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red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
Update 18 Bonus





The people in the bar aren't very friendly. Another conversation with the scruffy guy:

I am a KGB officer!
No chekist would be that stupid. Go away.

Talking to the bartender:



I am a KGB officer!
Anyone who comes in here alone and says he's a KGB officer is drunk or stupid. Just drink or get out. We don't like people we don't know, especially chekists.





It makes sense that they'd beat you up for that. However...

Afternoon.
Drink or get out. I'd prefer you to get out.





Basically, you get beat up for saying anything at all to the bartender. Tough crowd.

Starting a fight:



Same game-over text as the last two.

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CarrKnight
May 24, 2013
I imagine Rukov reporting back: "I was assaulted by hundreds of anti-social elements bent on economic sabotage. While every bone in my body is broken, their imperialist plan is now foiled!". And getting promoted.

davidspackage
May 16, 2007

Nap Ghost
The part where you use the broken camera in lieu of binoculars is pretty characteristic of this game. It's crafty as heck. No wonder I could never get very far in the game.

tomanton
May 22, 2006

beam me up, tomato

red mammoth posted:

As for the game's difficulty, it would be interesting to figure out how to remake the game to be more playable while keeping its hard and unforgiving feel. Maybe make it so that you can just jump back to the spot where you really messed up once you get into an unwinnable situation.
The best adventure game marriage I've seen of old-school punishment and new-school playability was The Last Express, which simulates real time as KGB/Conspiracy does, but let you rewind time to any point in the game's three-day timeframe. The player could proactively use it to try different approaches to puzzles, or buy more time to explore and check out all the flavor text - but in the event of a game over, it automatically rewound things to the last point where you could still change events for the better. Whether you bungled a quick time event or made the game unwinnable a day earlier there was no such thing as a doomed save.

Neat game altogether, heavy on period accuracy and political intrigue and Russian folklore and also LPed to completion very recently.

CarrKnight
May 24, 2013
This game has a checkpoint system in place. But the last express system seems much much cooler.

Deathwind
Mar 3, 2013

davidspackage posted:

The part where you use the broken camera in lieu of binoculars is pretty characteristic of this game. It's crafty as heck. No wonder I could never get very far in the game.

I've got to agree with this, it's a logical use for the broken camera that would easily come to mind when desperately trying to see the keypad. Then again I grew up on Sierra's brand of moon logic...

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
This is certainly an interesting conspiracy to unravel. I like how the people involved always speak in code, because seriously, you never know who's listening.

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
Sorry for the delay, folks.

Update 19 – The Moscow Connection



I forgot to do one thing last time.



We head back to the back room of the bar via the roof.

Inspect the door
Judging from the aroma, that's the toilet.

We head on in.



Inspect the toilet
Hold your breath, comrade.

Inspect the basin
Just touching the taps would be fatal.

Inspect the flush unit
The flushing mechanism has gone to a meeting.

Inspect the toilet bowl
This is one of the more disgusting things you've done recently.

Inspect the small window



We unlock it. We now have another path into the bar should we ever need it. Yes, this is going to come up later.



We then return to the back storeroom and resume hiding inside the crates.

drat, it's cramped in here. I can hardly fit.

4:11 PM

From beyond the door nearest the steps, at the back of the warehouse, you hear the sound of a garage door opening, followed by that of a car driving in and stopping. Car doors slam you hear footsteps.

From the front room, more footsteps.

Romeo's surly-looking contact comes in through the front door. A hefty-looking fellow we haven't seen before enters through the door leading to the garage.



They then head into the meeting room.

We try to listen, but:



We resume hiding inside the crates.

4:20 PM

Surly comes out of the meeting room.



He goes into the front part of the warehouse.

They've probably said a lot so far. Time to listen to the new recordings.

The game doesn't show who's talking, and you have to figure it out for yourself based on various clues. I just filled them in. Rukov would probably recognize the speaker's voice if he'd heard it before, anyway.

Recording 2
Start of recording timed at 4:12 pm.

No problems at the park?
No, boss. They had trouble with a snooper in Moscow.
And?
They say he's probably harmless, but he could turn up.
He better not... The videos are here?
Yes...

End of recording timed at 4:13 pm..

Hey, looks like I got another mention!

The first voice asks the second whether there was any trouble in the park, and we know Surly just came from there. Therefore, the second voice is Surly, and the first voice is Hefty.

Recording 3
Start of recording timed at 4:15 pm.

Boss?
What?
When's your friend Alfred Obukov coming?
Few minutes. Why?
Well, I have to phone Yakuchev to tell him when he can come round and pick up his...
Obukov'll be here in a few minutes.

End of recording timed at 4:16 pm.

Yakuchev, eh? Romeo mentioned earlier that someone called Yak was the go-between. I thought it was a codename at first, but I guess it was just short for his real name.

The first voice calls the second voice boss, and we already know that Hefty is Surly's boss from the previous recording.

Recording 4
Start of recording timed at 4:19 pm.

Sergei Antonovich...
Boss?
How well do you know this Yakuchev?
Just what I've heard. Reliable. Maybe a little hotheaded.
What's his connection with the Moscow people?
He knew a couple of them in Afghanistan.
Mm.
I'll be in the front if you want me.
OK, Obukov'll be here any minute.

End of recording timed at 4:20 pm.

Looks like Surly's name is actually Sergei Antonovich. I'll be calling him that from now on. Also sounds like Yakuchev knew one of the Moscow gang members in Afghanistan. Probably Verto.

4:30 PM



Everything in order?
Sure. And your end?
No problems at all. You have the videos?
Of course. Mechulaiev's expecting you in his office.
Excellent.



From the front room comes a sharply-dressed man.

That must be Obukov. Sergei mentioned him before.



He goes into the meeting room.



4:40 PM

The sound of approaching footsteps comes from the back office.

Alfred Obukov, the sharply-dressed man, comes out of the back office and goes into the front room.

You play cards a lot, my friend.
Passes the time.
Interesting game. Better with a partner, no?
Like sex, comrade Obukov.
Ha ha! Well said. Until later, then.



I'd better play the recordings to find out where he's going.



Recording 5
Start of recording timed at 4:31 pm.



End of recording timed at 4:32 pm.

drat it. I knew this would happen. I guess that means the conversation took place outside the office. It must have been the first conversation I heard between Sergei and Obukov.

Recording 6
Start of recording timed at 4:33 pm.

Alfred Alexandrovich! Come in and sit down. A drink?
Thank you, Gennadi Leonidovich...
So. How are things?
Fine. Your friend Savchenko tells me you have the videos from Moscow?
Yes...

End of recording timed at 4:35 pm.

Sounds like Sergei's last name is Savchenko.

Recording 7
Start of recording timed at 4:36 pm.

Have you watched them?
The videos? I don't care to. Strange kind of business.
Indeed. But profitable?
Fairly. The principal advantage is a Moscow connection.
Naturally... Yes, a drop, please...

End of recording timed at 4:37 pm.

Recording 8
Start of recording timed at 4:38 pm.

And what of Viktor?
Viktor?
I was referring to the exportation of the cassettes...
Oh. Ha Ha! Yes, I see. Viktor will be ready to leave. Has the timing for the exchange been fixed?
Well, I'm going to see Mr X right now, to find out.
The mysterious Mr X!
Precisely my friend. Let him remain so. I expect he'll require Viktor's services within a few days.
That's excellent. You'll be back?
Naturally. As soon as I get the timing from Mr X.
See you later then, Alfred Alexandrovich.
Yes. Around six-thirty, Gennadi Leonidovich.

End of recording timed at 4:39 pm.

We know that the first voice is Obukov because he mentions leaving to go see Mr X, and Obukov is the one who leaves the office.

Mr X! I'd better follow Obukov. Unfortunately, Savchenko is still in the other room. Fortunately, I planned for something like this.

We fast-forward to the end, start recording again, and put the listening device back in the box. We've already got a lot of information out of that meeting room, but it can't hurt to keep listening in just in case some important conversation happens while we're away. We sneak up the stairs.



We climb up onto the roof.



We climb through the bar skylight and head out of the bar.





We follow Obukov into the metro.

red mammoth fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Feb 10, 2014

Muraena
Feb 18, 2013

Justice. Honor. Anime~
Alfred Alexandrovich? I thought his name was Alfred Obukov. Strange. Sounds like Sergei's last name is Savchenko, even though he was called Sergei Antonovitch. Maybe they're using code names?

So.. the game doesn't realise they're using patronymics?

Kopijeger
Feb 14, 2010
From the OP:

quote:

Note that the black-and-white Rukov portrait represents in-character commentary, while the colored Rukov portrait represents in-game dialogue.

Either it is a joke, or red mammoth doesn't know how Russian names work.

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!

Kopijeger posted:

From the OP:


Either it is a joke, or red mammoth doesn't know how Russian names work.

The latter. Whoops. I'll change it.

red mammoth fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Feb 10, 2014

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Aww, I even linked it for you earlier.

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
The truth is, I thought that the patronymics used were codenames because a site dedicated to analyzing the game thought they were codenames. It's still a good site, though. I'm not linking to it because of truly colossal spoilers.

Besides the little mistake I made, what did you all think of the update?

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



I remember trying to plant the recorder in every room, and listening to the various conversations, not entirely sure which were of importance and how to get them all. (Of course, I thought the only safe spot to hide in was the top floor)

Foxfire_
Nov 8, 2010

Russian names and a burst of new characters make my head hurt. Trying to figure this part out without pictures of the speakers or all of the recordings must suck.

If I'm understanding right:


Surly/Sergei Antonovich Savchenko = low level goon we tailed from the park
Hefty/Gennadi Leonidovich Mechulaiev = Surly's boss
Sharp-dressed/Alfred Alexandrovich Obukov = The contact with Mr. X
Yakuchev = The go-between for the Moscow and Leningrad gangs. Was in Afghanistan.
Viktor = A courier for exporting the videos?
Mr. X = :iiam:

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!

Foxfire_ posted:

If I'm understanding right:


Surly/Sergei Antonovich Savchenko = low level goon we tailed from the park
Hefty/Gennadi Leonidovich Mechulaiev = Surly's boss
Sharp-dressed/Alfred Alexandrovich Obukov = The contact with Mr. X
Yakuchev = The go-between for the Moscow and Leningrad gangs. Was in Afghanistan.
Viktor = A courier for exporting the videos?
Mr. X = :iiam:

This is correct.

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
Update 19 Bonus



Boss




We wait here until the boss arrives at 4:10 PM.







Then we knock on the warehouse door.



We must discuss certain matters.
What about?
The Moscow connection.
Oh. Your friend's supposed to wait for a call!
We must discuss certain matters.
We'll call Yak. Go away.

—or--

There's a problem.
What problem?
Yak's dead. -or- Yak's planning to double-cross you.
What? Listen... You go away and we'll check. Come back tomorrow.

—or--

Who is it?
We must discuss certain matters.
What about?
There's a problem.
What problem?
The KGB know about you.
I know they know. They know I know they know. Who are you?
I am a KGB officer!
I have a pistol aimed at your guts!
Just open the door, slimebag.
Go to hell and stay there.

—or--

I am a KGB officer!
I have a pistol aimed at your guts!
Let's keep this friendly, OK?
Just show me your ID.
Naturally.



Moscow! You took a wrong turn somewhere, chekist! Next time, bring a warrant.

--or--

The KGB know about you.
I know they know. They know I know they know. Who are you?
A friend.
I don't like friends. Go to hell.



We can take the briefcase, or destroy the video tapes and put it back. In any case, the results are the same.









If you steal the tapes and hide in the loft:







If you hide out on the roof, they lock the skylight and door, meaning there's no way inside. Nonstandard game-over.



What happens if you listen to the tape without headphones on, or with voice-activated mode on?




Same old routine. The boss brings out Stalin the dog, and you get savaged.



Attacking the boss in the office room:







Hiding in the tool closet:





A man and dog get out of the car.





Coolguye
Jul 6, 2011

Required by his programming!
The number of 'hey, you didn't read my mind properly' game overs in this game continues to stun me.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Coolguye posted:

The number of 'hey, you didn't read my mind properly' game overs in this game continues to stun me.

That's the way adventure games operate. Since you can beat the game without effort every time once you've made it the first time (unless arcade sequences get involved, but they're usually terrible for entirely different reasons), replay value for these games is a big fat zero.

Henceforth, developers had to pull out every trick in the book to extend gameplay length to give the consumer his money's worth, so to speak. And then we get "find the train of logic that only stops for a minute each day during rush hour at Grand Central Terminal" gameplay. Some are worse than others.

Coolguye
Jul 6, 2011

Required by his programming!
Trust me, I know. I was a fanatic for Sierra games back in the day, especially Quest for Glory. I think my first playthrough of QFG1 took me like 25 hours because I kept getting myself into unwinnable dead-man-walking situations, or just hosed myself saving in a situation where I thought for SURE I was safe, but was actually about to die.

Still, looking back and going through it again today, if you were careful there was no reason why you should get into these situations in QFG, except in the VGA version where a single misclick can make your hero waste a game-critical item. Judicious use of the look action, whether it was text parser or eye, alerted you to almost all of the potential deaths in the game. There were not really any 'SURPRISE, YOU'RE DEAD' moments like this game has every 30 seconds.

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
In the game's defense, a lot of these deaths can be avoided if you use common sense and pay close attention to what's going on. Stealing or destroying the video tapes seems risky, and your orders were only to get a sense of how the criminal operation is run and who's behind it. Obviously, bursting into a room where two criminals are having a private conversation is not going to go over well.

I'll agree, the tool closet death is pretty lame. The game actually hints that the closet is a good place to hide and will give you a good overview of the meeting room. You are never given any reason to expect that the boss has a dog with him that can sniff you out. Another problem is that the game never gives you a good idea of Rukov's combat abilities. He's supposed to have Spetsnaz training, but he can be overpowered by a fat crime boss and a street thug.

I'll also agree with you that Quest for Glory is pretty awesome.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

I have to admit, this game has a surprising variety of frigid wastelands you can get posted to if you screw up the investigation and live.

Pierzak
Oct 30, 2010

Bobbin Threadbare posted:

I have to admit, this game has a surprising variety of frigid wastelands you can get posted to if you screw up the investigation and live.
It's the USSR, after all.

Simian_Prime
Nov 6, 2011

When they passed out body parts in the comics today, I got Cathy's nose and Dick Tracy's private parts.
Just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying this LP, as well as the attached Soviet history lessons. Kudos!

Troolari
Aug 15, 2012

21:25 matt | hi my name is troolari
21:25 matt | *cuts hair like villain from 5th element*
definetly keep it up this is p. good with the added bonus of xander or w/e and the other guys history lessons

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
Update 20 – Mr. X




Hotel Syevyernaya Zvyezda, eh? Quite a mouthful. Quite fancy, though.




We head on inside.



Inspect the lobby
Surprisingly non-monumental.

Inspect the elevator
Modern. It also appears to work.

Inspect the receptionist
A smooth character. Seems on top of his job.

Inspect Alfred Alexandrovich Obukov
A somewhat supercilious air. He's of medium height and slender build.

He's here to meet with Mr X. Our job is to find out his identity.




We follow him into the cocktail bar.



Inspect the cocktail bar
An international atmosphere with piped music!

Nice place. Shame I'm not staying here.

Inspect the bartender
An experienced professional.

I'm in the mood for a drink.
Can I buy you a drink?
No thank you, sir.
I'd like a vodka, please.
Certainly, sir.



Well, the contact is certainly taking their sweet time getting here. I'll go wait out in the lobby.

6:00 PM

A familiar man arrives.



Major Agabekov?



We follow Agabekov into the bar.



Obukov follows Agabekov out. We follow him too.



Well, I guess now I know the identity of Mr X.

6:05 PM



Obukov leaves the building.

I'll stick around and see what Agabekov does.

6:11 PM



Agabekov leaves the hotel, and we follow.




As much as I'd love to see where he's going, I've don't have the time. I still have to see if I have any new recordings, and then meet Cut-throat at 7 PM. I have to go back to the warehouse.

6:31 PM

Back at the warehouse...



Obukov goes into the warehouse. If we just follow him in, he'd see us. Better to take the skylight path.



We go into the bar, through the back door, up the stairs, out the window, onto the rooftop, through the warehouse skylight, and down the stairs.




It's me again, comrade Savchenko.
Mechulaiev's in his office, comrade Obukov.
Good.

We quickly hide in the crates.




I'll wait until he's done meeting with Mechulaiev, and then start listening to the recordings.



Obukov leaves the meeting room and goes into the front part of the warehouse.

Goodnight to you, my friend!
Night.
You'll soon be a rich man!
Hope so.
Sun-drenched beaches and beautiful girls, eh?
You said it.

Time to start listening to the recordings.

Recording 9
Start of recording timed at 4:41 pm.



End of recording timed at 4:41 pm.

Recording 10
Start of recording timed at 4:42 pm.

The conversation is inaudible; the voices are too far away.

End of recording timed at 4:43 pm.

Recording 11
Start of recording timed at 6:26 pm.

The conversation is inaudible; the voices are too far away.

End of recording timed at 6:27 pm.

Recording 12:
Start of recording timed at 6:28 pm.

Did everything go well?
Have no worries on that score, Gennadi Leonidovich!
So.. Has Mr X fixed a date?
Indeed, my friend. The crack will arrive and the video tapes will leave tomorrow.
So soon?
No point in waiting, is there? Unless...
No, that's no problem at all, Alfred Alexandrovich.
Glad to hear it!
Just one thing... Have you any idea what time...?
Well, Viktor will have to be ready to leave in the afternoon, to pick up the crack around midnight, at the agreed meeting point.
The sooner the better.
That's the spirit. And Viktor Matsnev will be ready to transport the video tapes and receive the incoming crack?
No trouble. I'll be seeing my contact in the docks later on. Everything will be ready at our end for tomorrow.
Excellent! Well, if there's nothing else, I'll say goodnight.
See you tomorrow, then.

End of recording timed at 6:30 pm.

The final recording, Recording 13, is inaudible. It's probably just that last conversation between Obukov and Savchenko.

We start recording again, and put the recorder back in the crate. Then we use the skylights to return to the bar.




Time to head back to Gostinitsa Hotel. I've got all the information I need for my meeting. I only hope I'm not too late.

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



"Severnaya Zvezda" translates into "The Northern Star", which is exactly the sort of name a Soviet Hotel might have.

The bit about service personnel as said hotel being "consummate professionals" and the like might be a cheeky hint about something that the game doesn't have the time or need to delve into. You may have surmised that people working with tourists were generally informants for the KGB - what you might not have known is that a number of said older professional's behind the service counter or the bar were actually retired security personnel. A colonel or a general's pension means very little compared to the sort of foreign currency* you can earn by supplying tourists with... oh pretty much anything. Women, drugs,"niche films". For the longest time none of the above were available to the average USSR citizen - and had they known that such indulgences were there for tourists, it would have (theoretically) only reinforced their beliefs about decadent Western morals.

The drugs of choice in the USSR were Cocaine for the elite, and Heroin for the common folk - to begin with, mostly in the eastern areas of the USSR, next to Afghanistan. I don't think Crack was ever much of a thing - if the game wasn't made by a French team, I'd blame the hysterical reaction America had in the 90's. "Crack is 11 times more dangerous than Cocaine, according to this sheet of paper I found up my rear end" and all that.


* Immensely valuable and hard to acquire in the Soviet Union.

Kopijeger
Feb 14, 2010
How would cocaine get into the Soviet Union? Through trade links with Cuba and Nicaragua, or by some other means?

Kopijeger
Feb 14, 2010

red mammoth posted:

Moscow! You took a wrong turn somewhere, chekist! Next time, bring a warrant.


And another thing: would a "chekist" actually need a warrant in order to search a property? The stereotype of non-democratic regimes is that the security services have the kind of wide-ranging powers that would allow them to barge in almost everywhere they want, but I am curious as to how this would work in real life.

Xander77 posted:

..."niche films".[...]For the longest time none of the above were available to the average USSR citizen - and had they known that such indulgences were there for tourists, it would have (theoretically) only reinforced their beliefs about decadent Western morals.

What exactly are "niche films"? I'm guessing either pornography or popular Hollywood action films. And this "decadent Western morals" thing, was that a popular stereotype? Did the average Soviet citizen actually perceive the "West" as being more decadent than their own country, even taking into account things like the rate of alcohol abuse being much higher than just about anywhere in the "West" and average lifespans being significantly shorter (thus showing that the average health of the general population is worse) in the USSR?

Kopijeger fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Feb 13, 2014

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Kopijeger posted:

And another thing: would a "chekist" actually need a warrant in order to search a property? The stereotype of non-democratic regimes is that the security services have the kind of wide-ranging powers that would allow them to barge in almost everywhere they want, but I am curious as to how this would work in real life.
You'd have a far easier time getting a warrant in a Totalitarian society than you would in a Liberal Democratic one, but you would absolutely always have one. Russia is (and always was) a highly bureaucratic society, where every legal action leaves a vast paper trail. As far as the Chekists or any other security service is concerned, this makes more sense than usual - you need to maintain a veneer of legitimacy on the one hand, and you want to make sure every action is held accountable before (ultimately) the party apparatus, so as to keep a tight check on any attempts to... well, do the sort of things we'll see latter on in the game.

quote:

What exactly are "niche films"?
It's porn. Sorry if I was a bit too subtle - I kinda assumed that associating the term with women and drugs would tip you off. Popular Hollywood films had (as I noted before) a thriving VHS market, complete with basement-dwelling translators, dubbers and distributors. The average citizen wouldn't require a lot of contacts to get his hands on a Hollywood movie (and a tourist would probably have better things to spend his time and money on).

quote:

And this "decadent Western morals" thing, was that a popular stereotype? Did the average Soviet citizen actually perceive the "West" as being more decadent than their own country, even taking into account things like the rate of alcohol abuse being much higher than just about anywhere in the "West" and average lifespans being significantly shorter (thus showing that the average health of the general population is worse) in the USSR?
It was a thing. It was a thing that everyone said. I'm not sure how much "belief" or "facts" factored into it. When Reagan termed the USSR "an Empire of Evil" did you hear a lot of people go "well, they're not the ones selling drugs to people who murder nuns"? Now imagine if every single one of Reagan's predecessors used the same terms going back to 1917.

If it helps, until... oh, the mid-80's, the average Russian had only seen a homeless person / prostitute / drug addict in one of the aforementioned Hollywood films. The idea that within a decade all of the above would become a common sight on Russian streets would seem like a fever dream.


Kopijeger posted:

How would cocaine get into the Soviet Union? Through trade links with Cuba and Nicaragua, or by some other means?
Probably. I'm neither aware of nor interested in the exact travel route. Being allowed to travel abroad was one of the major perks of being a part of the elite, and being able to bring back things that you couldn't purchase in the Soviet Union (legal or otherwise) was the main benefit of traveling.

Ensign Expendable
Nov 11, 2008

Lager beer is proof that god loves us
Pillbug
I should find "Guidelines for Visiting Bourgeois and Other Developing Countries" again. It had a lot of hilarious stuff like "Capitalists will attempt to bribe you. Do not accept cash bribes, and bring any culturally significant material goods you receive for placement in a museum."

Kopijeger
Feb 14, 2010

Xander77 posted:

It's porn. Sorry if I was a bit too subtle - I kinda assumed that associating the term with women and drugs would tip you off. Popular Hollywood films had (as I noted before) a thriving VHS market, complete with basement-dwelling translators, dubbers and distributors. The average citizen wouldn't require a lot of contacts to get his hands on a Hollywood movie (and a tourist would probably have better things to spend his time and money on).

Seems unlikely that tourists from "bourgeois" countries would bother with porn when they could easily get that stuff at home - if there was a market for them, it seems like it should be among Soviet citizens with better connections than most.


Something I just now noticed:

"Hammer and Sickle street" seems like a joke name (not to mention that they didn't translate other proper names), but it turn out there actually is one in Kharkov:
http://mapia.ua/ru/kharkov/addresses/str-serp-i-molot-47

Kopijeger fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Feb 13, 2014

Coolguye
Jul 6, 2011

Required by his programming!

Xander77 posted:

Probably. I'm neither aware of nor interested in the exact travel route. Being allowed to travel abroad was one of the major perks of being a part of the elite, and being able to bring back things that you couldn't purchase in the Soviet Union (legal or otherwise) was the main benefit of traveling.
Misha Glenny actually talks a lot about this in his writing on the subject (his most famous book is McMafia) and to expand upon this a little bit, the drugs's route usually arrived behind the Iron Curtain to Soviet republics with crappy customs enforcement, of which there were a lot. Georgia and Ukraine are two big ones. They'd come from pretty much anywhere that wasn't NATO affiliated, which sometimes required a change of plane and passport in Africa or something. It generally wasn't a big deal to forge throwaway identities for these criminal networks. From there you hopped a truck to the Russian border, where you used credentials that made the guards hesitant to search you too closely like Xander's talking about, and look at that, Bob's your uncle and you've got however many kg of drugs in the country.

People got caught of course, but people also got away with it enough for it to be economical.

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Kopijeger posted:

Seems unlikely that tourists from "bourgeois" countries would bother with porn when they could easily get that stuff at home - if there was a market for them, it seems like it should be among Soviet citizens with better connections than most.
Soviet hotels didn't have pay-per-view.

Edit - Also, countries are not "bourgeois" any more than they are proletarian. That's not what those words mean.

quote:

Something I just now noticed:

"Hammer and Sickle street" seems like a joke name (not to mention that they didn't translate other proper names), but it turn out there actually is one in Kharkov:
http://mapia.ua/ru/kharkov/addresses/str-serp-i-molot-47
There's also one in Casan' and a factory in Moscow. It's only a joke for people looking on (from the outside or backwards). The sort of name that actual Soviet people would find bathetic would be something along the lines of Oyushminald. (And if someone can place that reference, I will in absolute awe)


Coolguye posted:

Misha Glenny actually talks a lot about this in his writing on the subject (his most famous book is McMafia) and to expand upon this a little bit, the drugs's route usually arrived behind the Iron Curtain to Soviet republics with crappy customs enforcement, of which there were a lot. Georgia and Ukraine are two big ones. They'd come from pretty much anywhere that wasn't NATO affiliated, which sometimes required a change of plane and passport in Africa or something. It generally wasn't a big deal to forge throwaway identities for these criminal networks. From there you hopped a truck to the Russian border, where you used credentials that made the guards hesitant to search you too closely like Xander's talking about, and look at that, Bob's your uncle and you've got however many kg of drugs in the country.

People got caught of course, but people also got away with it enough for it to be economical.
Mmm. That's if you're coming in from the West. Coming in from the East, you've got Afghanistan (and, for that matter, realtively nearby India, Pakistan, China), as mentioned above - a probable source of the first massive heroine shipments to Russia, as well as a small assortment of other drugs. Soldiers became addicts or started dealing during the war, and didn't have much trouble bringing large quantities back home. One popular myth claims that the reason that Kobzon performed so many concerts for the fighting troops was because he was carrying back a suitcase (or, according to the gossipers vulgar disposition, an assfull) of drugs back from every tour. A direct flight to Russia would barely be inspected - and if you're the sort who insists on reasonable risks, Tajikistan is right next door and is entirely incapable of handling border security (then or now).


Ensign Expendable posted:

Uncreative street names with party imagery are pretty common, especially in small towns. As the joke goes, "The longest street in the world is Lenin Street, it goes through every Russian city!"
Mmm. And while people made a big deal about changing Stalingrad or Leningrad's names, no one can (or should) be arsed to change every street and station. Some people may be mildly concerned about Moscow Metro stations that are still named after the Tzar's executioner in 2014, but it's not exactly the most pressing of issues.


Xander77 fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Feb 13, 2014

Ensign Expendable
Nov 11, 2008

Lager beer is proof that god loves us
Pillbug
Uncreative street names with party imagery are pretty common, especially in small towns. As the joke goes, "The longest street in the world is Lenin Street, it goes through every Russian city!"

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

Kopijeger posted:

Seems unlikely that tourists from "bourgeois" countries would bother with porn when they could easily get that stuff at home - if there was a market for them, it seems like it should be among Soviet citizens with better connections than most.

I think you underestimate how often some men require porn.

red mammoth
Nov 3, 2011

Stupid sexy Stalin!
Update 20 Bonus



Receptionist

Quiet, isn't it?
It gets livelier in the evening.
What kind of clients do you get?
Westerners, mainly.
I am a KGB officer!
Yes, comrade.
Any anti-social incidents to report?
None, comrade.

Agabekov



Comrade major Agabekov!



May I join you?
Go away, captain Rukov.
Could you spare me a cigar, comrade?
Rukov! A cigar? I hate the things. If you want to talk, come to my office.

I'm not certain if there's any consequences to this little conversation.



Talking to Obukov:

I am a KGB officer!
Let's see your ID.
Don't push me, comrade. Just answer my questions.
Just show me your ID.
Naturally.




You could be in trouble.
I'm listening.
Your papers, please.
You're a long was from home, Rukov. When I know who you are, maybe I'll talk to you. Now leave me alone.

--or--

I followed you from the warehouse.



We'll discuss that later.
Leave me alone. Stay away from me.

You can get away with talking to Obukov once. Let's keep pressing him.

Waiting for someone?
Barman! This person is making obscene advances!
I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave. There are plenty of other bars for your kind!




We go back in.

I must insist you go away. I can't have perverts sniffing round the clients!

You are shown out of the cocktail bar.

We go back in once again.

You're like a dog after a bitch in heat!




We go back in.



We try to go back into the cocktail bar.



You are not permitted to enter the bar or wander round the hotel!

We try to leave, but the militia arrive.




Deathwind
Mar 3, 2013

Xander77 posted:

There's also one in Casan' and a factory in Moscow. It's only a joke for people looking on (from the outside or backwards). The sort of name that actual Soviet people would find bathetic would be something along the lines of Oyushminald. (And if someone can place that reference, I will in absolute awe)

Do you mean Otto Yulyevich Shmidt?

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Deathwind posted:

Do you mean Otto Yulyevich Shmidt?
On an ice-float, yeah. Holy gently caress.

Post your steam profile, because that deserves a reward.

(Unless you just googled, of course)

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PleasingFungus
Oct 10, 2012
idiot asshole bitch who should fuck off

Xander77 posted:

On an ice-float, yeah. Holy gently caress.

Post your steam profile, because that deserves a reward.

(Unless you just googled, of course)

Looks like Google turns it up on the first page.

  • Locked thread