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Coolguye posted:I'm not smart enough to make those sorts of jokes, but the beautiful thing about puns is that they exist whether the speaker intended them or not! So in conclusion, dongwater. Ensign Expendable posted:It's a painting by this guy.
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Feb 16, 2014 02:22
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Update 22 - Master of Disguise Someone just walked into our room with a dead body.    You've been busy.    Satisfied, I trust. Comrade colonel Galushkin told me you had a talent for attracting trouble; judging from this fellow, he was not mistaken. Now, I wonder where he came from, eh?Inspect Savinkov  A dangerous-looking dandy. May I have the gun you took from him? You don't need a gun, Rukov! Your mission is discreet surveillance. You'd do well to bear than in mind if you intend making a career with us. Might I suggest you take a look at our late hoodlum friend?Inspect the dead body  He is of about your height and corpulence. From the unnatural position of his head, his neck would appear to be broken. A telephone number has been written on his left palm: 48366. He has no papers. His features, hairstyle, and clothes suggest he was probably a Soviet citizen. We take the photo. Inspect the photo  A small mugshot of you. A reproduction of your KGB ID photo. So that just confirms it. He was after me. Probably a hitman. Based on the photo used, he was probably sent by someone within the KGB. Probably someone from Department 7. At least comrade major Savinkov was here to save me. Anyway, the number on his hand is familiar. What are your orders for me, comrade major? You have a phone number! You also have a phone! See what I'm hinting at? Bit of a smartass, isn't he? I know this number. It's the booth in the street. Excellent, comrade. Very good. There's a man standing by that booth. He's been there for some time. Seems nervous!  We dial the number from the corpse's hand.   Yes. Come up. That's not the plan! Is he dead? Not exactly. So there's a problem? Small problem. Come up. Now! I don't like it... OK, I'm coming. I guess my voice sounds a lot like Viktor's.  Here's my plan: I'll wait behind the door and you make sure he comes in. As soon as he's inside, I'll slug him from behind. Let's avoid making too much noise.He moves over to flatten himself near the corridor door and gestures at you to prepare the reception.  I want him to think I'm Viktor. The best way to do that would be to dress up like him, and hide his friend's body. We take both the hat and the raincoat.   We put Viktor's clothes on.  We put Viktor's body in our closet.   We turn out the lights for good measure.  A few minutes later...   We wait to see what happens.      I'm impressed, Rukov! An elegant piece of reasoning! Our guest should wake up in a few minutes. We'll talk to our sleeping partner when he comes round.  I trust him. He did save my life, after all.We tell him about the Cut-throat affair.  Excellent work! The Chapkin angle clearly points to Kusnetsov's guilt. All we need now is to establish exactly what Kusnetsov's game is. I'm not surprised you saw Agabekov talking to the gang member at the Syevyernaya Zvyezda. That confirms what I've already learned: Agabekov is also investigating Kusnetsov. We must solve the case before he does! This Cut-throat business is amusing, don't you think? I'm surprised that Kusnetsov should try such an old ruse on you. He clearly underestimates your intelligence, Rukov, which gives you an advantage!  Must I attend the clandestine meeting with Cut-throat? Tread carefully! If you run the risk of meeting him and you survive, you must press him for his evaluations of Kusnetsov and Chapkin, and their links with your investigation into the export of these videos. What interests us is not the misleading information he gives, but what he doesn't say! Can you find out about Victor Matsnev? I shall make inquiries. Could you find out about Yakuchev? I shall make inquiries. May I trouble you for a cigar, comrade major? A filthy habit, Rukov! Give it up. What direction should my investigation now take? Everything seems to lead to Kusnetsov. My own investigations confirm this. Time is running short and we must learn more. Follow clues that point to him. Now to more pressing matters!  NNNH... Viktor? Your colleague Viktor has left us permanently, I'm afraid.The man stands up.  You killed him? Indeed I did. His neck snapped most agreeably. Why don't you kill me too? I may! It rather depends on how quickly and satisfactorily you explain yourself. We'll start with your names. I am Burlatski, Piotr. I came here with Sliunkov, Viktor. We was looking for stuff to steal... Western watches and suchlike...Major Savinkov breaks one of the man's fingers. AAH! All right! We was sent to kill your friend. Don't stop please! We'd like the complete story. Viktor gets a message saying to go to the hotel Syevyernaya Zvyezda. So we goes, see. The message says room 304. There's a man waiting, but we don't see his face. He gives us a picture and a hundred dollars and says we get another two hundred when the job's done. That's it. You say you didn't see the man's face. What did you see? He's sitting behind a light, see. Which is pointing in our faces. He had black hair. That's all I see. Interesting. Later this evening, you will go to the hotel in question, Rukov. Find out what you can. Need I remind you that we cannot achieve success here in Leningrad without discretion. Avoid causing an uproar and kill nobody! Our immediate concern is to get rid of the dead! Comrade Burlatski will come with me. Give me 5 minutes to leave quietly. You will make sure that Sliunkov's body disappears from this hotel. Do it now, before you do anything else. Our enemies may well send the militia here to hunt for cadavers! Should you be mixed up in a murder investigation, our efforts will have been in vain! We'll meet here in an hour, captain. Make sure the body has gone. Why not throw it in the canal at the end of the street behind the hotel? By the way, the militia often patrol beside the canal; you'd be wise to find a way to pass him off as a drunk. Be here in 1 hour! I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard. Who knows what Savinkov will do to him. As grateful as I am to Savinkov for saving me, I'm not sure I trust him. He seems too eager to cover for Agabekov, while pinning all the guilt onto Chapkin and his father-in-law. I suppose Agabekov could be undercover. For that matter, maybe Chapkin's undercover. Everyone at Department 7 is looking very bad, except maybe Drobnista. Anyway, no time to worry about that right now. I have a body to dispose of.
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Feb 16, 2014 04:19
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Now I am totally confused. This game!
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Feb 16, 2014 12:14
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I thought that guy was our handler? Why is he a stone cold murdering motherfucker if he's just the handler oh god
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Feb 16, 2014 12:21
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Love the new guy. So smooth 
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Feb 16, 2014 12:51
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V. Illych L. posted:I thought that guy was our handler? Why is he a stone cold murdering motherfucker if he's just the handler oh god I'm sorry you missed the memo on what it means to be KGB.
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Feb 16, 2014 12:52
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Xander77 posted:Yes, the question is whether it's a pun on / reference to "Родина (Мать) Зовет". Maybe I am missing something, but it seems most likely that the painting references this song.
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Feb 16, 2014 12:58
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drat, Savinkov is not only a bad motherfucker, but he's one of the few people not to be a complete arsehole to us, he even congratulated us on our ruse. This poo poo may as well be called intrigue.txt, it's really interesting. Although count me among the people who definitely wouldn't want to play this game, Thanks for showing it off for us red mammoth
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Feb 16, 2014 15:16
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Thanks for linking to that crazy Russian artist. Shame I can't read Russian. Still, bookmarked. Update 22 Bonus  Alternate Savinkov introduction. This one is much longer, and happens if you wait for him outside your room.   I'm major Savinkov, your controller. We are both a little early! Let's go to your room and talk. Here, by the way, is my ID.  I see you're comfortably provided for, captain. The Soviet Union looks after its guard dogs well, don't you find? Long may it continue to do so... Though we will certainly be forced to forge ourselves a new image! Guide dogs, perhaps; so much more positive. Or even... Motioning you to remain silently where you are, he slips into the corridor, closing the door softly behind him.  Almost immediately, Savinkov opens the door and drags in an inert form wearing a raincoat and a brown hat.  I noticed him coming into the hotel. What aroused my suspicion was his friend who stayed down in the street and began staring at your window! I was unhappily forced to kill this brute, since he was waving a gun about. I wonder where he came from, eh? That would be an interesting lead.You can try attacking Savinkov when he first drags Viktor's body into your room.     It's quite possible to scare off Burlatski using the phone. Viktor?: Matsnev speaking. What's happening? Matsnev? You're not Viktor!The line goes dead. --or-- Our friend in Hammer and Sickle street will be happy! Hammer and Sickle street...? You're not Viktor!The line goes dead. --or-- What's the boss's phone number? The boss? Wait a...The line goes dead. --or-- Viktor had an accident.The line goes dead. --or-- Yes? The job done? Yes. Good. Nothing moving down here. See you later.The line goes dead. —or-- Yes? The job done? No. What the hell? I saw him go up! He must've changed his mind. Hell! Let's meet up like we said.The line goes dead. There are several conversation paths that can get Burlatski to come up, in addition to the one shown in the main update. I'm not going to show them, because they're all pretty similar. Even more similar than the ones I just posted. If you open the door for him:   If he comes in and sees Viktor's body:   Seeing his colleague's body, the man in the corridor runs away. If Viktor's body is hidden, and the lights are off, but you haven't put on the raincoat and hat:   Burlatski will flee if the lights are turned on, the body isn't hidden, and you aren't wearing Viktor's raincoat and hat. Anyway, if you do anything to scare off Burlatski, whether on the phone or in the bedroom:   If you take too long to call Burlatski:   A few years trudging around an arctic island, guarding a fish-processing plant from saboteurs, may help towards your rehabilitation. I wouldn't count on it, though. EDIT: The Merry Marauder posted:I can only imagine the repetition of "Renko" is a reference to Arkady Renko, Muscovite detective of Gorky Park (and a series of sequels) fame. V. Illych L. posted:I thought that guy was our handler? Why is he a stone cold murdering motherfucker if he's just the handler oh god Tevery Best posted:I'm sorry you missed the memo on what it means to be KGB. red mammoth fucked around with this message at 00:23 on Sep 18, 2014 |
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Feb 16, 2014 18:41
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Another terribly contrived situation: luring Burlatski to the hotel room relies entirely on the hero of our game sounding similar enough to "Viktor" on the phone.
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Feb 16, 2014 19:44
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Could also be a lovely phone and very short sentences. Russian doesn't really 'do' accents, and Rukov was careful to avoid using any idiom. The rest can be decently chalked up to stress, I think.
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Feb 16, 2014 19:56
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V. Illych L. posted:Could also be a lovely phone and very short sentences. Russian doesn't really 'do' accents, and Rukov was careful to avoid using any idiom. The rest can be decently chalked up to stress, I think. You might note that starting out with more than a single word gets the guy suspicious right away, for instance.
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Feb 16, 2014 20:05
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So... let's talk about the Militsiya or "Militia", as it's called in this episode. I kinda wanted to do a "criminal society" post, but that's going to take a bit of time and effort. The militia one, meanwhile, should be In Tzarist Russia, the term Gendarme quickly grew to mean "a running-lap-pig-dog of the ruling powers, a strangling hand on the throat of the revolution and a stamping boot on the face of freedom". What? Russian is a very expressive language*. I'm not sure how much of what we know of that perception was influenced by latter, Soviet portrayals, where "Gendarme" or "Politzai" was never anything but a curse word, but it was apparently real enough to be worth changing after the (second) revolution, when the regular policemen were retired (note the lack of air-quotes here) or conscripted. Their replacements were meant to be proletarian volunteers - hence the term Militia. Unlike the Gendarme's of old, they were to be of the people, by the people, etc etc. The early USSR was rather big on the idea of decentralization, local empowerment, all that good stuff to make the workers and peasants feel like masters of their own destinies - the "Soviets" in "USSR" were essentially local councils chosen by the workers. The initial idea was that the USSR would be ruled by these. Of course, such a mode of government works better in an anarchy than in a dictatorship, whether of the proletariat or otherwise. The Soviets were quickly depowered and became essentially symbolic. However, as far as I know, the Militia remained fairly connected with the people, without being used as a tool of oppression. (So the term "police state" does not refer to the literal police). KGB handled dissidents, the USSR didn't have the sort of demonstrations that would require a proper dose of police brutality to suppress. There was a friendly neighborhood militzioner on every block, dedicated to the peace and quiet of his own little section - from proper education of misguided youth to noise complaints. Overall, it was a rather respectable and sympathetic force. Like a lot of things, this changed during the 90's. The Militsiya was left with minimal financial support, no resources to fall back on... ... You know what? Read this. A short version would be a bit too short, while a long version would justify its own thread. The collapse of law enforcement and rise of organized crime, in tight cooperation with the hollow withered husks of law-enforcement agencies is quite the depressing story. The point, and what I wanted to use for as a cynical punchline when I started to write this post, is that after two decades in which the idea that the average Militia member will torture an innocent man for a quick confession / just for kicks, yet will happily release a murderer who happens to have cash-in-hand, Medvedev decided to rename the peoples Militia back into the Tzarist "Police", in imitation of more civilized countries. And ever since that day, the Russian police was a model of pure incorruptible goodness. * As an aside, an acquaintance once told me that Russian could slightly modify a single word so that it(the single word, in and of itself) might mean "a rider charged against a tree and struck off a branch" and "a rider charged up against a tree, struck the branch and fell off". The example was striking enough (no pun intended) that is stuck with me for a while, even though I couldn't come up with any word like that. However, slight alterations to "vystrel" can go along the lines of "zastrelil, postrelil, vystrelil, rasstreyal, pristrelil" - so that "fired a shot" becomes "shot down, shot and wounded, executed by firing squad, shot down like a dog" etc. One of those odd things that can drive a foreign student to distraction. V. Illych L. posted:Russian doesn't really 'do' accents Actually - if there is someone literally standing next to you with a gun against your head, forcing you to post this under threat of death, please let us know so that we can send help.
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Feb 17, 2014 02:12
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German is also capable of transforming words like that, but to a more limited degree. Russian has these things all over the place though, making a direct translation pretty difficult.
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Feb 17, 2014 02:35
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Update 23 – Garbage Disposal  Time to clean up that mess. I'd better not move it just yet. It would be better to scout around first.We step out into the hallway and head down the stairs.   Another receptionist. I guess the other one went home for the day. Evening, comrade. Evening, comrade. I'm dying for a drink. Do you have a bottle to share, comrade? No, comrade. Any suspicious characters in the hotel? No, comrade.You instruct him to...wake you up at 6 AM. We don't pander to decadent impulses, comrade!We head on outside.  I can't drop the body out of my window because it would land right in the street. Maybe I can drop it from the other side?We go to the alleyway behind the hotel.  If I dropped it out of a window on the west side, it would land in the alleyway. That would attract much less attention. First, though, I have to get these two bums out of there.Inspect the first drunk  A down-at-heel drunk.Inspect the second drunk  A very drunk down-at-heel drunk. May I join you, comrades? Well now, brother comrade. It's not that I don't want you. It's just that my friend is pathologically averse to strangers Skin and bones! Why aren't you two at home in bed? Bed? Home? Why? You raise painful issues I'd prefer to leave unbroached, comrade investigator. Skin and bones! I'm afraid you can't stay here, comrades. Why would that be, comrade president? Skin and bones! You two! Get out of here! We like it here, general comrade secretary. Skin and bones! I'll inform the hotel manager of your presence! Why? Do you think he'll offer us a room? Skin and bones! I'll call the militia and have you removed! Now there's an excellent idea! Skin and bones! KGB! Move! Arrest us, comrade general! A night in the cells would be welcome! Skin and bones! Please go away. It's pointless appealing to the accommodating citizen in me! Besides, I know you're not real. drat lazy bums, getting in the way of my plans. Now what could I do to get them out of here?We return to the upstairs corridor.  I'll try all apartment doors on the western side; see if any of them will open.  The last door on the left is unlocked.   It's too dark in here to see. Hopefully the drunk is out cold and won't notice if I turn the light on.  I can think of several uses for this. I hope he won't mind if I take it. We turn off the light and go back to our room.  We take Viktor's corpse out of the closet.  We pour the vodka all over Viktor's corpse.  Can't hurt to take a drink. Um, what? We wait for official authorization.  On second thought, it looks a little strong for me. Anyway, Savinkov suggested that I pass Viktor off as a drunk, so that's what I'm doing. I have one other use in mind for this liquor...Back in the alleyway...  We give the hard liquor to the drunks. That'll keep them busy for a while. Ah, comrade! May you be forever protected from the chekists!  Whew. That's one problem taken care of...Back in the hotel lobby... Actually, even if I get rid of the drunks. I still have a problem. If I drop the body out of the west window, I'll still have to drag him all the way over to the canal. That would attract the wrong kind of attention. What can I do to fix this problem? Ah yes, the wheelchair. If I recall, the day receptionist Bielkin said it belonged to his son. He also said his son never uses it, so he probably won't miss it. It would also help cover for why Viktor's so stiff. Don't touch that, comrade! My colleague Bielkin won't let anyone use it. It belonged to his son. The poor devil died a year ago, but Bielkin refuses to believe it. A sick man, Bielkin. Never misses a day, though! Oh. I can't sleep! Some character is making enough noise to wake the dead! Irresponsible hooligan elements have infiltrated every sector of the social tissue. I shall investigate!He leaves, and we quickly grab the wheelchair. Inspect the wheelchair  A relatively unused wheelchair, not unlike uncle Vanya's. We dump the wheelchair in the alleyway, and then return to our hotel room.    We dump him out the window.  After a mad dash back to the alleyway...  We stick Viktor in a wheelchair.  We push him out to the canal behind the hotel. Two militiamen show up to hassle us.   : Little late for a walk, no? And too cold to be sitting outside! You'll catch pneumonia, comrade. Looks like he already caught it! Smells like he swallowed a distillery! Can't blame him, poor devil. Stuck in a wheelchair like that. Well, get some fresh air into him, then bed!They leave.  Whew. That was a close one.We drive the wheelchair close to the canal and take Viktor out of the wheelchair.  We make sure no one's looking, and then dump him in the canal. 
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Feb 17, 2014 19:28
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Xander77 posted:* As an aside, an acquaintance once told me that Russian could slightly modify a single word so that it(the single word, in and of itself) might mean "a rider charged against a tree and struck off a branch" and "a rider charged up against a tree, struck the branch and fell off". The example was striking enough (no pun intended) that is stuck with me for a while, even though I couldn't come up with any word like that. However, slight alterations to "vystrel" can go along the lines of "zastrelil, postrelil, vystrelil, rasstreyal, pristrelil" - so that "fired a shot" becomes "shot down, shot and wounded, executed by firing squad, shot down like a dog" etc. One of those odd things that can drive a foreign student to distraction. I don't know awfully much about Russian, but what I do know is that it has a relatively extensive case system. The only modern language with a case system more complex than Russian's that I can think of off the top of my head is Finnish, although there are probably more.
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Feb 17, 2014 22:38
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tinkerttoy posted:I don't know awfully much about Russian, but what I do know is that it has a relatively extensive case system. The only modern language with a case system more complex than Russian's that I can think of off the top of my head is Finnish, although there are probably more.
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Feb 18, 2014 05:59
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Xander77 posted:Russian is also (the only? One of the few?) languages that can have a short story where every single word starts with the same letter. Depends on if you're also doing the shortest possible story challenge. "Aaron, an ancient argonaut, attacked an aromatic athlete. Aaron asphyxiated."
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Feb 18, 2014 06:15
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Xander77 posted:You know, no one is forcing you to express opinions about subjects that you're not familiar with. Literally every Russian I've asked about the subject has claimed the same, including people from Moscow, Chelyabinsk (dunno why I thought that guy was from Vladivostok), St. Petersburg and Murmansk. If you have information or research to the contrary, I'd be glad to hear it. V. Illych L. fucked around with this message at 07:22 on Feb 18, 2014 |
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Feb 18, 2014 07:17
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Xander77 posted:Russian is also (the only? One of the few?) languages that can have a short story where every single word starts with the same letter. If you count romanization, you can easily do this in mandarin. In fact, you can go one further and make every single word have the same "spelling". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion-Eating_Poet_in_the_Stone_Den
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Feb 18, 2014 09:42
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V. Illych L. posted:(dunno why I thought that guy was from Vladivostok) 
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Feb 18, 2014 13:51
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Pierzak posted:Accent No doubt. I realise that the tone of that post was pretty pissy, I would legit like info on Russian accents/dialects if such is available.
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Feb 18, 2014 14:21
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I love how every solution is either, "Smart thinking, comrade - continue the game" or "Off to the gulag with you!". The USSR knows no middle ground whatsoever.
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Feb 18, 2014 14:24
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Gort posted:I love how every solution is either, "Smart thinking, comrade - continue the game" or "Off to the gulag with you!".  Beware subversive foot-dragging!
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Feb 18, 2014 14:34
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Gort posted:I love how every solution is either, "Smart thinking, comrade - continue the game" or "Off to the gulag with you!". Sometimes a game can be too accurate.
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Feb 18, 2014 16:12
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Update 23 Bonus Naturally, there are many ways this scenario can go wrong. Dumping the body out your window, and waiting:    Needless to say, the militia soon arrives. You spend a harrowing night with them, before being liberated by Savinkov. Your inability to avoid trouble results in a transfer to less demanding duties in a cold place no one has ever heard of. Dumping the body out your window, and going outside:   You spend an uncomfortable few hours down at militia headquarters. Major Savinkov finally arranges your liberation. Your inability to avoid trouble results in a transfer to less demanding duties in a cold place no one has ever heard of. Dumping the body out the west window while the bums are still in the alley:  Needless to say, the militia soon arrives. You spend a harrowing night with them, before being liberated by Savinkov. Your inability to avoid trouble results in a transfer to less demanding duties in a cold place no one has ever heard of. Leave the body in the corridor upstairs, and talk to the receptionist: I can't sleep! Some character is making enough noise to wake the dead! Irresponsible hooligan elements have infiltrated every sector of the social tissue. I shall investigate! Halt, comrade! A dead body lies upstairs. I will call the militia! Needless to say, the militia soon arrives. You spend a harrowing night with them, before being liberated by Savinkov. Your inability to avoid trouble results in a transfer to less demanding duties in a cold place no one has ever heard of. Dragging the body to the canal, if not covered in alcohol:  He's not ill, is he? Better take a look. You spend an uncomfortable few hours down at militia headquarters. Major Savinkov finally arranges your liberation. Your inability to avoid trouble results in a transfer to less demanding duties in a cold place no one has ever heard of. Dragging the body to the canal, if covered in alcohol: Dragging him home? He looks in a bad way. Looks alcohol-poisoned to me. Smells like it too. Better take a look.They inspect the body... Same game over text as last one. Taking the body to the canal, if you used the wheelchair, but didn't pour the alcohol. Little late for a walk, no? And too cold to be sitting outside! You'll catch pneumonia, comrade. Looks like he already caught it! Pale, too. Better take a look.They inspect the body... Same game over text as last one. Exiting the apartment room as soon as Savinkov leaves:    Let's try following him again:   EDIT: Gort posted:I love how every solution is either, "Smart thinking, comrade - continue the game" or "Off to the gulag with you!". Comrade Koba posted:
David Copperfield posted:Sometimes a game can be too accurate. red mammoth fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Sep 18, 2014 |
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Feb 18, 2014 17:11
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Update 24 - Welcome to the Hotel Syevyernaya Zvyezda Our dirty business finished, we head back to the hotel lobby. Hey! That's no toy! And it's not yours. If Bielkin learns of this...Bielkin's lucky we didn't just dump his wheelchair in the canal.  Back in our hotel room...  I'll try calling KGB Moscow again. I have a lot of things to report. drat it. Maybe somebody cut the line while I was out dumping the body. Or maybe it's just part of yet another modernization project. We go back to the lobby to ask the receptionist about the phones. My phone doesn't work. It works, comrade. It has simply been disconnected, like all the others. The initiative is in line with hotel production drive committee directive 37. All phones are re-connected at 7 AM. Just as I thought. Anyway, I'll be meeting with Savinkov at about 9:30. That should give me enough time to go back to Hammer and Sickle Street and get my listening device. We go back to the warehouse.   Around the back...  Inspect the backstreet Even more sinister than the front, if that's possible. The bartender in that place probably isn't interested in seeing me again. I'll go through the bathroom window.    Spy work sure is glamorous.  We climb back in through the bathroom window.  We use our old skylight route to return to the warehouse.   We pick up our trusty recorder. Doesn't seem like there's anybody around here. I guess I could have just come in through the front door. I guess I don't need to listen through those headphones, then. drat, those things are uncomfortable.We unplug the headphones and start playing the last couple of recordings. We switch back to voice-activated mode, just to see what it's like. Talk.Recording 14 Start of recording timed at 7:01 pm.  There you are, Sergei Antonovitch. What's the news, boss? It's for tomorrow night. Good. Why good? I'm going up to the walls waiting. Well, it's nearly over. An excellent deal! Let's hope so, boss. I'll call Yakuchev, then. Fine. Day after tomorrow. Give us time to bring the merchandise in. OK. You'll be leaving soon? In a few minutes. I'll give you a shout. Right. I'll phone Yakuchev.End of recording timed at 7:02 pm. This voice-activated mode seems kind of pointless. You have to push a button to rewind and fast-forward anyway, so why bother? Well, it feels nice and futuristic. I guess that's a plus. Talk.Recording 15 Start of recording timed at 7:02 pm. We can't hear it because the sound's too far away. End of recording timed at 7:02 pm. That must have been the phone call Savchenko made to Yakuchev. Shame I couldn't hear it. Time to return to my hotel. I hope I'm not too late.We head out.     Whew. Just in time. 9:34 PM Savinkov arrives.   Your instructions have been obeyed, comrade major. Good work. Department P is less than perfect, Rukov. Your presence should help us improve our performance considerably! Nice to get some compliments for once. I think I like Savinkov. Now, Rukov. Let me give you your instructions. Go to the hotel SYEVYERNAYA ZVYEZDA and see what you can learn about whoever it was who sent the two killers after you. Be here in your room at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll want to listen to any recordings you have made, so make sure you have the recorder you were given in Moscow.With that, he leaves. Syevyernaya Zvyezda! Quite a name for a hotel. I went there before when I was tailing Obukov to his meeting with Mr X. We head on inside. Sliunkov and Burlatski. Those are the two men who tried to kill me. I'd better remember those names. Evening, comrade. Evening. What's your name? Pavel Gorski. I suppose you get some interesting foreigners here. I'm merely a receptionist, comrade. I don't know about such things. Would you prefer this city to be called Leningrad or St. Petersburg? St. Petersburg. Better for tourism. Are Sliunkov and Burlatski back yet? You think I know everyone who comes through this place? I know something that will make him more talkative. I'm from KGB. Take a look at my ID.He takes a look at your ID. If I can be of assistance, captain, don't hesitate to see me. They said you'd give me the key to a certain room. Which room might that be, comrade captain? Room 304. Forgive me, comrade captain, but I'll need instructions from comrade captain... from Department 7, that is. Comrade captain, eh? There's two captains in Department 7: Drobnista and Chapkin. I doubt he was referring to that idiot Drobnista.Inspect Gorski He's clearly ill at ease in your presence, despite a respectful attitude. Who used room 304 earlier this evening? One of the girls uses that room. Try the cocktail bar, comrade captain. You should find out there. One of the girls? What girls? The, uh, escort girls. You'll find some in the cocktail bar. So this is a brothel. No wonder foreign clients like this place so much. Can't you tell me which girl? I don't know. How about Sliunkov and Burlatski? I don't know those names, comrade captain. Well, he wasn't of much help. I'll try the cocktail bar, and see if any of the hookers know anything. Not all that crowded. Surprising for a place like this. I'll get a drink first before I start the investigation.Inspect the barman  A professionally-amiable barman. Can I offer you a drink? No thank you, sir.Ask for...a drink Certainly, sir. This must be a good place to work! I meet many interesting people.Ask for...his name Iakov. Quiet, isn't it? It's not a busy time of year. Where is everybody? Everybody, sir? The local businessmen, tourists, foreign journalists... It's a quiet week. I am a KGB officer, you know. Pleasure-seeking tourists and profiteering imperialist capitalists do not often come at this time of year.Talk about...the KGB. Like dentists, sir. Nobody loves them, but someone has to extract the rotten teeth!Ask about...his daytime colleague. He'll be here tomorrow, sir.Ask about...Leningrad night-life You are experiencing it now, sir.Ask about...gangsterism in the hotel. There is none, sir.Ask about...room 304 : I've never visited it, sir. I'm sure it resembles the others. I'm looking for Sliunkov and Burlatski. Never heard of them.Ask about...Yakuchev. Can't help you, sir.He wasn't of much help, either. At least he was friendly. Next time, we'll start chatting up prostitutes.
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Feb 19, 2014 22:34
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Is it possible to stash the recorder somewhere else and get the inaudible conversations on tape (I think somebody earlier in the thread mentioned doing that when they played it)? Is there anything interesting to hear? Really enjoying the LP 
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Feb 19, 2014 22:45
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Funny how they switched out the digitised photo for a drawing containing local landmarks. The tall spire in the middle is probably intended to be the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The raised drawbridges are considered iconic, but are normally only raised in the small hours, roughly 0130-0500 depending on the actual bridge. Might have been different in Soviet times, though.
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Feb 19, 2014 23:04
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V. Illych L. posted:Literally every Russian I've asked about the subject has claimed the same, including people from Moscow, Chelyabinsk (dunno why I thought that guy was from Vladivostok), St. Petersburg and Murmansk. If you have information or research to the contrary, I'd be glad to hear it. This was fairly hard to dig up, actually. Here's the one big morphological breakdown I could find in Russian A summary of the same In English Mind you, when I think about Russian accents, the first thing that comes to mind is very much not the South/West/North distinction. Caucasian accents (racism warning), Odessa / Jewish accents, these are the first that come to mind. Someone else might mention the Moscow accent - drawn out ä sounds - but I have one of those, so I'm not particularly aware of it. Some sample accents - the various leaders of the Soviet Union. Say what you will, but social mobility was high enough that anyone could become the Lenin had a speech impediment (also a rather good example of comic takes on USSR accents) that replaced his "r"s with "w"s (an uvular trill, I think?) which made him very easy to parody, even in English. Stalin has a thick Gruzian accent, which combined with his steady, stoic delivery and repetition of favorite phrases, also made for fertile spoof material. An interesting tidbit: "Mikheil Gelovani greatly resembled Stalin physically, except in his stature: he was much taller than the latter. Reportedly, he was not the premier's favorite candidate for depicting himself on screen: since he was Georgian, he mimicked Stalin's accent "to perfection". Therefore, the leader personally preferred Aleksei Dikiy, who used classic Russian pronunciation." Khrushchev apparently had a bit of a Ukranian accent, but I can't find a decent breakdown / parody (well, I can find parodies of the shoe scene, but they don't exactly focus on the accent). Brezhnev had an extreme combo of an Ukranian accent, ill-fitting dentures, severe stroke-damage and possible other general issues that combined into a fantastic host of pronunciation issues that infamously turned "socialist countries" into "lovely sausages" (you'll note that Brezhnev is really hard to parody as any older or more incomprehensible that he was IRL). Gorbachev has a Southern country bumpkin accent (which may explain his love of pizza). That and a whole host of parasite words and phrases he used constantly would form the basis for most of his parodies. Xander77 fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Feb 20, 2014 |
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Feb 20, 2014 16:07
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Update 24 Bonus If you fail to dispose of the body, and it's still there when Savinkov walks in: Rukov! Are you a complete cretin?  If you tell Savinkov you haven't disposed of the body:  Almost, comrade major. Your incompetence and insolent disobedience have no place in Department P, Rukov! Your refusal to comply with perfectly simple instructions leaves me no choice but to take you off the case. I shall take care of matters myself!A few years trudging around an arctic island, guarding a fish-processing plant from saboteurs, may help towards your rehabilitation. I wouldn't count on it, though. The bartender inside the bar on Hammer and Sickle Street isn't easy to fool:   I don't like strangers I can't keep an eye on. Get out and stay out.He kicks us out. We try going back in.    
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Feb 20, 2014 23:05
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Update 25 - The Americans  Not too many people here. Just foreigners and working girls.Inspect the blonde with glasses  An attractive young woman with dollar signs in her eyes.We talk to her. Mind if I join you? She's certainly rude. I'm looking for Sliunkov and Burlatski. I'm not a missing persons' office. What's your name? Galina. Let me buy you a drink. I told you. Russians don't interest me. Leave me alone, or I'll have you thrown out of here. Never mind her. That American fellow looks like he might know something. Good evening.  I'm Otis Z Levitus and I'm selling you guys the right choice in soft drinks for today's market. The fresh American flavor that many hi-profile sport and show-business personalities drink when they're face-to-face with thirst! Let me buy you a drink. You can buy me as many as you want, ha ha ha. Just my joke, Ivan. American sense of humour. Little sophisticated for you guys. Are you here on business? Why else? To sample Soviet cuisine? Ha, ha. Lemme tell you about our new line in classic diet colas. They give maximum drinkability without impairing athletic performance or adding on those hard-to-lose pounds. Many rock-stars prefer our product. Try some and you won't WANT to switch back to your current soft drink! I don't have a current soft drink. You will, Boris, you will. Hey, you heard the one about the guy in the gulag? No. Well, this poor guy, let's call him Ivan Ivanovich okay? Anyway, he gets sent to the salt mines and when he arrives, another prisoner comes up and says:“Hey, how long you get sent away for?” “9 years”, answers Ivan. “Gee, that's too bad,” says the other guy. “What'd you do to get sent to the gulag?” “Nothing,” says Ivan. “I did nothing at all.” “Liar!” says the other guy. “Nothing's only a 5-year rap!” Get it? Great joke? I've heard better. What do you think of Leningrad? Lemme tell you, Ivan. You Soviets are just gonna love drinking from our new-style slim-line cans. They're hand-friendly and research PROVES they have enhanced machismo, know what I mean? I'm talking raw sex here, the raunchiest family soft drink on the market. Are you staying at this hotel? I have been, Ivan, but I'm escaping tomorrow. Escaping. Get it? You heard the one about the Russkie who wants to join the communist Party? Yes. Very amusing. I saw a bunch of commies today. Maybe they're gonna install a cold-drink dispenser in the Lubianka? You're a commie, Ivan? Wanna bomb the U.S. to hell? Not all the US. Just certain places. Where are you from? Philadelphia. You wanna defect to my house or what? Hey, you were making a joke, right? Yeah, real funny. Now that was funny. You Americans admire comrade Gorbachev. Gorby? Lemme tell you this one:Whole bunch of world leaders die, right? And go to heaven. So George Bush says to God, “When will America finally get rid of taxes?” God answers,” You'll be long dead before that happens, George.” Then what's that guy's name, the Brit.. can't think of it. Anyway, the British Prime Minister asks God, “When will the Northern Ireland problem be solved?” And God says,” You'll be long dead before that happens, my son.” So then Gorbachev asks, “ When will Perestroika give some results?” And God scratches his head and says, “I'll be long dead before that happens!” That was actually pretty funny. Not bad, Levitus.We don't have anything else to say to Levitus. We can mention we're a KGB agent, but it's doubtful that would do us any good. I think I'm done with him. Hopefully that blonde girl will know something useful.Inspect the mini-skirted blonde  A sharp blonde bombshell. The receptionist mentioned that one of the girls used room 304. Maybe she is the one. Hello, gorgeous!She turns to look at us.   Well, she's certainly blunt. What's your name? How much do you charge for a night of unbridled passion? That's expensive! Worth it, though! I'll have to think about it. Dream about what you're missing!She turns away, but we keep talking to her. What room do you use to entertain your clients? 502. You know room 304? That's one of the rooms Tamara uses. She has two. Why does she use two rooms? Ask her. If she's not here, she'll soon show up.Two more people come in: a Japanese businessman and an attractive brunette.  Inspect the brunette  She seems very self-controlled and sharp. Hello, gorgeous!She looks at us.   She seems more polite than the others. I'm not sure that I trust her, though. Are you Tamara? Yes. I'm told you use a couple of rooms to entertain guests. One of your colleagues. Why two rooms? Why do you want to know? I'm superstitious about numbers. That's expensive! I know it is, but my cat only eats caviar. Heh. I like this girl. She's probably hiding something, though. I don't have that much. How about rubles? Sorry. Come and see me when you've got the money.Two more people enter the bar: a well-dressed woman and an old friend.  Nathaniel Greenberg was our cell-mate when we were captured by Verto. We helped each other escape. He's a very mysterious fellow with a thick American accent. Inspect Greenberg  He seems in good condition, if a little tired. He also appears to be a little wary of you. His passport said he was a journalist, but I kind of doubt that. What the hell is he doing here? Inspect the elegant woman  An expensively-dressed westerner, wearing a thick layer of make-up.We start to approach Greenberg, but...  She sounds American. How did she know my name and rank? Guess I'd better find out. She leads us to the hotel lobby.  You're mistaking me for somebody else. Maksim Mikhailovich Rukov, Department P, Moscow KGB. Please don't be alarmed, captain; I'm a friend. A friend? Can you be more precise? I believe you know my colleague, Greenberg. You spent some time together in a very small room in Moscow. Remember? Yes, I remember. I take it you are American? I'll make this as brief as I can. My name's Carla Wallace. I work for the CIA, just like Greenberg, the American you spent some time with in a very small room in Moscow. You're CIA? Why should I believe that? I'm CIA, just like Greenberg. You don't expect me to show you my ID, do you? I'd rather speak to Greenberg himself. Don't go near him, Rukov! The barman is an informer and Greenberg doesn't want to be seen talking to you. He asked me to speak to you in his name. Anyway, it doesn't matter whether you believe me; the thing is, I can help you with the investigation you're doing. I'm listening. Greenberg can't afford to be seen with you. He's willing to exchange information, anything that concerns the case you're on. We want to get the people behind those video nasties. We think there's a whole nasty can of worms involved.  What I need is American money. I can give you $100. No, $150. It's all I have. That was awful nice of her. I guess she really wants me to trust her. Do you know who uses room 304 in this hotel? Room 304, no. But I know that Kusnetsov and his son-in-law run the prostitutes here. They report anything they pick up from foreign visitors. Have you heard of a certain Matsnev? Matsnev?! Let me think... The name's familiar. Sure! Wasn't he the KGB colonel who defected in '84? No, that wasn't his name. I can try and find out. Do you know of Savinkov? One of your people, right? We've never had contact with him. Our files say he's an efficient officer and pro-Gorbachev. Can you tell me about Sliunkov and Burlatski? Burlatski, no. Victor Sliunkov, if that's who you mean, is a hired killer. He got mixed up in some criminal affair a few years back and was arrested by a local KGB officer called Chapkin. Since then, Sliunkov's rumored to handle dirty work for Chapkin in exchange for money and freedom. Can you tell me about operation “New Birth”? That's a code-name used by an unofficial KGB group. We've learned little except that they keep known KGB hardliners under surveillance. We believe there's a faction of top KGB and Soviet military who're waiting for an opportunity to oust Gorbachev and replace him with a hardline communist. We have no evidence of any such plot. Does the name Yakuchev mean anything to you? Not a thing. I've given proof of our good faith, Rukov. Greenberg will contact you tomorrow afternoon or evening. He expects to have important information which he'll be willing to share in exchange for whatever you've learned. Goodnight, captain. That's quite a lot to think about. I'm not sure if I can trust her, or what her motives are, but she's certainly willing to share a lot of valuable information. Hopefully my meeting with Greenberg tomorrow will shed some more light on this case.
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Feb 22, 2014 06:14
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Wouldn't a CIA agent giving him $150 bucks be mighty hard to explain to anyone else form the KGB watching?
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Feb 22, 2014 06:48
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Dreggon posted:
Beware uncritical nostalgia, comrade! 'Having to replay sections' isn't unique to old adventure games, and going through a set plot isn't unique to new games. They're traits shared by any games with failure states and a narrative.
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Feb 22, 2014 12:03
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Wouldn't a CIA agent giving him $150 bucks be mighty hard to explain to anyone else form the KGB watching? Looks like Rukov had better find something to spend all that money on! 
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Feb 22, 2014 12:09
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red mammoth posted:
The game reveals its French origins. quote:
Though the art is decidedly low-res, they did succeed in making her look suitably smarmy. Strange that she has no close-up portrait, though. Kopijeger fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Feb 22, 2014 |
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Feb 22, 2014 15:19
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Yeah, the atmosphere and characterisation for this game is really good.
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Feb 22, 2014 15:23
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inflatablefish posted:Looks like Rukov had better find something to spend all that money on! "Beware decadent pleasure-seeking", indeed.
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Feb 22, 2014 17:44
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Kopijeger posted:The game reveals its French origins. How does the conversation with Levitus reveal the game's Frenchness? Is there a French in-joke or something?
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Feb 22, 2014 23:54
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 21:06 |
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red mammoth posted:How does the conversation with Levitus reveal the game's Frenchness? Is there a French in-joke or something? That bit about video nasties almost certainly means that the game was translated to English by a Brit. Burzmali fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Feb 23, 2014 |
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Feb 23, 2014 00:28
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