Mutators: Introduce nets to the habitat.
This month you have three surviving predatory birds, and introduce nets to the habitat of the prairie dogs. It fails miserably, as the prairie dogs unravel and eat the plant-fibre nets instead of using them.
Ooh, that was so close! The dogs may be smart, but sometimes they see food as food first. Which is a shame, because they could have really used those nets this turn..
The birds, undisturbed by the loss of their fellow, continue setting upon the dogs as a food source. They don't get lucky again, and don't manage to find a way to kill another one.
15 Prairie dogs have died, and 5 new ones have been born. Most of the dead were killed or eaten by birds. Breeding behavior is normal, and a natural population growth of about 4 dogs a turn will occur.
Your 285 prairie dogs live in a semi-arid grassland, dominated by several different kinds of tall and short grass, as well as the occasional woody shrub and small tree. It is mostly dry, but an artificial spring is present and provides water and trace nutrients to the habitat. There is room for perhaps 500 prairie dogs altogether.
Currently, dog society is split into three roughly equal villages, composed of family units, which are mostly one male dog, a few female dogs, and some children, although some family units have more than one male dog or only one female dog. In addition, bachelor groups are present composed of the excess male dogs. Young males often, but not always, migrate to the other villages when they mature.
They have a fairly rudimentary technology, and use simple tools such as sticks and rocks to clear soil of unwanted plants and encourage growth of desired edibles. They have relatively recently discovered basic agriculture, and have taken to planting their desired grass species, and overturning earth.
The dogs have a complex language, consisting of sounds and gestures, and they have a definate social organization, with perhaps one or two families in charge of each village. Families live in underground burrows, and the villages are large groups of burrows that occasionally interconnect below ground. Tools are also used to help dig homes, although most digging is done with their hands.
Physically, the dogs are about 12 inches long, and weigh one kilogram. They have mostly flat teeth for eating plants, and have only rudimentary claws on their forelimbs, which are slightly longer than basic prairie dog forelimbs, with the paws modified to be more suitable for tool use and grasping.
Most prairie dogs do not fight, and fighting inside villages is strongly discouraged by others. Conflict does occur between villages, as newcomers make displays trying to be accepted and in order to establish position for mates. These battles are only occasionally physical, and when they are, the dogs rarely injure each other. They could use sticks or rocks to hurt each other, as well as their small claws.
The dogs continue to look out for the incoming birds, but they don't have much success. They continue trying to arrange things so that the dogs would be less vulnerable, but have had little success so far.
Stats:
Softness, 100%
Soft Attack, 0.25 (claws, grappling)
Hard Attack, 0.1 (rocks)
Toughness, 1.0 (difficulty to kill an individual dog)
Morale, 10.6% (overall effectiveness in combat)
Organization, 5.8 +0.5 (capacity for teamwork and discipline.)
History: Predatory Birds. 3 remaining
Nets: Failed
Bloody Murder:
Encourage positive look on mutations by deifying Warpstone.
Cancer. Cancer and suffering and open bleeding sores. You force the acceptance of warpstone into the dog living areas, as well as the re-admittance of the mutants, but things don't go well.
Dog society has broken down, with some dogs not accepting the warpstone, and some dogs accepting it, and some dogs fighting over it. All the while, they die, and die, and die.
Some 42 dogs have died from warpstone exposure this turn, with an addition 10 dogs dying from infighting. There are also 3 surviving mutants, as most of the earlier batch have been killed. The 225 relatively healthy survivors have mostly scattered, some of whom have warpstone and some of whom do not. There are enough scraps and scattered bits around, however, that very few have no exposure at all.
Their technology has lapsed, with the dogs concentrating on bare survival rather than innovation.
The dogs have a complex language, consisting of sounds and gestures, and they have a definate social organization, with perhaps one or two families in charge of each village. Families live in underground burrows, and the villages are large groups of burrows that occasionally interconnect below ground. Tools are also used to help dig homes, although most digging is done with their hands.
Physically, the dogs are about 12 inches long, and weigh one kilogram. They have mostly flat teeth for eating plants, and have only rudimentary claws on their forelimbs, which are slightly longer than basic prairie dog forelimbs, with the paws modified to be more suitable for tool use and grasping.
The Prairie dogs are currently engaged in vicious infighting, only limited by their lack of natural weapons.
The dogs are currently undergoing a rearrangement of their society, and are engaged in heavy amounts of infighting. Casulties are kept down by the limited ability for the dogs to actually kill each other, and the pain from warpstone exposure. It does make for interesting, if gross, television, however. The announcer has little to say, simply providing close-ups of the grossly ill prairie dogs, full of oozing sores and tumors.
Stats:
Softness, 100%
Soft Attack, 0.25 (claws, grappling)
Hard Attack, 0.1 (rocks)
Toughness, 1.0 (difficulty to kill an individual dog)
Morale, 11.4% (+1.2%) (overall effectiveness in combat)
Organization, 3.6 (-1.2) (capacity for teamwork and discipline. Effect of casulties upon effectiveness.)
Introduction: Warpstone
Shaping: Deifying Warpstone
Lightning Clan:
Introduce fighting ring reward system.
This time you attempt to reward the dogs for engaging in combat, giving them further incentive to fight other than traditional challenges. No great success is achieved, but you start getting some more of them fighting, and some more of them accepting rewards, if in terms of tasty treats rather than an endless variety of hats. Some of them also get a little fat and lazy over all this, but progress was made.
4 prairie dogs die of old age, and 8 new ones are born. Breeding activity is normal, and you expect a population increase of about four dogs a turn.
Your 311 prairie dogs live in a semi-arid grassland, dominated by several different kinds of tall and short grass, as well as the occasional woody shrub and small tree. It is mostly dry, but an artificial spring is present and provides water and trace nutrients to the habitat. There is room for perhaps 500 prairie dogs altogether.
Currently, dog society is split into three roughly equal villages, composed of family units, which are mostly one male dog, a few female dogs, and some children, although some family units have more than one male dog or only one female dog. In addition, bachelor groups are present composed of the excess male dogs. Young males often, but not always, migrate to the other villages when they mature.
They have a fairly rudimentary technology, and use simple tools such as sticks and rocks to clear soil of unwanted plants and encourage growth of desired edibles. They have relatively recently discovered basic agriculture, and have taken to planting their desired grass species, and overturning earth.
The dogs have a complex language, consisting of sounds and gestures, and they have a definate social organization, with perhaps one or two families in charge of each village. Families live in underground burrows, and the villages are large groups of burrows that occasionally interconnect below ground. Tools are also used to help dig homes, although most digging is done with their hands.
Physically, the dogs are about 12 inches long, and weigh one kilogram. They have mostly flat teeth for eating plants, and have only rudimentary claws on their forelimbs, which are slightly longer than basic prairie dog forelimbs, with the paws modified to be more suitable for tool use and grasping.
Most prairie dogs do not fight, and fighting inside villages is strongly discouraged by others. Conflict does occur between villages, in the fighting rings as newcomers make displays trying to be accepted and in order to establish position for mates. These battles are only occasionally physical, and when they are, the dogs rarely injure each other. They could use sticks or rocks to hurt each other, as well as their small claws.
The display fights prove relatively popular, and the new area for them seems to encourage the dogs naturally showing off. Challenges happen largely as they always have, but the combats are noticably more frequent than before, and more dogs observe the challenges.
They're just pushing each other? Where are the razor knives? Where is the immolation pit? We want blood!
Stats:
Softness, 100%
Soft Attack, 0.25 (claws, grappling)
Hard Attack, 0.1 (rocks)
Toughness, 0.97(-0.03) (difficulty to kill an individual dog)
Morale, 11.4 (+0.5)% (overall effectiveness in combat)
Organization, 5.6 (+0.6) (capacity for teamwork and discipline. Effect of casulties upon effectiveness.)
Introduction: Fighting Ring
Shaping: Reward System
Rodents of War: Dropped out!
Geogophers
Introduce vertical obstacle course:
This time around your obstacle course works pretty well. You get them climbing up and over it, taking in account they aren't as vertically mobile as squirrels, and dig deep metal foundations to keep the dogs from simply knocking obstacles over. You also hang lines and routes between small trees, which are still too big for the dogs to dig. It works pretty well, save for the few casulties from a dog falling into the stream and drowning, as well as a few who fall prey to the projectile traps.
6 prairie dogs die from the obstacle course, along with three more from age. Nine new ones are born, leading to no net change. Breeding activity is normal, and you estimate the population growth as being about four dogs a turn, less casulties from the obstacle course. Hopefully they'll get better in the future at it.. you think that's likely.
Your 301 prairie dogs live in a semi-arid grassland, dominated by several different kinds of tall and short grass, as well as the occasional woody shrub and small tree. It is mostly dry, but an artificial spring is present and provides water and trace nutrients to the habitat. There is room for perhaps 500 prairie dogs altogether.
Currently, dog society is split into three roughly equal villages, composed of family units, which are mostly one male dog, a few female dogs, and some children, although some family units have more than one male dog or only one female dog. In addition, bachelor groups are present composed of the excess male dogs. Young males often, but not always, migrate to the other villages when they mature.
They have a fairly rudimentary technology, and use simple tools such as sticks and rocks to clear soil of unwanted plants and encourage growth of desired edibles. They have relatively recently discovered basic agriculture, and have taken to planting their desired grass species, and overturning earth.
The dogs have a complex language, consisting of sounds and gestures, and they have a definate social organization, with perhaps one or two families in charge of each village. Families live in underground burrows, and the villages are large groups of burrows that occasionally interconnect below ground. Tools are also used to help dig homes, although most digging is done with their hands.
Physically, the dogs are about 12 inches long, and weigh one kilogram. They have mostly flat teeth for eating plants, and have only rudimentary claws on their forelimbs, which are slightly longer than basic prairie dog forelimbs, with the paws modified to be more suitable for tool use and grasping.
Most prairie dogs do not fight, and fighting inside villages is strongly discouraged by others. Conflict does occur between villages, as newcomers make displays trying to be accepted and in order to establish position for mates. These battles are only occasionally physical, and when they are, the dogs rarely injure each other. They could use sticks or rocks to hurt each other, as well as their small claws.
This course was more successful, although you didn't improve their ability to attack, you can see some of them getting noticeably more nimble and used to climbing.
Where's the fire pit? Where's the electrified barricades? The drowning was fun, but the crowd wants to see more blood from the Geogophers.
Stats:
Softness, 100%
Soft Attack, 0.25 (claws, grappling)
Hard Attack, 0.1 (rocks)
Toughness, 1.06 (+0.05) (difficulty to kill an individual dog)
Morale, 10% (overall effectiveness in combat)
Organization, 5.0 (capacity for teamwork and discipline. Effect of casulties upon effectiveness.)
Introduction: Obstacle Course (bypassed)
Introduction: Vertical Obstacle Course.
(Rest of the updates will come tomorrow. Good luck to all our competitors. And sorry, Samspeeds, entries are closed, although you can take over the next person who drops out, with permission. Or join one of the existing players, as teams are just fine.)