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[hermes]

"What does it do?"

The lawyer shrugs his shoulders and makes a plaintive look.
Lawyer:  The researchers don't exactly know, and I know even less.  What's pertinent is the Artefact is not dangerous and it does something that someone will pay for.  Pay you a lot for.  Perhaps you could run experiments in the field?

He smiles.  The salaryman interjects, "Ano..."  And the lawyer adds with a sigh, "Ah, please do not conduct experiments in the field with the required Artefact.  Or with any other Artefacts.  The retrieval of this one Artefact supercedes all other concerns."

Unrelated, could we get a currency clarification? Personally, I submitted my character assuming euos, this is Japan so I've been thinking in yen, but the actual bills we're seeing in-game are apparently USD. Is this something we're handwaving?

Good point.  Sorry I didn't explain earlier.  The Stalker book, for ease of use/clarity I presume, gives prices/values of everything in Euros.  Japan obviously uses Yen.  In the alternate Stalker reality, Japan still uses Yen, and is still essentially an American political/military colony.  Mainland Japan and the economy at large continues to use Yen which is soft-linked to the dollar.  Hokkaido being what is has become, a large international grey/black market zone, accepts both Yen and Dollars freely in most places.  You are being paid in dollars because it is the international currency, favourable in shady dealings since it is not the national/taxable currency here, and it is accepted in local shops.

Euros is a stretch, so any currency characters have brought with them in Euros will hereby, if the players have no objections, be converted to dollars.

Magical one-time-handwaving exchange rate is...  100 Yen = 1 Dollar = 0.75 Euros.

[Zako]

Stay silent as I have no more questions.

[USEC_OFFICER]

Marcus mumbles some apologies and returns to being quiet.

[DaveTheGrave]

Tyler politely asks.

"And if we run into any hostile stalkers? What are we to do for protection?"

[Zako]

"Shoot them would be my guess. It's not like there's going to be anyone who really cares about enforcing the law in the zone. Either kill or be killed, basically..." Kasumi replies.

[LordBucket]

Alexei

"And if we run into any hostile stalkers? What are we to do for protection?"

Alexei shrugs.

"We kill them."

"Shoot them would be my guess.

"Yes. If guns are available I suggest we bring them. But I'd like to remind everyone that physics doesn't always work like we're used to inside the zones. Ideally we'll encounter no resistance, but if we do I advise everyone to avoid situations in which you absolutely need your firearm to work."


Move on to the next thing

[hector13]

Corban

"Yes. If guns are available I suggest we bring them. But I'd like to remind everyone that physics doesn't always work like we're used to inside the zones. Ideally we'll encounter no resistance, but if we do I advise everyone to avoid situations in which you absolutely need your firearm to work."

Smiles slightly and replies.

Sounds good to me, I used to box when I was wee. I might be a bit out of practice, but hey, I wasn't exactly the cleanest of fighters.

Move on to the next bit

[hermes]

TURN 03

The lawyer stands and smiles again.  He seems to have gotten significantly happier as the meeting has progressed.
“Alright then.  I suggest you make your preparations and get some rest.  Just be outside the hotel front entrance at six o'clock tomorrow morning.  Mr. Hodge, you shall be driving, so try not to be too hung over.
“Ah, I almost forgot.”  He pulls out another piece of folded paper from his jacket pocket and unfolds it onto the table for everyone to see.  “Here is a map of the city in English.  And before you leave Mr. Konovalov, could we have a word?  Just over here.”  Mr. Yamada watches Alexei and pats his sweaty brow more firmly.

After a brief, one sided talk, the two men shake hands and Alexei walks back to the table.  The gangsters leave through a side door, and the lawyer and businessman leave through the main double doors.  The lawyer says on his way out, "Good luck!  You know there is such a thing as luck in this post-Visitation world." and Mr. Yamada bows profusely backing out the door and around the corner with his eyes rooted to his feet.




The quality is pretty poor here, apologies, if I have time I'll upload a better picture.  The hotel is just north of the station.  Everyone has a copy of the map.  Here's a list of the shops on the map:

• Cleany Landory
• Bushido Batou
• Kusanagi's Drug Store
• Boma's Electronics
• Ishikawa Pachinko Parlor
• Aramaki's Go Salon
• Togusa Outdoor Supplies
• Saitou's Gun Club
• Pazu's Nightclub

The Shopping Trip

From now until 06:00 you are free to wander Sapporo and/or rest up at the hotel and/or do whatever else takes your fancy.  If you leave the hotel, please state as you leave what you're wearing, taking and how much money you have on you.  Everything that you gave your characters in creation, if not on their person, is in their hotel room.

The weather outside is around freezing and snowing lightly.

The Zone is cold and is home to few edible stuffs and many environmental hazards and potentially dangerous Inorganisms.  You will need stuff to stay warm, protect against/treat other dangers (chemicals, radiation etc.), trigger hazards with (may respond to metals, non-metals, organics etc.), feed/water yourselves, and possibly attack/defend.  As a rough guide to prices, a backpack would cost $100-$300, a pistol $500 and a specially designed Zone suit $26,000.  When you go to shops, you can get lists of available gear, barter and possibly ingratiate yourselves with owners to get access to more stuff.

If there is somewhere you'd like to go that is not on the map, you can try to find it.

[Parsely]

((That's.. Actually a really good map. I'm just a watcher, but that looks really useful and informative to me.))

[hermes]

((That's.. Actually a really good map. I'm just a watcher, but that looks really useful and informative to me.))

((Thanks    My GIMP skills are pretty dire, handdrawn just feels better.  Shame it's not easily readable. Know any good free software for making game maps??))

[Parsely]

((That's.. Actually a really good map. I'm just a watcher, but that looks really useful and informative to me.))

((Thanks    My GIMP skills are pretty dire, handdrawn just feels better.  Shame it's not easily readable. Know any good free software for making game maps??))

((Not really, since I think MapTools are only good for silly looking grids. And I feel your pain when it comes to GIMP.))

[LordBucket]

OOC Party chat, Re: Gear:


Marcus, I'm concerned about you. You're in your 50s, I don't get the impression you're the super athletic type, and you just got beat up. We're going to spend the next two days walking.

So, I propose we find a toy store and get a couple of scooters for anyone not in top condition.

That should generally make the travel easier. Though note that we don't necessarily want to go fast, because zone anomalies aren't always visible, and it would be unfortunate to zoom right into an invisible meatgrinder. To solve that problem, I propose we get some cheap broomsticks that we can wave in front of us as we go. If the tip of your broomstick gets sheered off, or bursts into flames, or vanishes...immediately stop walking and call "hold" to the party, and we'll go around it. Or, since I notice the "Bushido Batou" on the shop list, another obvious option would be to get some simple karate belts, and a couple bokken. They're light, they're cheap...they're a bit shorter than broomsicks, but they're sturdy enough to be used as weapons, and it would be completely trivial to carry one in each hand with an extra 1-2 in your belt for carrying, and if/when any are lost due to being shredded by anomalies, we simply dump it and replace it from one on the belt.

Next, I don't know how everyone is on cash, but I do have some. If anybody's a couple hundred dollars short and wants to get a gun or some crucial piece of equipment, let me know and I'll advance you funds and you can reimburse me from the payment we get after the mission. Related, despite Jack and I not getting along, I do think his advice about firearms practice is sound. So I propose we all get guns, bring extra ammo, and as soon as we're in the zone take 20 minutes for target practice. Remember to buy an extra clip or two and pre-fill them with bullets so you can quickly reload.

In terms of physical protection, I don't think we really need ballistic armor, and I seriously doubt anybody's going to be spending $26,000 on environmental suits. But thermal underwear, ski mask a gloves is probably a good idea. Gas masks if we can get them. They're surprisingly cheap, but the filters don't last very long. I highly recommend full body coverage with no exposed flesh. We don't need to be sexy here.

Duck tape. Because duck tape. It can be used to seal clothing and wounds, can be turned into rope or shelter, can be used to tie up hostages, and all sorts of great things. Also, if we can find them, I'd like everyone to have 2 or 3 mylar space blankets. They're super cheap, small, and can effectively protect from temperature ranges as low as -260 up to 480 degrees celsius, as well as protect from UV radiation, and block infrared detection technology. Geiger counter in case of radiation.

Finally, I recommend that everyone travel light. We have a lot of walking to do.  This is anticipated to be a two day trip. If it absolutely comes down to it...two days is not a long time to go without food or sleep. If everybody brings a couple packs of beef jerky, a box of granola bars and a couple bottles of water (and/or delicious Japanese vending machine energy drinks) that's probably all we really need. Extra in case things go badly is fine, but let's travel light and avoid heavy things like camping stoves, cooking/eating utensils, ice chests, etc.

Suggested items:
 * Arctic sleeping bag
 * Scooter
 * Belt + Broomstick/bokken
 * Gun
 * Ammo
 * Couple bottles of water
 * Beef jerky/granola bars/etc
 * Face/gask mask, gloves, fullbody coverage clothes
 * Geiger counter
 * Roll of duck tape
 * 2-3 space blankets

Assume a backpack, fannypack, belt and gun holster, scooter only for people who plan to use them, and everyone should be able to carry the above without being significantly encumbered.

Marcus: you're the doctor. I don't think we all need to bring medical gear, but I expect that you will. As far as I'm concerned, for a quick trip like this, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and duct tape is probably all we really need. There's no need for complicated surgeries when we can disinfect and tape ourselves up and be in a hospital the following day. But that's your job, and I'll let you take care of it if you have any input.

[Parsely]

You're ridiculous Bucket. Utterly ridiculous. I can just imagine your party, rolling around on Razor scooters, waving broomsticks in front of you.

[LordBucket]

You're ridiculous Bucket. Utterly ridiculous. I can just imagine your party,
rolling around on Razor scooters, waving broomsticks in front of you.

Boring but Practical

I'm sure whomever's on point would rather lose a broomstick than his face to a meatgrinder anamoly, but I don't imagine all of us on scooters like you describe. Scooters require two hands. As I said, those are mostly for people who might have difficulty walking at a brisk pace for two days straight. Especially if we can get one with a motor, and if it works in the zone...that could be a life saver.

[Parsely]

Not boring but silly, and not practical but certainly the opposite. Not all anomalies will react to a wooden broom handle. You're better off just using bolts or other tiny pieces of metal when you suspect an anomaly is near. It simply won't do to try minesweeping every area you come through. All anomalies have warning signs as well, so you'll see or hear them before you trigger them. And if you're close enough to trigger an anomaly with a broom handle? Well, frankly, you're going to get hurt anyways. Just buy some anomaly detectors. Those are cheap, and infinitely more useful.

Scooters could be useful, but you have to consider that they'll only work well on even ground, and that even if you get a chance to use it, when you're not using it you'll need to carry it. Just be careful about what you really need to bring.