<center>Of Men, Dogs, Engines and TRADITION!</center>
"We're going to check out the cave first. Uh, was the kid specific about where it was?"
"Between the trees near the western canyon wall."
"We're here... Uh, anyone see it?"
Our brave party heads to where the cave's supposed to be. Nothing out of the ordinary... Time for some active skill use. Perception is one of the most commonly used skills in Wasteland and one we should practice often.
"Looks kind of ropey."
"What?"
"Bison, get the rope, we're going in."
"Yessir. Moxie, you stay here, you don't like dark caves, do you?"
"That's my Moxie."
Ropes are one of the most useful items in Wasteland. Fallout would repeat that, but to a much smaller degree.
"Darkness."
"Didn't you have a match?"
"Right."
Lighting a match here actually makes the encountered dog weaker (instead of Rabid Dog we encounter a Spiked Mut). In the interest of roleplaying (we'll get more than enough XP later), we light it and go forth. Funnily, the game doesn't give you a message about the darkness dissipating: merely stops displaying the Darkness surrounds you message.
We need to use our Climb skill to get over the rocks. An exercise in tedium, but gives minor xp in the background.
The Mutt isn't all that dangerous. Comes down with a single, uh, hammering of Bison's knife.
"Couldn't you use the *pointy* end to kill it?"
"Hey, where's the fun in that?"
"Ow."
As with every skill check, there is the potential for failure. Failures are typically minor nuisances.
"Look out, host-- oh wait, it's that girl, uh, Jackie."
"You're leaving with us."
Jackie's useless, expect as a pack mule.
Checking out the rest of the cave for potential loot (none). After we're done exploring, we're leaving the cave... and thus concludes the first quest Wasteland throws at us. Gee, wasn't that emotional? Now we can get to fix--
"OW WHY YOU LITTLE---
Fun fact: Bobby hits pretty damn hard in combat. However, he failed to account for one thing...
"BOBBY YOU HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE.. PERSON WHYDIDYOULEAVEMEWITHTHATRABIDMUTTINTHECAVE*stab**stab*stab*"
Now that Jackie earned her stripes, it's time to dump her: she's useless, except as a way to get rid of an obstacle in a deniable manner. I mean, who could blame her, being stuck in a cave with a rabid dog?
"Child, you better stay here. I'm sure the Highpoolers won't mind taking you back in after you stabbed a fellow child to death in the middle of the village."
"Tough luck kid. Can't bear to have another child on my conscience."
"Little punk deserved it."
"Yeah, Bison, the way he keyed you in the nuts, that must've hurt. Cheer up, maybe you'll come upon a cave full of foul mouthed underage children to vent you rage on."
"What?”
Dimissing recruitable NPCs is easy.
It's also permanent. No loss.
"What now, Boss?"
"The way I see it, we should look around for that engine. Czaress, didn't you say the Rail Nomads could have one for sale?"
"That I did."
"Wait, the Rail Nomads?"
"Nomadic group, lives out of a derelict train. The engine is inoperable, so they use cattle to pull it along. They're a bit superstitious and primitive, though very hard working. Even by Ranger standards."
"Nomads it is then. "
We leave Highpool the same way we came in: the north!
"Hey, what's that out there to the west?"
"It's the Guardian Citadel. The inhabitants are hostile, insane and pack some heavy gear."
"Sounds like my kind of place."
"I always knew you liked packing.”
"Packing. Heh, heh. Get it?”
"Wankers.”
And thus we arrive at the Rail Nomads and can enjoy the beautiful scenery, depicted in loving detail in the Paragraph Book.
You have come upon the rail-nomads' camp. Ornery looking longhorn cattle wander among dusty tents, from which sullen faces peer. In the background, a ramshackle collection of railroad cars, patched with wood, hide, and an odd piece of corrugated aluminum, sits on a rail siding. Two of the cars, the locomotive at the front and the caboose at the rear, appear to be in better condition than the others. As you approach, a strained silence fails over the camp and you grow uncomfortable under the collective gaze of the assembled nomads.
Finally, one of the nomads steps forward.
"Welcome, Rangers. I am the Brakeman of this train. I would be honored if you would visit with me in the caboose before leaving our camp. In the meantime, please accept our hospitality."
The Brakeman turns and strides back into the camp.
"The Brakeman may have something of value. I suggest we investigate."
"I have no idea why he would impart something of value to a random of group of people carrying crowbars-"
"And knives!"
"And knives, thank you Bison."
"Take this visa card and give it to Head Crusher in Quartz."
As the Brakeman passes you the card, the sunlight catches the dove hologram and glints brightly. You slide it into your breast pocket as he turns and leaves without another word.
"A Visa card?"
"But the ATMs all failed a while ago... Maybe this is a key to some kind of treasure?"
"We'll see. Let's look around for that engine."
The Rail Nomads' camp is pretty easy to understand. The main part is the train, which is composed, from the right, of the caboose, tent storage car, the--
"Urrkh, what is that smell?"
As you pass the open doorway of this car you are almost overcome by the strong odor of fermented cactus fruit. As your eyes become accustomed to the darkness of the car you can make out a straw-covered oor littered with numerous bottles of Dr. B. Bilious Balfour's Snake Squeezins. At the back of the car lolls a rotund bearded figure rocking back and forth as if the mere act of sitting offered a difficult feat of balance. Finally, seeming to take notice of you, the shadowy figure issues an invitation:
"Welcome to my humble abode, gentlefolk. Step on in."
"Do we *have* to?"
"Yes, we do”
"Enter and be enlightened ...HIC... and amazed by the wisdom of the Hobo! HIC ... SNORT..."
The Hobo beams at you blearily.
"Good people, I would like nothing better than to speak to you of things spiritual, but alas I seem to have run short of the ambrosia which inspires my visions!"
To demonstrate, the Hobo upends an empty bottle of snake squeezins.
"We'll, uh... look for that ambrosia you mentioned."
The Hobo is a very interesting source of information. He gives clues to the game plot if given Snake Squeezins, though they are *very* cryptic and mostly just for flavor. We'll have to test him, though.
Continuing, the next car is...
"The trading car. Let's check if they have the engine."
"They do... Kind of pricy."
"Hey, where's Moxie?"
"You think we can barter her?"
"MOXIE D:"
"You left her in Highpool. We'll get her back. Promise."
The Nomads' trading car trades in general goods. No guns yet, so we stick to our crowbars.
Next up is the gambling car.
"OK people, listen up. No gambling for any of us. Not until--"
"Hey Boss, look at me, I'm gambling!"
"What did I s--
" --hey, that's a bit of cash. Ok, no gambling for anyone except Bolts."
Gambling's a somewhat decent source of cash at this point in the game. Even with a gamble skill of 1 Bolts manages to get a 100% success rate. The process is tedious and without a macro I don't recommend doing it.
Last up is the locomotive.
As you board the locomotive you are met by a short, but solid looking fellow. He is dressed in garishly striped overalls and wears a rather battered and much patched engineer's cap.
"Greetings, I am the Engineer of this train."
The Engineer makes a sweeping gesture that encompasses the entire camp.
"I hope your stay with us will be a pleasant one."
Note: I'm highlighting conversation keywords for those who play Wasteland.
"Sure. Care to CHAT?"
"We have three clans here: the Atchisons, the Topekas, and the Sante Fes. You may acquire provisions for your party at our trading car or amuse yourselves in the casino car. You may, of course, avail yourselves of the services of our Hobo oracle. I am told that you have already met our Brakeman."
At the mention of the Brakeman a brief scowl crosses the Engineer's face, but his smile quickly returns and he adds:
"We feel safer with Rangers here, so stay as long as you like!"
"Got something on the clans? The TOPEKANS, ATCHISONS and SANTE FE?"
"*shakes head* The Topekan clan is rich and powerful. I hesitate to speak against one of our own clans, but I wouldn't trust 'em as far as you could throw 'em. *smiles* The Atchisons, are a trustworthy and hard working lot. I myself am an Atchison. The Brakeman is too, but I suspect he has some Topekan on his Mother's side. The Sante Fe are the poorest of the clans, but are generally honest folk."
"Who's that HOBO guy?"
"We are particularly blessed with our Hobo. Not only does he bring much luck and spiritual blessing but he is a renowned oracle and many come from far away to hear his words. Sadly we lost our last hobo when, befuddled by a divine vision, he fell from his car in Needles."
"And the BRAKEMAN?"
"Unfortunately, we have been burdened by a fool for a Brakeman. He insists on dabbling in arcane matters. He actually suggested that we use an engine instead of cattle to pull the train. The idiot will bring the wrath of the gods down upon us yet!"
"I... see. Know anything about VISA CARDs?"
"The Head Crusher likes visa cards. He slathers peanut butter on them and eats them. Weird, but then, most everything is weird out here, present company excepted, of course."
"Don't worry, we'll find you a basement full of smashed electronic gear for you to vent your frustration at."
"Thanks for your time."
"Hey, maybe the guy at the tent wants to CHAT?"
"This isn't going to work--
"Oh, maybe this 'un?"
"Oh, great, wanted to--"
"Halt. Four random characters armed with crowbars-”
"And knives!”
"And knives, yes, come over and they just invite them in? Doesn't it feel a little random to you."
"Seems legit."
"We can always run if we get into trouble."
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Out. Now. Smash everyone who tries to stop you."
"There's too many of th--"
This is a very... entertaining battle. The Topekans deal enough damage to knock us out, but not enough to actually hurt us seriously.The party is hovering on the edge of consciousness the entire time.
]
We've eventually managed to kill five Topekan men and get out...
"Shit. No way in hell are we going back in there. Remind me not to doubt you again, Czaress."
"You probably will, Commander. Bolts and Bison are out."
"At least we managed to drag them out. Did you see those savages? The Engi was right. The next time we go in there, we're bringing automatics."
"And a flamethrower.”
"Yeah, a flamethr-- what? There were children in there!”
"Pistol packing children. Plus, wouldn't you like to see them all burn for what they did? Hear their screams, as they try to put the flames out in vain, the smell of charred flesh filling your nostrils... The dying gargle of the burning victims...”
"Боже мой...”
”Бог не существует, только сила огня.”
”I'm glad you're on my side. I think. Errr.. Help me get them up, we need to get them to Highpool.”
”Looks like they're back with us.”
"MOXIE."
"God dammit... Legit my ass. Where're we, back in Highpool?"
"Yes. Resting around the Nomad camp would've caused problems. Now... we've got the engine and you're putting it in."
"Right, right... Man can't even get some sleep.."
And we get loot. A Mangler, some jewelry, cash and FOUR leather jackets, for each member of RAT5.
Now here's the catch: the game checks your inventory for a Mangler, to see if you killed any Juvies. The only way to get a Mangler this early into the game, is to kill the kids that appear when you barge into Mr Jumbo's office. In that case, you get significantly less loot.
Let's divide the spoils.
"My own leather jacket!"
"Told ya so."
We're pretty much done with Highpool. Except...
"HEY BISON."
"What--"
”Why, I oughta...”
Oh, this can end not well...
Note: This took a lot of tries to pull of: the game's quite generous this early with skill check failures.
Coming up next: Danger! Varmints! Fruit! Vegetables! Farmers! Or infanticide, whatever you guys vote on:
1. Infanticide
2. Everything except infanticide
Our brave party heads to where the cave's supposed to be. Nothing out of the ordinary... Time for some active skill use. Perception is one of the most commonly used skills in Wasteland and one we should practice often.
Ropes are one of the most useful items in Wasteland. Fallout would repeat that, but to a much smaller degree.
Lighting a match here actually makes the encountered dog weaker (instead of Rabid Dog we encounter a Spiked Mut). In the interest of roleplaying (we'll get more than enough XP later), we light it and go forth. Funnily, the game doesn't give you a message about the darkness dissipating: merely stops displaying the Darkness surrounds you message.
We need to use our Climb skill to get over the rocks. An exercise in tedium, but gives minor xp in the background.
The Mutt isn't all that dangerous. Comes down with a single, uh, hammering of Bison's knife.
As with every skill check, there is the potential for failure. Failures are typically minor nuisances.
Jackie's useless, expect as a pack mule.
Checking out the rest of the cave for potential loot (none). After we're done exploring, we're leaving the cave... and thus concludes the first quest Wasteland throws at us. Gee, wasn't that emotional? Now we can get to fix--
Fun fact: Bobby hits pretty damn hard in combat. However, he failed to account for one thing...
Now that Jackie earned her stripes, it's time to dump her: she's useless, except as a way to get rid of an obstacle in a deniable manner. I mean, who could blame her, being stuck in a cave with a rabid dog?
Dimissing recruitable NPCs is easy.
It's also permanent. No loss.
We leave Highpool the same way we came in: the north!
And thus we arrive at the Rail Nomads and can enjoy the beautiful scenery, depicted in loving detail in the Paragraph Book.
You have come upon the rail-nomads' camp. Ornery looking longhorn cattle wander among dusty tents, from which sullen faces peer. In the background, a ramshackle collection of railroad cars, patched with wood, hide, and an odd piece of corrugated aluminum, sits on a rail siding. Two of the cars, the locomotive at the front and the caboose at the rear, appear to be in better condition than the others. As you approach, a strained silence fails over the camp and you grow uncomfortable under the collective gaze of the assembled nomads.
Finally, one of the nomads steps forward.
The Brakeman turns and strides back into the camp.
As the Brakeman passes you the card, the sunlight catches the dove hologram and glints brightly. You slide it into your breast pocket as he turns and leaves without another word.
The Rail Nomads' camp is pretty easy to understand. The main part is the train, which is composed, from the right, of the caboose, tent storage car, the--
As you pass the open doorway of this car you are almost overcome by the strong odor of fermented cactus fruit. As your eyes become accustomed to the darkness of the car you can make out a straw-covered oor littered with numerous bottles of Dr. B. Bilious Balfour's Snake Squeezins. At the back of the car lolls a rotund bearded figure rocking back and forth as if the mere act of sitting offered a difficult feat of balance. Finally, seeming to take notice of you, the shadowy figure issues an invitation:
"Yes, we do”
The Hobo beams at you blearily.
To demonstrate, the Hobo upends an empty bottle of snake squeezins.
The Hobo is a very interesting source of information. He gives clues to the game plot if given Snake Squeezins, though they are *very* cryptic and mostly just for flavor. We'll have to test him, though.
Continuing, the next car is...
The Nomads' trading car trades in general goods. No guns yet, so we stick to our crowbars.
Next up is the gambling car.
Gambling's a somewhat decent source of cash at this point in the game. Even with a gamble skill of 1 Bolts manages to get a 100% success rate. The process is tedious and without a macro I don't recommend doing it.
Last up is the locomotive.
As you board the locomotive you are met by a short, but solid looking fellow. He is dressed in garishly striped overalls and wears a rather battered and much patched engineer's cap.
The Engineer makes a sweeping gesture that encompasses the entire camp.
Note: I'm highlighting conversation keywords for those who play Wasteland.
At the mention of the Brakeman a brief scowl crosses the Engineer's face, but his smile quickly returns and he adds:
This is a very... entertaining battle. The Topekans deal enough damage to knock us out, but not enough to actually hurt us seriously.The party is hovering on the edge of consciousness the entire time.
We've eventually managed to kill five Topekan men and get out...
And we get loot. A Mangler, some jewelry, cash and FOUR leather jackets, for each member of RAT5.
Now here's the catch: the game checks your inventory for a Mangler, to see if you killed any Juvies. The only way to get a Mangler this early into the game, is to kill the kids that appear when you barge into Mr Jumbo's office. In that case, you get significantly less loot.
Let's divide the spoils.
We're pretty much done with Highpool. Except...
Oh, this can end not well...
Note: This took a lot of tries to pull of: the game's quite generous this early with skill check failures.
Coming up next: Danger! Varmints! Fruit! Vegetables! Farmers! Or infanticide, whatever you guys vote on:
1. Infanticide
2. Everything except infanticide
@ Czaress' quote
Optimalus 