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[Sir Knight]

I'm about to call it good for tonight.  I have an update with bandaging, resting, and mining results mostly ready, plus most of a graphic; Dustan, if you've got something you wanna mine, let's rock it.

[Dustan Hache]

Just mine something that looks useful.

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

(. . . SO dangerous to ask the GM.  Whatever, you're standing closest to the glowy stuff, you mine glowy stuff.)

The violence at least over, the team regroups.

Spoiler: Healing with bandages (click to show/hide)

Frank's results table, healing:

1: Succeed weakly
2: Succeed
3: Succeed greatly
4: Fail by succeeding

Frank's roll: 3, Succeed greatly!
Healing roll (1d6+6): 6+6 = 12!
Frank, HP: 10/10

Dustan's results table, healing, actually a doctor:

1: Succeed weakly
2: Succeed
3: Succeed greatly

Dustan's roll: 2, Succeed!
Healing roll (1d6+1): 6+1 = 7!
Dustan, HP: 8/10

(Seriously, is Frank blessed or something?  It's like . . . that person who walks blissfully through a battlezone, getting everyone else killed and suffering no real consequences.)

Frank and Dustan each tend to their own wounds, managing to stanch the blood with bandages.  With the area reasonably secure, they should have time to recover.  Remembering "why they're down here," the group sets to mining the interesting minerals so far uncovered, including John on more coal, because presumably that's the only way the group can eat at night.  Time passes . . .

(And you don't have certain superior materials, so I make rolls.)

Spoiler: Butchering food with, what, a mining pick and a flint? (click to show/hide)

Result: 3, Succeed weakly!

Spoiler: And how about burning that unprocessed coal? (click to show/hide)

Result: 2, Fail!

Frank pulls a scaled turkey carcass out of his backpack (?!) and sets to carving it for meat, while the others get a fire going.  It's . . . ugly.  Plenty of meat goes to waste, and then the coal fire itself gives off noxious vapors, practically negating the whole benefit of "warmth" and "comfort."

Spoiler: Camping overnight (click to show/hide)

Food (vaguely-carved meat) +1 HP
Bedding (blankets) +1 HP
Warmth (12 kg of accursed coal) +1 HP

No water -2 HP
IT STINKS (read: sulfur dioxide is toxic) -1 HP

No HP change

Day 3, Afternoon

They sleep uneasily in the enclosed space, with no fresh air to clear away the smell, then finish their mining the next day.  There's decent return, with coal or magenta stuff coming out of the striped rock in equal measure by site.



As before, coal is 3 kg each and "magenta" is 4 kg, and you can see them on the map.  I reduced the inventory of coal and such in the character sheets on the first page from the camping, so you tell me where you want to store your winnings.

Now . . .

Dustan is carrying enough candles to get you through 2/3 of a day and no more.  It takes 1/3 of a day to travel down one of those long passages on the map.  Thus it goes.

[Dustan Hache]

eff this, I'm getting a move on. Grab whatever I can Carry easily and roll out.

[Coolrune206]

Frank puts any spare rocks in the wheelbarrow, prioritizing coal, opal, and magenta over normal rock. He then travels down the western tunnel.

[ziizo]

John fill his backpack with as many bats as he can and follows the others

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

Facing what seems like the true punishment of their exile, the group loads up whatever they can, with Dustan taking the weird magenta rocks he mined into his backpack and Frank heaping the remainder onto the wheelbarrow.  John fills his pack with the corpses of the strange things he helped fell: it looks like some of the bug bat bird corpses might still have good meat on them.

It is another long slog west along a crevice in the striped rock, off to face the unknown.

Day 3, Evening

What is this?  What is this?!  Well, look at the map below.



You arrive at a well-lit area to see a building built by human hands, the walls sheets of rock and the roof some sort of thatch.  A dozen or so people are sorting goods, cleaning weapons, working at household tasks, cooking over some sort of magenta fire, or just milling around.  It looks like they even have beds prepared of the "plant fiber on the floor" sort, picked from reeds growing by a nearby pool of dripwater.  Upon your arrival some of them perk up and come over to you.

"Welcome to the Halfway House!" shouts the one in the lead, a fellow with a prodigious beard.  "Don't ask how we're always here when the whole of the mines rearranges itself every day; it's just how it goes.  Keep walking whatever way you were before and you'll make it to Rock Bottom eventually.

"While you're here, let's make some trade!  We're always ferrying stuff back and forth from camp to civilization.  Offload what you want, and we give you 80% value from what you'd get if you made it all the way to Rock Bottom."

"Naw wait, they're new." someone interrupts him.  He scowls.

"Well alright.  Since you're NEW," he crosses his eyes, "we trade for 100% value just this once.  But seriously, 80% is good for both of us!  You save space for more stuff on the way up!"

As the man says.  I've got items and answers ready.  Tell me what you want to say or do and we'll get the information (and money) flowing.

[Dustan Hache]

"ah yes, hello! You wouldn't happen to know what we can do with some of the stuff we mined, would you? Maybe give us a rundown of the value of our goods? Also, do you have a knife or some other sufficiently sharp and clean blade?"

[Coolrune206]

Frank perks up.

"I want a crossbow. I want a crossbow, I want a crossbow, I want a crossbow.

Oh. And bolts. But y'know. Crossbow."

[ziizo]

"Candles"

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

"Oh yes, glad to help!  So you've got some hematite and some glowstone, and that's just the stuff on the wheelbarrow.  Unload on these tables and we'll go through.

"But speaking of that: look around and you won't see too many wood products other than the wheelbarrows.  These only come from the surface.  There are other problems too, like string, and that's why we can't help you if bows are your ranged weapons of choice: mostly plain metal or leather products for us in the caves.  Knives?  Absolutely.

"Just take a gander here and we'll show you what's what.  Our stock is pretty much limited to what people bring us.  It changes all the time.

"Oh, and we measure value in kilograms of rough opal.  That's because opal's pretty but useless.  If you're smart, you'll stock up on anything with higher value per kilogram and use your opal for small change."

Before I drown you in numbers, it would be awesome if all players and waitlisters could look at this spoiler about how the game is turning out:

Spoiler: What's all this, then? (click to show/hide)

I know RTD's are about quick hits with minimal player text.  Well, updating those character sheets in the first post takes a LOT of my time, and I can't expect players to make decisions over the cash in your communal wheelbarrow with "minimal text."

I have a full RPG on my hands; it just uses an RTD mechanic.

If anyone dislikes how it's developed, please tell me if you'd like to retire here (or  be removed from the waitlist).  If not, I need your help to keep from going crazy with work.  Please look through the numbers (squabbling over the wheelbarrow cash like angry children if you wish), buy stuff, and post your own updated character sheet.

Alright?  Then I can copy the results back into the opening post with ease.

Spoiler: And this is just a bookkeeping note--about candles (click to show/hide)

Speaking of keeping the GM from going crazy, I'll make a change: forget about lantern candles.  Now that you have access to civilization, we'll just say you have easy supplies of basic candles, and I'll reimburse Dustan for having the last remaining candles.  Rationing isn't fun when you could be adventuring.

Besides . . . see the stock below for NON-basic candles . . .

Value and explanation of your goods is as follows.  Ores and hunted animals are sold at the full price.  All your equipment, since it's been used, is listed for sale at half-price.  If you get killed (Lazlowe), the survivors can only sell any armour you used at quarter-price (it's damaged).

Spoiler: Your mining and hunting goods (click to show/hide)

Hematite, 5x 10 kg rough stone, value 8 opal each
Smelt to create iron equipment
Coal, 5x 3 kg rough stone, value 1 opal each
Burn 12 kg of coal to provide warmth and cook raw meat when camping, but at the risk of horrible vapors
Opal, 3x 5 kg rough stone, value 5 opal each (no, really?)
Currency
Glowstone, 7x 4 kg rough stone, value 16 opal each
Burn 1 kg of glowstone to provide warmth and cook raw meat when camping
Healthstone, 2x 1 kg rough stone, value 5 opal each
Edible as a day's worth of food; cannot spoil

Scaled turkey, 2x 10 kg carcass, value 23 opal each
Bug bat bird, complicated mix of salvageable meat/bones, value 38 opal in total

The value of everything else on your character sheets is as follows.  See your sheet in the first post for details.  Like he implied, they'll pay a lot for irreplacable surface goods.

Spoiler: Selling your personal goods (click to show/hide)

Pick (iron): 12.5 opal
Lantern (iron): 12.5 opal
Waterskin (surface leather): 1 opal
Tunic (surface fabric): 10 opal
Damaged tunic (surface fabric): 5 opal ( . . . Should I say XtunicX for you people?)
Mining helmet (iron): 3.5 opal

Backpack (surface leather): 2.5 opal
Blanket (surface fabric): 10 opal

Surface kit: 17.5 opal
Bandages (surface fabric): 17.5 opal
Wheelbarrow (iron, surface wood): 45 opal

Assuming you sell everything you mined, killed, or looted off Lazlowe's corpse, plus compensation to Dustan for lugging those candles around while I waffled on this, minus Frank's spare waterskin ('cause I doubt you're selling something that useful), you will earn:

Dustan (Dustan Hache): 66 opal
Frank (Coolrune206): 83 opal
John (ziizo): 41 opal
And in the wheelbarrow: 140 opal

You can't possibly afford to kit out everyone.  However, if you believe in the power of teamwork, you can come up with a plan to survive.  I'm sure this means there will be a fistfight over the wheelbarrow in ten seconds.

Here's what they have to sell.  As stated, there are some standards that you can always expect to find here, but portions come from random rolls by the GM.

The list gives weirdo materials for some items.  Well, this is what they say the materials are . . .

Spoiler: Halfway House stock, weapons and armor (click to show/hide)

Chain mail (iron): 100 opal, weight 10 kg
Enemy using sharp attack adds Fail
Tunic (scaled turkey leather): 4 opal, weight 4 kg
Just clothing
Tunic (wall tiger leather): 40 opal, weight 4 kg
Enemy using blunt attack adds Fail
Superior tunic (wall tiger leather): 120 opal, weight 4 kg (1 in stock) ( . . . Should I say *tunic*?)
Enemy using blunt attack adds Fail terribly, Fail
Buckler (scaled turkey leather): 7 opal, weight 1 kg
Avoid unarmed penalty if you have to shield-bash
Shield (iron): 135 opal, weight 4 kg
Enemy adds Fail
Spiked shield (iron): 200 opal, weight 4 kg (1 in stock)
Enemy adds Fail, Succeed weakly, Fail by succeeding (getting spiked);
you add Succeed if you have to shield-bash
Mining helmet (iron): 7 opal, weight 1 kg
Avoid "missing helmet while underground" penalty

Sword (iron): 70 opal, weight 2 kg
You add Succeed; sharp
Fine sword (iron): 140 opal, weight 2 kg (1 in stock) ( . . . Should I say +sword+?)
You add Succeed x2; sharp
War hammer (iron): 45 opal, weight 2 kg
You add Succeed; blunt
War hammer (workstone): 80 opal, weight 2 kg (1 in stock)
You add Succeed x2; blunt
Battle axe (iron): 170 opal, weight 3 kg
You add Succeed weakly, Succeed greatly, Fail by succeeding; sharp; two-handed
Pick (iron): 25 opal, weight 2 kg
Mine 1 tile per day; you avoid unarmed penalty; piercing
Knife (iron): 12 opal, weight 1 kg
Butcher animals; you avoid unarmed penalty; sharp
Knife (workstone): 75 opal, weight 1 kg (1 in stock)
Butcher animals; you add Succeed; sharp
Sling (scaled turkey leather): 1 opal, weight 0 kg
You can fight ranged (ammunition is easy to find); blunt
Javelin (iron): 30 opal, weight 2 kg
You can fight ranged; you add Succeed; piercing

Spoiler: Halfway House stock, items (click to show/hide)

Food, one day: 5 opal, weight 1 kg
Water keg (iron): 10 opal, weight 5 kg empty
Carry 20 kg water
Lantern (iron): 25 opal, weight 2 kg
Uses regular candles (flints are easy to find)
Waterskin (standing jellyfish leather): 2 opal, weight 0 kg empty
Carry 1 kg water
Skillet (iron): 5 opal, weight 3 kg
Coke: 2 opal, weight 3 kg
Burn 12 kg of coke to provide warmth and cook raw meat when camping
Backpack (scaled turkey leather): 5 opal, weight 2 kg empty
Carry 40 kg loose items
Splitter wand (sparkstone, scaled turkey bone): 10 opal, weight 1 kg for several (8 in stock)
Mine very quickly; one use
Packaged vitality (healthstone, etherstone, standing jellyfish leather): 25 opal, weight 3 kg (4 in stock)
Pop this leathery balloon and everyone who breathes the vapor restores health; one use
Ether cola (etherstone): 7 opal, weight 1 kg (7 in stock)
Drink this mineral water and be invigorated (with minimal side effects); needs waterskin; one use

Spoiler: Halfway House stock, special equipment (click to show/hide)

Blast hammer (sparkstone): 845 opal, weight 2 kg (1 in stock)
You add Succeed greatly (which really hurts) x2; blunt
Healknife (healthstone, bindstone): 125 opal, weight 1 kg (1 in stock)
You remove Fail, Succeed greatly; your Succeed weakly and Succeed now restore health; sharp;
and, grudgingly, you can butcher animals with this too
Fire skull (glowstone, bug bat bird skull): 4 opal, weight 1 kg for several (4 in stock)
Thrown with a sling; damage is fire instead of blunt; one use
Unwise candle (leechstone, scaled turkey tallow): 30 opal, weight 1 kg for several (5 in stock)
Once it burns past the colored mark, it flares and makes an attack on everyone nearby;
can be thrown at the risk of being extinguished; one use

(That special knife at the end there is a double-reference, if anyone gets it.  There's plenty of references.)

Next, I'll welcome some waitlisters to join as soon as you are done and leave the area.  I'll narrate everyone in!  Probably tomorrow.

[Dustan Hache]

"Err, I'm no blacksmith. How would we go about smelting down our hematite? Also, how much would you pay for processed goods compared to the raw corpses and stone we have?"
use my opal and Lucas's now-empty pack to buy a skillet and water keg. Sell the worthless coal, lazlo's blanket and some glowstone to buy an iron knife so I can start processing the animals. Sell off the hide and bone unless one of the others wants to take it.

[ziizo]

"I want 1 knife (iron), 1 water keg (iron), 1 Splitter Wand and food for One day. That would be 37 opal I am right?"

Keep the coal, abandon the 1 opal in bug bat left

[Coolrune206]

Frank makes a deal with one of the merchants for the Glowstone; all of it. Selling it should net him an extra 112 opals, for his own pockets.

Frank is a greedy bitch.

He then sells the rest of the spare items he has on him, for the 83 opal, for a total of 195 opal.

He purchases:
Two ether cola to fill both of his waterskins. (7 x 2 = 14 opal)
One Sling (1 opal)
Five Fire Skulls (4 x 4 = 16 opal)
Knife [Workstone] (75 opal)
Skillet (3 opal)
Total: 109 opal spent, 86 remain.

"If you want to sell any of that glowstone, you'll have to fight me for it. I refuse to give up riches. Sell something else."

[Sir Knight]

(He he he, I'm mostly going to leave you to figure out your own needs.  Let me just say I'm glad these lists aren't too much info to use.  I'll put things into the opening posts for later reference, too.  But some answers:)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Dustan, you could smelt your own ores, and I can have the man explain in an update how you'd have to go to Rock Bottom for that.  However, it takes a long time, and people in town won't let you take over their equipment forever.  Basically: unless you plan to eat the healthstone or burn the glowstone, sell everything now.

P.S.: Hematite is value 8, iron is only value 10 anyway.

Raw carcasses are worth the exact value of their butchered parts.  Unless you plan to eat them before they rot, sell everything now (and maybe buy fresh food at equal value).  With this info and the responses from others, I imagine you'd revise your purchases.

ziizo, I'll have the man explain the use of these "splitter wands," but I just want to be clear you know they are one-use.

Coolrune206, heh, Dustan is physically carrying 2 units of that glowstone you're trying to sell.  Watch your hands!