The world ended less than a decade ago and you are in Nebraska. It ended during the new years and all technology is from before the end or is basically the level of the Amish.

The major cities are occupied by aliens. The rest of the country is crazy splatterpunks, paranoid survivalists, regular people, bughunting irregulars, and NORAD.

Nebraska is part of flatland, a geographical region. The local resources are corn, corn, corn, and corn. Also wheat, potaotes, and whatever is grown during crop rotations. So beans and peas, but maybe using less water.

New houses are made of Sod.

"Money" is generally precious metals, ammo, rations and preserved food, soap, fuel, and materials.

-

You are an amorphous blob of random people in the southwest corner of the state.

Your objectives are either to kill as many splatterpunks or bugs as possible, to approach a high standard of living, to form thriving community, or replace the last semi-banditry militia that just got wiped out.

Or perhaps restore the Union. Or some mixture.

Week 1

The Ridley Ridge Regulators wanted to be the roughest, toughest bunch of bughunters in all The States. The way they tried to accomplish this is... They jumped the fifth, fourth, and third largest militias in the area. They have been jumping convoys all over Flatland and this... Dakota place... That you think consists of more than the two Dakotas...

You heard they got into a struggle with the Wynoming Free Irregulars, and had to stumble away to lick their wounds. The WFI is somewhat close to NORAD and Wyoming should be one state to the left.

Yeah, so over in Wynoming, some insane battle happened involving bandits, militias, NORAD, and bugs... And you're not sure who won... But the "Triple R" is dead now.

Which means you can like... IDK, get a job or join a militia, or start a community or somethin....


Actions available for this week. First to 3 or most in 24 hours

>1. Spend a week surviving and trying to remember what you did before Y2K... Like your skills and stuff...

Oh and um... You heard something about how a few horseriding hours or somethin....From here... Yeah those bandits who were there got slapped around real serious. The newcomers...They like... Have a base... It's like a little protected village... You heard they are looking for people to work.

You don't remember what you're good at, but maybe you can get promoted or something after you work. They say you can work two weeks, get paid, and then renew later.

>2. Work two weeks sewing, lifting, digging, building, and mashing. You will get paid 1.5 times the local going rate to fit your needs and board.

>>6225772
>2. Work two weeks sewing, lifting, digging, building, and mashing. You will get paid 1.5 times the local going rate to fit your needs and board.

>Additional information that was finally calculated.

What is money?
Before the world ended, you could buy a large quantity of dry field rations and then mix those with water to prepare 144 meals. The math comes out to something like between 3 and change back then, and nowadays it's at the very least about 4 dollars.

Not that people take or even look at paper money. "Dollars" is just an abstract measuring tool at this point, because people can't agree what exactly should replace it.

A locally cooked meal, fresh and meeting your needs, is something like 2 dollars, and it's twice as heavy as dry or canned rations.

What are local wages then?

Local wages are enough to support one hard working adult and one growing child. Some communities are very communal, and others try to be as capitalist as things were in the before times.

An adult and a child eat about two and a half times what an adult would eat during the before times. Something like 5,000 calories perhaps.

This comes out to something like 5 "adult meals" worth of a mixed allotment of foods.

>2. Work two weeks sewing, lifting, digging, building, and mashing. You will get paid 1.5 times the local going rate to fit your needs and board.

When you say 1.5 times the local going rate, does that mean the rate in the village is 1.5 times the rate of wherever we are now, or that the village is paying us 1.5 times their local going rate? Also, did you mean to say "room" instead of "board"? If you didn't then that would mean that we were getting quite a lot of food.

>>6225772
>>2. Work two weeks sewing, lifting, digging, building, and mashing. You will get paid 1.5 times the local going rate to fit your needs and board.

Board is included among the list of needs

Rolled 43, 19, 65 = 127 (3d100)

>>6225983
>>6225969
>>6225861

Week 3

An amorphous blob that is roughly equivalent to 30 people, an amorphous blob consisting of shopkeepers, extreme athletes, and former military/SWAT. An amorphous blob eating hearty meals and waiting for the payment after two weeks.

Lots of cutting brush and making hay. some is set aside for mashing it, brewing it for some reason. Those who know how to sew and mend have been doing so. Buildings are being constructed from sod and other material. Fabric is brought in, cut, adjusted, made into tents, and then the tents are setup. Large quantities of equipment and trade goods are brought in or unloaded, and much of the same is inspected, counted, sorted, and then stored or sent back out.

The general desire and what is available, comes out to 373 rounds of .22LR and 7 "canned" (Actually using jars, brine, salting, drying, and other methods) meals. The shopkeepers have the gift of knowing prices and being able to speak, and they notice that this is the pay of 7 meals, and not 7.5 meals.

The athletes have physical fitness and lots of it. They have different kinds of fitness and different sports they did, but generally they share a wide breath of general fitness.

Half a meal over 14 days comes out to 7 more meals. There is something like paper that is made from recycled paper, a liquid that dries. Then a press, a primative one, like that used by Ben Franklin, is pushed down. Ten meals worth of stock in newly created Cooperative.

The Base

The Base is constructed upon a series of hills, as much as possible. It has a clearance of sorts around and is hugging a steam or series of ditches. There is a dirt road running miles to the nearest highway or major road, but there is talk of filling it with gravel.

Day by day the base begins to fill up with others. They are more motivated than you, and have a better understanding of this than you do. They come from the surrounding area and you even recognize some of them. They have a wide variety of different skills, and work is being done to find a use for every specialization, but first...

They are going to be trained and drilled... Because within your vague form is some with military experience, you can see that a crude approximation of US boot camp is being formed. You had asked some questions in your spare time and were told that this would be the formation of the Nebraskan 117th National Guard Battalion. Do they really imagine having 400 recruits, all fed and at the ready?

The boot camp is somewhat out of order. The first two weeks have the teaching of discipline and order reduced, and focus is on building a barracks, mess hall, training site; and then getting them up to speed on marksmanship and courage.

Full-time, Actions available for this week. First to 3 or most in 24 hours

1. Set out to form your own militia using what you previously have and your own pay.

2. Go off into the distance and try to fill the power vacuum. Extortion or carving out a fiefdom, you'll have your reasons ready.

3. This is a good opportunity for those among you already trained. You could help instruct and guide the new recruits. You would have to follow orders and obey, but you logically should have steady pay and quickly have a path for promotion.

4. Offer your services as mercenaries guarding the base while the recruits train. You will be able to keep your independence.

Down-Time, Actions available for this week. First to 3 or most in 24 hours

1. If you can keep up your steady rate of income and wages, you could support another adult. Might as well try to attract a mate/spouse. Maybe they have skills that could be leveraged longterm, such as sewing or fixing machines, which will be profitable or fulfilling for you both.

2. Keep your savings. You might wish to save for a big ticket item or support yourself if you suddenly can't find work or be a farmer.

3. Spend your extra pay on items that your shopkeepers might try and sell soon or later. Perhaps minor repairs or combing parts from two broken things will yield extra value.

>>6226152
2. Go off into the distance and try to fill the power vacuum. Extortion or carving out a fiefdom, you'll have your reasons ready.
1. If you can keep up your steady rate of income and wages, you could support another adult. Might as well try to attract a mate/spouse. Maybe they have skills that could be leveraged longterm, such as sewing or fixing machines, which will be profitable or fulfilling for you both.

>>6226164
Roll 1d100

>>6227049
Correction, 3d100

Rolled 97, 39, 77 = 213 (3d100)

>>6227050

>>6227079
>>6227079
Writeup in a bit. Partners are professors, academics. There are six categories of kind, but right now at least two are specialized in science.

Say your preferences and order for chemistry, pharm and bio, physics, and psychology. Roll 2d4

Rolled 1, 2 = 3 (2d4)

>>6227081
Bio, pharm, physics, chemistry, psychology.

Rolled 2, 4 = 6 (2d4)

>>6227081
psychology, bio, pharm, chemistry, physics
> Psych first, because 5 seconds without hope.
> Bio second, because anatomy aids targeting

Rolled 4 (1d4)

>>6227301
>>6227082
Bio is in, rolling for psych or parm

Rolled 3, 4, 3, 5, 5, 2, 6, 4 = 32 (8d6)

>>6227423
Oh damn

>>6227432
>>6227423
>>6227301
>>6227082
The endeavor to seek out partnerships and travel out into the power vacuum to take what was to take, are both a success. With luck, lapsed focus, and ones own flaws; outcomes come about that are middling. Were intellectuals and dusty professors what was hoped for?

Two are scientists and one has studied medicine. It would be best for the current objective, to have industrial chemists, who could make propellent and explosives. However, due to bad luck and strange priorities, they are a biologist and something like a pharmacist. Both are PHD levels in the sciences, with a specialization even further in a specific 12th of the four combined major fields of science.

The medical expert is an expert in brewing, herbal medicine, toxics, and pharmacology.

Of anatomy, they know less than hoped for. None are psychologists.

This not a land of rain forests or swamps, the amount of medical materials they can find is so little. There is not enough corn to justify whiskey, and the sugar plantations are so very far away. A table ale full of calories and low in alcohol could be worth brewing from rye or barley, but little else.

They are not proper doctors, but they could with lots of expensive equipment you will likely never have, diagnose and sort diseases. They might even be able to make a vaccine or insulin.

But Pathology. That has some use.

>>6227527
In regards to "Success, for the process of obtaining power and respect, the point is to get as much as possible with as much ease as possible.

Which means an ambush. An ambush of the most weighed down by supplies and equipment. Preferably those fearsome and unloved, to aid the ease and lack of tribulations of obtaining such power and wealth.

Which means the deaths of ten unknown Survivalists, "gunbunnies".

70,000 in equipment not counting web gear and knapsacks and such. Two or three firearms each. 35,000 in seed, grain, gasoline, livestock, and trade goods.

Full Time actions for this week.

1. Begin construction and settling down on the current wealth. Further plans will come later, or what is obtained and be traded for other things.

2. Begin setting up a few small safe houses, which risk being found and looted, but unlikely.

3. Plan 1 but begin trading using the shopkeepers now.

4. Plan one but start hiring and recruiting to build faster.

5. Plan 1 but use threats of violence to build faster or "recruit".

>>6227541
3. Plan 1 but begin trading using the shopkeepers now.

>>6227541
3. Plan 1 but begin trading using the shopkeepers now.

I honestly don't see any sense in putting it off, but I would be willing to switch to Plan 1 if someone could elucidate me.

>>6227615
>>6227545
Do a 2d100 or a 1d100+20, first to roll is taken.

Rolled 11 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>6227673
Here is hoping.

>>6227674
... that lower is better.

>Want to join in
>Read actual quest
>It's some weird harem stuff
Nani the fuck?

>>6227674
Okay, got insanely busy without warning, but I am back and I believe I can update somewhat regularly.
>>6227675
31.

The floor is 50% and the ceiling is 200%. The difference from 31 and 50 is 19, so 19% of the value was lost. That leaves 81%.

$70,000 of unwanted gear goes in and $56,700 of wanted gear comes out now or later. Radios, generators, fatigues, BDUs, helmets, body armor, web gear, bungie cord, empty sand bags, ammo cans, magazines and magazine pouches, ect ect.

For the former shopkeepers to be available for further work and planning, they're going to want half of the wealth going forward. They are experts at speeches, haggling, and appraising. The former SWAT/Military can take and hold wealth, but they can't convert it into what they need at will.

The new militia or irregulars is currently without a name. Because it was forged for the purpose of power, respect, and/or wealth.. It's unable to currently motivate others without use of fear and/or pay. It can't point to a political or religious ideal, or anything of that sort, at least for now.

-

The current leadership style is assertive and ambitious, but also paranoid and insular. This combination priorities offensive strength and manpower. As such, there are bonuses and benefits for crafting munitions, if we ever had the right people, right materials, and the right equipment.

Second Action (This was happening at the same time, but I forgot to bring it up.)

>Cut the extreme athletes in at double local pay
This makes it extremely unlikely they won't work you the next two weeks.

>Pay the extreme athletes 1.5 times the local pay, same as you all made earlier.
There is a chance someone will offer the same money and offer better motivation.

>Hire someone else at regular pay
Possibly, lose the ability to ever hire or recruit the extreme athletes ever again.

Rolled 14, 3 = 17 (2d100)

Rolling for intel

>>6228753
>Cut the extreme athletes in at double local pay

>>6228755
You have heard from rumors and asking around, that this area may not be "Bunkerville", but it has quite a few hidden bunkers and former missile silos that were placed in private hands. The "Four Corners" is so built up with NORAD personnel, that equipment and gear there is cheap, but people avoid the area because they believe they'll be drafted or the bugs will do a counterattack soon.

Knowledge you have deduced
Splatterpunks are generally unarmored. Militiamen, survivalists, and NOARD personally generally use PASGT vests or armor providing equivalent protection. Some is concealable, some is not. Some is more hardy and durable than others. All of it is rather expensive.

"Hard Armor" or "Rifle Plates", are made of ceramic and/or steel, and are rather expensive and heavy.

Most people fighting are equipped with some combination of hunting rifles, shotguns, and Uzis. There was a heavy restriction on magazine sizes and "tactical weapons" before "The End". Ammunition is currently rather expensive, but not exactly hard to find.

>In additional, Medical

You have the right professors, experts, and intellectuals... That if you just had a paramedic, an actual doctor, and the materials... And completely different leadership, you could setup one of the larger and grander medical camps in the area.

Skills and talents you now remember.

You can construct soft-point bullets from regular off the shelf ammunition, and you also know how to "powder coat" freshly made bullets so they hold up to being fired. If you had the right equipment, you could make solid brass bullets (Yes, making brass jackets is literally that hard) with a steel insert, which would defeat armor and hard materials.

Week 4 actions

>1. While construction is ongoing, search out another possible target or group of targets.

>2. While construction is ongoing, try to search out what exactly is for sale, what pricings are in different areas, and if you can get what you need or what others want.

>3. While construction is ongoing, prepare intel or dirt on that faction you worked with earlier. They are currently the strongest local power you know about.

>4. While construction is ongoing, try to work out some kind of trade deal or offering manpower to that earlier faction.

>>6228769
can we send out some feelers to see if we can locate a paramedic or wayward doctor to try and get started on building a larger medical camp
holding the best medical camp would significantly increase our standing in the surrounding area

>>6228769
>3. While construction is ongoing, prepare intel or dirt on that faction you worked with earlier. They are currently the strongest local power you know about.

>>6228773
There is a 4% chance that among a group of experts and college graduates, that are still alive and have useful skills, that they are nurses, paramedics, or doctors.

Generally, people view the worth of getting over something that could lay them up for a week or two, in about half that time, as being valued at the cost of feeding themselves for 5-10 days. This presumes they are just laborers or farmers.

This comes out to about 21 meals or 40~ dollars. Fever reducers, two different one gallon jugs, salt packets, and some other things are often the prescription.

If you had to guess, a doctor or equivalent is getting 10 dollars for each one hour appointment. You have to factor in traveling and time, but also making 10 dollars in a day isn't a bad living.

(Long ago, people spent about 5% of their income on medicine and medical treatment, which is 175 dollars a year after the end.)

Blah blah blah, TLDR:

If you let the doctor or medic or equiv pocket 10 dollars or equiv each diagnosis and treatment of the flu, serious cold, ect... (Maybe they or patient or you provide meds or equiv)... And you have the meals to mostly setup a facility...

50% Chance a doctor or equiv will agree, after you manage to find them

Finding them in a week is 7d25, with a successful 25 meaning you find someone exactly or rather close to what you need.

Your odds they will come to you, and/or you run into them; along with the odds they agree, increase if you:

1. Let them pocket more for more serious treatments.

2. Were a different kind of leader and thus could oversee better medical facilities.

3. Had something suitable for their needs already built (micro, Military field hospital basically) and could get patients to come to them

4. Were making your own herbal or late 1800s medications.

5. Paid them up front as basically pre-paid salary workers.

All of these are relevant and all of them stack.

>>6228805
>>6228773
This is basically now option 5 btw, and since you suggested it, you get a 10% boost on any rolls involved.

WE ARE SO BACK!!!

Rolled 69 (1d100)

Rolled 1, 19, 8, 15, 13, 23, 4 = 83 (7d23)

>>6228773

>>6231675
>>6228773

Against all odds, and by the slimmest of margins, a medic or paramedic or doctor is located. There is still the possibility you can't actually convince the medical expert to stick around. Currently, your approach based on practicality, survival, strength, and an insular community rubs medical experts the wrong way.

50% Chance a doctor or equiv will agree, after you manage to find them

Your odds they will come to you, and/or you run into them; along with the odds they agree, increase if you:

1. Let them pocket more for more serious treatments.

2. Were a different kind of leader and thus could oversee better medical facilities. OR tried to workout some kind of arrangement or compact with a more humanitarian leader.

3. Had something suitable for their needs already built (micro, Military field hospital basically) and could get patients to come to them

4. Were making your own herbal or late 1800s medications.

5. Paid them up front as basically pre-paid salary workers.

All of these are relevant and all of them stack.

While you were away and unable to play, other players using another method to play, did some stuff. Maybe the news below is related, maybe not.
>>6231679
Local News

A new banner has been sewn multiple times. Sometimes the banner is seen flying from one or more trucks driving quickly along the major highways or dirt roads. They seem to be driving around in an area about 30 minutes from you, though it's a very wide area.