[X] Creative dumpster diving
[X] Back alley doctor (Uses Connections)
It feels like we would have only passed the first threshold of research if we were in any other place than here. In the short term, I think we should be aiming for Old Bones' contract. Gives us 4 weight and shorter than Infinium. I also like him more than Infinium as we're relying on other people to escape our debt situation. In the long term, maybe train up teaching and tutoring? The money from it is stackable and Tweed would ask for a 3/3 there if the pattern holds.
So, there is going to be a supplementary research action available in the coming turn for that contract. To dig into it's exact limitations and effects a little.
Since it is written in blue it has the potential to be a little more nuanced then a straightforward reading.
Needless to say, it would pose certain non-trivial obstacles to human experimentation, but not necessarily absolute ones.
As for how any atrocities may play out... Well that is going to depend in part on the votes. Atrocities are something that should be a choice yes?
Since it is written in blue it has the potential to be a little more nuanced then a straightforward reading.
Needless to say, it would pose certain non-trivial obstacles to human experimentation, but not necessarily absolute ones.
As for how any atrocities may play out... Well that is going to depend in part on the votes. Atrocities are something that should be a choice yes?
I don't know about the others, but I will vote against contracts with this god, he directly goes against the concept of our character. Even if this does not completely block experiments on people, it still transforms us from an ambitious immoral scientist into teenagers who secretly try to smoke behind school and then hide the smell so that mom (Old Bones) does not scold us.
I don't know about the others, but I will vote against contracts with this god, he directly goes against the concept of our character. Even if this does not completely block experiments on people, it still transforms us from an ambitious immoral scientist into teenagers who secretly try to smoke behind school and then hide the smell so that mom (Old Bones) does not scold us.
That's one way you can interpret things if you want.
On the other hand, there was a rather interesting discussion during character creation about the difference between ethics and morals.
It's interesting that we can find their contracts out in advance. It might be because we have more data on these gods overall, or that they're more consistent than others, but I always got the impression at least some of the gods didn't have standard contracts.
Overall, I like both contracts. The Doc gives us a lot of weight and an interesting restriction to work around, while the mad scientist is certainly powerful, if time consuming and expensive to access.
Thankfully, while we can't ask for favors while getting the doc's attention, if we start a medical practice doing some healing pro-bono can get us a lot of traction early on. Honestly we're probably one of the people he would most want to contract with, because changing our nature early on can temper our megalomania to a degree.
I do hope it will be easier to contact gods as we get more weight, it would make sense that it would become less difficult, merely because we're more worth paying attention to when we're actively worth more in the eyes of the world.
It's interesting that we can find their contracts out in advance. It might be because we have more data on these gods overall, or that they're more consistent than others, but I always got the impression at least some of the gods didn't have standard contracts.
"Custom contracts? I've never heard of such a thing. You would have be incredibly important for a god to make a whole new contract just for you. Though maybe... (rambles off into paranoid muttering.)"
I do hope it will be easier to contact gods as we get more weight, it would make sense that it would become less difficult, merely because we're more worth paying attention to when we're actively worth more in the eyes of the world.
It will, but only in the sense that you will have more AP, dice and resources to throw at things. When you have 15 or 20 AP per turn, 20 AP becomes smaller in comparison. But as of now at least there is no mechanic that reduces the contact difficulty directly.
I admit I'm somewhat surprised about how unanimous the vote is turning out. I expected at least the 1 AP per turn cost to scare people away from that option.
I forgot that resource points are divided into different categories.
Now, calculating, I understand that even if we receive the minimum payment of 1 decent dots, we will spend only 2 low dots on Proper packaged meals 2, that is, 0.2 of 1 decent dots.
Thus, independent search is extremely unprofitable because if we used the time we spent to earn money, we would get much more than we saved.
I admit I'm somewhat surprised about how unanimous the vote is turning out. I expected at least the 1 AP per turn cost to scare people away from that option.
I think it might be that we're valuing wealth more than AP at the moment. The 1 decent dot per turn already swallows the minimum income from the job and while the poor dot diets can be ignored, they're debuffs. Can we have multiple jobs and shift diets later on?
I liked Infinium, it understands the dull part of science should be thrown in the trash and just have fun. We can do this by speeding up our research many times with the help of inspiration.
MD OldBones caused the opposite feelings. I immediately wanted to say no to him, but I need to clarify one point.
I think it might be that we're valuing wealth more than AP at the moment. The 1 decent dot per turn already swallows the minimum income from the job and while the poor dot diets can be ignored, they're debuffs. Can we have multiple jobs and shift diets later on?
Yes, I will be providing a 1 AP option on future turns which presents the food options again, and possibly new ones if you can afford it. Some higher tier meal plans will even provide minor benefits. One of the advantages of living in the place with the highest tech level.
Strange how both Levi and her brother are named after legendary sea creatures despite the Dominion of Tom being in the middle of a wasteland.
Wonder what the story there is.
Location: District 12 Commercial Hub. Sub-Level 22. Back alleyway:
[X] Back alley doctor (Uses Connections)
[X] Creative dumpster diving
You turn the corner encounter a cacophony of sound.
"Hold on Leader! Just a little longer!"
"I told you assassinations were bad luck"
"Not the time Skippy!"
"Hold her still!"
Four figures. Two standing ones crowd over a third slumped on the ground, while a fourth stands off to the side. All of them sport injures.
You stride forward confidently, "Make way! I'm a doctor!"
The three practically spring back. You idly note their unusual haste, but further observation is put aside in favor of grabbing the medical kit and getting to work.
Medicine 3 + Surgery 3: = 6 dice
6d6 = [2, 2, 2, 6, 3, 4] = 19 + 5 (Basic medical kit) =24
DC: 15/20/25
Bleeding. Leg. Loose bandages. Sloppy, tighten it. Check, head. Neck. Is this armor? Can't cut, loosen and check. Torso. Fine. Breathing? Fine.
Sweep. Arm is bleeding. Pressure. Bandage. Done.
Extremities, cold. Pulse, high. Blood pressure, low. Lost blood. Saline.
… Surprisingly young. Underneath all the armor and blood she had to be at least a few years younger then you. At best. Closer to a teenager then an adult.
You stand up and look around. One around the same age, and two even younger. The two younger ones wear the similar armor while the older one wears something closer to causal clothes, if suspiciously padded. He was also the one you took the first aid kit from.
"So, you said you were a doctor?" the older one asks, clutching his flat cap nervously.
Perception 3 + Body language 3 = 6 dice
6d6=[5, 4, 6, 1, 1, 5] = 22
DC: 10/20
Your first instinct is that he is asking for reassurance. But no, the signs are all wrong for that. The way his eyes tense. The way the other two's hands make aborted twitches for weapons. Fear. They are asking the question, but they don't want it to be true.
So you tell the truth. "I exaggerated a little for expedience." you admit with a wry grin. "Never got any sort of formal certification or practice."
The way the group relaxes vindicates your assumptions. These are people who have bad associations with the word "doctor". How strange.
"She's going to need a hospital" you say gesturing to your patient.
Tense again. Not at you. Not the same. Not a deep instinctual fear, a reasoned concern. Can they not afford it? No their equipment is worth at least something.
"If you have somewhere to take her I will do what I can."
They relax. But not fully. They share a look. Secrecy. They can't go to the hospital because the hospital is public.
Surprisingly it is your patient who breaks the standoff. "She can come." She rasps out, surprisingly conscious. Trying to sit up.
"Don't move you dunce!" You shout. "You lost a ton of blood. I don't know how you are even awake right now."
"Leader is tough!" one of the kids says and you can see all three smiling in relief.
Location: District 12 Commercial Hub. Sub-Level 23. Hidden Safe House:
Their destination ends up being surprisingly close. Just around a corner and down a narrow maintenance tunnel is a converted storage room. It's larger then your Cube, but with five people crowding in it feels smaller.
The one with the cap digs out more supplies and you get to work. It is by no means perfect, but by the time you are done you feel pretty confident.
Going around and helping with the more minor injuries you start to notice certain interesting irregularities.
The younger boy who is introduced to you as Skippy. The muscles on his legs are wrong. You are pretty sure there is something different about the joints too. The younger girl who demands to be called Slick has something in her hands. It's subtle, but you can tell by the way her skin shifts and the patterns on her pores. Some sort of artificial gland. You pretend not to notice but note it for later.
You don't notice anything about the older pair, but that only makes you wonder what they might be hiding.
When everything is done you all sit down to talk. Well lie down in the case of one.
"We really owe you big" the one with the cap, who introduced themselves as Senior starts.
"Please don't tell anyone about us" Skippy adds, nervously tapping his feet.
You stay quiet and let them stew in silence.
"You want money?" Leader bluntly offers.
"I suppose I can accept that" You suppress your excitement. Money!
You quickly get down to negotiations.
Gain 3 decent dots.
They will pay you 1 decent dot per turn to stay on retainer, and an additional 1-2 dots depending on need.
There will be opportunities to earn extra, should you be willing to take some level of risk.
Turn actions:
You have 4 TAP and 10-1=9 AP:
Current assets:
3 decent dots
1 Basic Habitation Cube.
Current expenses:
Debt repayment - 1 decent dot per turn.
Creative dumpster diving - 1 AP per turn
Training:
Available trainers:
Jörmungandr Grimm: Can train Organizational knowledge (AI administrator protocols) and Social knowledge (???) along with their respective general skills. Provides +3 dice.
Format:
-[] Skill training (Trainer) (Skill or Skill (Specialty)) (x TAP)
Money:
[] Work: Things are quiet with Leader's injuries, but you can probably convince them to pay you for the followups on her current injures. Expected pay: 2-3 Decent dots. (2 AP)
[] Food: Perhaps you would like to change your diet? Presents diet options. May be modified by your current wealth level. (1 AP)
Social:
[] Family: As annoying as your brother is, maybe you should see what he is up to? (3 AP)
[] Old man Jack: Near the entrance to your Habitation block sits a old man. He sits there all day, always preforming some sort of hand craft. Whittling. Knitting. You should go give him a peace of your mind about such a shameful display! (3 AP)
[] Get to know your new employers. How did they come to be mercenaries? How does the mercenary business work? (3 AP)
[] You noticed the augmentations on the team's two younger members. You know you will have to approach it delicately, but perhaps there is something you can learn from them? Requires Lab (2 AP)
Exploration:
[] Explore the city: The city contains many strange wonders. Some are even useful. Go out and find them. (2 AP)
[] Dive deeper: Beneath the city there are countless forgotten places. Some may even contain treasures. Go out and find them (3 AP)
Gods Research. Roll Academics (Gods) to learn more about the god and what contracts they offer:
[] Professor Tweed - The Teacher. Hmph. Probably a waste of time. (4 AP)
[] Steve - The Builder. Dispute the unfortunate association with (ugh) manual labor, you can see the merit in a god of building grand works. (4 AP)
[] Doctor Infinium. Perhaps you would like to try looking further? You don't think you will get much at your current skill level. (4 AP)
[] MD Old Bones. Perhaps you would like to try looking further? You don't think you will get much at your current skill level. (4 AP)
To contact Gods:
Doctor Infinium:
[] Lab. If you want to pursue Doctor Infinium's attention you will need a lab.
--[] Scrape together what can fit in your Cube. Cost: 5 2 Poor dots. Gain poor quality lab. Reveal crafting rules. (1 AP)
--[] Buy some second hand equipment instead of pulling things out of the trash. Cost: 5 Low dots. Gain Low quality lab. Reveal crafting rules. (2 AP)
--[] Invest in some proper equipment. Requires larger space then your Cube. Cost: 5 Decent dots. Gain Decent quality lab. Reveal crafting rules. (4 AP)
[] Start crafting. Requires lab. (Variable AP)
MD Old Bones:
[] Arrange for an operating theater. You will need somewhere to work, and make sure you have sufficient supplies. (2 AP)
[] Arrange for a constant stream of patients. (3 AP)
[] Arrange for an assistant. A final line of defense against interruptions. Someone to make sure all your patients arrive on time, and fill any holes in your schedule. (2 AP)
[] Start the marathon. (Consumes all AP until 20 have been spent.)
[] Write in. Perhaps there is something else? (?? AP) AN: Time for your second turn! As always, ask any questions!
I should mention they do expect you to show up and spend the 2 AP per turn to get the pay. Time spent "On call" if nothing else.
They are more willing to be flexible then most jobs are. If you miss a week without explanation you won't get fired.
But yes, as long as you keep showing up, your debt is covered.
Okay, so it's not a complete steal. But it's well more than worth it. Anyway, I think we can swap to packaged food and forget the dumpster diving, if for no other reason than to save the AP.
Practically speaking the only difference is the bookkeeping. But yes spending dots can reduce your wealth level.
If you are at say High 2.3 and build a Decent lab you will go down to High 1.8 If you are at High 1.3 and build a Decent lab you will go down to Decent 8.
[X] Plan: Professional development, work and future construction
-[X] Skill training (Pharmacology) (2 TAP)
-[X] Skill training (Therapy) (2 TAP)
-[X] Work: Things are quiet with Leader's injuries, but you can probably convince them to pay you for the followups on her current injures. Expected pay: 2-3 Decent dots. (2 AP)
-[X] Family: As annoying as your brother is, maybe you should see what he is up to? (3 AP)
-[X] Steve - The Builder. Dispute the unfortunate association with (ugh) manual labor, you can see the merit in a god of building grand works. (4 AP)
Since we will feel the money for the successful completion of DC, it would be nice to get another cube for them. This way we will speed up the receipt of money for the construction of a good laboratory. Also, these skills will not be wasted because we will certainly use them during our experiments.
As for the gods, we need to study them all anyway, and the god of construction may be very useful because we will soon be building a laboratory and so we can complete his quest along the way.
The only thing I'm not sure about is our brother's choice, but I just want to make sure right away that he doesn't get into trouble that we'll have to sort out later.
@JayTar Speaking of augmentation does Leviathan trust anyone to put them in her? (Probably not but i have to ask) If no how would we implant them and what skills would we need to do it? Also what skills would we need to develop biomods and cybernetics?
Can we buy the best treatment equipment or is it being updated along with the laboratory?
I found where we can get updates.
But then I would like to ask for an example of which scientific project would be eccentric enough to satisfy Doctor Infinium enough for him to agree to enter into a contract.
