This thread is for game discussion.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 1):

Before we go any farther, let's nail down exactly where everyone is:

Higgins is observing the Road Gate of the Travel Stop.

Erwin is trailing Lucas' rig in his steamer.

In Lucas' rig:

Lucas, Christmas and the Dying Wife Guy are in the cab.
Scaff is in the sleeper compartment, manning the gun mount.
Yollie is behind the cab, between the cab and the towing assembly.

Where is Crow?

Where is Dog?

Where are the puppies?

Crow is also behind the cab, between the cab and the towing assembly, if there is room.

Hi there everyone.  I've finally managed to get Jari (that's pronounced Yari) written up and have posted IC.  I've put Jari at the market behind the Taco Bell - hopefully that was right.

One question.  Are we trying to link characters together in some way?  Is it possible that Jari knows some of the other PCs?

Thanks.

Jari, welcome. I think we are taking an organic approach to getting PCs together. Yollie just happened upon the conversation between Lucas and this man with wife trouble, as did Christmas and thene ventually Crow and Erwin. Right now, Higgins is chilling outside of the Travel Stop. So, there is reason to believe he may not make it on this mission with us.

Same could be said for Jari. It's basically whatever you are feeling as a player and how you want to approach the situation.

Lucas has already posted that his rig is rolling out, so a link-up will have to come later.

Everyone roll 1D10 to see how many days worth of food your character has and 1D4 to determine how many liters of water your character has.

Would a high survival score affect these rolls at all?

Either way -

Food: 5 days worth
Water: 3 litres

9 days of food (!) and a litre of water here

Time to find and purify some water. I got you.

In reply to Yollie Guevara (msg # 10):

I got 10 days of food and 3 liters of water

Ok everybody, no more inventing NPCs!  Tiff is the last one!

LOL

2 days food, 4 liters water.

20:14, Today: Crow rolled 2 using 1d4. water.

20:14, Today: Crow rolled 3 using 1d10. food.

Everybody, please don't advance the scene, let me do that.  Please be patient if I don't post quickly.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 16):

If I messed up, feel free to edit my post Uncaring?
I figured people were getting annoyed at me being slow.

Dog is guarding Lucas trailer at the Travel Stop, he is on a long chain.
Puppies are in a box in the shade under the trailer.

I mentioned Lucas finding "somebody" to watch his trailer?
Hopefully one of the other traders (we would know each other) is willing to do this?

Ok, if that's a problem then feel free to delete my into IC post (and Tiff <G>) and intro Jari another way.  I'm happy either joining in now or later.

Sorry for the delay in getting my character completed.

In reply to Jari Helminen (msg # 18):

Sorry about how the timing did not work out Jari.
You could be thinking about possible connections with our characters.
We briefly talked of you working for Lucas?
Do you have heavy weapon gunner, driving, mechanic, other skills useful in a salvage yard or garage?

Beautiful job on your character bio and picture! That really looks great.

Let's just keep in mind that I play the environment and everyone in it, so I need a chance to describe everything have it react to your actions, as well as determine what a character finds or doesn't find in a particular location.

Good example:  "Johnny revved the engine and headed for the column of smoke billowing up from the burning vehicle in the distance."  This gives me the opportunity to describe what the character sees as he comes up on his destination and introduce twists and surprises.

Bad example:  "Johnny revved the engine and head for the column of smoke billowing up from the burning vehicle in the distance.  He screeched to a halt a safe distance away, ran up and started tearing at the door with a crowbar."  This denies the character the chance to notice the trap that's there, or for me to describe the situation which may be totally different than it appears.


Something like having someone watch Lucas' trailer or do something else needs to be conclusively resolved before making any assumptions.  Right now Lucas' trailer is being watched no one but Dog, who could easily get shot for such a prize, and by the puppies who could easily end up barbequed by the likes of Brattie.

We're all still getting used to the game, so this time Lucas' gear and dogs will be safe.

In reply to Jari Helminen (msg # 18):

Tiff is a realistic character I can easily integrate, but let's stop there.  The intro post is fine.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 21):

Okay sorry about the trailer. At the time i felt I should hurry rather than roleplay that out. My bad.
You are a more detailed GM than the guy that runs my other rpol game by far! Am still getting used to your style.

My style is unusual are pretty heavy on simulation, so free to ask plenty of questions.

If another character were to do the same thing later on, I would think about who was in the market, what kind of people they were, what their relationship is to the character leaving the gear, how much they would benefit from taking the gear, and then figure out what happened from there.  People might rally to protect the gear, or share it out and make up a lie.  While that seems like a downturn, it's also an adventure hook which develops the story.  Brattie, though, would definitely eat the puppies.

In reply to Lucas Mancuzo (msg # 19):

Thanks and sorry for not resolving this before.  It's something that I missed while I was away on holiday.

Jari has machine gun and driving skills and is a trained soldier, though he was a teenager when the bombs fell.

Is there a Survival skill I missed somewhere?

Yes. It was one of Yollie's concept skills.  Yollie's character was largely complete when we transitioned away from freeform and more toward BRP.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 23):

I think here we have the difference between running a freeform game and a non freeform game.

Your style is very similar to mine as I'm an old school face to face (or pen and paper if you prefer) GM.

I think it is RPing 101.

PCs cannot advance the story nor dictate any actions other than what their own PC is presently doing and intending to do.

I think we are all just super eager to play some PCs we put a lot of thought into. Once the kinks get worked out, I can see this being a very well-oiled machine.

In reply to Yollie Guevara (msg # 28):

Agreed on that.  There are some very interesting characters in this game.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 20):

Most people new to Rpol start off trying to run it like a FtF game. After a while it dawns on them that it doesn't work. Some adapt, some do not.

In reply to Yollie Guevara (msg # 28):

That's very much the case.  People who play on rpol and other forums are generally very creative.  Post your intent and actions, and let me post results and descriptions.

Everyone heading out with Lucas, let's start posting in The Slow Ride Westbound thread.

Lucas group, feel free to give me Spot rolls as you near the trees.

Christmas rolled 46 using 1d100. Spot (52).

In reply to Christmas (msg # 34):

A 11:23, Today: Crow rolled 72 using 1d100. spot 60.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 33):

20:46, Today: Erwin Smythe rolled 97 using 1d100. Spot (25).
Trees? What trees?

When the characters are in this kind of circumstance again and you want them to make their Spot or Listen rolls, feel free to roll at your own discretion and include the result in your IC posts, the way Christmas has been doing with her Insight rolls.

Lucas rolled 2 (!!) Spot out of 50
Scaff rolled 56 Spot out of 70.   ...both made it!

I made a typo regarding Erwin's Spot roll.  It should have read 'no movement' instead of 'movement'.

Um, okay, editing.

In answer to Uncaring on the ooc thread.

A sleeper cab compartment is similar to a "king" or "crew" cab on a pickup truck. It simply is a longer interior space added on behind the front seats.
A typical sleeper has no windows, a small bunk type bed, maybe a bit of storage space, and a curtain of some sort to close it off from the front cab. There is a flimsy wall / partition behind the front seats to give the sleeping person some privacy.

In Lucas's Wrecker the bed and curtain are gone and the back wall and sides have some little plexi windows, view slots and gun ports for rifles and such. Scaff my gunner is in there currently. The gunner can climb up about 2 feet and stand on a steel ring to fire the weapon on the ring mount on the roof. Gunner wears an old army helmet and there is a collar of armor around the roof hatch to protect his torso.

At floor level in the sleeper there are minimal seat cushions for the use of someone firing out of those rifle ports. I think maybe two people could fit in there and shoot while the gunner is standing? But it would be tight.

I'm not too bad an artist I will have to draw this out I think.

So Uncaring, regarding the dead Looney that was apparently shot in head by the wife?
Anything on him that might give us a clue where he came from? Should I roll Local Knowledge: Valley?

34, Today: Lucas Mancuzo rolled 33 using 1d100. know central valley. .  Cool skill is 40% made the roll!

Waiting on reply to a pm I sent Uncaring yesterday...

I like the Bunker description.

Erin isn't equipped with a CB radio, so please make appropriate edits. Regarding who or what might be present at Fractionation Station 4, that's for me to define.  The setting is my character, so please don't modify it off the cuff, ask me about it instead.

Who is Erin? Or do you mean Erwin? Are you saying that someone who fixes radio's for spare cash doesn't keep one for himself, even for testing?

Okay, what does the Station have then? Lay it out.

Everyone, I have removed Erin from the game.  I'll address the reasons in a PM to you all.

Jari and Higgins, I wrote my description post deliberately so you decide what you wanted to do before entering the cage (or not).

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 47):

Thanks - I think that we've worked it out.

Higgins - one thing.  What are you armed with?  What caliber of pistol?

In reply to Jari Helminen (msg # 48):

Taurus raging bull .454 revolver and a Ruger No. 1-H Tropical Rifle .458 Lott Caliber
This message was last edited by the player at 00:06, Wed 15 July 2015.

In reply to Higgins (msg # 49):

Interesting.

Reloads for those are going to be rare and expensive aren't they?

Oh yeah. Well, at least more so than something standard like  9mm, .45 ACP, .38.

But to be fair... they are awesome.

Probably.

So I guess we need to ignore what Erwin said...
Does anyone else have an opinion about the medic?
If not I'll leave it up to Donnie? Its his wife.

I rolled relevant knowledge and turned out ignorant on medics, so no opinion as of now.

You just saw Crow skillfully treat a sucking chest wound. He is is basically a doctor, so why are you seeking a medic?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Thu 16 July 2015.

Second opinion.

I assumed what Crow did was a precarious triagey thing, but then I'm not a doctor.

All joking aside, I think the idea is to find a facility suitable to receive extended treatment - and that won't happen without the medic who runs such a place.

I mean... the back seat of Lucas' truck is nice and all...

Crow will at least need a relatively sanitary and safe place to work if he's going to be able to use his skills to the utmost.

Unless I am supposed to roll Local Knowledge again? Need a place for the woman to be treated.
I remember Crow has a trailer somewhere?  But Lucas does not know that.

Crow has a old van near your scrap yard he uses as a surgery. He is not always in town but when he passes through that is where he works.

Yollie would know.
PM

What Christmas knows:

In reply to Crow (msg # 61):

Does Lucas know about Crows van?  ..I guess he must know somebody uses it, as otherwise he would tow an abandoned vehicle in for scrap...

Its kind of undefined right now exactly where my scrapyard is...
am still discussing that with Uncaring.

If the van is a viable place to take the woman ...i'm fine with heading there?
Just wanted all the PCs to give their opinions.

I don't think Lucas would know about Crow's van because he didn't know Crow when the characters first met ICly.  Lucas would most likely be careful taking things that don't belong to him this close to town, unless he's the kind of guy that does that and accepts all the consequences that entails. In this case, the van either appeared obviously lived in or it somehow escaped his notice.

What we have right now is...

* Crow is confident of his medical skills.

* He needs a better environment than the cramped unsanitary compartment in Lucas' truck to practice medicine.

* Some characters have been informed about medical options available in the area, but all of them have a price.

* Someone needs to make a decision.

* It would be perfectly IC for the characters to talk it over / yell it out while Lucas keeps the truck rolling.

PM

Higgins brought up a good point that we've run into a few times already:  the safety of people's vehicles and gear when they're not there for some reason.

Okay, the real answer is, no, nothing is safe.  Dogs get eaten, bikes get stolen, cars get stripped, and everything else that would happen if you left your luggage alone for five minutes in a French train station.

The answer I've been working off of currently is that by the Power of GM-Fiat-Skull, nothing has happened so far.  This is because we're still getting our feet wet, we're human beings who don't have time to percolate about every little thing that can go wrong with our character leaving his or her gear alone for two minutes in the post-nuclear French train station called the Central Valley, and I'm going to be forgiving until we really get on a firm footing in the setting.  The questions all of you are asking are a sign that that is naturally happening.

What I'm going to is this:

* Work with Lucas to get his garage set up.  The way we're going in PMs, it will be there to benefit him as a player character, but it will become a part of the setting that I run.  The good news is that it will be available to him as a part of his character concept.  The bad news is that I'm going to run with NPCs who have their own issues and priorities, which may conflict with Lucas'.  If anything happens to it, it will be because of a major adventure hook, like when Mad Max loses his car in the Road Warrior and ends up driving the tanker.  Even then, I'm not going to screw over Lucas by wrecking something that is a part of his concept, unless I have a very, very good reason.

* Work with Christmas to do more detailing of her crew.

* Work with all of you on the economics, and with all the vehicle owners on what's safe, what's not, and how your characters understand the dangers to themselves and their gear.

That said, I'm not going to allow Lucas' garage to turn into a base for all of you.  That's not what it was for.  It was for Lucas to be able to play out his concept as a mechanic.  This will require everyone's cooperation.  Of course it will be okay if Higgins parks his bike there.  Of course it will be okay if Christmas and her crew sleep on the roof, or on the shop floor at night when no one is working.  What's not okay is everyone moving all their stuff in there and turning it into their crash pad, because that would irritate the mechanics and their families who already live there.  This is the trade off for Lucas having all the garage's capabilities, gear and animals be guarded 24/7.

Once this gets settled, that's when I'm going to implement the survival aspect of the game, including dangers to vulnerable gear and people, the economics, the scarcity of resources, and the wear and tear on vehicles.  Every time something goes wrong is an adventure opportunity.  This is meant to be a dangerous game, which is why I mentioned in the beginning that I'll use character 'defeat' as an alternative to character death.

Okay, this weekend I'm going to make sure to post in both threads, and I want to wrap up the Beth and Donnie's Bogus Journey.  I appreciate all the creativity you have all put into this game, and I take full responsibility for the game's slowdown.

Here's a video about a Pakistani gun factory.  It shows how machinists with electricity and machine tools can make quality guns.  After watching this, I decided that Bakersfield is manufacturing guns and ammo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4PdL5pCioQ
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:14, Sun 19 July 2015.

Hi there.  I have no idea whether the trade that's been proposed to Jari is good or bad but I suspect that Jari might.  Can you give me any clues?

Thanks.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 68):

Awesome. Maybe that's where I need to get my bullets. Ready to flesh out the crew whenever's suitable, also.

Fascinating video that prompts two questions from me relating to how this would work in a post apoc setting:

 - How difficult would it be to manufacture the high quality metal blanks they were starting from?

 - How would they rifle the barrel accurately?  At one point there was a guy using a tap and die set but can that be used to rifle a barrel?

Personally I think that the rarer item is going to be ammo and that weapons will mostly be reconditioned pre war ones.  This video demonstrates however how manufacturing spare parts must be possible.

Really interesting and demonstrating what the VC were also doing during the Vietnam War.  Thanks for posting the link.

Yes, one of you sent it to me, but I got busy before posting it up.  I think it's all a matter of the appropriate machine tools and machinist skill.

In reply to Jari Helminen (msg # 69):

It's a low opening bid.  Make a Bargain roll.

In reply to Uncaring Fate (msg # 73):

I have a big Q&A PM for you about the Garage and local Economics.

Yollie, I forgot to have Donnie relay Crow's request for your assistance with Beth.  If you like, you can consider Yollie to have helped Crow for a couple of hours and no be in the van watching Beth sleep.

Just saw this, but that is what I ended up doing IC anyways. Great minds and all that.

Yollie is heading back home to return the pump gun and help with chores - she is a responsible daughter after all. When that is done, probably a few hours, she has every intention of returning to check on Beth and hang around Christmas like a lost puppy.

Is the ammo spot limited occupancy or could I walk in?

The entryway of the ammo trader is modelled on a jewelry shop I visited once irl.  The entry cage was small but the staff immediately let customers into a spacious store (it was made to prevent robbers from just rushing in and to let the staff have a minute to assess people before letting them in).  The issue here is that there isn't a spacious store for Jari and Higgins to be let into, and ICly they would probably be uncomfortable with a stranger entering behind them.  To resolve this, let's say that there is an 'occupied' sign that the ammo trader lets down when he's doing business and that there is a small space for Christmas to wait outside.  This would let Jari and Higgins finish their trade without someone coming up behind them, but also let Christmas meet them on their way out when they're done.

Yollie, feel free to post in the East Highland Hills thread until you want to return to the Travel Stop.

Roger Wilco. Thanks for the thread!

Ok,

Lucas is with his rig, asking Donnie where he got the brass.

Christmas just made her way past a confrontation between Alpha Company and Rattler's road warrior crew on her way to the Motel 6.

Crow (who hasn't returned so far) is still taking care of Beth.

Higgins has joined Lucas at his rig, with a question about motorcycle maintenance.

Christmas will check out the situation at the Motel 6, while Lucas and Higgins see what's going on with Donnie and what he said about where the ammo came from.  Then we can tie things up together and then the characters can start making choices.

Expect narrative posts tomorrow.

Where is Yollie currently?

Yollie is in East Highland Hills proper, having returned home and back to her normal routine.  She was only gone about 7 hours, and probably during the night to help Crow care for Beth.

I want to start with the Donnie and Beth situation resolved.  Donnie will have already told Lucas where to get more ammunition, and the loot from Donnie's car and cargo will already have been divided.

During this time Christmas will have visited the Motel Six.  While she is posting through that sequence, Lucas, Yollie, and Higgins can be posting through taking care of business, and making plans.

The upcoming story arcs will be Donnie's Ammo and Christmas' Present that she finds at the Motel 6.  All characters may not want to go on these adventures, AND THEY ARE DESIGNED THAT WAY.  If the characters do go, then they make a choice.

I am shortly going to introduce the survival guidelines for characters and vehicles.  They will have their own thread.  I am still debating on how much of that to keep behind the scenes, but it will probably most of it to preserve the sense of mystery and uncertainty.  Suffice to say, starvation, thirst and sleep deprivation will affect characteristics and skills.  I'm starting from the point of your characters being hardened survivors accustomed to privation, so your intuition as players will be enough to guide you to make sound common sense decisions.

The barter system is a little iffy, and in play it will probably be inconsistent, but I ask you to bear with me.

Awesome. Sounds good to me.

Since Yollie has come into the game as naieve and a bit clingy, she is going to cling onto Christmas as someone who can "big sister" her. So, that being said, it would take a lot to keep Yollie from going on an adventure Christmas wants/needs to go on.

You cool with that interplay between PCs, Chris?

Zero objections here.

Higgins will have to be Charlie minus a few angels :)