- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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Everyone needs spark plugs. Visit the base.
We might as well pick something up since we have the backpack space. We can just drop it for something else if we decide to.
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#
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Aug 3, 2021 16:55
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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#
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May 26, 2024 13:33
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Everyone needs spark plugs. Visit the base.
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#
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Aug 3, 2021 20:30
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Control Tower
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#
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Aug 4, 2021 11:58
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Tower, requesting flyby, over.
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#
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Aug 4, 2021 13:29
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Stores
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#
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Aug 4, 2021 19:01
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- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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Let’s check out the tower. Maybe we’ll get a good looks around too.
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#
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Aug 4, 2021 19:15
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Highway Holocaust posted:You park beside the control tower, switch off the engine, and then wait. Only when you are sure that the area is deserted do you leave your vehicle and enter the derelict building. A spiral staircase leads to the main control room where once-sophisticated technology now lies scorched and twisted beyond recognition. You open a service hatch to find yourself staring at the skeletal remains of an air force sergeant.
You regain your composure quickly and move to close the hatch. Then you notice that a holster and an ammunition pouch are still attached to the dead soldier’s belt, and your scavenger’s instincts get the better of you.
The holster contains a Pistol and the pouch holds twelve rounds of 9mm ammunition. If you decide to keep either of these items, amend your Weapons List and Ammo Pouch accordingly.
You climb into your roadster and leave the air force base, arriving back at the convoy minutes later, just as Cutter completes his repairs. You have little to show for your search of Carswell but, as Uncle Jonas is fond of saying, every little bit helps.
As soon as Cutter has the engine running smoothly and everyone is back on board the bus, you return to your roadster and lead them west to Weatherford.
As the afternoon wears on, the rays of the sun cast a blood-red hue on the surrounding landscape. Ahead, the freeway cuts a straight line due west, towards the high peaks of the Edwards Plateau that pierce the horizon like a row of sharpened flints, jagged and blue. You stare into the distance, trying to relax and not think about the dangers you have faced today, or the unknown perils that lie ahead.
An hour later you catch sight of Weatherford and signal the convoy to stop. You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. Despite the delays, the convoy is making better time than expected, and with at least an hour of light still remaining, it is decided that it would be best to press on to the next town and make camp there overnight.
You are finishing your food when suddenly Pop Ewell calls to everyone to hurry to the bus. He has located a broadcast on his CB radio set, and he is as excited as a youngster on Christmas morning. ‘Listen to this,’ he says, holding up the earphones. A faint call sign can be heard above the crackle of static, broadcasting the same message repeatedly: ‘Radio KLFM. Mineral Wells … Radio KLFM. Mineral Wells … ’
‘That’s a town about twenty-five miles northwest o’ here,’ says Cutter, scratching his scalp. ‘It’s not where we’re planned on headin’ but it would be worth checking out.’ - Do we take the Pistol? It will reduce our Stealth by 1 (to 3) unless we also decide to drop our Rifle.
- Should we investigate the broadcast or stay with the convoy?
We have two rifle rounds remaining, in case that factors into anyone's decision.
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#
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Aug 5, 2021 10:46
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Take pistol, investigate broadcast.
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#
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Aug 5, 2021 10:49
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Take pistol, investigate broadcast.
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#
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Aug 5, 2021 14:53
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Take pistol, investigate broadcast.
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#
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Aug 5, 2021 19:52
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Highway Holocaust posted:Before you set off for Mineral Wells, you consult with Cutter and Uncle Jonas and devise a plan of action. It is decided that after you have investigated the source of the radio transmission, you will drive south on the remains of Highway 281 and rendezvous with the others at Santo, the next town west along the freeway, where the convoy intends to make camp for the night.
‘Better set up your transceiver before you go, Cal,’ says Pop Ewell, ‘so’s you can call us if you get in a fix.’
‘Use the 153 megahertz band,’ says Cutter. ‘We’ll have someone here listenin’ out for you the whole time you’re away.’
You set your radio to the chosen frequency and make sure there is sufficient power left in its miniaturized solar-pac before you get ready to leave.
‘Good luck, boy,’ says Uncle Jonas, as you switch on your ignition and check your instrumentation. ‘Don’t take no unnecessary risks, y’hear!’
With a wave, you bid him farewell, before accelerating the roadster along the highway that leads to Mineral Wells.
Reluctantly the sun dips below the horizon, relinquishing its reign to a full moon and a clear night sky. The landscape is shrouded in a ghostly twilight and, as the miles slip past, the temperature steadily drops.
It takes a little over twenty minutes to reach Mineral Wells. It seems no different to a handful of other towns through which you have passed today: it is derelict, decayed, and deserted. As you drive along the main street, you scan the rooftops in search of a radio mast, and, almost immediately, you discover what you seek. On the roof of a three-storey building at the end of the street is the tripod-like structure. The upper section of the mast has long since collapsed, but the remaining lower section is still intact, sufficient in length to carry a call-signal as far as Weatherford.
Stopping outside the building, you fasten your jacket against the chill night air; then you enter to find the dusty halls and offices of a commercial radio station awaiting you. In a studio at the top of the building you discover what you are looking for. Slumped over a control panel is the body of Doctor Drool, former ace DJ and anchor-man of Radio KLFM. Beneath his skeletal hand is the button that controls the station call-sign, a transmission that has played continuously for the last eight years.
You use your CB radio to call the convoy and tell them what you have found. Then you cut the power to the control panel, pausing briefly to sign-off for the last time on behalf of the Doctor.
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#
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Aug 6, 2021 12:25
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- Ratatozsk
- Mar 6, 2007
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Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
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Search the station, and pour one out for our skeleton buddy.
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#
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Aug 6, 2021 12:45
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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There goes the last DJ, folks! One of my favorite parts of this series.
Search the station!
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#
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Aug 6, 2021 14:09
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Search
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#
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Aug 6, 2021 14:55
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Search the station, and pour one out for our skeleton buddy.
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#
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Aug 6, 2021 20:03
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Highway Holocaust posted:The only items you find of practical value are a Fire Extinguisher and a first aid box. The box contains dressings and antiseptics sufficient for two Medi-kit units.
If you choose to keep either of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
Automatically took both.
It takes half an hour to reach Santo and rendezvous with the colony. They have set up camp on a knoll of bare ground that overlooks a watercourse known as Pinto Creek, now completely dry. Uncle Jonas orders that the vehicles be drawn into a circle, like a ring of wagons in the Wild West, to offer the best protection against the threat of a night raid. Lots are drawn to see who will stand the first watch; unfortunately, you pick the shortest straw.
It is an hour after midnight when you spot a cluster of lights in the middle distance. The bikers are less than a mile away to the east, and approaching at speed. With only a few minutes at most before they reach the camp, you sound the alarm.
Like a pack of screaming demons the marauding bikers descend on the convoy, shooting wildly as they weave in and out of the circle. One of the bikers guns his machine towards you, forcing you to dive aside to avoid being ridden down. You are staggering to your feet when another attacks you from behind.
We roll: 2 + 3 (Stealth) = 5.
You try to dodge aside but the front wheel of the motorcycle runs over your right calf, forcing you to the ground with a painful jolt: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
Gritting your teeth against the pain, you manage to roll under the tanker and crouch beside the rear axle.
In the flickering light of the campfire you see two bikers skid to a halt, and then hurriedly step away from their machines. Both draw knives as they run towards the open door of the bus.
Endurance: 14/27
Medi-Kit: 11/12
Water Canteen: 3/4
Rifle: 2/14
Pistol: 12/36
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#
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Aug 7, 2021 10:39
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- maltesh
- May 20, 2004
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Uncle Ben: Still Dead.
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This is for fighting? Then the Rifle.
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#
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Aug 7, 2021 13:51
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Rifle - two bullets left, two bikers, QED. Then we can drop the rifle to get our stealth back.
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#
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Aug 7, 2021 14:38
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Pistol: we got it, we use it.
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#
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Aug 7, 2021 20:05
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Pistol: we got it, we use it.
Highway Holocaust posted:You raise your gun and take aim at the moving figures, but in the poor light it is difficult to separate the bikers from your own people. You hesitate, and in that split second your weapon is kicked from your grasp. (Erase this weapon from your Action Chart.) A burly clansman, his head shaved and tattooed, drags you from under the tanker and attempts to choke you to death with his bare hands.
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 27
Owing to the surprise of the attack, you are unable to draw a close combat weapon until the start of the second round of combat.
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 27
Combat Ratio: -1
We roll: 10
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 14
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 20
Combat Ratio: 1
We roll: 2
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 12
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 15
We roll: 9
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 11
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 10
We roll: 9
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 10
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 5
We roll: 8
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 7
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 2
We roll: 10
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 7
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 0
Highway Holocaust posted:You push away the lifeless body of your enemy and spring like a tiger towards the boarding door of the bus. Inside, chaos reigns. Behind the driver’s seat, Kate and Uncle Jonas are grappling with a fat clansman in a desperate attempt to prise a vicious machete from his hand. Meanwhile, the central aisle is blocked by a running battle as Hammer Harlan and Juan Rodriguez fight to defend the women and children from two fur-clad bikers. Their screams of terror merge with the curses of the clansmen, filling the bus with a chilling cacophony of noise. You act swiftly and decisively, plunging your hunting knife into the backs of the two bikers, and dispatching the third with a thrust to his heart.
Suddenly the sound of a horn echoes from the other side of the camp, and you see the tanker, with Cutter at the wheel, start to move away. ‘Quick, Cal!’ shouts your uncle. ‘Get back to your roadster an’ follow Cutter. We’re breakin’ out o’ here right now!’
You leap from the bus and sprint towards your car as fast as your aching legs will allow. One of the bikers, dressed in a riding suit of tattered red leather, sees you running and stops his machine in order to draw his machine pistol. He is the leader of the clan and he intends to add you to the long list of those he has killed.
We roll: 6 + 4 (Stealth) = 10.
With a superhuman effort, you leap and dive across the hood of your roadster in an attempt to avoid being caught by the burst of automatic fire. Bullets follow you across the car, piercing the side and glancing noisily off the case-hardened rollbar. One of the hollow-tipped slugs creases your thigh, making you cry out loudly with the sudden pain: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Your scream convinces the biker that he has killed you, and he turns his attention elsewhere. You drag yourself into your car and start the engine without being seen, and swiftly you accelerate away, steering your roadster towards the tail-lights of the bus as it crashes through a group of bikers and escapes onto the freeway. A few random shots ricochet off the trunk as you follow the bus out of Santo, but within minutes you pass out of range and the gunfire ceases.
Automatically used Medi-kit 3 times.
The twin beams of your headlights cast a white corridor of light along Interstate 20 as you overtake and pull in to take your place at the head of the convoy. With the memory of the bikers’ raid still fresh in your mind, you cast frequent glances in your rear-view mirror to make sure that the clansmen are not on your tail.
The road climbs steadily for several miles as it approaches the mountains of Erath County. A signpost reflects the glare of your lights, announcing your entry to the town of Thurber, which once had a population of 5,006. You contemplate that figure, wondering how many, if any, inhabitants are still alive, when you are distracted by a light flashing in your mirror. It is the bus: Uncle Jonas is signalling for you to stop.
You reach the bus soon after Cutter and hear him asking what is wrong. Uncle Jonas says nothing. He simply tugs at the steering wheel and watches in dismay as it spins freely on the hub. ‘Looks like we’ve got ourselves a big problem,’ says Cutter, peering under the front wheel arch. ‘The steering linkage has sheared clean in two. I’d guess that rough ride out o’ Santo did for it good and proper.’
‘Can you fix it?’ asks Uncle Jonas.
‘Not without welding gear, or a replacement part,’ he replies, dejectedly. ‘I guess we’d better stop here for the night. Looks like we won’t get much further in this ol’ bus, anyhow.’
An uneasy silence descends on the colony once news of the breakdown spreads. Cutter continues to inspect the bus but you decide to return to your roadster and snatch a few hours sleep. You are staring at the surrounding mountains, lost in thought, when you see a pinpoint of light flickering in the darkness. With your pulse racing, you grab your gun and set off to take a closer look.
The broken ground is illuminated by the full moon but, after a short while, the shadow of Washout Mountain intrudes across your path and soon you find yourself in pitch darkness.
You have taken fewer than a dozen steps when suddenly the ground disappears beneath your feet. With a yelp of horror, you scrabble at the air as you fall head-first into a steep-sided gully.
We roll: 9
Endurance: 4/27.
You are winded by your fall and lie for several minutes staring helplessly at the starry sky. Gradually you recover your senses and manage to pull yourself unsteadily to your feet. A cursory check of your equipment reveals that your CB Radio is smashed to pieces, together with the second Backpack Item listed on your Action Chart (erase both of these items from your list).
As your strength returns, you resolve to climb out of the gully as quickly as you can.
Lost Binoculars.
We roll: 7 + 5 (Stealth) + 3 (Field Craft) = 15.
The climb is steep and tortuous but you manage to reach the top of the gully in one piece. Carefully, you pick your way around the edge until you happen upon a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light on the mountainside above. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.
A scrawny old man, dressed in an assortment of evil-smelling rags, sits cross-legged beside the fire. He pokes at the crackling flames with the handle of an old branding iron, and mumbles continuously and incoherently under his breath. At your approach, he raises his eyes and stares at your gun, yet you sense that it does not worry him unduly.
‘Saw your lights on the road,’ he croaks, a toothy smile cracking several layers of dirt that have built up around his nose and mouth. ‘Said to m’self, those folks will come a’ callin’. Best whup up a real larrupin’ meal to make ’em feel right welcome.’ He jabs his metal rod into the fire and spears the blackened remains of a large rat. Proudly he holds it up and nods enthusiastically, as if he were about to serve you a prime T-bone steak. Your stomach turns when he offers you the charred carcass. You refuse politely.
‘You gone an’ broked down, ain’t you, boy?’ he says, pointing at the convoy on the highway below. ‘What exactly’s the problem? You never know, maybe I kin help you out. You’d not be the first folks that ol’ Mountain Goat’d set right.’
Half-heartedly you tell the old hermit about the breakdown, suspecting that he is just wasting your time. When you have finished, he smiles once more, and taps the side of his nose with a greasy forefinger. ‘I know just where you can lay y’hands on the part you need to fix that ol’ bus o’ yours,’ he says, smugly.
‘Where?’ you reply.
‘If you agree to take me with you, I’ll tell you where. Is it a deal?’
Endurance: 4/27
Medi-Kit: 8/12
Water Canteen: 3/4
Rifle: 2/14
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#
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Aug 8, 2021 11:51
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Agree
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#
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Aug 8, 2021 13:30
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Use 3 med kits and agree.
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#
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Aug 8, 2021 14:22
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Agree.
P.S.
Chosing the rifle, would've changed anything?
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#
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Aug 8, 2021 19:57
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Chosing the rifle, would've changed anything?
Highway Holocaust posted:‘You’ll never regret this,’ he says, excitedly, and scurries away to the rear of the cave to collect his meagre belongings. He reappears a few minutes later with a tattered rucksack on his back, and offers to lead the way down the steep hill. During the descent he tells you that Strawn is the next town due northwest. Before ‘The Day’, a large service depot that repaired buses and trucks was located there. If the part you need still exists, the service depot at Strawn is the place where you are most likely to find it.
Upon reaching the bus, you find that the reaction of the colony to Mountain Goat is less than enthusiastic. Most, especially the women, are horrified at the thought of having to share the bus with a smelly, flea-ridden hermit, and angrily they voice their protest.
Not until they have heard how he can help to get the bus moving again do they change their minds.
‘Where is this depot?’ asks Cutter.
‘It’s six miles northwest o’ here,’ pipes Mountain Goat, eager to appear helpful.
‘Good. At first light, Cal can drive us there and you can help locate the part we need.’
‘Mmmm … OK,’ replies Mountain Goat, hesitantly, ‘but first I think there’s something y’all should know.’
‘Strawn is held by a gang o’ renegades,’ says Mountain Goat, looking west along the freeway in the direction of the town. ‘There’s ’bout forty of them. They was kicked out o’ San Angelo six months ago after they tried to take over the Angelo clan from Mekong Mike. He sure whomped ’em real good. Those that got away came north an’ settled here. They’re known as “the Skulls” on account o’ their shaved heads, an’ their leader is a real mean dude called Alcatraz. He an’ his gang have got Strawn sewn up like a genuine fortress, just in case Mekong Mike should ever get the idea to come an’ pay ’em a surprise visit.’
Dangerous though it would be, a raid on Strawn must be attempted. Cutter proposes that you and he should be the ones to go: he can identify the part that is needed, and you are by far the fittest member of the colony. You swallow your fear and agree to go with him at first light.
Despite your anxiety you manage to get a few hours’ sleep before dawn. As the sky brightens, Uncle Jonas voices his fear that the vehicles are far too exposed out on the highway, where they can easily be spotted and will be sure to attract another raid like the one you endured last night at Santo. Cutter agrees, so before you set off for Strawn he fixes a line to the back of the tanker and tows the bus into a nearby gully.
There, Uncle Jonas and the others set to work dismantling the broken steering linkage, while Mountain Goat draws a map of Strawn, showing the location of the truck depot. He hands the sketch to Cutter, and you and he check your equipment and bid farewell to the others before setting off.
Two hours later you catch sight of the fortified town. It is perched on a ridge of high ground and enjoys an unobstructed view over the surrounding land. You note its perimeter wall, constructed of rubble and old cars, and the crudely built watchtowers that command its freeway approaches. It seems to you that it would be impossible for a large group, or even a single vehicle, to approach this town undetected, yet the rocky terrain that surrounds it enables you and Cutter to crawl to within a few hundred yards of the perimeter wall without being seen.
Patiently you observe the inhabitants of Strawn while waiting for night to fall. During your long vigil you must eat a Meal (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points) and take two Drinks (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points per drink missed). You identify two weak links in the defensive wall: one is an alley that services an old shopping mall; the other is a chain-link fence that surrounds a derelict amusement park at the edge of town. Cutter suggests that you enter Strawn separately in order to minimize the risk of being seen then meet at the depot itself. He offers you first choice of approach.
Endurance: 4/27
Medi-Kit: 8/12
Water Canteen: 1/4
Rifle: 2/14
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#
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Aug 9, 2021 09:29
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Slink down the alley, looking for a fight.
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#
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Aug 9, 2021 11:11
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Eat 4 med kits and check the ally.
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#
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Aug 9, 2021 14:38
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Derelict amusement park will be full of zombies or clowns or were-rollercoasters or evil animatronics. Take the alley.
Good point: use 4 medikits
Yeah. We'd have lost the rifle instead.
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#
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Aug 9, 2021 19:41
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Derelict amusement park will be full of zombies or clowns or were-rollercoasters or evil animatronics. Take the alley.
Highway Holocaust posted:Cutter pats you on the shoulder: it is the signal to move. Silently, like a snake, you crawl across the open ground on your stomach, inching your way nearer to the entrance of the alley, which is sandwiched between two mounds of stinking garbage. A clansman appears from the shadows and you freeze in your tracks. With bated breath you watch as he dumps a sack of rubbish onto one of the mounds before turning around and disappearing into the dark.
By the time you reach the alley it is deserted. Cautiously you advance along it, your knife held ready just in case you are forced to silence one of the town’s inhabitants. The alley ends near the centre of the mall, where the remains of a huge marble fountain lie scattered across the tiled floor. The shop-lined avenues appear empty, so you enter the mall and make your way towards the truck depot. You have just turned a corner when you see a patrol of four Skull clansmen.
Instantly you dive through the doorway of a store to your right and crouch in the shadows. The patrol swaggers past the store without noticing you, and soon its footfalls have passed out of earshot.
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#
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Aug 10, 2021 10:48
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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#
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May 26, 2024 13:33
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
-
I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Search the store since we’re here.
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#
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Aug 10, 2021 11:16
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#
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Aug 3, 2021 16:55
