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[Tawa]

We're about to set off on a great adventure, travelling the Oregon Trail across the rugged landscape of North America. Our covered wagon, pulled by a team of oxen, will travel from Independence, Missouri, to the fertile Willamette Valley of the Oregon Territory--a journey of approximately 2,000 miles.

Before we set off on the trail, we'll register my name, the names of the members of our wagon party, and an occupation. After that, we'll need to buy supplies and make other important decisions.

Good luck!
Oregon Trail is a classic game about travelling to Oregon in the 1800s. It was a staple of educational games in its heyday, and was famously easy to die in.
You have died of dysentery.
You have died of measles.
You have died of cholera.
Traditionally, you named everybody after friends, family, or people you hated very deeply. A lot of the game is chance, but a lot of it is also proper planning and strategy. And, of course, it's probably the only game where thieves steal oxen by picking them up and carrying them away.
Who wants to die horribly travel to Oregon?

4 names may be entered.

What profession should be taken?
People from all walks of life went west to Oregon. We can pick our occupation, but each choice has its advantages and disadvantages.

Bankers      start with $1600. They have no special advantages.                            There is no score bonus at the end of the game.
Doctors      start with $1200. They cause sick or injured people to be less likely to die. There is no score bonus at the end of the game.
Merchants    start with $1200. They have no special advantages.                            There is a 1.5x score bonus at the end of the game.
Blacksmiths  start with $800.  They are more likely to replace broken wagon parts.         There is a 2x score bonus at the end of the game.
Carpenters   start with $800.  They are more likely to replace broken wagon parts.         There is a 2x score bonus at the end of the game.
Saddlemakers start with $800.  They have no special advantages.                            There is a 2.5x score bonus at the end of the game.
Farmers      start with $400.  They cause oxen to be less likely to get sick and die.      There is a 3x score bonus at the end of the game.
Teachers     start with $400.  They have no special advantages.                            There is a 3.5x score bonus at the end of the game.

[ATHATH]

Doctor Buttface Who, reporting for duty!

[Iituem]

What's this Saddlemaker nonsense?  There are only three types of people, Bankers, Carpenters and Farmers!

Bah.  Take 'Teacher', if only because Farmer is no longer the most dwarfy option.

I shall be the mother of this party, "Sheila the Destroyer" or "Destroyer of Worlds" to those newly met!  (Or Destroyer if character limitations.)

[birdy51]

Birdvig, reporting for wagon duty.

Seconding Teacher. Live fast, die young!

[Neonivek]

Let me just modernize these starting cashes

Teachers and Farmers: $10,000
Carpenters, Saddlemakers, and Blacksmiths: $20,000
Doctors and Merchants: $30,000
Banker: $40,000

In modern day USD

[Tawa]

So, that's Birdvig, Doctor Who, Destroyer, and Neonivek.

This will be an interesting trip to Oregon.

At Matt's General Store, we, in traditional fashion, buy 4 oxen, 8 sets of clothes, 50 boxes of bullets for hunting (1000 bullets total), 2 spares of each wagon part, and 400 pounds of food. In real traditional fashion, we should have brought nothing but the cartloads of bullets, but DOSBox likes to screw with the mouse control that Deluxe uses, so that's out of the question for now.

We set out during April. That should give us enough time to get to Oregon without encountering too much bad weather while still having enough grass for the oxen. For the time being, we'll move at a stenuous pace and eat meager rations, which should be fast enough without eating too much food.

On April 4th, we reach the Kansas River Crossing.

The river is 676 feet wide and 7 feet deep.

Should we:
-FORD Prefect the river
-CAULK the wagon
-Take the FERRY for the 5.00 we don't have

[birdy51]

"Ford the river! Drive the wagon to an early death! To Valhalla and Glory!" Cries Old Man Birdvig with a crooked eye.

[MonkeyHead]

PTF. I am disappointed I did not get to offer myself up as a dysentery victim.

[Iituem]

Caulk the Wagon, Mouthface!

[Neonivek]

PTF. I am disappointed I did not get to offer myself up as a dysentery victim.

Which is funny because I didn't volunteer xD

[ATHATH]

The Doctor is somehow on the other side already.

[Tawa]

PTF. I am disappointed I did not get to offer myself up as a dysentery victim.

Which is funny because I didn't volunteer xD

Whoops! Little late for that now, I guess. You're here in spirit, MonkeyHead.

Caulk the Wagon, Mouthface!

Caulking it is!
We made it safely across the river.

On the 8th, we reach the Big Blue river crossing. It's 253 feet wide and 5 feet deep today. Screw it, we're caulking it this time too.
On the 12th, Neonivek/Spirit of MonkeyHead catches dysentery. He is bitten by a snake the day after.

We then reach Fort Kearney. We don't have anything to trade, so we keep going. On the 15th, we go hunting, and get almost 1000 pounds of food.

We can only carry 200 pounds back, but, hey, food. We go hunting again the next day and only manage one particularly scrawny deer, so we decide to wait a while.

On the 19th, we rest for a few days to get Neonivek/MonkeyHead'sSpirit back in shape. They survive. On the 27th, we encounter Chimney Rock.

Destroyer catches cholera on the 29th. We rest for another 3 days, but it doesn't do much. We keep going. Birdvig catches dysentery on May 6th, and we reach Fort Laramie that day. We rest for a week to get back in shape, during which Destroyer and Birdvig both recover. We decide to provide ourselves with better rations for a week or so and keep moving after trading one of our 2 spare wagon axles for ten bucks, in case there's a particularly nasty river or something.

Food and water are scarce in the lands past Laramie. Hunting only nabs us 25 pounds of food, and Destroyer catches cholera. Birdvig got lost and stalled the wagon for 3 days while we looked around for him, and now we're down to 92 pounds of food. Hunting the next day is far more fruitful, getting us nearly 200 pounds of food.

On May 28th, we rest for 5 days at Independence Rock, hoping for Destroyer to recover. Destroyer recovers on June 1st, and we resume our trip two days later. Hunting the next day gets us 944 pounds of food, but again, we are only able to take 200 pounds of it with us.

On June 9th, a wagon tongue breaks, but we replace it. We reach South Pass and rest for a week, since our health has suffered. We get going again on the 17th.
The trail divides here. Which way do you want to go?

-Head to Fort Bridger to buy supplies
-Take the shortcut to the Green River

[MonkeyHead]

PTF. I am disappointed I did not get to offer myself up as a dysentery victim.

Which is funny because I didn't volunteer xD

On the 12th, Neonivek/Spirit of MonkeyHead catches dysentery. He is bitten by a snake the day after.

It was inevitable.

[birdy51]

Birdvig got lost and stalled the wagon for 3 days

It was a senior moment. ;.;

Anyways. To the river! We shall float upon it like damselflies!

[IronyOwl]

Those cholera vipers better up their game.