>>6313302
Your name:
>Jeb Twain
Your sex:
>Male
Your age:
>25
Your SPECIAL (assign 40 points):
>Strength: 3
>Perception: 7
>Endurance: 4
>Charisma: 3
>Intelligence: 6
>Agility: 7
>Luck: 10
Your Tag skills (choose 3):
>Small Guns
>Stealth
>Medicine

Your background (affects starting gear and character interactions):
>Junkie

Your traits:
>Bloody Mess

>>6313302
Your name:
>Ted Kazador
Your sex:
>Male
Your age:
>31
Your SPECIAL (assign 40 points):
>Strength: 5
>Perception: 7
>Endurance: 6
>Charisma: 3
>Intelligence: 9
>Agility: 5
>Luck: 5
Your Tag skills (choose 3):
>Outdoorsman
>Science
>Traps

Your background (affects starting gear and character interactions):
>Engineer

Your traits:
>Jurry Rigging

Robots eh? Sounds industrial.

>>6313302
>Name: Hink Maize
>Sex: Yes
>Age: Old enough... to party
SPECIAL:
>Strength: 5
>Perception: 5
>Endurance: 5
>Charisma: 2
>Intelligence: 5
>Agility: 9
>Luck: 9
TAG:
>Small Guns
>Speech
>Lockpick
BACKGROUND:
>Junkie
TRAITS:
>Jinxed

>>6313302
Are we just creating a single investigator, or are we gathering together a small party?

>>6313368
This. Consequences will never be the same.

>>6313386
You're a lone traveller to start, but you may encounter new friends later.

Your name is Ted Kazador. You are your town's engineer, responsible for keeping the water pump, irrigation system, and electric lights working. People will often come to you to machine replacement parts for their guns and tools. You enjoy spending time in your shop tinkering with ancient computers as well. Repairs aren't a full-time job in a town this small, so you also occupy your time hunting deer and geckos in the woods.

Tag skills: Small guns, Science, Outdoorsman
Traits: Bloody Mess, Jinxed

SPECIAL
STR: 4
PER: 7
END: 5
CHA: 3
INT: 7
AGI: 7
LCK: 7

Gear:
10mm pistol, 48 JHP rounds, single-barrel shotgun, 20 shells, 3 stimpaks, sharp knife, leather jacket, Pip-boy, 200 caps.

There are two ways you can take to get to Boise. You could follow the Salmon river through the mountains, or take the road south and go around the mountains along the highway. The first path will be safer from raiders, but you will be more likely to run into dangerous wildlife. The second path will take you through some more populated towns, so you may learn more. You may also find a caravan to travel with.
>Go through the mountains
>Go around the mountains

>>6313984
>Go through the mountains
We don't have outdoorsman for nothing

You say your goodbyes in Salmon, gather your gear, and hit the road. The townsfolk put together plenty of food and water for you so you won't need to spend time hunting while you travel. You set out in the early morning and follow the old road to the southwest. As you enter the woods, the road becomes more overgrown and less intact. You find yourself relying on your Pip-boy's map program to navigate. When night falls, you make camp inside a rock formation.
You leave early the next morning and continue through the wilderness. This day is also uneventful and you encounter no man or animal. You make camp in the evening atop a cliff, with the ancient road zig-zagging down below. It's probably safe, but you avoid a fire anyway and go to sleep.
...
A rustling sound wakes you in the dark. In the dim moonlight, you can just make out a large silhouette rifling through one of your bags. The sound and shape are unmistakeable: a yao-guai. Either the mutated bear hasn't noticed you yet, or it's just more interested in the dried meat in your bag. Your guns and other bags are within your reach. You lay silently, thinking of what to do.
>Grab your shotgun and shoot it in the head
>Grab everything you can and climb down the cliff
>Stand up, make noise, and try to scare it off
>Stay quiet and hope it goes away

>>6314783
>Stand up, make noise, and try to scare it off

You quickly stand up and shout at the yao guai. You put your arms in the air to seem bigger and fire a few shots into the air with your pistol. The bear roars at you and stands on its hind legs. It drops forward again and approaches you, roaring inches from your face.
It doesn't seem very intimidated by you, so you turn around and dive down the slope towards the cliff. There is a tree growing out off the top of the cliff face, and you grab it as you roll off the edge. You climb the trunk further out and wait. The yao guai can't reach you here, and soon enough it turns its attention back to your rations. You dropped your pistol somewhere while escaping it, so you can't do anything but wait for it to go away. After ten or twenty minutes of tearing open your bag, it slowly wanders away. When you're sure it's gone, you carefully climb back up. It's a little lighter now and you can see better. It looks like all your food is gone, but you still have water. You find your pistol in the grass near the edge and pack up your things.
It's now light and you set off down the road. You know there's a little town of a few dozen inhabitants ahead called Stanley, you'll be able to buy some food there.
...
You reach Stanley and a man with a rifle stops you. You explain that you're a traveler from Salmon and you want to buy some supplies for your journey. One of the other townsfolk recognizes your face, and the man lets you pass. You enter the bar/general store, where you find the owner, Katrina. You remember from the last time you were here that she loves gossip and rumors. You tell her about your brush with death in the forest and ask for something to eat. She brings you out a meal of stew and bread and offers you a discount if you tell her the story. As you eat, you recount your ursine encounter with a bit of dramatic flair. The other two patrons in the bar listen too. When you're finished, you ask if they've heard the rumors of the robots kidnapping people. One patron says that the robots take people's brains to make into more robots. Katrina says she heard the robots look just like people, and they make copies of people to infiltrate towns. But everyone agrees they've been attacking the areas to the southeast. You tell Katrina that you need to buy some food for your journey as well. Boise is two days' walk from here.
>buy 2 days of food (-20 caps)
>buy 3 days of food (-30 caps)
>buy 4 days of food (-40 caps)
It's currently midday.
>Stay in Stanley for the night (-10 caps)
>Leave soon

>>6315210
The trek from Stanely to Boise lasts about 2 days according to Google Maps Vaultec or something. Still, I say we buy 3 days worth of food in case something delays Ted ans if not, maybe we could sell the extra food once we reach Boise.
>buy 3 days of food (-30 caps)

>>6315326
Sounds good. +1
>Leave now

Sorry for not keeping with the thread OP, the jannyjeets got me and I dutifully served out my jeetban. I'm back now, but who knows when the jeet menace will strike again?

Rod Steel
Male
37
Strength 10
Endurance 30
Unarmed, stealth, lockpick
Shoe Salesman
Always ready to deliver

You decide to leave town while you still have daylight and you buy some oat bars and dried meat from Katrina for the journey. This plus the meal leaves you with 160 caps. She warns you to keep an eye out for rats when you pass through the abandoned part of the town.
You spot a few rats and pig rats while walking among the crumbling pre-war buildings, but you keep your distance and they keep theirs. You make your way along the mountain road and find an old gas station as it's getting dark. You take shelter inside and sleep.
...
The next morning you set off again. The trek is uneventful and you come to the town of Bear Run in the evening. Inside the Bear Run Hotel a chubby man welcomes you and asks if you're here to stay the night. He tells you the price is 14 caps.
>Stay
>Haggle
>Do something else

>Haggle
"Industrial society was a mistake. Just one town over it's only 8 caps."

>>6316098
>Haggle

You try to haggle with the hotel owner and cite the lower price of the hotel in Stanley. The owner suggests that you go there if you prefer their prices. He rants some more about the various costs of running his business and about profit margins, and says if he lowered his prices he'd be losing money. You're about to relent and pay the 14 caps, but he interrupts you with a suggestion.
"Listen, if you can't afford it, how about you do a little job for me? I'll pay you good cash for it."
"Alright, let's hear it."
"There's one of those communists from out west in town. He's been standing on a crate in the main street preaching about how oh so evil the business owners are, how the workers are oppressed, how capitalism caused the great war, and other fucking nonsense. They sent him here to do it, to gather some support so they can take over the town. Plenty of people here hate him of course, but some of the poor are starting to listen. Do you know what it's like living under the commies? We've had people fleeing from them come here, none of their stories are good."
He starts to rant about taxation, wealth redistribution, and profit incentives, but you cut him off and ask what he actually wants you to do.
"You're from out of town. I want you to get rid of him. You can figure out how, but as long as you stop what he's doing and no one can trace it back to me."
"Let's get this straight, you want me to kill him?"
"Oh no, I want you to get rid of him. Well, killing him would work. Trust me, he deserves it. But I meant get him out of town. Scare him off maybe, or tell him some lie. Hell, you could just break his jaw so he can't speak."
He lowers his voice.
"But if you do decide on... killing him, now I wouldn't be against that, but he should disappear, understand me? No body lying in the street, no witnesses, no gunshots, no pools of blood in his room. He just skips town without paying his bill, and no one thinks about him again. If you make him into a martyr, I won't pay you. But get it done right, and 400 caps are yours."
>Agree
>Decline
>Ask for more
>Report him to the sheriff
>Threaten to report him to the sheriff if he doesn't pay you

>>6316416
"Oversocialized manchildren chasing power through pity, all wihle fueling the very machine they decry? Consider him vanished. 400 caps it is."
>Accept
>[First, however, I need to verify that he really is what the man claims he is.]

>>6316423
+1, but also:
>Haggle
If he can't at least offer up more caps, he should hand over a .22 or something that we could quietly do the job with. Also,
>Ask about Communists from out West

You agree to do it, but ask for 500 caps instead.
"Alright, alright." he says. "You can stay the night free too. But you only get the money once it's done."
"What else do you know about those communists?"
"You haven't heard of them? They control parts of Oregon and Washington. Once they take over a city, they put a wall up around it to keep people in. They draw people in by blaming the great war and all other evils on capitalism, and promising something different. All they have to do is promise though because once they take power no one can do shit about them. They send their people to towns all over like here to gain support. Anyway, enough talk. Get some sleep, you have a job to do tomorrow. The name's Jackson by the way."
...
The next morning you walk to the main street. You find the communist easily, a small crowd is gathered around him. Some are heckling him with insults, others listen silently to what he has to say. You listen for a while as he talks about Marxist theory. Jackson was telling the truth, he's definitely a communist. You use the time to think about your approach.
>Pose as a fellow communist and lure him out of town to kill him
>Pose as a fellow communist and convince him to leave to proselytize in another town
>Provoke him into a fight so you can break his jaw
>Intimidate him into leaving
>Find a wire to make a garotte, then tail him when it's dark
>Find out where he's staying and sneak in at night
>Reconsider
>Write in

Sending the reprobate to another town would merely serve to further spread its infantile ideology. The only language leftists understand is violence.
>A physical brawl
With 4 STR we are far from a weak soiboy, but a showdown in front of a crowd doesn't maximize our advantage.
>Social engineering
With 3 CHA we are not confident in our ability to engineer a scenario to clear the creature out of town or intimidate a dyed in the wool ideologue who gets heckled daily.
>A garotte
This is better, but, again, is an unnecessarily risky approach with far too many variables.

>Write-in
Poison would be the best approach here. The wild-eyed raving man is already half-crazed. A cocktail of deadly nightshade in his breakfast would cause delirium and even more insane ramblings the next day, discrediting his beliefs. If we're lucky, someone else might break his jaw first; otherwise, we will swoop in as a friend to help guide the raving lunatic out of town where our 10mm will take care of the rest. To that end, we will have to establish ourselves as a friendly face today.
+
>Pose as a fellow communist and poison him, then lure him out of town to kill him.

>>6317063
Interesting plan. We can start out as a curious comrade who's family worshipped the Manifesto over the years, & inquire further about the commies out West; whether or not they are connected to the Soviets or Chicoms, what strain of theory they follow, etc.

You consider poisoning him. You don't have any poison, but you could probably buy some rat poison at the trader without seeming suspicious. You also consider making poison yourself with nightshade, but it might take more than a day to find and process the flowers.
The communist finishes his speech and goes into the tavern not owned by Jackson. Looks like he's taking a break. You take your chance and follow him. He takes a table in the corner after ordering a beer and sandwich. You walk up and introduce yourself under a false name. You tell him that you were impressed by his speech, and it's nice to see someone standing up for the poor and oppressed. He thanks you and invites you to sit down. He tells you his name is Peter. You ask about where he comes from, and he tells you about the communists in Portland and Seattle. He says the revolution has been spreading, and it's only a matter of time before they free the workers of the world.
"It must be nice to live out there."
His smile slips for a moment.
"Well, we've had some trouble because of kulak sabotage. But we'll root them all out soon enough, then things will get better."
"Oh, I see."
"So are you part of the struggle?"
>Yes, I have some like-minded comrades who live out of town. You should visit us some time.
>No, but I'd like to be. Maybe we can talk about it over lunch tomorrow? Away from prying ears.
>Write in

>>6317568
>Yes, I have some like-minded comrades who live out of town. You should visit us some time.

I'm still telling my kids that this was the commie's speech in town the next day btw
https://files.catbox.moe/leajz2.mp4

>>6317597
Accurate

+1 to out of town comrades, we can lure him away as an unaware travelling companion/pack mule on our way to investigate the robit rumors.

You tell Peter that you have some friends who formed a small commune a few miles to the north, and they would definitely be interested in helping him spread the revolution. He seems excited and insists on meeting them. You suggest taking him there today and he agrees. He buys you some lunch and you ask about how the revolution started out west, and whether they're connected to China or the Soviets. He says no, as far as they can tell no one from other continents has traveled or communicated with the Americas since the war. While you're eating, he explains how Vault 38 in Oregon was initially populated by a large number of left-wing academics and activists who had dissented over the war and criticised the US government for imperialism and witholding resources from the rest of the world. Those ideas were passed on to subsequent generations, and when the vault opened they set up a university and hospital for the surrounding wastelanders. Communist ideas were taught freely at the university while right-wing ideas were not. Many people came to the university seeking education or medical help, and the number of communists grew. Eventually there were enough communists to create new communities and overthrow existing ones, and these communities consolidated their power to form a Communist Union. One of the Union's main goals is the liberation of new surrounding communities, and the first step is to find local allies, which is Peter's mission.
You soon set off together back along the road you took into Bear Run. As you walk, Peter asks how your friends found socialism. You tell him that some families in another town found and read books that had belonged to a pre-war professor, including Marxist literature. Most of your friends come from those families, you say.
A few miles along, the road is surrounded by the forest. You stop and tell Peter to follow you off the road. You walk through the trees for a few hundred yards and stop. You point at nothing up ahead and tell him to look closely. He steps forward, trying to see something through the trees.
>Shoot him in the back
>Something else

>>6318049
>Hit him in the head with the Minecraft Pickaxe, Trotsky-style
(or just use our gun)
>Loot
>Return to town for the payout

>>6318353
This

You don't normally use your knife on living creatures, but you decide not to risk someone hearing gunshots. You silently pull your knife and stand close behind him. You quickly grab his hair and stab the knife into his ear several times. He flails his arms but goes limp as the blade pierces his brain. Blood wells from the wound and soaks your hand. You search his corpse and take everything he has:
>Set of clothes (bloodstained)
>Pair of boots
>Beret
>9mm pistol
>18 9mm rounds
>168 caps
>Swiss Army Knife
>Copy of the Communist Manifesto
>2 pencils
>Sheets of paper
>Some written letters
You don't have a shovel so you can't bury him, but you drag the body between some bushes and cover it with some leaf litter. With everything packed in your bag, you set off back to town. There's a fresh bloodstain on your leather jacket, but given the dark color of the jacket and the various other stains and dirt on it, it should hopefully not stand out much.
You arrive back at the Bear Run Hotel and tell Jackson that the communist decided to leave town suddenly. Jackson goes outside, and after a few minutes of checking the regular spots, returns and shakes your hand. He takes you aside to pay you the 500 caps and quietly advises you not to sell any of his possessions in town. You decide to ask what he knows about the rumors of robots kidnapping people. He tells you that a woman arrived in town recently who survived one of the attacks, and she's staying in the hotel.

You have leveled up! You have 20 skill points to invest, in increments of +5. Tag skills (Small Guns, Science, Outdoorsman) will gain double points.
Current skill levels:
>Small Guns: 35
>Big Guns: 15
>Energy Weapons: 15
>Unarmed: 50
>Melee: 40
>Throwing: 30
>Medicine: 25
>Sneak: 25
>Lockpick: 25
>Steal: 20
>Traps: 25
>Science: 30
>Repair: 20
>Speech: 15
>Barter: 10
>Gambling: 35
>Outdoorsman: 25
Choose how to allocate your skill points.

>>6319079
All into science

>>6319079
>You have leveled up! You have 20 skill points to invest, in increments of +5. Tag skills (Small Guns, Science, Outdoorsman) will gain double points.
>Current skill levels:
>>Small Guns: 35
>>Big Guns: 15
>>Energy Weapons: 15
>>Unarmed: 50
>>Melee: 40
>>Throwing: 30
>>Medicine: 25
>>Sneak: 25
>>Lockpick: 25
>>Steal: 20
>>Traps: 25
>>Science: 30
>>Repair: 20
>>Speech: 15
>>Barter: 10
>>Gambling: 35
>>Outdoorsman: 25
>Choose how to allocate your skill points.
5 into small guns
10 into science
5 into traps

Read the letters, then burn them
Use the pencils and paper to take down notes in your own hand about important details from the letters
Burn the Communist Manifesto
Burn the Beret and clothes

>Hold onto the swiss army knife and pistol for a while and sell them at a later date

>828 caps
Buy something
With an air compressor and a source of power we could rig up a liquid oxygen still for making oxidizer for explosives.
There are plenty of pines in the area. We could maybe even start distilling turpentine and toluene for making TNT which is stable enough to sell to farmers with stumps to remove and local militias with communists to remove.

5 in Throwing, 5 in Science, 10 in Outdoorsman

Burn the Beret, Clothes, & Manifesto like the other anon said, but keep the letters for now, they could fetch a good price from anti-red militias if they have intel.

Maybe 5 in all our skills and 5 in traps?

>Outdoorsman 5 (->35)
>Small Arms 5 (->45)
>Science 5 (->40)
>Traps 5 (->30)

You gain +10 Small Guns, +20 Science, +10 Outdoorsman
>Small Guns: 45
>Big Guns: 15
>Energy Weapons: 15
>Unarmed: 50
>Melee: 40
>Throwing: 30
>Medicine: 25
>Sneak: 25
>Lockpick: 25
>Steal: 20
>Traps: 25
>Science: 50
>Repair: 20
>Speech: 15
>Barter: 10
>Gambling: 35
>Outdoorsman: 35

You decide to dispose of the communist's clothes when you're out of town. For now, you speak to the survivor of the robot attacks. You introduce yourself and tell her that you're investigating the attacks and would like to ask some questions. She agrees and tells you that her name is Kira and she's from Burley, southeast of here, where she was the doctor's assistant. The town was suddenly attacked by dozens of robots. She didn't see how it started, but she saw that people had started running or fighting. The robots were of an unfamiliar model, and were humanoid. They had a laser built into one arm and some kind of stun weapon built into the other. The robots had surrounded the town to stop people escaping, but some of the townsfolk managed to fight their way out, and she was with them. Kira and two others were separated from the rest and fled, but the other two were killed by bandits on the road west. She hasn't seen or heard of any other survivors since then.
>Ask her to join you
>Thank her for the information and go to bed

Traps, my beloved...
>>6319818
>Ask her if she wants to return
Our mission is to go to Boise, find information on the robots, and, presumably, return to share the information. We were not tasked with destroying the robots or liberating any towns.

>Ask her to join us
>Go to the market & see what we can spend our caps on

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>>6313984
Hey OP, why don't our SPECIAL stats match what >>6313368 said? I get that Jury Rigging wasn't a thing but why did it change from
S: 5 -> S: 4
P: 7 -> P: 7
E: 6 -> E: 5
C: 3 -> C: 3
I : 9 -> I : 7
A: 5 -> A: 7
L : 5 -> L: 7
(40) -> (38)

>>6319928
I decided the numerical choices with multiple options are a compromise between the different responses, weighted towards the ones with more votes.

You offer to take Kira with you on your journey. She thinks for a moment and agrees, saying that there's nowhere else for her to go. Maybe this way, she'll get some revenge. You tell her to meet you here tomorrow morning ready to leave. You hurry to the market before it gets dark and shop around. A trader is selling a bolt-action hunting rifle for 500 caps, .308 rounds at 5 caps each, and some crude steel armor for 1000. Another is selling a pre-war robotics book for 200 caps. Another is selling stimpaks for 150 each. You have 828 caps, and you think you could get 250 for the 9mm pistol and ammo. The Swiss army knife might go for another 50. The pencils and paper together might get you 70.
>buy the rifle and 20 rounds (600)
>buy the book (200)
>buy a stimpak (150)
>sell something

>>6320282
>buy the book (200)
Know thy enemy.

>Book + Stimpack
Hopefully we can get some armor in the near future.

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>>6320282
Rifle and stimmy the other guys are crazy

>>6320790
We're already carrying a shotgun, you want to carry a .308 too?

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>>6320856

>>6321105
Well, I think this will quickly get out of hand when we are carrying a 'salt rifle, hunting rifle, shotgun, 10mm sidearm, 9mm fallback, and room clearing bullpup but fine. We have to get the book though, that's obviously an important relic. Put your drug addiction on hold and get the book and .308.

What kind of creatures should we be looking out for in irradiated Idaho? Wendigos? Meese? Canuckians?

>>6321478
The most dangerous animal of all is man, probably.

Thinking that you need a weapon for longer ranges, you buy the rifle and ammunition for 600 caps and the book for 200. You considered buying a stimpak, but decided to get the other things instead since you already have three.
An updated list of your inventory:
>Caps (28)
>Hunting rifle
>.308 rounds (20)
>Single shotgun
>Shotgun shells (20)
>10mm pistol
>10mm JHP rounds (45)
>9mm pistol
>9mm rounds (18)
>Sharp knife
>Swiss army knife
>Leather jacket (equipped)
>Peter's clothes
>Peter's boots
>Peter's beret
>Stimpaks (3)
>Travel rations (1 day)
>Water flasks
>Robotics book
>Communist manifesto
>Peter's letters
>Pencils (2)
>Sheets of paper (14)
>Pip-boy
You head back to the hotel and sleep for the night. In the morning you meet with Kira and prepare to leave for Boise. At the moment, she has no weapons. She tells you that she knows how to use a gun, but not very well. She doesn't have any other combat skills either.
>Lend her the shotgun
>Lend her the rifle
>Lend her the shotgun and 9mm pistol
>Lend her the rifle and 9mm pistol
>Give her no weapon, she'll be no use in a fight anyway
>Something else

>Lend the Shotgun & Shells
Less skill needed to hit something.

>>6321627
>Lend her the shotgun and 9mm pistol

>Lend her the shotgun
At least wait until we're out of town to start flashing the 9mm around, good lord.

After a brief demonstration on how to reload it, you give the shotgun to Kira. The trip to Boise will take less than the whole day, and you set out early so you will have time to investigate in the afternoon. Outside the town, a caravan is getting ready to leave. You ask their destination and they say they are headed to Boise as well.
>Safety in numbers, ask to travel with them.
>Best to keep a low profile, travel alone.

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>>6322239
>Offer to join as guards for 100 caps, if not, go on our own.

test

Sweet, I can post again. +1 to the big brain idea.

>>6322252
Maybe that is cheap for them or their going rate is higher. I would ask what they would pay for an extra two guns on the trip there and probably not try to negotiate because our charisma is only three

>>6323039
No objections from me. It is only half a day though so I'm not expecting much, if anything.

You ask the caravan leader how much he'd pay for a couple more guards. He tells you that they're not looking for any extra guards, but you're welcome to travel with them if you're looking for protection. You politely decline and start walking ahead.
Some time into the trek, the road passes through a field. Some wrecked pre-war vehicles are strewn around. You perceive some movement in the distance ahead, and quickly motion to Kira to get down behind the nearest car. You take her binoculars and peek over the car to take a look. You see two men hiding behind a rusty car about 400 yards ahead, occasionally looking out in your direction. They don't have binoculars and it seems they haven't noticed you. There is an overturned truck on the other side of the road, which may be concealing more of them. You guess that the caravan is half an hour to an hour behind you.
>Head back to warn the caravan
>Wait around here to warn the caravan when they get near
>Take a wide detour to get past the men without being noticed
>Approach them diplomatically
>Attack

>Warn the Caravan
>Offer to Scout Ahead/Loop Around

You should advertise this qst in the /QTG/ to get more voters looking at it.

>>6323992
Good idea, thanks

>>6323200
+1 to this, just good folk

You leave while still undetected and walk until you find the caravan. You wave down the caravan leader and tell him about the raiders up ahead. He thanks you for the warning and brings some of the others over to discuss what to do. Based on your description, they expect the caravan's 20 fighters would outnumber them. The most popular option seems to be to attack the raiders first: going around at a safe distance would take a while and go over terrain hazardous for the brahmin and wagons. One of the leading guards proposes to use riflemen behind the cars on the road to keep the raiders pinned behind cover while others flank on both sides. The other caravanners concur. You offer to do some scouting first to confirm their numbers.
The caravan stops out of sight of the ambush spot, and you creep ahead with the caravan leader. You check through the binoculars and the raiders are still there. You suggest that when you're in the field on the right, you can fire a shot or two from range to draw them out of cover into the guards' line of fire, if the odds are good. The leader agrees and you get ready to go. The guards help to attach some sticks and leaves to your clothes to help camoflage you, and you crawl through the grass off the road. It takes some time, but eventually you get into a good position behind a rock to survey the enemy. You count two hiding behind the car and eight hiding behind the truck. About half of them have assault rifles and others have shotguns, hunting rifles, or pipe rifles. You check on the guards and they're in position behind the cars. You chamber a round in your hunting rifle and take aim. You fire a shot at the raiders and quickly duck behind the rock. You don't think you hit any of them at this range, but you can hear them shouting. You look out from behind the rock again and fire another shot, then duck again as bullets fly past you. The raiders had run towards you after the first shot, but run back to cover after taking fire from the guards. You hear some screams of pain, so you know at least one of them is hit.
>Stay behind the rock and wait for the guards to take them out
>Take potshots from here
>Try to crawl back to safety

>Crawl backwards, then flank them to create an obtuse L-shaped ambush angle
>Be careful not to get into the caravan's field of fire

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I am voting 'present.' I wasn't paid to risk my life and this is off mission.

>>6324715
+1

You crawl back from the rock for a while and then turn left to head towards a wrecked car. Halfway towards the car, you look to the left and see a raider running towards you with his head ducked. You roll on your side and aim your rifle, but you miss as your aim is thrown off by a deep burning pain in your side. You look down and see you've been hit. You look back towards the raider but you can't see him. Pushing yourself up, you crawl quickly behind the car and slump against it.
You hear footsteps close by and rack the bolt of your rifle, but it jams. The raider appears from the other side of the car and aims his pipe rifle at you. Nothing happens. He frantically tries to release the hammer, but you pull out your 10mm pistol and put four rounds in him, and he drops to the ground dead.
Taking off your jacket, you inspect the wound on your left side. Luckily the bullet only grazed your abdomen, and it's not bleeding heavily. You use a stimpak to inject healing chemicals around the wound, then put a spare piece of cloth over it. You take off your belt and use it to apply pressure, then you wait. It seems like the battle is already over, and help quickly arrives. The guards fetch Kira, who disinfects and bandages the wound properly. The guards help you walk back to the caravan and you sit on one of the wagons. Apparently one guard was killed and another was wounded in the fight.
Once they've finished looting the corpses, the caravanners bring you your share. They offer you a choice.
>1000 caps
>400 caps, a rusty AK-47, and 43 7.62mm rounds

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>>6325625
I'm fine with either one, let's get to Boise.

>>6325659..
>Bargain for slightly less caps & more 7.62 rds & mags, + some body armor stripped off of the bandits

>>6325659
Nice anon, can you do one for our guy?

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>>6325660
>>6321627

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Forgot caps

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Books

>>6325673
Dope, thanks anon

>>6325625
>400 caps, a rusty AK-47, and 43 7.62mm rounds

You choose the rifle over the extra caps. You ask if they have any more ammo for it, but they tell you that's all they found.
Your updated inventory:
>Caps (428)
>Hunting rifle
>.308 rounds (17)
>Rusty AK-47
>7.62mm rounds (43)
>Single shotgun
>Shotgun shells (20)
>10mm pistol
>10mm JHP rounds (41)
>9mm pistol
>9mm rounds (18)
>Sharp knife
>Swiss army knife
>Leather jacket (equipped)
>Peter's clothes
>Peter's boots
>Peter's beret
>Stimpaks (2)
>Water flasks
>Robotics book
>Communist manifesto
>Peter's letters
>Pencils (2)
>Sheets of paper (14)
>Pip-boy
You rest on the wagon for the rest of the journey, and take the opportunity to do some reading. You go through Peter's letters, which consist of various orders and instructions related to subverting the local population. It includes details about potential targets for radicalisation in the area, such as striking workers or chem junkies. Apparently there is an ammunition factory in Boise, and the workers are paid low wages. The letter informs Peter that a 'comrade' has been dispatched undercover with the goal of unionizing them, and that this union leader can be trusted if encountered. The mayor might be interested in this.
You put the letters away and start reading the robotics book. One of the chapters lists various robot models as of 2074. None of them match the descriptions you've heard. An older model of the Robco Sentry Bot comes close, but it is still too big to match and has different weapons. The robots must be either a new design made after the war, or a secret prototype from before the war. Skimming through, you find a section about remote control systems. Rather than equipping a robot with expensive and bulky artificial intelligence hardware, more basic computers can be used if the robot is kept in contact with a more advanced controller computer, typically with encrypted radio frequency communications. This also allows a large number of robots to carry out coordinated tasks, which is of great military value. However, the communications can be susceptible to jamming. This sounds like it might be how the robots function, but until you get to autopsy one you can't be sure.
The caravan arrives in Boise in the evening and you rent a hotel room for the night. In the morning, you start looking around the town. Most of it still uses relatively intact pre-war buildings, as the city apparently was unimportant enough to be spared from the bombs. You decide it's time to get to work.
>Go to the mayor's office
>Go to the marketplace
>Go to the bar and ask around about the robots

>>6326440
>Go to the mayor's office
The letter gives as an in with the mayor and quite possibly some caps for the intel, plus who better to know about the robots than the mayor of the regional power center?

>MAYOR
Hopefully we can setup the union agent for an even bigger payday.

You ask for directions to the mayor's office, and you are told the town's leader titles himself the Archon. You make your way to the council building and tell the guard at the door that you have important information for the Archon. The guard brings you to the Archon's secretary to whom you explain that you found written evidence of a plot to subvert the Archon's authority. After a brief discussion behind closed doors, the secretary returns and tells you that you are invited to meet the Archon. You leave your weapons with the guards and are given a pat-down, then you enter the office alone.
The Archon is dressed in a white formal suit with a very long coat, and sports a bushy grey beard. He speaks somewhat eccentrically.
"Welcome, Mr Kazador. I am told that you have something for me."
You hand him the letter and explain vaguely how you found it. He takes some time to read the parts that you pointed out to him.
"Yes, yes. Hmm. Well, you've done a good job bringing this to me, but I already know that Simmons is a communist spy. We've had our eyes on him ever since he started causing trouble here. The problem is, he's quite popular, especially among the factory workers. If I just arrest him or throw him out, I'm now a tyrant in the eyes of the public. I label him a communist infiltrator, he has plausible deniability. I have him killed, he becomes a martyr and the workers riot. There's not much I can do."
"But now you have evidence, isn't that enough?"
"My boy, I already had evidence. This will add to the case against him, and I'm glad to have it. But it's just a piece of paper with writing on it. Anyone literate can forge a letter. Thank you for bringing it to me, but it's not the last piece of the puzzle. Oh, and I suppose you want to be paid for this. I'll have my secretary give you 300 caps. Did you come to town just to give this to me?"
"No, I'm here to investigate the robots that have attacked towns."
"Ah yes, a concerning matter. Our council is worried they may threaten Boise as well. We have a man investigating them too. He's in the field at the moment but I think he'll be back in town within the week. His name is Oswald Rankin, you should talk to him when he arrives. Until then you could ask around, we get plenty of travellers bringing stories. Try the hotels."
You thank him for the advice.
>Offer to record a holotape of Simmons admitting to being a communist agent
>Leave and start investigating

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>>6326841
>Offer to record a holotape of Simmons admitting to being a communist agent
It's off mission but eliminating leftists is always acceptable mission drift.
I'm fine with staying on mission if that's what other anons want, tho.

>>6326858
I concur, let's followup against the reds & the robits.

"What if I get you a recording of this guy admitting he's a communist agent? I can go in posing as one of them, tell him I'm working with the agent in Bear Run. If you give me a holotape I can record it on my Pip Boy."
"We've tried that once before, he suspected something and pretended not to know what our guy was talking about. We thought they might have a code phrase they use to identify each other."
"Alright, maybe I don't know the code phrase because I'm a new local recruit."
"If you're sent to meet him, they'd tell you the code first... unless your guy up north was killed by capitalist swine before he could tell you."
"And I survive and flee to him for help."
"Yes, hm. This could work. But first you'll have to memorize all the information in those letters to sell the story. The names of the people in charge, what their strategies and goals are, as well as details of communist theory."
The Archon activates an intercom on his desk.
"Harold, send Mike in for me."
After a few minutes a bald man in metal armor enters.
"I'm here, boss."
"Mr Kazador, this is Mike, our captain of the guards. Mike, I believe we can trust Mr Kazador with our communist problem."
He explains the plan to Mike, who seems to agree with it.
"Mike will help you with the task from now on. Go with him to prepare, he'll get you the holotape and whatever else you need. Take the letters with you."
"Alright, follow me."
He takes you to a room where you both sit and study the letters. Mike tests you with questions about your story until you get all the details right. You also read through what you think are the important parts of the Communist Manifesto. You also test the audio quality of the Pip Boy's tape recorder. When Mike is satisfied with the preparations, he shows you a map of the town and tells you where you should go to find Simmons, and where his men will be waiting undercover in case something goes wrong. He reminds you to leave the council building through the back door so no one sees you here.

It's dark when you find him, in a small shack not far from the factory.
"Excuse me, are you Simmons, the union leader?"
"Yes, I am. What can I do for you?"
"You're a friend of Peter's, aren't you?"
"Peter? I'm not sure that I know a Peter."
"Peter in Bear Run?"
"Uh, I don't know him, sorry."
"Listen, he told me that you were on our side. I don't know where else to go for help."
"Did this Peter tell you to come to me?"
"No, he just told me you're one of us. I came here because he's been murdered. You'll have to send a message to Comrade Berkowitz in the Ministry."
He whispers angrily.
"Shut your mouth, you imbecile. Come with me."
He takes you to an alleyway behind a pre-war factory.
"Now we can talk. I don't know what that idiot was thinking telling an outsider this much. But you're here now. So tell me, who else have you told about any of this?"
"No one, I swear."
"What happened in Bear Run?"
"I met Peter there, and I was helping him to convince the workers to liberate themselves. But the capitalists sent men to kill us. Only I got away. He'd told me about you so I came here for help."
"He told you about me, he told you about Berkowitz, he told you about the Ministry, what else did he tell you?"
"He told me about our plans, how we're going to liberate the surrounding smaller towns first to cut off Boise from trade. Then we put pressure on them to surrender with the Red Army on the outside and the revolution on the inside. We have our people in the city in secret, waiting for the moment."
Simmons casually pulls a revolver on you.
"Don't run. He told too much to a stranger. But can you convince me that you can be trusted to keep your mouth shut? I might let you live if killing you is riskier."
>"Please comrade, I can be trusted. I'm loyal to the revolution. I want to help, and I won't tell anything to anyone, I promise."
>"Drop the gun, commie. We've got you surrounded."
>Fight

>Play the part: "I am committed to the revolution comrade, at least let my death serve the cause of workers' liberation!"

I'm seeing a common theme with Berkowitz & Simmons... True to the lore.

Fighting would lead to either the death and, supposedly, martyrdom of the commie, or else the death of me. And while that would give the Archon the ability to arrest him for murder, it's not exactly the outcome most advantageous for me.

Bluffing that we have him surrounded is the same as fighting with extra steps.

There's no choice, then, but to commit to the charade.
>"Please comrade, I can be trusted. I'm loyal to the revolution. I want to help, and I won't tell anything to anyone, I promise."

Out of curiosity, OP, are we able to send messages home over our Pip Boy?

>>6327724
The Pip Boy can't send radio signals, but we can write a letter and send it with the next caravan.

You promise him that you're loyal, and will never tell anyone what you know. He hesitates for a few moments and puts the gun away.
"Alright, I believe you. I'm sorry about the precautions comrade, but I can't be too careful. They've been watching me, they at least suspect something. I'll write to Berkowitz. In fact, why don't you make yourself useful and deliver it for me? It would be good for you to visit our little worker's utopia. I've got some other messages to send to him as well. You'll find him in the Ministry of External Security in Portland. Give me a few minutes and I'll get everything together."
You follow him to his shack and he writes a few pages in a cypher. He folds them up together with some more pages containing what look like maps and diagrams.
"Here, you don't want to be seen with me. Get yourself a hotel room and leave in the morning."
He hands you the letters as well as a handful of caps. You bid him goodbye and walk outside. Further down the street, Mike flags you down from behind a building. You show him the letters and tell him about what you recorded. He has you play back the tape, and he is satisfied. He speaks into his handheld radio, then after a minute you hear shouting as the guards arrest Simmons. He walks you back to the council building and pays you 800 caps for your service. Tired after a long day, you head back to the hotel and get to sleep quickly.
The morning comes and you grab a quick breakfast with Kira.
>Ask around about the robots
>Head to the marketplace
>Write in

>Ask around for robits AT the market
We also need to pass-on the commie intel to someone who can use it

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>>6328148
>Market
Inventory Management
>>6328148

>Sell
-9mm
-9mm rounds x18
-Swiss army knife
-Peter's Boots
-Peter's Beret

>Burn
Peter's clothes
Communist Manifesto
Peter's Letters

>Buy
Spare 10mm mag
Spare AK mag (30 or 40 rounds)
Enough AK rounds to fill up the second mag
Gun oil and cleaning kit to maintain our AK

>Shop around for
Optics. A scope for the .308 and reflex sights for the AK and 10mm.
Power tools and tool belt and a serious multitool better than a swiss army knife.
Stimpack
Rations
Whetstone for our knife

Solid suggestions, I agree with everything here, although if the boots are better than ours & fit we should keep them, & I doubt we'll find any advanced optics as described. We still need solid body armor, so that should be priority #1, + a helm/helmet.

Also some paracord so we can make slings for our longarms. A shoulder sling for the Winchester and a three point for our AK.

And a firestarter and maybe a tactical vest and find out how much postage is back to Salmon to relay the information we have found on the robots and inform them that we are about to begin our trip back home, in case something happens to us or we get waylaid.
And a pretty pony.

You sell the 9mm pistol, Swiss army knife, and Peter's boots and hat for 412 caps. You shop around at the gun vendors and top up your ammo supply. You also buy a long-range scope for the hunting rifle, a reflex sight for the AK, some cord to make slings, a weapon maintenance kit, and a small whetstone. There's a merchant selling sets of steel armor for 2500 caps, but you can't afford it. You left the letters with Mike, but you find a hobo's fire barrel to throw the Communist Manifesto and Peter's clothes into.

Your inventory:
>Caps (1018)
>Hunting rifle (Scoped)
>.308 rounds (17)
>Rusty AK-47 (Reflex sight)
>7.62mm rounds (90)
>Single shotgun
>Shotgun shells (20)
>10mm pistol
>10mm JHP rounds (60)
>Sharp knife
>Leather jacket (equipped)
>Stimpaks (2)
>Water flasks
>Robotics book
>Pencils (2)
>Sheets of paper (14)
>Pip-boy

You check with the local caravan master who tells you a letter to Salmon would cost you 30 caps, but would take two to four weeks to arrive depending on how soon a caravan is leaving. Back at the hotel Kira checks your wound from the battle, and it's completely healed. Stimpaks work wonders, she remarks.
You spend the rest of the day asking around about the robots. Some folk have taken to calling them "the saucerheads" based on their description. You make notes of the dates and locations of the attacks and draw a map. As you talk, you gather more leads on who to talk to. Some of those you talk to are survivors, others know survivors, and others just hear rumors. You hope that once you get a clear overview of the attacks, you'll be able to find a clue.

You have leveled up! You have 20 skill points to invest, in increments of +5. Tag skills (Small Guns, Science, Outdoorsman) will gain double points.
Current skill levels:
>Small Guns: 45
>Big Guns: 15
>Energy Weapons: 15
>Unarmed: 50
>Melee: 40
>Throwing: 30
>Medicine: 25
>Sneak: 25
>Lockpick: 25
>Steal: 20
>Traps: 25
>Science: 50
>Repair: 20
>Speech: 15
>Barter: 10
>Gambling: 35
>Outdoorsman: 35
Choose how to allocate your skill points.

What are Kira's tagged skills?

>Small Guns
>Energy Weapons (we'll need them vs robits)
>Outdoorsman
>Speech
5 Each
I would go Sneak, but Outdoorsman should get us the drop on most enemies when travelling.
Also, let Kira hold on to the shotgun while we're on the road.

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Small Guns
Outdoorsman
Traps
Speech (Since that is what we've been solving all our problems with -.-)

>>6328623
Based Innawoods Editor

>>6328612
Kira's Tag skills are Medicine, Barter, Speech

You gain +10 Small Guns, +5 Speech, +10 Outdoorsman, +5 Traps
>Small Guns: 55
>Big Guns: 15
>Energy Weapons: 15
>Unarmed: 50
>Melee: 40
>Throwing: 30
>Medicine: 25
>Sneak: 25
>Lockpick: 25
>Steal: 20
>Traps: 30
>Science: 50
>Repair: 20
>Speech: 20
>Barter: 10
>Gambling: 35
>Outdoorsman: 45

You read some of the robotics textbook again in the evening. This time you go through the chapter on computer logic. It starts out with the basic components of the circuitry, such as transistors, diodes, and logic gates. These gates perform simple operations on binary inputs, allowing mathematical operations on binary numbers. The chapter then describes higher level programming, and the principles of artificial intelligence. It says that robotic AIs are programmed to follow a hierarchy of instructions, with the primary instruction being followed in all cases, the secondary instruction being followed only when the primary instruction is followed, and so on. The primary instruction is typically not to harm or endanger humans, or in the case of combat robots, not to harm friendly or civilian humans. The next instruction is often the robot's self preservation, but this may be assigned lower priority for disposable robots performing dangerous tasks. An alternative system is to assign numerical value to outcomes of the robot's actions, which effectively means that the robot can bend the primary rules a little if it means accomplishing other tasks a lot. This can result in practical decision-making, but it has been criticized as dangerous for allowing robots to ignore safety restrictions.
>You gain knowledge in science. +5 skill points.

The next morning you return to the council building and ask if Oswald Rankin has returned yet. The secretary says that he hasn't.
>Stay here and continue gathering information while waiting for Oswald
>Look for work
>Send a letter home
>Leave town

>>6329311
>Send a safety postcard back home just in case
>Use [Small Guns] and our Gun Maintenance equipment to field strip our AK and improve its readiness.

>>6329316
+1
>Ask Kira if she wants to provide medical aide to townspeople for the day
>Look around for work & for any caravans headed towards the towns where robits have been spotted

You tell Kira that she may as well look for medical work while you're busy. She tells you she'll try the local hospital and she'll meet you at the hotel in the afternoon. You go back to the hotel and write out a letter explaining your progress so far, and what you've found out. You write that your next goals are to contact Oswald Rankin and to find out where the robots are coming from. You field strip your AK and use the maintenance kit to clean and oil its inner workings. The interior isn't as rusty as the outside, but you notice the recoil spring might need to be replaced. You clean the barrel thoroughly, and you find that the rust has eaten through the metal in one spot making the steel dangerously thin. It probably wouldn't break straight away, but still best to replace it, you think.
You make your way to the caravan area and speak to the caravan master. He tells you no caravan is due to leave to the east today or tomorrow, but one is leaving for Twin Falls the morning after. You ask if the caravan could take a letter from here to Salmon, and he says the letter would be passed on to different caravans until it reached Salmon. You thank him for the information and tell him that if you decide not to join the caravan as a guard, you will be back to send a letter along.
You visit the gunsmith again, who quotes you 120 caps for the replacement barrel and recoil spring if you trade the old ones in for scrap.
>Buy them
>Don't buy them

>>6329485
>Buy them
Can't have the barrel blowing out during a fire fight. While we may find something in better condition in a matter of days, this is our primary for the moment so we really need it up to suff.

>Haggle him down
>Offer to help strip, clean, & repair some guns for an even better deal or some freebies
>See if we can get a better shotgun to replace the singlebarrel breakaction one with

>>6329494
Tell him we're going to go fight those saucerhead robots. It's possible he's got reason to want them destroyed.

You ask if he's looking for help in the workshop, and he answers no. You tell him that you're on a mission to stop the saucerheads and he laughs at you, saying you'll need more firepower. And armor. And men. He says to stop wasting his time, and you should cough up the full price or leave. You relent and pay the 120 caps.
After reassembling the rifle, you overhear a conversation between a trader and a trapper about the rat problem in the abandoned part of the city. The trapper needs help setting up more traps. You tap his shoulder and introduce yourself, and say that you have experience with trapping and you're looking for work. He thinks for a second and agrees. He takes you to a shed on the edge of the town and points out the trash pit among the ruined buildings. He says the rats are drawn to the trash, and the city pays him to stop them from getting into the town and spreading disease. He also sells the meat to the street vendors. You question whether it's safe for people to eat the meat if they carry diseases, but he says the cooking kills anything inside the meat. He shows you the cage traps you'll be using today. The rats have to be captured alive so the meat stays fresh when he collects them tomorrow, and the traps should be placed in the ruined buildings where they like to hide. He gives you a brief demonstration on how to bait and set them, then hands you a bag of bait and tells you to start working.
You lose count of how many traps you set over the day, and in the afternoon the trapper calls you back to tell you the day's work is finished. He looks at the remaining number of traps in the shed and remarks that you did a decent job. He pays you 100 caps and says he might have work for you next week.
You meet Kira back at the hotel. Apparently the hospital hired her for the day, and you notice she's replaced some of her tattered old clothes. You read some more of the robotics textbook, deciding on the chapter about electric motors. It explains the working principles of electric motors and how they are used in conjunction with gears to move robotic limbs.
The next morning you check with the secretary and Oswald Rankin still hasn't arrived.
>Gather more information about the robot attacks
>Find some more work in town
>Write-in

>Inquire about the wildlife people have encountered
>Robit attack stories
>More jerbs: see if there's anywhere you can apply your scientific knowledge, such as with chemistry
>Ask around for any other abandoned/dangerous areas in town (dungeon delving)
We still need a shotgun upgrade

https://files.catbox.moe/c2dlvi.mp4
>Gather more information about the robitz
It's the mission, after all. Hopefully we will be hearing from the man himself soon, but it can't hurt to find out everything we can while we're waiting.
>Ask the Secretary when the Archon will begin to grow concerned about Rankin's delay in returning.

>>6329824
>We still need a shotgun upgrade
A sawn-off to make it easier for Kira to heft about?

>>6330420
Maybe, but more so a pump, lever, or semi for us.

>>6330754
the hell is it, a break action?
We have a winchester for hunting so I can't imagine we really need a shotgun anymore, except as a weapon for Kira.

Yeah, we just have a singlebarrel. Can saw-it down for a sidearm when we get something better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aB41Ps2Zak
Just found a use for pre-war money.

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The days wear on. It has been a week and a half since you busted Simmons. You and Kira both earn a few caps here and there and you manage to stock up 6 rations, gain 127 caps, and Kira buys a .32 revolver, a speedloader, a leather holster, and 25 rounds of ammo. Also, a rather fetching cowboy hat. It seems she is styling herself quite the Annie Oakley.
The Secretary’s face falls every day when you appear, but today he outright goes pale and averts his gaze. You can tell something has changed. The Secretary, who you believe is named something Gould, has always struck you as a highly competent man, but apparently his poker face leaves room for improvement. You approach him and simply wait expectantly.
“Mr. Kazador.” He says slowly, offering a weak smile “I’m afraid the situation has changed. The Archon has asked that you seek information on the robot attacks elsewhere.”
“Has something happened to Rankin?” You ask, unperturbed. Secretary Gould hesitates for only a split second, but it is unmistakable.
“The… location and status of our agents is obviously confidential. Suffice it to say circumstances have changed and the Council will be otherwise occupied for the foreseeable future.” Secretary Gould says, brushing some imaginary lint from the cuff of his suit jacket. “I took the liberty of asking around, and one of our scouts says there is an encampment of survivors living in a place called Mayfield. It’s a couple marches to the southeast along the ancient Oregon Trail – one if you’re fast. A radhorse could get there in 3 hours. They should be able to satisfy your itch for knowledge.”
You try to needle the information out of him, but after regaining his composure he becomes utterly tight-lipped. You and Kira see yourselves out and exchange glances, wondering why the swift send-off. You had helped the Archon quite a great deal, but now they are just shooing you away? The two of you look for a place to sit but you make do leaning on the corral fence down the street from the Council building, discussing plans for what to do next.

>People are coming and going from the Council building. Try to tail someone and see where they are all going.
>Leave the Archon’s problems to the Archon and head to Mayfield
>You have enough information on the robots. Head back to Salmon the way you came.
BONUS:
The corral you are leaning on has a sign advertising animals for sale and there is a sad looking ridgehoof: a hunched over, mutated, splay-toed creature that looks like a cross between a small radhorse and a goat.
>Buy the ridgehoof, barding, and small two-wheeled ox cart for 1200 caps (+20% speed, -75% stamina loss)

>Shop around for a replacement shotgun
>Haggle down the hackney (horse & cart trader)
>Leave for Mayfield

Pretty neat AI abomination

[Spoiler]Sorry for the delay, have been busy[/spoiler]

You send Kira to work at the hospital again and you question some of your leads about the robot attacks. A lot of it you've heard already, but you make notes and update your map of attacks. You notice that one of the attacks, Georgetown, happened more than a year before the rest of the attacks, and is also further away from the others. Some people also tell you about the robots speaking, trying to convince people to surrender by promising they would be treated well. If anyone has ever surrendered, they were never heard from again.
While you're talking to a caravanner in the afternoon, a guard finds you and gets your attention.
"Hey, you're Ted Kazador right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Mr Rankin has returned, the Archon sent me to tell you. I can take you to him now."
You follow the guard to an unassuming brick office building near the council chambers. The guard opens the door and leads you through the lobby to a door, which he knocks on. The door opens to reveal a balding man in his forties dressed in a singlet and baggy pants.
"I found him, sir, I brought him here."
"Ah good, come inside. I'm Oswald, nice to meet you. They told me you're investigating the saucerheads too, they sent you down from Salmon right? I just got back from Burley. So, tell me what you've found out so far. We can work together."
"Well I haven't been investigating them for more than a couple of weeks, so I don't know if I can be much help to you. But I've been asking around about the attacks and I put together a list of the ones I heard about."
You hand him your notes and he skims through.
"Yeah, I don't think there's anything new to me here. I wouldn't expect so if you've just been asking around here. I hear everything about them from everyone who passes through Boise. I have to travel out East to get new information."

You look at the large map on the wall behind him, which looks much like yours, but considerably more detailed, and probably more accurate.
"Hey, you don't have Georgetown on your map. Do you know about the attack there? I noticed that it was different from the others, it happened long before the others."
"Yes, I know about it. It was raiders that hit Georgetown, not robots. No one escaped, so we have no witnesses and lot of people think it was the saucerheads, but I went there to look around. You're right, it was different from the other attacks. Bullet holes in the corpses and walls, no laser scorch marks. The town was looted of everything valuable. Weapons, ammo, food, meds, so on. Exactly what raiders would take. The robots though, after they hit somewhere they only take metal. And they take all of it, every rusty scrap of corrugated steel. I'm sure they use it to make more robots. Anyway, the metal buildings in Georgetown were left standing. They only took what humans could and would carry."
"The raiders took prisoners?"
"Yeah, they sell them off to slavers somewhere down south I think. In Georgetown most of the corpses were men, which fits that theory."
"Sounds like it was raiders then. You mentioned Burley?"
"Yeah, it was attacked a month ago. I was inspecting the scene, also questioning the neighbors. I got to speak to some survivors too."
"I have a friend who escaped from there, she's in town now."
"Really? I'd like to ask her about it. But first, look what I brought back."
He reaches under the table and takes out a severed robotic arm, which he places in front of you.
"This is a rare find. Normally if one is destroyed the others collect it after the battle. But this one was shot off by a town guard with a plasma pistol while the robot was trying to grab him. He held on to the arm and ran. I bought it off him and here we are now."
"Is this the first piece you've brought back?"
"No, I've found a few small pieces that got blown off and never collected. But this is the biggest piece, and the most intact. This arm has a laser in it, the left arms have a kind of stun weapon."
You pick up the arm and study it closely. The upper arm is composed of a steel rod which mimics the humerus and a hydraulic linear actuator which mimics the bicep. The lower arm and hand seem to be powered by a combination of electric motors and hydraulics, while a laser gun swings out from a compartment in the forearm.
>Ask to disassemble the arm yourself to study it
>Suggest finding someone who can take out the laser to turn into a laser rifle
>Write-in

>>6331882
>Ask to disassemble the arm yourself to study it
Time to put the big book of science to work. It sounds like what we need are plasma weapons, not lasers.

>¿Por que no los dos?

"Could I study this? Take it apart, I mean."
"You know about robotics? I was going to try to find someone to help with that."
"Yeah, a little, I've been studying a textbook on it."
"Well that's not much, but I don't know if I'll find better around here. Okay, but make sure not to break anything and take photographs as you go so we know how to put it back together again. I've got a camera here somewhere."
"I was thinking we could turn the laser into a laser rifle."
"I thought of that too, there's a gunsmith here who does lasers. Disconnect the laser when you're taking it apart and I'll take it to him."
You send a letter home the next morning and spend the next few days disassembling and studying the arm. Oswald gets Kira's story and has the gunsmith inspect the laser. The arm seems to be a standard enough design according to the textbook, using both hydraulics and electrics for movement. Though you note that the welds seem automated, implying the existence of a factory somewhere.
Kira comes to you and asks to go to Twin Falls to look for survivors from Burley. She heard Oswald's story about the guard who escaped and wants to find others who survived.
>Agree to go with her
>Tell her she's free to go on her own
>Insist she stay here
>Convince Oswald to go with you both
>Buy a new shotgun before leaving

>Agree
>Convince Oswald
>Buy a New Shotgun
We can give her the laser rifle for now.

File: hilltop bandit.png (4.77 MB, 1807x986)

4.77 MB PNG

>>6332301
>>6332281
>Agree to go with her
>Convince Oswald to come too
I'm against buying a new shotgun, unless we're trading in the break action shotgun for a pump or automatic.

>>6332308
What's the image from?
I'm all for trading the single in or chopping it down to a sidearm.

>>6332322
Dragon's Dogma. An infamous bandit that gatekeeps noobs from leaving the first area with a git gud check.

You decide to go with Kira to Twin Falls, and Oswald agrees to travel with you. The robot's laser is still being worked on by the gunsmith, but Oswald brings his old laser pistol. Before you leave, you trade the single shotgun in for a pump action for 450 caps.

Your inventory:
>Caps (468)
>Hunting rifle (Scoped)
>.308 rounds (17)
>Rusty AK-47 (Reflex sight)
>7.62mm rounds (90)
>Pump-action shotgun
>Shotgun shells (20)
>10mm pistol
>10mm JHP rounds (60)
>Sharp knife
>Leather jacket (equipped)
>Stimpaks (2)
>Water flasks
>Weapon maintenance kit
>Robotics book
>Pencils (2)
>Written notes
>Pip-boy

You find a caravan heading to Twin Falls, and the caravan master offers you 100 caps each to sign on as guards.
>Accept
>Travel alone

>>6332708
>Accept

File: file.png (1.42 MB, 1200x1126)

1.42 MB PNG

>>6332723

+1
Didn't we clean/repair our AK already?
We should also talk to Kira & Oswald on the way, get to know them better.

>>6332806
You cleaned up the interior components and replaced the barrel and recoil spring, but the exterior is still visibly rusted.

You accept the job and the caravan sets out. While walking, you ask Kira who she's looking for, and she tells you she's hopeful about finding her husband, Aaron. She hasn't seen him since before the attack, and hasn't met anyone who could tell her whether he survived. You're surprised, as she's never mentioned him before. Oswald says that some of the survivors returned to bury the bodies, but he didn't take note of any of the names on the graves.
When the caravan makes camp for the night, you ask Oswald about his past. He tells you that he was orphaned as a teenager and signed up as a caravan guard to support himself. When he was older and tired of the walking, he was hired as a guard in Boise on the recommendation of the caravan masters. He worked his way up and was made an investigator after he demonstrated his analytical talents finding a murderer. When it became clear the robot attacks were more than just fanciful rumors, the Archon chose him to investigate. You ask where he got the laser pistol, and he answers that he picked it off a dead raider many years ago. He gradually figured out how to use it on his own, and he spends some time explaining the internal workings and showing you some basics of operating it.
>You gain +5 skill points in energy weapons

The caravan sets out again in the morning and the trek is uneventful. You stop for the night in Ferrytown, a small settlement built around a ferry crossing the Snake River. The pre-war bridge has long since collapsed and it takes some time the next morning to ferry the goods, wagons, and brahmin across the river. The other half of the town is on this side, but the caravan heads straight through onto the road. During the walk you ask Kira more about her escape from the attack. She tells you that the two others she escaped with were Fred, one of the town's metalworkers, and Derek, a young man she didn't know well. They were separated from the larger group during the escape, but were too busy fleeing to try to find them, and once they were far away enough from the town to be safe, finding them would have been impossible. They decided to head west in search of refuge, but Fred and Derek were shot when raiders ambushed them. You ask how she survived and though she doesn't answer, her face tells you not to press it further.
The caravan arrives in a small village called Tuttle just as it's getting dark. The town makes good business out of serving caravans on this route, and you are welcomed into one of the hotels. You decide to do a little reading before bed, and you read through a section on PID controllers.
>You gain +5 skill points in science
The next day's journey also goes without incident, and you arrive in Twin Falls. You're the only one who hasn't been here before, so Oswald tells you a bit about the town. The population is almost as high as Boise, and the main industry here is textiles. Sheep are farmed around the city and in the surrounding towns, and factories in the city turn the wool into clothing or blankets. The caravan is mostly carrying ammunition, refined metal, and specialty machine parts for the looms. When it returns to Boise, it will mostly be taking Twin Falls' textiles. The Archon and the mayor of Twin Falls have good relations, despite the Archon's eccentricity. They have tax exemptions that encourage trade between the cities, which is profitable for both since each sells the other's products to the surrounding areas.
You all collect your pay from the caravan master, who informs you they'll be returning the morning after tomorrow if you want to go with them.

You have leveled up! You have 20 skill points to invest, in increments of +5. Tag skills (Small Guns, Science, Outdoorsman) will gain double points.
Current skill levels:
>Small Guns: 55
>Big Guns: 15
>Energy Weapons: 20
>Unarmed: 50
>Melee: 40
>Throwing: 30
>Medicine: 25
>Sneak: 25
>Lockpick: 25
>Steal: 20
>Traps: 30
>Science: 55
>Repair: 20
>Speech: 20
>Barter: 10
>Gambling: 35
>Outdoorsman: 45
Choose how to allocate your skill points. You may also choose one perk.
>Awareness (Notice smaller details)
>Cautious Nature (Spot enemies sooner)
>Earlier Sequence (Get the first shot)
>Gain SPECIAL (+1)
>More Criticals
>Empathy (Read people better, predict reactions)
>Negotiator (+10 Speech, +10 Barter)
>Thief (+10 Sneak, +10 Lockpick, +10 Steal, +10 Traps)
>Toughness (+damage resistance)
>Write-in

>>6333290

>Small guns +5
>Outdoorsman +5
>Science +5
>Sneak +5

Perk
>Earlier Sequence

>>6333290
Skills:
>Small Guns
>Outdoorsman
>Science
>Energy Weapons
Perk:
>Thief

>Energy Weapons +5
>Science +10
>Outdoorsman +5
>Thief

Sounds like we need to get revenge for Kira at some point if we run into the same bandits. Might as well boost our science up to a high threshold (75) while getting prepped to use the robit laser arm rifle when we get back to Boise with a few points in DEWs.

>>6333290
>>6333302
>>6333433
I'll change my voot to this since it's close enough to my choices.

Character stats:

SPECIAL
STR: 4
PER: 7
END: 5
CHA: 3
INT: 7
AGI: 7
LCK: 7

Level 4
Tag skills: Small guns, Science, Outdoorsman
Traits: Bloody Mess, Jinxed

Skill levels:
>Small Guns: 55
>Big Guns: 15
>Energy Weapons: 25
>Unarmed: 50
>Melee: 40
>Throwing: 30
>Medicine: 25
>Sneak: 35
>Lockpick: 35
>Steal: 30
>Traps: 40
>Science: 75
>Repair: 20
>Speech: 20
>Barter: 10
>Gambling: 35
>Outdoorsman: 55

Perks:
>Thief

Oswald leads you and Kira to the worker's hall where he met some of the Burley survivors. He asks around and soon enough you find a group of five. They recognise Kira and they are overjoyed to see her; they had assumed she was killed.
"What about Aaron, did he make it out?"
Their smiles fade.
"No, I'm sorry. He died fighting. We buried him in town."
Kira starts to sob.
"I knew... I already knew..."
You try to comfort her and then give her some time to grieve. You take Oswald with you to organise accommodation and ask him what work you might find in town.
"Other than shearing or working in a factory? We might find a caravan heading East. The mayor might have something special before the other caravan returns. There are also some unsavory types around the casino, if you're morally flexible."
You get some more reading done in the evening before bed, and you get up early in the morning.
>Look for another caravan
>Offer your services to the mayor
>Check out the casino
>Rest until the caravan leaves for Boise

CASINO

>>6333866
>Offer your services to the mayor
>Check out the casino
I have no preference between the two.

You decide to try the casino. After showing you where it is, Oswald goes off somewhere to gather more rumors. The building is covered in neon lights, and after stepping inside you find it's similar. Rows of slot machines line the walls and the floor is occupied by various game tables. You've never seen a place quite like this before. A guard steps forward and asks you to hand over your weapons for safekeeping, and you oblige. You tell him you're here to find work and he tells you to talk to the boss, Mr MacKenzie, pointing out an office door flanked by two guards. You approach them and ask if you can talk to the boss, and they let you in.
"State your business."
"Mr MacKenzie, I'm looking for work."
"I already have enough guards."
"I'm just looking for something one-off."
"Hm. Yeah, I might have something you can do. This weasel owes me money, I need it collected but my usual guy is injured. He's avoiding me, of course. His name is Lucky Fitzroy. But he's not lucky, not at the tables at least. He owes 350 caps, get it back and you can keep 10%."
"What if he doesn't have it?"
"He'll have something of value. Make him sell it or bring it to me."
>Take the job
>Decline the job and try the mayor
>Ask for a bigger job

New IP

>Accept the Job
>Ask where he might be other than the casino here

>Decline the job and try the mayor
I'm not a debt collector and there's more to the story that the boss here is not telling us. I don't want to get in a situation where I have to kill a person. I only kill leftoids, not human beings.

Rolled 23 (1d100)

Rolling, even for >>6334588, odd for >>6334855

"I'm not getting involved in something like that for 35 caps, sorry."
"Oh, not good enough for you? Who do you think you are? You walk in here, a nobody, and you want to be a bigshot before you even prove yourself? You fucking want more? What job did you think you were going to get out of nowhere, professional blowjob reviewer? Get the fuck out of here you cretin."
"Yeah, whatever." You walk out of the office, retrieve your weapons, and leave.

The mayor's building is less extravagant, but cleaner than the casino. After you've thoroughly stared at every wall in the waiting room, the office door cracks open and the secretary emerges.
"Mr Selwood will see you now."
You enter the office to find a frail, balding man with glasses sitting behind an ancient desk. He scans through the notes that the secretary gave him.
"Mr Kazador, here for a job I believe?"
"That's right."
"Sit down. You told Candice that you worked with Archon Philips, is that correct?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, good, we get along he and I. And from what it says here I take it you're not a fan of those communist types?"
"Certainly not."
"I'm happy to hear it. I received a letter from Philips, he found out about some of their agents. I suppose that was thanks to you. They're particularly dangerous to us here, I'm sure you noticed all the factories. They like to target factory workers with their indoctrination. That could cause a conflict that destroys our livelihoods."
"What do you need me to do?"
"I need to know if any communist agents are in my city. We haven't seen anyone suspicious, but that doesn't mean they're not here. If you find me evidence of any person here working for them, I'll pay you 1000 caps per arrest we make."
"Any ideas on where to start?"
"Well I doubt they carry around written confessions. You'll probably have to find the proof out of town. Some agent with a list of allies, maybe."
"I might be able to do that."
"Excellent, get looking then. Oh, and one more thing before you leave. Don't try to fool me. If you forge evidence implicating an innocent person, I'll have you killed."
"Understood."

You meet up with Oswald and Kira to discuss your next moves. Oswald suggests heading back home with the caravan tomorrow morning. Kira seems apathetic.
>Head back to Boise
>Stay here longer
>Write-in

>Write-in
Stay here but leave it up to Oswald and Kira whether they leave or not.
Offer ourselves as a consultant to the mayor's security team to bring their surveillance apparatus up to snuff (Science)

>Suggest to the mayor to compile a list of factory workers who came from out of town versus those who have multigenerational roots in Twin Falls and then put financial surveilance on those workers. Some will be spending more than they are earning, and communists do not invest.
It won't get us the whole answer but it will narrow down the list of suspects from "the entire town's workforce" to a few dozen names.
>Reverse Honeytrap Bait
Have some loyal agents pose as factory workers with disillusioned beliefs around suspicious workers to act as bait for recruitment attempts
This would acquire direct proof of communist affiliation

Then head to Salmon. If I'm not mistaken we have completed our mission.