Icerust

Monolith of Sarkic Orders - Turn 2

Within
+ Invest 1 Finesse into a new Vehicle Design

+ Promote 1 Jack to Clout with 20 Grub, 5 Plush
+ Demote 1 Jack to Prole.

+ Build 2 Protein Pools for 140 Labour, 2 Expertise, 20 Grub, 200 Junk, 20 Guzz
+ Build 1 Food Sizzler for 120 Labour, 1 Expertise, 200 Junk, 20 Guzz

+ Spend remaining 124 Labour on gathering 248 Grub (or 125 for 250 if demoted jack can be used)

Total Cost: 384 Labour, 3 Expertise, 1 Finesse, 40 Grub, 400 Junk 40 Guzz, 5 Plush

Without
N/A

 

K-9 in the Pit; A Story about Bubblegum Ultraviolet

The pits are a dangerous place. You could try to keep your head down and avoid attention and chances were you’d be overlooked when it came time for grub or booze, or even a chance to crowd around the fire-barrels for some warmth. For some that was enough, survival… barely. That wasn’t for me though. Or you could push your luck and try to catch Grandma Bubblegum’s eye and show her your worth; that was dangerous. Show her you were strongest, or smartest, or meanest, or if you were like me, just the craziest, and if she liked you, you’d get first choice of roast dog or ground crickets (or your neighbor), and enough Monkey Powder to keep you gripped and sleepless, jittery and paranoid, shiny and chrome, for days, even weeks. If you tried and failed, if you crawled into the ‘den’ with her and didn’t keep up with her, or with her expectations, you could end up worse than overlooked. It usually involved fire; Bubblegum loves fire, says its warms more than her body, that the smell of burning flesh thaws her soul too. I get that, when everything is ice and dust, grey and washed out ochre, the bright blaze of orange and red and warmth you feel inside your bones is majesty itself, even if you did got burned a little, maybe especially if you got burned a little.

​

Despite the crazy and the violence, Bubblegum Ultraviolet wasn’t going to abandon her kids however. Just because she was ‘grandma’ to all these ‘kids’, didn’t mean Bubblegum Ultraviolet wouldn’t get into the pits with us and indulge in the same weeks-long bathsalts binge. There was really only two rules: Don’t say ‘no’ to her. And don’t touch her hair. Obviously her word was law, greater than ‘law’, a godly commandment, and to ignore it invited death or worse, but the second rule takes some exploring. The Ultraviolet of her name came from an old tattered purple wig she wears all the time. I had seen her without the usual parka and brass-studded jean jacket a few times, once in a pit fight, and once in a den-orgy and I knew her back and neck were covered in scars, burn scars. Some said they were from her days with Bunger and the Seraphim SnowAngels but no one asked; she could be sensitive like that. Those scars had claimed her hair too and people said Bubblegum was beautiful in her youth, beautiful, and terrible and crazy and vain and proud, and she is still all those things, even beautiful despite her sixty plus years. And so you didn’t touch her hair, even if she had her hands around your throat and her knees around your hips and her eyes were fire and crazy, reflections of bonfire and bathsalts.

That was life in the pits. It revolved around Bubblegum, like the planets around the sun, or the draw to the warmth of rusted barrel fires. Bubblegum Ultraviolet had gravity, a mixture of cruelty and love, a complete incomprehension or value for humanity or human life in perfect balance with a mother’s caring and support. She turned her children against each other for her amusement and entertainment, even as she loved and coddled and cared for them, gave them food and security, drugs and sex.

The was the Crib. And that was Grandma Bubblegum Ultraviolet. Its why I did what I did and how I ended up “Uncle K-9”, now a clout in our ‘family’. And that’s the story I’ll tell you next.

 

Mid-Apocalypse Chaos Carnival Turn 2 Orders
Construction:

• Build one protein pool. (70 labor, 1 expertise, 10 grub, 100 junk, 10 guzz)
• Build one scrap chowder (90 labor, 1 expertise, 140 junk, 20 guzz)

Labor:

• 40 labor on quest progress
• 4 labor on junk production

Expertise:

• 1 expertise towards quest

Upgrade:

• Upgrade one Jack to a Clout. (20 grub, 5 plush)

 

Restless Spirits Turn 2 Orders

Construction

• Build one protein pool. (70 labor, 1 expertise, 10 grub, 100 junk, 10 guzz)
  
• Build one scrap chowder (90 labor, 1 expertise, 140 junk, 20 guzz)

Labor

• Use 140 Labor to gather Grub
• Use 90 Labor to gather Junk

Quest

• Contribute 50 Grub to those coming into Autos Bastille, we shall welcome them as Proles.

 

Order Implacable Turn 2

1. Promote additional Prole to Clout with 20 grub, 5 plush

2. Complete settlement Quest with 1 Finesse

3. Construct additional Protein Pool with the necessary labor and materials.

4. Convert 50 grub to 5 plush

5. Designate 200 Proles to Gather Junk

6. Designate 134 proles to gather food.

 

Mikeland - Turn 2 orders
Construction
Build Smilo Joint x2
Recruitment
Spend 300 Grub to recruit 100 Proles
Quest
Spend: 5 expertise, 7 finesse
Now some less enlightened minds might say that taking people in is lame. They'll say that it's a waste of food, and why should we spend our well-earned grub on dirty outsiders? But King Mike the Great ain't called the Great for nothing. There's an old world saying, from way back when. It goes like this: 'Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe". Comes from a great thinker named Bill Nye, though you wouldn't know of him, cuz you ain't smart like King Mike. Now, what does it mean? It means you got to spend food to make food. Sure, maybe you have to feed someone a few meals for now. But then you go to that person and go "hey! i just fed you! you'd be starving if it wasn't for me! You got to pay me back!" And they do got to pay you back, cuz you just loaned then a whole bundle of grub, and no one backs out on a loan to King Mike. So you set them to work, hunting and scrounging for food, and soon enough they'll pay back your loan, and then they have to keep working to pay back the interest, and in the end you get more food than you started out with! It's free grub!

Now, most people are decent folk who pay back their loans, but every once in a while you get some people who are just scum. They're awful people. They slack off and they don't pay you back. The simplest way to deal with it is just catch first. That's why we got to get the discerning eye of King Mike or one of his family or pals to check out any newcomers, to check if they're trustworthy enough to payback their loans or willing to brownose hard enough. But not everyone can be as good as King Mike. Maybe one of his pals made a mistake. And if that's the case you've got to make an example of it. Nobody cheats King Mike, and if they won't pay with their sweat they'll have to pay with their blood.

 

Republic of Sinclair
Orders 2

In St. Clair:
Production:

105 labor in producing Grub: 130 x 2 = +210 Grub.
50 labor in producing Junk: 50 x 3 = +150 Junk.

Building:

70 labor, 10 grub, 1 expertise, 100 junk, and 10 guzz on a Protein Pool.

Challenge: The Refugees

130 labor will finish this mission.

 

The Motors Parliament


Turn 2: For the first time in many years, many years, the halls of the garage are filling up with chatter, laughter, and voices.



Our Road Scribes have put together the first plans for the updated Road Patrol:

Boasting a Roadster Chassis, scavenged and storied aerodynamic frames from the old Patrol Cars, a valkyrie engine to speed along the roads, and, as the final argument of parliament, a light mortar.


We will dedicate a majority of our labor and resources to get the first of our Road Patrol, gleaming in red and white, back on the road.


The remainder of our labor and expertise will go towards the welcoming the Garage Visitors.

 

The Addlebrained Alcoholics

1) Build a Scrap Chowder
Cleveland is filled with useless ruins and abandoned communities. Why let it go to waste? We can send a contingent out to see what we can recycle, that engineer might prove useful as a on-the-ground leader. We can spend a good chunk of our leftover scrap building a warehouse where can repurpose what we find; we'll get that cost back after it starts churning out stuff.
(Spend 90 Labour, 1 Expertise, 140 Junk)

2) Train our newcomers (Quest).
We can't build nice apartments for these stragglers, not until they prove useful. It's time to teach them our way, or for them it's the highway. We can promise them an accommodation better than a tent once they actually do something decent for this community. Evie herself will oversee this endeavour.
(60 Labour, 1 Finesse)

3) Farm what we can.
Years ago we could feed ourselves well enough, but each winter grows colder and colder. Where once the soil was rich, it now hardens and chokes out life. We have to change and become more versatile to survive, but we should send what spare labour we can to eek out even the smallest crop. We need to buy more time...
(Spend the remaining 107 Labour on Grub production.)

 

Icerust - Update 2
Long Winter Y100.M3: America Crying




Greylaw
In Thunderbolt, the ever-focused Alfa-Alfa didn’t want to distract the lawmen and -women from the important task of preparing the living quarters for the new joiners of their fight club. As a result, only faction of the gang’s time was spent hunting and salvaging, while the scrap chowder and protein pool started to pay for themselves.

(Thunderbolt: +22 Grub, +111 Junk, -8 Plush)

Alfa-Alfa’s challenge: Outlaws and losers (Completed)
Under FoFo’s supervision, the gang finished setting up its violent and manipulative initiation tradition, building a shantytown for the newly admitted “snowflakes.” (Investment: Labor 60/60, Expertise: 4/4, Finesse: 1/1, Award: +1d10 Proles, +1d2 Junk (5% chance/turn))

Alfa-Alfa’s challenge: Games of Greylaw
Alfa-Alfa’s next plan was continuation of the previous one. Seeing that his cutthroats were fuming with tension and frustration over months of winter chill and inactivity, he decided that Greylaw needed a valve to let out the excess steam. That valve became the first Game of Greylaw, a brutal, but “friendly” (meaning less-than-lethal, when possible) competition, in which the various houses - the Foxtrots, the Bravos, and others - would be able to compete for the entertainment of the entire Thunderbolt. As the first game is still being planned, but the excitement generated by the very rumor of it showed something unusual: apparently, the luxurious excesses of privileged living are not necessarily measured in edibles, wearables, or (for Alfa-Alfa and the like) readables. Looking at how much the leaders of Greylaw fought for the VIP seats in the yet-unannounced tournament, Alfa-Alfa understood that entertainment itself is just as much a source of plush as a moonshine bottle or a chrome necklace. Needless to say, the new tradition is dependent on the creative energy of the gang’s leaders as well as on the sheer labor needed to set up the new arena. (Investment: Labor 0/100, Expertise: 4/4, Finesse: 4/4, Award: +1d4 Plush (10% chance/turn))


The Wobblies
Very little salvaging and construction took place in Ravenswood Commune, because the expansion of the Hitchhikers’ quarters took all of the time, interrupted by more (yes, more!) committee sessions. However, the committee did request that some of the less useful scrap (mostly, plastic artifacts that have survived 100 years of collapse) get converted into the hygene products for the upper classes in the ultimate classless society of Icerust.

(Ravenswood Commune: -158 Grub, +20 Junk, -2 Plush)

Grand Foreman’s challenge: Plight of the proletariat (Completed)
The Hitchhikers’ quarters were constructed under the bridge of the elevated train station as a permanent refugee camp with a “Workers’ Consciousness” educational booth. Some of the miraculously surviving heat lamps used by the ancient inhabitants of Chicagoland to warm themselves during the Age of Autumn were dragged from the station and readjusted to give the Hitchhikers some warmth while they wait for their admission papers. With it, the project was concluded and… the next one began.

(Investment: Labor 60/60, Expertise: 3/3, Finesse: 2/2, Award: +1d30 Proles (10% chance/turn))

Grand Foreman’s challenge: Ray funnel
The Hitchhikers’ quarters were still being outfitted, when the committee under Chandra Gardener started discussing yet another problem. Raven’s Wood is a desolate ruinscape, evaded by wild animals and with arid, permafrozen soil. A heatcatcher could fix the problem to a degree, but the tiny commune struggles to find the working hands to complete the ambitious solar heater in a short term. So, Grand Foreman turned to her industrious engineers to solve the problem. A proposition of making a “smaller, smarter heatcatcher” was met with laughter, but an unusual alternative was found. One of the engineers suggest using a massive arrangement of reflective materials to focus heat rays in the vicinity of Ravenswood Commune, thawing a patchwork of soil and, possibly, attracting animals by its warmth. Not as strong in power generation as a regular heatcatcher, this device (named “ray funnel”)would be also very demanding to the amount and quality of materials. However, it may prove to be less labor-intensive to put together, as it wouldn’t require any heavy lifting and machinery installation. What it does require is mathematical precision and well-calculated measurements, though - something the committee members would be happy to provide. Now, the actual blueprints need to be drawn and peer-reviewed, before seeing what the new installation is capable of.

(Investment: Expertise: 21/40, Finesse: 2/5, Award: new structure available only to The Wobblies in the Building list)

Mommaz Boyz
Mommaz Boyz were busy hunting wild animals lost in the rainbow-colored fog of the Five Seasons, making sure to leave some occasional game bleeding out in the snow, attracting new kids for Grandma, later escorted (willingly or not) to The Crib. Their search for metal scrap was much less successful, but the recycling facilities at home helped to compensate for the meager takings. Meanwhile, at home Grandma Ultraviolet had a bad trip on Monkey Powder and got into a fight with a much respected Uncle K-9 (which cost her a pinkie - not her pinkie, of course). Uncle K-9’s fellow mechies saved him from the old harpy’s anger, but in her frustration she ended up kicking them back into the Binkie Slums.

(The Crib:+125 Grub, +285 Junk, +5 Guzz, -2 Plush, +98 Prole, -3 Jacks)

Grandma’s challenge: Lost grandkids
For now, the game baiting of refugees works well enough for Mommaz Boyz, and The Crib is gaining quite a reputation as a dysfunctional, but well-to-do settlement. So, the question of random (unbaited) lost grandkids has been shelved for now.

(Investment: Labor 0/60, Expertise: 2/2, Finesse: 0/1, Award: +1d10 Proles, +1d3 Junk (5% chance/turn))

Ogayori Clan
Well-provisioned and smoothly run, the settlement of Ryūgū-jō saw another construction effort, as a scrap chowder and waste kitchen were built, recycling the village’s metal scrap and food waste into the precious junk and guzz. Additional, salvaging runs were made around the Utsukushī Shima in search of salvageable materials and to a half-sunk trawler stuck in the ice by the shore, where gasoline was acquired.

(Ryūgū-jō: -413 Grub, +147 Junk, +380 Guzz, -4 Plush, +1 Waste kitchen, +1 Scrap chowder)

Clan Head’s challenge: Baka gaijin (Completed)
The tradition of assimilating all accepted newcomers was successfully introduced into the Ogayori Clan, based on a formal code of honor based on the ancient Japanese traditions. Additionally, a humble living quarter was built near the Yacht Club ruins.

(Investment: Labor 60/60, Expertise: 1/1, Finesse: 2/2, Award: +1d10 Proles (10% chance/turn))

Clan Head’s challenge: Red Beach memorial
The Clan Wars won by Ogayori Denji in the past have left quite a trace not only in him, but also in his clanmates’ memory. Many of his combat comrades keep revisiting the place of the bloodiest battle that bound them together: the Battle of the Red Beach. Some of them started to propose turning that location into a meditation garden (featuring, perhaps, some frost-resistant dwarf trees among the polished rocks and ice). There, the Clan’s weary warriors or overworked servants would be able to regain some sanity and sense of purpose through prayer and meditation. Needless to say, this is not the most pragmatic construction, but the spiritual peace it could grant to the Ogayori people might grant them as much joy as a precious bottle of sake or an ornamented outfit.

(Investment: Labor 0/100, Expertise: 0/2, Finesse: 0/6, Award: +1d2 Plush (15% chance/turn))

Monolith of Sarkic
The Monolith continued expanding its Cathedral, this time by adding two additional protein pools and a proper food conservation facility in the back of the mill’s ruins. This only cemented The Cathedral’s reputation as an eerie, but attractive place to live, especially as the future hunting bounties promise to be better preserved. In the meantime, the social stratification takes its toll on the cult’s mechanics and craftsmen, one of which quickly climbed the Karcist hierarchy for his development of a fearsome technical vehicle named “Evangelist,” based on powerful old-world urban SUVs, with a crude autocannon and Gatling gun installation and two trigger-happy autoriflemen in the back. Meanwhile, his less lucky colleague was given a boot down to the Half-believers’ quarters, after a rumor of his skipped prayers spread out.

(The Cathedral: -108 Grub, -300 Junk, -40 Guzz, -8 Plush, +1 Proles, -2 Junk, +1 Clout, +2 Protein pools, +1 Food sizzler)

(Monolith of Sarkic: +new Design (“Evangelist” Multipurpose Utility Vehicle))

Grand Karcist’s challenge: Heathens at our doorstep
The living quarters for the initiates of the Karcist faith have been planned, but no labor could be spared on their completion

(Investment: Labor 0/180, Expertise: 1/1, Finesse: 0/2, Award: +3d10 Proles (10% chance/turn))

Mid-Apocalypse Chaos Carnival
There was a boom of activity in Shelby Carnarium, as two more automated food- and metal-producing facilities (crude as they were) were built. Their chief engineer gained enough respect among the trouppe to become the Big Top Master, a position almost equal to Ringmaster Vanessa herself.

(Shelby Carnarium: -83 Grub, -224 Junk, -30 Guzz, -7 Plush, -1 Jack, +1 Clout, +1 Protein Pool, +1 Scrap chowder)

Ringmaster’s challenge: Carnival visitors
The construction of Chaos Clown Confections was completed this month, and the booths’ contents keep getting regularly restocked. The work is ongoing over the Visitor Alley (a temporary housing space in the carnival grounds), and the Chaos Carnival’s programme is yet to be made up.

(Investment: Labor 40/60, Expertise: 1/1, Finesse: 0/2, Award: +1d10 Proles (10% chance/turn))

Order Implacable
Located in an area of Old Milwaukee that was buried by huge snow slopes for over a century, Hammerhill proves to be a rich area with multiple dense sources of buried scrap metal and many hunting and fishing options. As every scrap run or hunt brings plentiful takings, it was easy for Sir Ducati to expand the settlement’s “light industry” through addition of another protein pool and additionally finding a way of turning rat intestines into gourmet sausages, Old Milwaukee style. (Hammertown: -12 Grub, +600 Junk, -10 Guzz, -3 Plush, -1 Jack, +1 Clout, +1 Protein Pool)

Grand Master’s challenge: The Poor Fellows of Hammertown (Completed)
The Poor Fellows’ colony of Hammertown was already well known among the lonesome survivors that stalked the Old Milwaukee wasteland, but few people would stay there for longer than it took to warm their bones and fill their bellies. However, recently Sir Ducati was joined in his Spartan retreat by one Bishop Lamborghini, a well-read man of lofty words (a trait that stood out compared to the Grand Master’s oath of silence, to say the least). With Bishop Lamborghini’s help, the first book of prayers was written, featuring fatalistic and yet hopeful passages about the “world that never weeps.” This trule helped to keep the new arrivals in Hammertown as true initiated Implacables.

(Investment: Labor 120/120, Expertise: 2/2, Finesse: 1/1, Award: +2d20 Proles (5% chance/turn))

Grand Master’s challenge: Fast and faster
Sir Ducati is not a man (or a woman?) of many words. If anything, she (or he?) is a person of barely any words. Some members of Order Implacable start wondering what their faith actually preaches, besides asceticism and silence. Others take it into their own hands to define their beliefs. A few true-believers started regularly fasting, consuming only enough food and water they need to survive their daily workload. This impressed Bishop Lamborghini, who suggests that maybe this could be another valuable tradition to start. If periodic fasting becomes a societal norm in Hammertown, perhaps, some extra food could be preserved for a darker day. Now, this raw idea may require some clarifications in order not to hurt the Order in the long run (and, in fact, some propose its direct opposite, with feasts of plenty), but it’s worth considering. (Investment: ??? Award: a chance of a positive event occurring every turn)

Restless Spirits
Protein pools and scrap chowders, as far as the eye can see - this will one day be written in history books about the early days of Icerust warlord states. The Restless Spirits were not an exception to that economic necessity, as Autos Bastille saw an algae-based protein pool and a metal recycling facility built. Dame Clara Eden also dispatched her brutes to hunt occasional wild dogs and snow rabbits across the desolate ruins of Sagnasty, picking up some metal scrap along the way. She also organized a foodfest (with Clara’s own favorite algae soup!) in Autos Bastille, which attracted some refugees from across the ruinscape. (Autos Bastille:-338 Grub, -150 Junk, -30 Guzz, -2 Plush, +16 Proles, +1 Protein Pool, +1 Scrap chowder)

Dame’s challenge: Spiritless strangers
Unfortunately for Dame Clara, the foodfest could only work as a one-off attraction for the refugees of Icerust. That is, unless such attractions become commonplace and fairly regular. That eventually was accepted as the Restless Spirits’ refugee acceptance tradition: offer warm food in soup kitchens, but let the newcomers figure their own accommodations and lifestyle. This promises to be a very cheap tradition to set up, although it doesn’t guarantee the same constant flow of newcomers or their smooth integration. (Investment: Labor 0/60, Expertise: 0/1, Finesse: 0/1, Award: +1d10 Proles (5% chance/turn))

Mikeland
Who never was afraid to be a maverick? Mike the Great never was. While the most of Icerust invested its meager resources into disgustingly-smelling superfood production and noisy metal recycling, Mikeland went head-on into entertainment. Not one, but two taverns were built in Popsicle Junction, with blackjack and less-than-frigid guys and girls. Having tested each of these facilities in person, Mike named the smilo joints “Mike’s Favorite” and “The Other One.” Excited about the business opportunities opening to him, he also declared a massive feast - an event that attracted dozens of refugees from Singing Ice and its environs. Needless to say, after eating the King’s food, the newcomers were presented with a bill, which they’re expected to pay through diligent labor in the upcoming few generations. (Popsicle Junction: -646 Grub, -200 Junk, -100 Guzz, -9 Plush, +100 Proles, +2 Smilo joints)

King’s challenge: Envious freebooters
The thrilling experience of luring refugees into indentured servitude gave Mike a great idea. Quoting an ancient loremaster Bill the Nigh, Mike proposed to welcome all newcomers with a warm meal (or two, or three), followed by a contract of indenture. With how desperate and illiterate the wandering survivors usually are, it doesn’t seem like a hard trick to pull, as long as Mikeland remains a prosperous realm. Of course, then you have a problem of serfs hating their master, but that’s just makes them selfish ingrates, meaning they deserve everything they get. (Investment: Labor 0/60, Expertise: 5/6, Finesse: 1/1, Award: +1d30 Proles (5% chance/turn))

The Republic of Sinclair
The Republic of Sinclair continued expanding its cricket-based food industry, while its game hunters and salvagers kept harvesting food and junk from across central Old Cleveland. Stern and pragmatic, Captain-Defender Eugenia opposed any proposals for expansion of the Republican car park, while so many mouths were yet unfed.

(Sinclair: -112 Grub, +50 Junk, -10 Guzz, -4 Plush, +1 Protein Pool)

Captain-Defender’s challenge: Arriving freedmen (Completed)
Speaking of the unfed mouths, Eugenia St. Clair and her lieutenants finished expanding the massive living quarters for the newly arrived immigrants in a rebuilt ruin of a Buddhist pagoda and a three-story Cantonese-style building on a corner of no longer existing streets. With it, the Republic set to work the most humanitarian welfare program in the least humanitarian part of the planet. (Investment: Labor 180/180, Expertise: 2/2, Finesse: 2/2, Award: +3d20 Proles (10% chance/turn))

Captain-Defender’s challenge: Justice and peace
Sinclair is a kind, welcoming refuge for the destitute and freedom-loving. However, some of the new arrivals, as desperate as they are, are recognized by the Sinclarians to be small-time raiders, slave catchers, and other similar lowlifes. Sure, living in Icerust has scarred everyone and made them accustomed to death and killing, but some people cross even that boundary. Even if they never held positions of authority in their gangs, they are deemed beyond the point of redemption by many. Yet, others point out that in Sinclair everyone has a chance to change for the better - after all, the Republic’s motto hints that there’s still work for self-improvement until the very grave. What justice should such newcomers be granted? (Investment: ??? Award: a chance of a positive event occurring every turn)

The Motors Parliament
After months of monotone labor aimed at merely surviving the raging winter, The Motorts Parliament has finally issued a decree (read out loud to a folk hip-hop accompaniment): bring the Patrol Squads back on the roads. Reinvigorated mechanics rushed to the back section of the Parliamentary Garage to execute the order in the most direct manner. A speedy roadster was put together, with a sleek frame of an American muscle car and a chassis of an autobahn roadster, driven by a light, but furious “Valkyrie” engine. As the rookie seat was replaced with a light mortar and its operator (part of the roof had to be sacrificed for the purpose of ergonomics), the red-and-white patrol car was born, named “L'Amérique Pleure” (America Crying). Soon, the highways of Ontario wasteland will hear the roar of the MPs’ engines once again.

(The Parliamentary Garage: -53 Grub, -57 Junk, -85 Guzz, -3 Plush, -2 Proles)
(The Motors Parliament: +new Design (“L'Amérique Pleure” Patrol Car), +1 “L'Amérique Pleure” Patrol Car)

PM’s challenge: Garage visitors
PM herself continued welcoming refugees in The Parliamentary Garage. Still lacking the practicality of many other emerging factions, PM’s plan had one unquestionable strength: the spirit boost the view and the roar of the new muscle car provided to the garage visitors. (Investment: Labor 72/120, Expertise: 1/1, Finesse: 0/1, Award: +2d10 Proles (5% chance/turn))

The Addlebrained Alcoholics
One day, Evie Jiang woke up to a realization that her struggling enterprise was running out of junk. Some say, it was just a bad hangover, but nobody could argue with the Top Brewer. Less than a month later, a scrap chowder was built and set working in an abandoned warehouse next to the main brewery. In the meantime, the majority of the Addlebrained Alcoholics kept salvaging Alcoland for any food - mostly hunting owls and snow mice, as the surrounding ruins prove to be rather poor in wildlife.

(Rotten Apple: -97 Grub, -140 Junk, -20 Guzz, -2 Plush, +1 Scrap chowder)

Top Brewer’s challenge: Thirsty throats (Completed)
Evie Jiang’s brainchild, the refugee apprenticeship program was finally set running, as a new living quarter was set up for them out of old world’s plastic waste and cardboard. Soon, news spread through Old Cleveland that Rotten Apple was the place where even the last prole could get drunk one day - if not from drinking the precious moonshine, then at least from breathing the brewery’s air. (Investment: Labor 60/60, Expertise: 4/4, Finesse: 1/1, Award: +1d10 Proles, +1d2 Plush (5% chance/turn))

Top Brewer’s challenge: Junk for booze
Alcoland is notoriously poor when it comes to the metal scrap. Once, it’s rumored, it attracted marauders because of the massive train park nearby, but since then all train cars have been cannibalized for spare parts or rolled elsewhere as mobile homes, and after that the greedy salvagers plucked away even the railway itself. With the remaining scrap of that part of Old Cleveland concentrated in Rotten Apple itself, the Addlebrained Alcoholics are notoriously strained when it comes to the bone and muscle of any car or construction: the junk. Some advisers of the Top Brewer say that discovering another Oz-free location and founding a colony there would be a good long-term solution. Others propose building local infrastructure for melting all minor scrap into new parts and pieces. But a short-term solution is still a glaring question mark. Somebody has suggested that, maybe, the Addlebrained Alcoholics should open their moonshine shop to anyone who comes their way, exchanging moonshine for scrap. This is somewhat dangerous, as it may increase the notoriety of Rotten Apple and expose it to a Highwaymen’s raid. On the other hand, maybe it’s safer to be the Highwaymen’s bartender, after all. What should we do now, before the brewery’s resources are ready for such an expansion? (Investment: ??? Award: a chance of a positive event occurring every turn)

Ol' Bunger's Bastards
Ol’ Bunger and his Bastards spent the month looking for that one favorite boot he lost. He refused to speak to anyone until the boot is brought back, and promised to punish anyone who does anything until that essential mission is fulfilled.

Old Man’s challenge: Them youffs
Ol’ Bunger’s reputation is well known. Well, not particularly, but he’s been around for long enough, so now every youth knows this or that about him, or, at least, they think they do. Anywho. The point is, many of them youffs come to our Kitchen and ask for some snacks, and they’re willing to work for them. Maybe they should be let in? After all, you’ve gotta start with a Max before you hit an Ol’ Bunger, right? With some labor, expertise, or finesse investment, perhaps, we could set up a good tradition that will benefit us in the future. (Investment: ??? Award: a chance of a positive event occurring every turn)

GM's notes:
- @Decamper - Without your orders, your faction will start starving next turn.
- The map doesn't really require an update, so I won't spend time on it. Please refer to the top post of this thread.
- The stats are up to date.
- The orders are due by next Friday.

 

Mommaz Boyz Orders for Turn 3

Building:
Build 1 scrap chowda.
Build bike stables.

Resource Gathering:
Spend 274 labor on finding grub.
Spend 210 grub on 21 plush.

Recruit:
Promote one jack to a clout (an obese giant with a penchant for chemistry, home-made confectionaries, and psychological violence called "The Candyman")
Spend 84 grub on recruiting proles.

 

The Adventurer's Guide to the Frostlands: Sarkicism
By Carl "Ticklefinger"

Hail and warm tidings to you, fellow reader! May your belly be full and your clothes stay dry. If you are blessed with the ancient ways of the scribbles and able to speak these letters with your brain-voice then congratulations; you've come across one of the many guides I've left behind as i journey through the perilous frozen wastes in my ultimate quest of maxing out my wisdom stat. In this particular piece of letters I've written down all that I know about the strange religious sect going by the name of the Monolith of Sarkic.

Now, it is important to note that to call them a cult is primarily for dramatic effect by unwitting outsiders. A better phrasing would be the Sarkic Religion of Sarkicism. Sarkicism is a religious and philosophical system that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largerly based on the teachings of Grand Karcist Maxwell, the religion's version of Jesus, Moses and the Prophet Muhammed all rolled into one.

The sarkites take many of their practices from old christianity, with their religion being heavily revolved around communal gatherings, activities and prayer focused on strengthening their unity. However as one dwelves deeper their more unorthodox traditions become more apparent. Some of these include ritual cannibalism, human sacrifice and bodily alterations through exposure to the Oz.

Followers believe that humanity has been chosen for paradise through a test which they call "the First Step". This challenge represents the icy era which has consumed our world. They also believe that their physical forms and souls are intertwined, which explains their cannibalistic tendencies as it is a way of "pickle jarring" a person's soul so that it may yet be brought into paradise upon ascension along with the person who devoured them. As such, followers of sarkicism never bury their dead or perform traditional burial rites, but instead make a meal of the deceased in a grotesque ritualistic fashion. This train of thought makes followers of sarkicism prone to become extremely agitated on the subject of cremation, or any other method that would essentially render the deceased's body unedible. You'll will never see sakites employing fire or acid-based weaponry, and they will often prioritize bringing down someone wielding this sort of "unholy" equipment with an almost posessed fanaticism.

Aside from feasting on the dead, sarkites perform a twisted form of communion where the clergy will perform self-mutilation upon themselves and offer up the small pieces to their flock. Piece offerings from the followers themselves is also accepted, and are placed upon an altar in their churches on display for a full day before being transported outside into the wild as a tribute to their god.

The sarkites have their own horror version of the christian act of baptism, which is considered a requirement for anyone wishing to rise through the ranks of their organization. This ritual, or "blessing" as they call it, involves a person coming into contact with- and having at least some form of direct exposure to an artifact or anomaly caused by the Oz. If the exposure causes physical mutation or some form of observable change to the person then it is believed that their meat was considered sufficiently "succulent" by their omnipotent deity and deemed worthy of serving it. This blessing is considered permanent for a person's bloodline, and future generations are not required to perform the ritual as they have already been "tasted".

Finally comes their structure and hierarchy. I have taken the liberty of quickly summarizing all of the known titles and stations within the Sarkic Monolith below:

Although they appear more than willing to allow anyone into their numbers, the Monolith of Sarkic holds a strict ranking structure which promotes and rewards blind belief and fanaticism. It would seem that they are fully aware that certain aspects of their religion may appear unnatural or intimidating to outsiders however, for they never publicly- or directly force anyone to believe, and will often hold said rituals in closed environments away from the public majority.

Still, their methods of conversion are present. Subtle, but present. Nonbelievers will often find that their soup bowls are half-full compared to those who follow, that barter wares are suddenly out of stock whenever they traverse the market, that their shelters are smaller and of poor quality, or that they will be "accidentally" left uninvited to activities, feasts and gatherings.

That is all for now, gentle reader. I can hear the bat-rats, or brats if you will, starting to claw at the door. Until next time!

 

Ogayori Clan
Turn 3
Invest Order Red Beach memorial
Labor 58, Finesse: 2

Building Order:
Build two protein pools. (140 labor, 20 grub, 200 junk, 20 guzz, 2 expertise )
Build waste kitchen. (80 labor, 30 grub, 100 junk, 1 Exp)
Build Scrap chowders (140 junk, 20 guzz, 90 labor, 1 expertise)

Production Order:
50 labor will be designated to to fishingman district (Grub)
50 labor will be designated to junkman district (Junk)

Clan Head’s challenge: Red Beach memorial
The Clan Wars won by Ogayori Denji in the past have left quite a trace not only in him, but also in his clanmates’ memory. Many of his combat comrades keep revisiting the place of the bloodiest battle that bound them together: the Battle of the Red Beach. Some of them started to propose turning that location into a meditation garden (featuring, perhaps, some frost-resistant dwarf trees among the polished rocks and ice). There, the Clan’s weary warriors or overworked servants would be able to regain some sanity and sense of purpose through prayer and meditation. Needless to say, this is not the most pragmatic construction, but the spiritual peace it could grant to the Ogayori people might grant them as much joy as a precious bottle of sake or an ornamented outfit.

(Investment: Labor 58/100, Expertise: 0/2, Finesse: 2/6, Award: +1d2 Plush (15% chance/turn))

 

Monolith of Sarkic Orders - Turn 3

Within
"Grand Karcist Maxwell and his priesthood gather to solve the matter of properly sheltering outsiders in finer detail as they arrive."
+ Invest 2 Finesse into "Heathens at our doorstep"

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
+ Spend 51 Grub on recruiting 17 Proles
+ Spend 5 Expertise and 50 Junk on producing 5 Plush

"In an effort to provide their flock with some semblance of comfort the Monolith begins laying plans for the establishment of a brand new entertainment quarter within the Cathedral. Finally, the Grand Karcist order his brightest jacks with the vital charge of constructing a power generator connected to a series of heater hubs spread evenly throughout the site - with the hopes of pushing out the creeping freeze for good."
+ Build 1 Heatcatcher for 230 Labour, 2 Expertise, 400 Junk, 30 Guzz
+ Build 1 Smilo Joint for 100 Labour, 1 Expertise, 50 Grub, 100 Junk, 50 Guzz

+ Spend remaining 59 Labour on gathering 142 Grub

Total Cost: 389 Labour, 8 Expertise, 2 Finesse, 101 Grub, 500 Junk 80 Guzz

Without
N/A

 

FYI, everyone. For this turn, nothing has changed, but starting next turn Plush production will use Expertise when you convert Grub or Junk into it.

Plush. Various forms of non-essential (but morale-boosting) niceties, from alcohol to better clothing to fine food to personal care appliances. Produced out of Grub or Junk through conversion (1:10 rate), at the cost of 1 Expertise for 1 Plush. 1 Plush has Storage Demand of 1.

 

Denim jackets with sewed on patches from long-dead 80s hairbands just got much rarer and more valuable!

 

Hey all - I added some more rules to make the gameplay more transparent and dynamic.

Factions



Each faction will have a number of important parameters that will shape its present and future.


Experience. A measure of war spirit, bullheadedness, and military tradition of a faction. Each faction starts with Experience of 3, but with every passing battle (won or moderately lost), the faction’s experience has a chance of ticking up (the chance of the Experience uptick is higher at low Experience levels and lower at high Experience levels). Losing an entire force (to an enemy or the elements) has a chance of downticking the faction’s Experience. Experience indicates the total sum of points available to the faction’s leaders (see Commanders below).


Glory. Reputation earned by the faction across the wasteland, rising hope or terror in the hearts of all Icerusters, representing formal or unspoken authority and pacts made over time. Glory can be gained through discovery of new sites and Highways, as well as through particularly outstanding achievements, rivalring the wonders of the World of Autumn (at least, in the eyes of the survivors).Each point of Glory can be spent on a “free” gift or tribute: 200 Grub, or 200 Junk, or 200 Guzz, or 25 Plush, or 100 Proles, or 20 Jacks, or 5 Clouts. A spent Glory point is irreversibly lost, and its impact is immediate. Note: If the Glory point is used to gain resources, the resources can be spent on the same turn. If the Glory point is used to gain population, the population can provide Labor/Expertise/Finesse on the same turn it’s gained, but they will also be eligible for maintenance on the same turn.



Notoriety. A downside of Glory, Notoriety represents the faction’s attractiveness to prowling Highwaymen bands. A notorious faction could be a hated evil empire or a tempting “city on the hill,” attracting random forces of chaos - or of misguided justice - toward itself. The higher the Notoriety is, the more likely its cities are to be attacked or raided by bandits. Notoriety ranges from 1 (very low chance of being raided by Highwaymen) to 20 (inevitable raid). Notoriety is gained through various achievements of civilization, such as a high stockpile of goods, particularly impressive industry, famous traditions, sprawling territory, conquest, and many, many more other things. Even if the faction doesn’t achieve much, its Notoriety has a chance to tick up every passing turn (mere survival may be quite notorious in the Long Winter). Once a raid occurs, the Notoriety drops back to 1. Note: if your faction is already well-developed, your Notoriety has a high chance to climb back up pretty quickly, so keep your eyes peeled. However, military victories (against Highwaymen or fellow players) have a chance of dropping the victor’s Notoriety (the bigger the victory, the bigger the Notoriety drop).

 

Mikeland - Turn 3 Orders
Construction
Assign 90 labor, 1 expertise, 140 junk, 20 guzz to construct a scrap chowder
Gathering
Assign 156 labor to gathering grub
Quest
Assign 60 labor, 1 expertise to finish the quest

 

Hi! a bit late maybe but Zap told me to go ahead and post my faction so here it is:​

​

Faction name: The Speed Freeks
Faction motto: HARDER, FASTER, LOUDER
Faction background: A band of hardcore adrenaline junkies who live for nothing but one need: The need for SPEED. These roaming banditos take the thrill of fast-rolling, brain-melting acceleration to new heights and have formed a fanatical cult revolving around high-speed automobiles and mowing down poor souls for bloodsport as they gleefully stride along the frozen highways with reckless abandon. To the speed freek pilots; their vehicle are like soulmated family heirlooms that they share a deep spiritual bond with and will always try to customize/bling them out as far as the laws of physics will possibly allow them. Therefore no single type of vehicle in their ranks is ever the same
Faction origin: Cult
Faction leader: Speed-Ace Joe One-Toe
Leader’s story: All the stories tell similar tales that Joe is a direct descendant to some glorious pre-disaster Formula One speed racer legend. Whether that is true or not he is still the first to roar and he always soars. Always. What a lovely guy!
Leader’s past: Stern Survivor
Capital name: Joe's Pitstop
Capital location: Sudbury, Ontario
Capital type: Boomtown
War doctrine: Spearhead + Mechanized Wave + Orderly Evacuation
Highway philosophy: Fast & Furious

 

Order Implacable

Convert 30 food to 3 plush with 3 expertise

Task 100 Proles to gather 300 Grub

Task 100 Proles to gather 300 Junk

Construct 1 Bomb Lab with 140 Proles, 1 Jack, 220 Junk, and 10 Guzz.



Invest 1 Finesse into Designing the Zard:

Chopper Bike
Open Bike Frame
Rockenrolla
Spikes
melee weapon
Shield


Construct 2 Zard with 56 Labor, 2 Expertise, 12 grub, 44 junk, and 20 guzz


Invest 1 finesse, 2 expertise, and the remaining proles into settlement mission.

We will decide to hold special a special fast day every month. The sick, elderly, and the the very young children will be exempt. We will also write in a provison to waive this fast requirement for warriors facing battle.

Recruit 10 proles with 30 food