if you've NPC'd him like the others, so feel free to take this as Pete asking if there have been signs of him or if he's back from his latest outing.Also, hello new anon! Not sure how much you've read of the archives, so feel free to ask any questions while things are still quiet!]
>>6168914You choose the path of the drug cooker, >I made the drugs. They call me 'Chef LSD'The Merchant just looks at you, incredulous, but never a man to argue about self applied titles with drug abusers, he takes you at your word. [When you loot an item with a 9 roll, ordinarily chemicals, you have the option of combining them into gunpowder or various drugs. How does it work? Muhuh!?! You're the barber.]>half the drugs.>half? Ok, half. Half works. Just be careful with this stuff or you'll become 2/2 of a drug fiend. Anyway that gets you 3 heads.>ill take a pocket knife.>no clothes or shoes? Alright, mr Boyscout. >so what is happening?You ask, to the Merchant, the people waiting behind you. Perhaps you asked the question to yourself (9). You're pensive, cagey, offputting to normies who don't understand the mechanics of using amphetamines whipped up in a garage and then walking to the moon.Someone, perhaps a disembodied voice gives you the desired exposition to the query of "what is happening">there were a ton of drones and helicopters sweeping the freeway for the last week. There's lots of missing people, to the east and south. Voodoo gangs to the west. And we've been taking sniper fire from the office buildings along Beltway 8 for three months, they're shooting from the inside of the containment wall.>so how's about some pie? (1)>peace alright, or are you a pumpkin spice guy? It's the new year, have a slice.The Merchant opens the passthrough and gives you a folded over aluminium pie pan with a slice of peace pie.>um, uh, thanks.And with that, you take your swiss army knife clinched in your hand you turn back to the parkinglot and exit into the dark, as another bloom of sky flowers light up the horizon. You're standing in the main parkinglot now, a wide cleared area, dimly lit for fifty paced out by perimeter lights, and from the entrance of the building you face west. To your left, southward, according to some painted markers on the pavement, you can see an enourmous containment wall merging with the freeway overpass of the beltway. To the North, the freeway you crossed earlier that day, Interstate 45, stretches in a zigzagging rent seeking fashion across bayous and farmland hitting every nearby town all the way to Dallas. Between you and there are hundreds of cross streets and homes and businesses, and many cars and a million ghouls. Nearby the entrance is a folding chair, and a blood soaked shopping cart. A persistent smell of rot and the unending clatter of ghouls walking around in their cages, and the groaning sound of whatever it is in them that causes them to do that when they walk. Nearby, you see (4) places >an office building to the east with a dim light>a petrolium tank farm to the east>a church steeple to the north>a blinking light in the sky heading south west[Continued]
>>6168914>>6169912You don't see any ghouls in the immediate area, and while you wouldn't lay down and go to sleep, though some do, you're quite certain that you're in no immediate danger. In the second's light from a skybloom, you think you see a figure watching from a freeway overpass. In the parkinglot, there is nothing to loot, nothing to fight, and nothing to hunt.You have 5 actions>travel 1 block (Repeatable. Must indicate direction: north, west, east, south)>go towards point of interest (will take several rolls to get there)>attract ghouls (will include bandit)>Search building>search vehicle>hunt for animals>return to cook site (will take several turns)>your idea[5th-2nd] 1-5p, 6-0f[Calamity] 1-4p, 5-0f[Once you roll a calamity, you will likely begin fighting ghouls, and calamity will be renamed "draw", meaning that further 1st digit fail rolls will summon more ghouls, in theory forever. Also, your weapon, a folding knife is a single target attack, so you can only successfully kill one ghoul per attack action, until or unless you upgrade to a different weapon, like a firearm, or a machete.]
>>6169930>>6168914[Scratch that, you have *4* actions. The last digit in your post is reserved for calamity.]
>>6169930>an office building to the east with a dim light>search vehicle>hunt for animalsNice fresh air stings the knuckles a bit but feels nice. Bandits could be here he thought "With a Swiss army knife you could craft many things" he mumbled, peach glucose running though his veins.Seach a vehicle try and strip some wires out of it and take out the seat belts if they are still there. Gather fabric from the seats if some is left for eventual sandals. Check the trunk in try to get my hands on a lug wrench. >>6169135[Thanks for the welcome!]
>>6169135You walk in and brush past the people in que, while dripping in gore. The bag in your hand leaves a trail along the ground, and the others give you glances, as if you might have freshened up before hand. A woman holds her nose, looking askance at you, and she's probably a harlot, but that doesn't stop her from judging your appearance. People can be so cruel.>hey Pete. Happy new year. You know . . .Even the Merchant can't avoid addressing your appearance.>bag of heads, I presume.>yeah, uh, five of them (5)A buzzer unlocks the door and you empty the trashbag inside, and head over to the shower. You're not too fond of your garb either, but you don't say anythibg to yourself out loud, you've got better manners than that.>WYATT!You call out, although you don't really know the man. And then, remembering that he is probably still hungover, you yell a little quieter:>*Wyatt!*Wyatt's status as the Sole Survivor of his ill fated excursion into the forbidden zone?Intact.Wyatt's return from that self same forbidden zone, replete with Santa Clause hat and truck pulled by 8 zombies arriving on Christmas Day?Triumphant.A person with the ability to draw might illustrate such an event, but you get the idea.[Wyatt, as will all characters, is an NPC to the extent that no players want to utilize them. If Wyatt comes back, or someone elese wants to use his character, that's fine too.]You have seen the uptick in gang activity. Xavier, as usual doesn't want to talk about it, or why they others of his stripe are so agitated, but you suspect it relates to food. Even if dressed up in superstition and humerous cruelty, most things are ultimately related to food.This is especially convincing if you are willfully dense, and have no appreciation for nuance or motivations beyond base desire. You've got the rest of the night to do what you like now, 4 actions, as it were.>go to bed>clean yourself [costs 1 head for the water, and restored your calamity balance]>wake up Wyatt (he is drunk)>track down Xavier (he is high)>travel 1 block (Repeatable. Must indicate direction: north, west, east, south)>go towards point of interest (will take several rolls to get there)>hunt ghouls>Search building>search vehicle>hunt for animals>return to cook site (will take several turns)>your idea[5th-2nd] 1-5p, 6-0f[Calamity] 1-4p, 5-0f [cause you're covered in zombie ears]
>>6170352Sure, the while being drenched in gore thing isn't the best, but Pete has learned not to care, and also gotten quite good at not getting blood in the wrong places. Plus he has regular shower access, so he isn't stinking up the place. As for the rputation this may give him, well, to quote a game, in situations like these, it pays to be the strong and silent type. Though he should probably make an effort to appear on the saner side of the "ghoul smashing maniac" cliche...Wyatt and Xavier are off doing their own thing in the compound, and neither seems able to hold a conversation, at least not a good one, so Pete just gets on with his evening routine and goes to bed soon after to get an early start on tomorrow's tasks.>Clean up self and gear in the shower.>Prep and check weapons and equipment for tomorrow to limit stupidity-related risks.>Do some light reading if there are any books available in the rented room.>Go to bed early.
>>6170222>Search building[Forgot one action.]
>>6170222>>6171629[I'm placing your final action within the roll context of the original post Id]You leave from the Merchant's entrance, and standing in the parkinglot, choose to head Eastbound into the aforementioned sniper fire. Even on the side of the Merchant's building, someone had scrawled>Gunshots pasT this Cornor StopNot that it was the most helpful of signs. It could use some rewriting, but it was there. And so you strolled into the dark and into the open walking towards the office building with the light on. You made it (7) moves away from the Merchant's safe zone when the first bullet cracked the pavement by your feet.[If my 5th+4th <=10, the bullet did not injure you. If more, it clipped your leg causing you to bleed, with a stacking -1 calamity per turn debuff until the bleeding is stopped.]You duck behind a husk of a car, but it has already been picked over (0). It has also served others as a means of cover from sniper fire, as the pannels opposite and the hood have been potmarked by gunfire. In the dark, and from your side, you can't flourecent marker pain splashed over the car. The last few people to get shot didn't see it either.[If my 4th+3rd <=10, there is a corpse with loot items equivelent to those digits, i.e. 3+4=7 would give 3=clothing and 4=food. If more the corpse is wearing rags]You decide, since you're laying there to hunt around for animals. Or would it be more fair to say that the animals are hunting for you? Well, who can know the ways of scavenger animals? (2) fat ones gnawing at the leg and senew of the corpse.[If my 3rd+2nd <=10 the scavengers are rats, and you can carry them by the neck until they come to fear and obey you. If more they are vultures, which scatter and fly away, alerting the shooter that you are still alive, and giving -1 calamity while outside.]You look in the vacinity. >To the west is an open space without cover, leading 7 moves back to the Merchant's safe afrea. >To the south is the unscalable freeway wall. >To the the east is the office where the sniper is shooting at you.>To the north, you see a large mall entrance where you can get out of the open. You think you can make it to the mall. And so, collecting yourself and whatever you found you make a dash to the entrance (2).[If my 2nd+1st <=10, you do so without drawing anymore gunfire. If more the shooter will track you with Suppressive Fire for the next 10 turns. Suppressive fire gives a -1 to general success, only applicable when near a window or skylight.]You have 4 actions.>focus (+1 success for a turn)>self guard (+1 calamity for a turn)>enter building (can be repeatedly attempted)>search building (gives total number of rooms)>search rooms (gives total number of searchable objects)>loot objects>attract ghouls (will include a bandit)>return to the Merchant through the open (-1 success, -2 calamity and requires 7 moves. NOT recommended)>your idea[5th-2nd] 1-5p, 6-0f[Calamity] 1-4p, 5-0f[Map on request]
>>6171498Blood and guts are a thing which is not good! Shall you continue this day in the entrails of a foe? By no means!Well, hold on, that declaration might be premature. Though you scrub and wash, the blood stain on your clothing, body and hands will not be moved (7). [If my 5th+4th <=10, the stains and so on are just stubborn and you need to repeat the washing process to be clean, regardless of roll outcome. If more, oh boy are you in for it. You're under blood guilt, and have become ontologically evil, and recieve extra pushback from the forces which oppose you, namely x2 to all ghoul draw for the rest of the game.]Still covered in bloody eyebrows and fingernails, you decide to prepa dn check over your gear for the "marnin", as some one might say, or the "morrow". We would also accept "Manyana" or however the mexicans say it, but only under duress. It should in no way be contrued as an approval of spanish. Anyhow, you do it (1). And should have no malfunctions or hangups.[You have gained a mission buff "Cross Your T's and Dot Your Lowercase j's". No dropping or losing weapons, no slipping, no tripping, no wardrobe malfunctions of any kind. In a word, +1 against calamity][If my 4th+3rd<=10, you'll have organized your gear efficiantly, gaining a +1 to movement rolls. If more you'll forget clean socks and go without them, giving you tender feet, and a -1 to movement rolls.]You pick out a paperback and sign your name, promising to return it in good order and free of bodily fluids, and settle in for the evening reading page after page with a flashlight (4). The book sparks a point in your mind that hadn't been struck before that perhaps it was not that others were not good at conversation, but that you had no common ground of discourse with them. You feel, in the end, better able to relate to an entire group of survivors.[If my 3rd+2nd <=10, you read Central Banking and the Enslavement of Mankind by Stephen Goodson, and +2 to recruit anti-zionists and segregationists, who will see you as an enemy of parasites. If more, you read Industrial Society and It's Future, by Uncle Ted, and have a +2 to recruit misfits, loners, outcasts and disturbed people, who will see you as an ally of the downtrodden.]But your reading, or the lingering smell, or the day's stresses prove too much, and you are unable to sleep (9) you lay awake thinking all night, and the dawn comes and you never even got drowsy. This leaves you sluggish and exhausted. (8)[-1 to general success for the game][If my 2nd+1st <=10, you will be also have a Sleepless Euphoria +1 to calamity. If more you will also have a Sleepless Apprehension -1 to calamity.]You have 4 actions>focus>recruit Wyatt>recruit Xavier>recruit rando survivor>leave alone>ask Merchant for job>clean/shower again>buy/use uppers (can cause addiction, but mitigates sleeplessness debuff. see Syd's thread)>go look for Syd>your idea[5th-2nd] 1-4p, 5-0f[Calamity] 1-5p, 6-0f
>>6172004[Let me know if I get this right.][5th number is 7 and 4th is 2. Makes 9 which is less than <=10. I don't get shot.][3rd number is 0 and 4th is 2. Makes 2 so no corpse, but if one was there its loot would be a live animal?][3rd number is 0 and 2nd is 0. Makes 0 no rats or vultures.] >focus (+1 success for a turn)>self-guard (+1 calamity for a turn)>enter building x2 go for the mall.I slap my face and lock in collecting my thoughts behind the car. What was I doing like a moth to a flame heading towards that light. If I can get to that mall, I'll have tons of cover and hiding spots hope there is no ghouls. I secure my belongings and head for the structure.
>>6172086>[5th+4th =9, the stains and so on are just stubborn and you need to repeat the washing process to be clean, regardless of roll outcome.][Phew! Speaking of, when you say rest of the game, do you mean one thread or longer?]>Pete is not the kind of man who forgets his socks, and while he may be a touch energetic when it comes to wahsing off blood of his hands, it's probably nothing ontologically evil, or whatever. Hopefully.>Still, while he can't fault the...hum...peculiar book selection from the Merchant's stock, he honestly just has a bad feel about today. Ah well, he decides to start the day off right with another shower after some basic breathing exercises. He's learned to value them, as taking a breather is often worthwhile, even in a situation fast going to shit. Better calm down than run around panicking, after all.>Focus>Clean up again>Ask Merchant about jobs>Check if anyone is trying to make a group for something, you never know!
>>6172119You didn't get shot, [7+2=9] though not for lack of an attempt. The gunfire cracks and you hear pavement chipping and splintering behind you.The corpse had, well not much on him, but a few things. [2+0=2] you find rat in the thing's pocket, and a letter made up recently with freshly applied ink, though it's too dark to make out what it says.You find 2 more rats [0+0=0] picking at the man's torso, and grab them behind the neck, causing a bit of squeeking and thrashing before they calm down.In the[the one about the corpse was saying that there is a corpse next to you, but you rolled less than 10, so you get 2 loot items from the corpse. The first outcome is generally a positive, and the latter a negative. The 0+0 is less than 10, so you get a pair of rats.]When you bolt for the mall entrance you cut through a deep shadow, and there are no more shots. You focus yourself (+1), and stay on your guard as you try for the double set of doors, which have been left unlocked and you move past (1) and then through another (1).Inside it's dark, and your rats are getting more nervous. You're standing inside the entrance of a corridor to the main causeway inside the mall. A foot inside from the double door is a metal gate, covered in scrawling words, and a group of (9) ghouls seeing or hearing or smelling you become disturbed by your presence and begin reaching through to grab you. However, the gate seems to be holding for now.[If my 5th+4th<=10, the gate is securely latched and won't break. If more, it is unlatched, and they will get past it in 2 turns.][If my 4th+3rd <=10, there are 5 other corpses in the entry way carrying gear and a loaded handgun. If more one of them is infected and will reanimate right now.][If my 3rd+2nd <=10, there is a light source nearby on the ground. If more there is none, -1 success.][If my 2nd+1st <=10, someone from the Merchant's compound responded to the gunshots, and will come help you. If more you'll be on your own til morning.]For now, the ghouls can't get to you, and can be picked off carefully and quietly. (Using melee weapons gives a +2 against ghoul draw rolls made in combat)You have 4 actions>focus>self guard>fight ghouls (single target with knife)>shoot ghouls (if you have found a gun)>use a rat as distraction (distracts 1/2 of ghouls)>loot corpse (individually)>go back outside>open the gate>run deeper into the mall (must have opened gate first)>your idea[5th-2nd] 1-5p, 6-0f[Draw] 1-4p, 5-0f
>>6173267You lay awake as long as you can, and finally get up. It's still dark and you shuffle around doing tasks slowly, but deliberately, an old bachelor's habit.[7+2, The stains will come out no matter what you roll][Cross your T's & dot your j's +1 calamity][2+0, +1 movement][0+8, Goodson's book, +2 recruiting][No sleep, -1 success][Sleepless Apprehension, -1 calamity][Also, I reversed your roll range on the last turn, it should have been 1-4 for calamity, and I put it as general, so that's why there's a spread difference here]Your head is slow, so you have to focus yourself to do what you want to do (+1). Your clothes aren't clean, and they should be, and so they will be, because why not? Anyhow, you'll not be wearing the clothes until they're cleaned and dried off, so you finish washing them up with an end piece of soap in a wash basin, and hang them to drip dry (3) [+1 calamity]You've organized everything for a days work. And go talk to the Merchant, who even at this time of night is reclining behind his desk. You ask him about jobs (2)>hmm? Jobs, um . . .We need more supplies of everything. Food, bullets, um, liquor, fuel oils, like the used oil your brought in last month, that sort of thing. Was there more of it? If you can get back to that honey hole, it would make a good haul. Also, there was a guy in here a few hours ago, looked a bit Vicous, that I think may have been shot outside. I heard someone shooting, and I know it wasn't our guards. Anyway, someone said he was wandering off to the east last night. If you want to bring him back, well, he's not worth much dead, but he was saying he knew chemistry pretty well. Bring him back alive, and I'll pay your expenses of room and board for a week.[If my 5th+4th <=10, you'll remember the way back to the oil reservour, and that it still had hundreds of gallons in reserve. If more you'll remember that you cleaned the place out in one trip.]You must decide >go after SydOR>disregard himWhile you think over what to do next, you go inside and see that most of the other residents are several hours into their drinking. Some of them passed out. You ask, in your way if anyone is doing anything, or going anywhere, but mostly get slurs and grumbling in response (6).[If my 4th+3rd <=10, you'll find Xavier with enough fight in him for some argie bargie. If more he will be slumped over like the junkies of the past, and will have -2 success, -1 calamity, and a chance to pick a fight among your team while on the mission.][If my 3rd+2nd<=10, Wyatt will be level headed and agree to drive you to your destination, letting you start the task/job of your choice immediately. If more he will also be racked with PTSD, and will have the possibility of becoming unresponsive due to past trauma. See previous threads for descriptions of trauma][If my 2nd+1st <=10, another NPC will come along, and will get along with your crew. If more he will have other alterior motives.][Continued]
>>6173267>>6176138[Cont]You return to the merchant for a bit more information, and he informs you of the other things in the area.>There is an oil tank farm to the west, that may have fuel>A messenger from the Cyfair school district came by on thanksgiving, and disappeared after trying to deliver a message to the tower sniper>the Ooga Booga Gang is massing north West in the Bammel ghetto.> Wyatt intends to resume clearing a path through the forbidden Zone>there is a national guard reserve motor pool depot to the north>the farmers report having cattle stolen>basically, there are tons of people and things that are missing>[if you choose to go after syd, it precludes all other mission choices, obviously, but you get it as a free additional action]You have 4 actions>focus>provision your trip [+1 calamity, but lures in bandits to all ghoul draw rolls]>investigate local occurance (choice from above)>buy/use uppers (can cause addiction, but mitigates sleeplessness debuff. see Syd's thread)>work in warehouse>go looting in a direction (must indicate, but is automatic)>go hunting in a direction (must indicate, but is automatic)>make friends with a teammate (repeatable, but each teammate takes 1 action, gives better guard buffs in combat)>your idea[Earlier you'd asked about the phrase "rest of the game", for ontological evil it would have been your character perminently. For sleeplessness it would be this thread, as your character will sleep in the future, with other things like PTSD, it is a character trait, which I'd try to keep track of for the rest of the game generally. Or like Wyatt has a ghost companion, and it follows him around.][5th-2nd] 1-4p, 5-0f[Calamity] 1-4p, 5-0f
>>6167937>[SUBPLOT: the poor you will always have with you]A woman approaches the front of the building in daylight. She is black. Wearing a sort of homespun dress, carrying an bundlike as though it were an infant. She looks dazed, brutalized. Her short cropped hair reveals several healed wounds to the head, some fresh, and the blood that dripped onto her clothing has dried and discolored the light dirty fabric.[If my 5th+4th <=10, she will be lucid. If more she will be mad]A guard spots her coming in from the freeway and tells the Merchant about it.>she looks alone, carrying a parcel. I dont see anyone else watching from the other posts, but it looks like a Bammel dweller, Gears and Hughs maybe.>keep me posted, I'll watch for her.[If my 4th+3rd <=10, she will be approaching the merchant because of some definite reason. If more she will mull aimlessly around the parkinglot weeping.]There are others in line. Men and women selling jugs of motor oil, or buying food. Some of them are poor and some rich. Some notice the woman, and others don't.She is talking to herself outloud.>dey tink i et de howel baskit but i no did it. Me take etyan ah go wayShe has already been muttering as she crossed the open parkinglot. And now she mulls around outside, unwilling to come in.[If my 3rd+2nd <=10, someone will inquire about the child. If more they will ignore her.]After 20 minutes of this the merchant asks for a volunteer to go approach the woman, and find a solution.[If my 2nd+1st <=10, the preacher will go speak to her. If more, one of the guards will try to move her along.]The merchant >stays behind his desk [+1 calamity]>tells guards to recheck the perimeter [+1 calamity]>tells volunteer to be careful [+1 calamity]>checks his security cameras [+1 calamity][5th-2nd] 1-5p, 6-0f[1st calamity] 1-5p, 6-0f
>>6176853A few minutes of talking reveals that the woman is beside herself and unintelligible. Not only her dialect, but the entire thrust of her mind have her crying and yelling uncontrollably. She isn't certain why she is there, and can't answer basic questions. On the way out he tries to warn the preacher to be careful. The man has a sort of philanthropism, or magnanimity that makes the merchant uncomfortable. He doesn't dislike him, but everything about the man's approach to others strikes the merchant as risky. He can't be sure that the man listened, but manages to check his camera feed anyway, and is sure that there is no one creeping along the flank.[If my 5th+1st <=10, the woman is an escaped survivor. If more she is a distraction][If my 4th+1st <=10, the woman is alone. If more she was followed.][If my 3rd+1st <=10, the woman's injuries are minor. If more they are serious.][If my 2nd+1st <=10, the injuries are treatable. If more they are perminent.]The preacher >focuses>consoles the woman>examines her for injuries>examines her parcelThe Merchant>focuses (+1)>tells guards to watch perimeter [+1 calamity]>checks radio for chatter [+1 calamity]>rechecks the security monitors[5th+2nd] 1-5p, 6-0f[1st calamity] 1-5p, 6-0f
