The Web of Fear: A Fallout Game

jackelgull · Jul 25, 2018

"Hello Adam it's unfortunate we had to meet under these circumstances."
"You're the Director? But you're...!"
"Human yes. It's an unfortunate story. Please know I take no pleasure in this. Relax, I will take care of you."

"Why do you always do this?"
"Do what my fine ghoul assistant?"
"Pretend that you're the friends of any humans we come across."
"Oh, you've asked such an embarrassing question for me. I'm afraid the answer doesn't befit a scientist such as myself..."

"I like watching them break."

First Turn Challenge:

Invite them in. Our door is always open to new ghoul raiders, as long as they abide by the rules.

Welcome to the Brotherhood, fellow ghouls. We will be both your mother and father. Watch out for the third door on the left. That's the Director's experimental chambers. It would be quite unfortunate if you entered.

Orders:
"What brings you to my door, Queek?"
"Big mama wants to know when the jeeps you promised us will be done."
"I'm a scientist not a miracle worker. Tell Big Mama I need a garage to even make a jeep."
"That's gonna cost alot of scrap. Mama won't be happy"
"Depends on whether she thinks the mobility and extra flanking power will be worth it"
"-"
"Jeep goes vroom vroom"
"I'll tell mama, but she wants her jeep fast. The Hardy boys are getting annoying about it and they've got our big guns."
"Well then she better get me the scrap and tech parts real quick"

Send an expedition nearby to search for scrap and advance tech:
50 ghouls armed with lt weapons melee and in leather armor and 50 slaves should be assigned to the job

Nobody126 · Jul 25, 2018

Atlantic Maritime League Orders

Spoiler :

SouthernKing · Jul 26, 2018

I already have half of everyone's orders, thanks all. I can't realistically update before Saturday, so let's set that as a tentative soft deadline for now.

J.K. Stockholme · Jul 28, 2018

Faction Name: Vault 350
Starting Location: High Ridge, Connecticut
Capital Type: Vault
Origins: Vault Dwellers
Traits: Scientific, Warlike
Background:

Yale University once hosted one of the premier biological warfare laboratories in all the world. When the bombs fell both military and technical staff working at the laboratory were ushered into Vault 350 along with a population of randomly chosen families. In-order to carry out experiments on unwilling subjects, Vault-Tec instructions provided that the highest ranking officer be made Overseer, institute martial law, and make summary “execution” a common and likely outcome of many crimes within the Vault. In-reality, there would be no execution, with the accused criminal instead being placed in a separate, secret section of the Vault for experimental testing. While the Vault’s main population of scientists, guards, and civilians were free to live and work in the “main” Vault quarters, the research facility was accessible only to the Overseer, the scientists, and a select few other key leaders.

In the early decades of the Vault there were few people forced to undergo experimentation and little research output, as the first Overseer, a cruel military-minded anti-communist paranoiac, found scientists resistant to the Vault’s mission. By the time the second generation of scientists were being raised, however, the first Overseer’s leadership culture of harsh punishments, martial order, military-like social hierarchy, and ruthless drive toward continuing the Vault’s original research had taken root.

Today the Vault’s residents are still led by a harsh-but-fair militarist, but now the research has finally come to fruition with a sizable number of successes having led the Overseer to begin looking to the outside world.

Shadowbound · Jul 28, 2018

Spoiler Skylander Orders :

Terrance888 · Jul 28, 2018

Spoiler Vault 314 Order 1 :

jackelgull · Jul 28, 2018

"Jesus Christ what is that?!"
"Oh, that fellow, he was one of the Director's experiments. We're not sure if he even understands english anymore, but he makes a handy farm animal."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Umm why is there a raider being smothered to death?"
"Oh that's just Big Mama handing out the punishments. She's the disciplinarian of the Brotherhood"
"I thought the Brotherhood was a confederacy of equals"
"You tell her that. The Brotherhood is both mother and father to us, and Big Mama is the Brotherhood's binding glue. She can do whatever the [expunged] she wants"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heard a noise in your backyard did you softskin?
Oh, it's just a raccoon, or maybe the wind, or just your imagination? Are you sure softskin?
There there softskin, sleep. There there, it will all be over when you wake up in hell.

Grandkhan · Jul 29, 2018

Spoiler Warriors Orders :

SouthernKing · Jul 29, 2018

I've started updating, there's still a day or so to get your orders in if you haven't yet. Sorry about the hurried pace--I'd just like to get these first few updates out as quickly as feasible.

Robert Can't · Jul 29, 2018

Extract from the Logbook of Isaiah Keynes
Susanna has been complaining about the dreams again. She was the first to report them but far from the last. What worries me is that she wasn't even there back in Florida. She didn't see the warriors descending from the clouds bearing the marks of the old faith. She didn't see them drag of a score of our good people as we fled along the coast. People don't talk about it really but perhaps one of the old women used it as a story to scare her.
I remember my old Ma used to tell me tales of the Soldier King Adolf who ate babies if they didn't make sure to finish their greens. I had many a nightmare when I woke up with his moustached face glaring down on me as he sat astride his powerful thoroughbred horse that the stories remember as Benito. For all I know this man and his horse did exist once and terrorised New Canaan but if they did then they are far away and dead now.
This is just the same as that - an old story told to scare a little child. A half remembered nightmare of Florida.
No doubt the fact that she began talking about these nightmares just got everyone else a bit jumpy too. This small child starting to bring back imagery from our darkest hours, it would be enough to make me pause for though, which I suppose it already has given that I am sparing space in the logbook for it. I will have a chat with her mother - maybe she knows where this came from.

- Isaiah Keynes, No. 2

Spoiler :

Lord_Herobrine · Jul 29, 2018

Spoiler Disciples of Madison Orders :

SouthernKing · Jul 30, 2018

Thanks thomas.berubeg for this glorious banner

Update 1: The Firemaker
Summer 2160
83 Years after the War

Armstrong Gals

Spoiler :

Atlantic Maritime League

Spoiler :

From their island base, the Atlantic Maritime League began making moves to expand onto the Mid-Atlantic mainland. They first moved to Philadelphia International Airport to scrap; in a stroke of fortune, the airport proved both abandoned and ripe for scrapping.

Other expeditions set out to explore. One landed at Fort Dupont, finding the location’s buildings. largely intact; they briefly looked around, and the location had been mostly emptied of anything valuable, although they did find a number of deactivated Mr Gutsies, which they were able to recover. They headed west, along the north bank of the still-navigable Delaware-Chesapeake Canal, all the way to the Maryland coast, finding little danger or significant landmarks, save for a small settlement at Chesapeake City who welcomed the AML with open arms.

Another expedition landed in New Castle, only to find that the town was under the control of an organised and large group of raiders, calling themselves the Brandywine Halflings, who had little qualms about immediately attacking the explorers. The majority of the party were killed before the survivors could make a hasty retreat.

Two more expeditions landed at Fort Mott in New Jersey, which, like its counterpart in Delaware, was empty. The fort compound had suffered heavy damage, and anything valuable had long been lost. One expedition, heading southeast, did not get especially far; they found the town of Salem and the surrounding wetlands full of particularly nasty mirelurks, and retreated rather than trying to brave the area. A second expedition, heading north into the suburbs of Gloucester County, was more productive. Following I-295 north, they passed Penns Grove, which was empty and ripe for scrapping; Beckett, which, it seemed, had been overrun by strange, green-skinned, devolved humanoids; Greenwich Township, where they sighted similar mutants.

After dodging these dangers, they reached Paulsboro, where they found a heavily fortified, authoritarian, militarised settlement, who clearly thought themselves under siege. The people of Paulsboro seemed particularly welcoming at seeing what they termed “real humans” after many years of isolation, and told them that these mutant humanoids, which they called “Pineys,” had been constantly pouring out of the interior of New Jersey and threatening them, although there was no indication that the Pineys were hostile at all. After this, the explorers returned.

Another expedition, on canoes headed upriver up the Delaware past Philadelphia, disappeared without a trace.

Stats Changes
+5 Humans (Natural growth), +5 Humans (Immigration)
+200 Scrap Parts, +Fusion Core (Salvaging)
+10 Mr Gutsies (Chesapeake)
-15 Humans, -15 2H Guns, -15 Leather Armour, -40 Ammunition (New Castle)
-10 Humans, -10 2H Guns, -2 Canoes (Exploration disappearance)

Challenge: Amongst the salvage at Philadelphia International Airport, we found some very peculiar luggage. Some of our salvagers were drawn to two particular suitcases that had fallen from a broken plane; on the outside, they looked completely ordinary, but when the salvagers insisted the suitcases be opened, we found that, much to our shock, someone had already broken the rusty clasps, and, even stranger, the suitcases turned out to be completely empty--save for a large, strange, almost glowing stylised eye, emblazoned into each. Furthermore, the salvagers who found the suitcases started to talk in their sleep, muttering words in a language they cannot possibly know, awakening with reports of strange dreams. What should we do about this?

Beastie Boys

Spoiler :

Big Antlers Clan

Spoiler :

Brotherhood of the Undead

Spoiler :

The Daughters

Spoiler :

It was a child’s mother, in the end. She admitted that she had heard her daughter, a girl with quite the affinity for descriptive and poetic language, spreading rumours of the Copper Angels. And, at least for the now, the nightmares stopped--even though everyone still had that nagging feeling: could it really be so simple?

The Daughters sent people out in all directions, searching for salvage. They found the town of Liberty largely empty; talking a northern route, they found the town of Ellenville, which was similarly empty, save for some independent homesteaders who shied away from the salvagers. It was in the southeast, after avoiding some yaoguai around Wurstboro they came across a : a raider group in Middletown, identifying as the Zinc Devils.

This is where the situation took a bizarre turn. Seeing spiked armour and missing teeth and bloodshot eyes, the Daughters prepared themselves for an attack. But, instead, the Zinc Devils opened their walls; they only wished to talk. It turned out the Zinc Devils were incredibly confused; they genuinely hadn’t the slightest clue where they physically were, or how they had gotten there. They stated that they had awoken en masse here after a bright flash. It was as if they had been transported from elsewhere…but surely that is impossible?

The Daughters, after some hesitation and a great deal of confusion, explained that they were in Sullivan County, in New York, and gave some details of the surrounding region; even if they were sparse, the Zinc Devils seemed to appreciate the information, and the Daughters were gifted a bounty of Zinc Devil psychedelics. In any case, bizarrely, the Daughters seemed to have made an acquaintance amongst raiders.

It must have been the chems.

Stats Changes:
+15 Humans (Natural growth)
+60 Scrap Parts (Salvaging)
+60 Chems (Zinc Devils)

Challenge: Our explorers were too utterly confused by our encounter with the Zinc Devils to refuse their “gift,” but the reality is that we now possess a fair number of chems, for the first time in living memory. This threatens to create somewhat more than a simple splash, and, worse, we do not even know where to start in dealing with this issue.

Disciples of Madison

Spoiler :

The Disciples of Madison emerged from their base in Penn Station, both above and below ground. Above ground, the Disciples set about scrapping the neighbouring streets, as well as Madison Square Garden. They found that the interior of Madison Square Garden had been occupied by a small band of raiders; the raiders were cleared out after a short but quite intense firefight; most were killed, but a small number managed to flee.

Furthermore, the Disciples conducted a large-scale effort to clear and map the subway tunnels around Penn Station. Unlike the widespread rumours, the tunnels were in remarkably good condition; the infrastructure remained intact, with only a few stray feral ghouls and rodents of unusual size inhabiting the subway. The rodents in particular were vicious, causing multiple causalities from the effort. They seemed to be concentrated on the Flushing Line, which was not mapped.

In the north, after clearing out a particularly fearsome pack of giant subway rats, the Disciples were startled to suddenly find themselves staring into an array of extremely bright lights. It turned out they had made contact with a group of people and robots who had taken shelter in the 59th Street-Columbus Circle station complex; the station looked cleaner and newer than it most likely ever had, even pre-War. They were quite astonished to find that other people existed beyond their little compound at all. It transpired that they had once been students from the nearby New York Institute of Technology, and had transformed the station into a little habitat ofplenty.

In the end, the Disciples have managed to ensure the security and clarity of the Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line (1/2/3) and Eighth Avenue Line (A/C/E) tunnels as far as 14th Street in the south and 59th Street-Columbus Circle in the north; furthermore, the former NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line was cleared as far as what appear to be the Hudson River tunnels. Despite the minor losses, this is considered a resounding success.

Stats Changes:
+10 Humans (natural Growth)
-10 Humans, -30 Ammunition (Tunnel clearing)
-15 Humans, -70 Ammunition (Madison Square Garden losses)
+155 Scrap Parts, +5 Tech Parts (Salvaging)

Challenge: Before their defeat, some of the raiders we hunted down and defeated in the Garden quite loudly proclaimed that they were informing their “masters” under the “Empire State Building.” We did reach where the intersection of 33rd/34th Streets and Fifth Avenue should have been during our scrapping efforst, and it appears that the Empire State Building was part of what was annihilated during the War. Therefore, how seriously should we take this threat?

Hoboken Shipper Boys and Girls
Those so very few that survived knew that their numbers were small. But it was also obvious that they couldn't possibly be the only ones who survived. Trekking around with the nearby wastelands with the relatively well-functioning PA they found in the rubble next to them, they began recruiting ghouls, humans, looking for those expelled or found wanting. The Hoboken Shipper Boys & Girls were open to all of those who wanted to live a peaceful way of life. The revolution that was supposed to free all people did not happen in the founder's (human) lifetimes. But perhaps, just maybe, a better & fairer corner of the world could be created here and now.

Spoiler :

Kings and Queens

Spoiler :

The King of Prussia Mall saw the grand opening of an inn, which has drastically increased the locale’s profile amongst nearby raider groups and even a few homesteaders. Even if the mall is controlled by raiders, the fact that the Kings and Queens are not the Chem Dogs in itself makes King of Prussia really quite pleasant and open in comparison. At least here, one won’t have to see skulls marked on walls in a mixture of feces and blood.

The Kings and Queens spent much of their time salvaging in the immediate vicinity of the mall. They were able to liberate a number of functional weapons as well, from the wreckage of what seems to have been a pre-War sporting goods store. A tremendous amount of scrap, and the immediate area around the mall seems to have been exhausted; the Kings and Queens will now have to look further afield, perhaps in the town centre. A number of locals were also pressed into slavery.

In addition, an expedition set out in a rough circle around King of Prussia. Starting west, at Valley Forge Casino Resort, they encountered a small settlement named Mount Joy that had built itself inside a glittering, still-lit casino-hotel. It turned out the settlement was a nexus of vice and slave-owners, and its inhabitants took well to the Kings and Queens and invited them for a few drinks and games of roulette and gifted the party half a dozen eunuchs as slaves as they departed. Circling around, at Gulph Mills, to the southeast, they were ambushed by ferocious feral cats inhabiting the golf course. The cats were exterminated, although they inflicted minor casualties. Bridgeport, to the north, was largely devoid of life, save for a few individuals who were quickly captured into slavery, as well as a couple of decommissioned Mr Handies which reactivated and seemed to confuse the Kings and Queens for their pre-War homeowners. Unfortunately, the expedition could go no further; with the US 202 bridges across the Schuylkill River infested with deadly mantises, they turned back from crossing to Norristown.

Stats Changes
+10 Humans (Immigration)
-50 Human Slaves, -50 Human Ghouls, +200 Chems (Trade)
+2040 Scrap Parts, +2 Tech Parts, +30 2H Guns, -20 Ammunition, +10 Human Slaves (Salvaging)
-5 Humans, -50 Ammunition, +10 Human Slaves, +2 Mr Handies (Expedition)

Challenge: Our encounter with Mount Joy has caused a split in opinion; our raiders have been extremely enamoured about what they saw there and say that we should pursue further relations with them. On the other hand, some--noting how the casino still glistens--say we should mount an attack and take it all for ourselves. How should we pursue relations with Mount Joy, if at all?

Order of the Holy Wound

Spoiler :

The Order began letting refugee into their institute, so long as they accept the Holy Pinprick in the name of the Mother. By submitting to the bleeding, they passed their first test. Most moved along, viewing the words of the Order as bordering on the realm of utter madness, but a few humans, and a few ghouls, did submit. The Order also set about scavenging, close to home; scavengers found some intact shop gear while scrapping the interior of a nearby high school.

The Order also sent parties in all directions, exploring the neighbouring towns of Mercer County. Trenton-Mercer Airport was surprisingly devoid of life, although many private and charter aircraft remained rusting on the ground, ready to be scrapped, and the airstrips themselves seemed in decent condition. In suburban Ewing Township, explorers came across a mass of sentient ghouls at the campus of the College of New Jersey Although first intentions were peaceful, it turned out they were part of a particularly xenophobic faction of ghoul raiders, known as Roscoe’s Horde, who saw the Order humans as the enemy, and the Order explorers were driven off, suffering casualties in the process.

To the east, much of Trenton proved to be filled with radiation, and, although it was at tolerable levels, some of the returning explorers did show signs of illness in the months to follow. The Top Road neighbourhood proved empty, although there were clear signs of post-War habitation; in the remains of an old stone fabricator plant, Order explorers came across a small cache of rifles and ammunition, which they took back with them. The neighbourhood of North Trenton, around Capital Health Regional Medical Centre, proved to be swarming with feral ghouls, who attacked. The explorers managed to get away, although several were nonetheless killed in the ensuing firefight.

Stat Changes
+10 Humans (Natural Growth)
+5 Humans, +5 Ghouls (Immigration)
-10 Humans (Ewing Township)
-10 Humans (Capital Health Regional Medical Centre)
+400 Scrap Parts (Population)
+18 Scrap Parts (Mr Handies)
+2 Tech Parts (Scavenging)
+Machining Gear (Scavenging)
-30 Ammunition (Ewing Township)
-10 Ammunition (Capital Health Regional Medical Centre)
+15 Ammunition (Top Road)
-5 1H Guns (Ewing Township)
+5 2H Guns (Top Road)

Challenge: When exploring Trenton-Mercer Airport, one of our explorers seemed abnormally fixated upon a most ordinary briefcase she’d stumbled upon in the broken-off hold of a pre-War corporate jet, loudly demanding that we take the briefcase back with us. It was then that we noticed the briefcase’s corroded locks had already been split; its contents had already been emptied, replaced with nothing but the gilt sigil of a large, stylised eye, and a worn business card. From the business card, we could read a street name, and a query of a pre-War directory revealed that the address pointed to a private school in Lawrenceville. Meanwhile, the moment we opened the case, the explorer in question has been taken to talking in her sleep, muttering words in a language she cannot possibly know, awakening with reports of strange dreams. Lawrenceville is somewhat afield; but this explorer and her friends demanding we investigate.

The Point

Spoiler :

The Point sent an expedition south, through the highlands. They passed by Camp Buckner, which was empty save for a battalion rogue, almost feral Mr Gutsies, who refused to believe the explorers were US military and attacked on sight, claiming they were “damned Asiatic rebel scum who deserved what President McKinley has in store for them!” The droids were resilient to the explorers’ energy weapons, and they inflicted a few casualties on cadets before being driven off by the explorers’ superior numbers; the explorers did not stick around, with the possibility other Mr Gutsies perhaps roaming the area.

At Harriman, they found the town was under the control of several dozen sword-and-sandal-wielding raiders. The raiders naturally refused all entreaties, despite the fact they were facing overwhelming force, and, after some deliberation, the soldiers of the Point attacked. Thanks to the might of power armour, Harriman was almost effortlessly cleared, the raiders defeated to a man; several dozen were taken as cadets, and the raiders’ remaining stash of supplies, ammunition and inferior weaponry taken with them.

Southfields proved long abandoned, but there were clear indications that the town had recently been emptied by some unknown force. It was here that approximately a dozen of the downtrodden cadets the party had taken attempted to make an escape. Most were caught immediately and shot dead, but a fair number did manage to slip away into the darkness, taking some of the weapons south with them, to rather unknown fates.

In any case, they soon headed east, into Harriman State Park, to the source of the mysterious radio signal. What they found, atop a mount overlooking Kanawauke Road, was a boat: a small patrol boat, thirty metres long and with US Coast Guard markings, and almost brand-new, with no sign of any wear and tear from the years, save for what appeared to be a few scorch marks on the decks and outer hull. There was not a trace in the world of its original occupants; the boat seemed emptied of anything valuable. The explorers, more than a little unsettled by the discovery, decided at this point to run back and return home. No one had more than the wildest theory as to how the boat actually got there, hundreds of metres above where rising water could have realistically carried it.

Stats Changes
+5 Humans, +5 Human Slaves (Natural Growth)
+560 Scrap Parts, +1 Tech Part, +9 HT Melee (Salvaging)
-15 Energy, -460 Ammunition, -20 Human Slaves, -20 2H Guns (Expedition) +460 Food, +50 Human Slaves, +250 LT Melee, +20 1H Guns, +55 Ammunition (Defeat of Harriman raiders)

Challenge: The Mr Gutsies in Camp Buckner present an opportunity. It has been posited that, if they are properly cleared, they could represent a wealth of pre-War technology that could be otherwise used; alternatively, if they could be convinced that we are not, in fact, Filipino guerrillas, they could be turned to our side. However, the ferocity of the Mr Gutsies means that this will not be an easy task, even with our might. Is this worth capitalising upon?

Poxxy’s Chem Dogs

Spoiler :

Poxxy spared absolutely no effort in rooting out the so-called “Scourge of the Bobble,” leaving no stone unturned at home and enacting draconian measures. It turned out the culprit was a mad Vault Dweller who had developed a cult to the Bobble; he was seen enacting a Satanic ritual featuring a row of decapitated heads. He was quickly gutted, hollowed out, and stuffed with slave excrement.

Meanwhile, the Chem Dogs headed out on the march. Close to home, they set about scrapping the Wayne area. In the process, they found a number of scattered homesteaders and survivor families, especially around Wayne and St Davids train stations. The sheer terror of the chem-buffed Dogs easily overwhelmed any resistance the civilians might have put up; some were hanged from streetlights, others brutalised and enslaved. Others scattered into the wilds--spreading horror stories about the Chem Dogs and Poxxy and their mark of the skull.

Beyond that, an exploration party marched west. They passed through the suburb of Strafford, where they encountered a family of deathclaws, who were despatched and exterminated after a fight. They passed through the towns of Devon and Berwyn, both of which were abandoned and empty, save for a few emaciated wanderers who were quickly granted new lives. They finally reached Waynesborough Country Club, which, it seemed, had been taken over by what appeared to be horned kangaroos. Even with the power of chems, these beasts ultimately proved too much for the Chem Dogs, some of whom were killed, and most of whom fled.

Stat Changes:
+10 Humans (Natural Growth)
+50 Slave Humans, +50 Slave Ghouls, -200 Chems (Trade)
+1020 Scrap Parts, +25 Slave Humans, -20 Ammunition (Salvaging)
-20 Humans, -15 LT Melee, -5 1H Guns, -20 Leather Armour, +5 Slave Humans, -50 Ammunition (Expedition)

Challenge: The horned kangaroos our expedition encountered have become an object of fascination, not least because even we know kangaroos are not native to America. They wonder what kind of creature can defeat a chem-addled raider and wish for us to capture one and bring it home. But we already lost many Chem Dogs to the horned kangaroos, so perhaps it would be logical to take a cautious approach. Then again, what is logic?

Reformed Society for Psychic and Paranormal Research

Spoiler :

The Society began probing out from its Monroe headquarters. First, a group was sent to the neighbouring town of Shelton to scavenge. Unfortunately, there, they happened across a confederation of raiders ironically calling themselves the National Humane Alliance, who were headquartered in Derby, across the river. The raiders crossed the intact Derby-Shelton bridge in force; although they were able to inflict casualties, the scavengers were forced to retreat at the raiders’ sheer numbers, as was an exploration force that joined. If there was a silver lining, the raiders did not seem interesting in leaving their territory.

Another party headed north, to the Stevenson Dam; this trip was uneventful, and determined that the dam was still intact; they also lucked upon a network of functional computers after one explorer was insistent on clearing rubble to explore the dam’s operations centre. Similarly, another expedition to the town of Easton was uneventful, finding an abandoned exurb ripe for scrapping. Lastly, a party that headed northwest, to Newtown, where they found a welcoming and peaceful town. They were surprised there when they made contact with a heavily militarised group of soldiers from the Shepaug Dam. The encounter was chilly, thanks to the relatively fearsome combat armour and lasers the Shepaug Dam explorers had with them, and the claims that the Shepaug Dam was the legitimate government of Connecticut, but, more importantly, the encounter was peaceful.

All the time, a research team was despatched to the town of Trumbull to investigate the strange goings-on that had been occurring there. A haunting air seemed to have befallen the town, as if all its colour had been drained. Conducting interviews with the town residents, they determined that sleeping outside the town limits seemed to cause little difference, although there was a distinct difference; the residents near the southern edge tended to have worse psychological effects and disruptions to sleep cycles. After several days in the town, the investigators, too, started suffering these visions, growing progressively worse. Then, a breakthrough: one girl timidly volunteered information that, the night before the terrors had begun, she had been stealing jewellery from one of the town’s posher estates, near its southern edge, when she had overheard a conversation between a group of shadowy figures in the garden outside, talking about moving “something” to Bridgeport.

The research team had reason to believe the girl was telling the truth, and are confident that the source of the infliction lies to the south, in Bridgeport. However, no one has any clue what this may have been, and word from Trumbull is that the ruins of Bridgeport--a pre-War industrial centre that had been nuked during the War--are infested with feral ghouls, some of which could be seen from the edge of the town itself, and that this infestation has worsened in recent months.

Stats Changes
+5 Humans (Natural Growth), +5 Humans (Immigration)
-30 Humans, -10 1H Guns, -150 Ammunition (Shelton)
+Intact Computers (Exploration)

Challenge: Our people have been moved by our encounter with the Shepaug Dam military group. Some people are concerned that, due to the militarised nature of their group, they pose a threat. Others suggest that we move to be closer to them, stating that we could employ their firepower and armour for our protection, such that we can place more focus on our actual mission: our research. How should we approach them?

Sanctuary Guard

Spoiler :

The Sanctuary Guard allowed the party of ghouls; they eagerly took to life in the Cloisters. Slowly, their English began to very noticeably improve, and even some of the humans began to learn their native tongue: Korean. It transpired that they were from what had been a large Korean-speaking ghoul enclave across the river in the town of Fort Lee, indeed the largest town known to exist to them, until political machinations had led to a coup and a messy civil war that led to much of the population being exiled. They donated the gear they had with them to the Guard--plus a few liberated tech parts.

All the time Sanctuary Guard began expanding, both within and beyond their citadel at the Cloisters. At the base of the hill, a dock was built; so was an inn, owned by the Reynold family, who quickly became the centre of Guard society. A grand festival was held to celebrate the solstice--although, in the process, the entirety of the Guard’s alcohol stash was used up.

The Guard sent out a pair of expeditions. The most productive of the two set out south, reaching the Little Red Lighthouse, which unfortunately had met the same fate as the neighbouring George Washington Bridge: crumbled. However, the area was inhabitable. From there, they unfortunately found that the neighbourhood of Washington Heights had been completely levelled during the War, taking both the Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Centre and the neighbouring armoury with it, as well as levelling buildings as far as Edgecombe Avenue. It was then that they were attacked by feral ghouls, although the combined firepower of the Guard and their accompanying Mr Gutsies was more than enough to repulse them with few casualties. They then turned back north; in Fort Washington Library, the expedition found and took with them a few intact computers. Up Amsterdam Avenue, they were taken by surprise by a highly organised band of dynamite-happy raiders from Harlem River Park, calling themselves the Red Kangs, who killed several Sanctuary Guards with the detonations and the subsequent ambush, before the expedition finally pushed them off and made it home.

Another expedition was sent to the north. They made peaceful contact with a commune inhabiting Inwood-207th Street (A) subway station, calling themselves Terminus, who had sent some people to the surface. In Indian Caves in Inwood Hill Park, they found only the skeletons of a few who had attempted to take shelter there, and absolutely no trace of why they had died. Unfortunately, that was the end of the expedition; both bridges across Spuyten Duyvil Creek were impassable; the Henry Hudson Bridge to the east had long collapsed, and the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, a railroad swing bridge, was stuck in an open position thanks to built-up detritus.

Stat Changes
+5 Humans (Natural Growth)
-10 Humans (Southern Expedition)
+30 Ghouls (Immigration)
+190 Scrap Parts (Population)
+14 Scrap Parts (Mr Gutsies)
-500 Scrap Parts (Construction)
+1 Tech Part (Scavenging)
+Intact Computers (Southern Expedition)
-300 Ammunition (Southern Expedition)
-70 Alcohol
+30 2H Guns, +30 Leather Armour, +60 Ammunition, +3 Tech Parts (Ghoul Party)
-4 Mr Gutsies (Southern Expedition)

Challenge: The interest aroused in “Fort Lee” by the ghouls who have integrated into our community has made some of us suggest making contact with this supposed town ourselves. Now that we have a dock, we have the ability to do this, and many have suggested we approach. However, the ghouls themselves seem cold or outright averse to the idea, warning that Fort Lee’s new ruler would respond to our approaches with hostility.

Shepaug Dam Survivors

Spoiler :

The unit stationed in Shepaug Dam began rapidly fanning out, sending exploratory parties out in all directions. One thing that very rapidly became clear was that what had once been I-84--including its still-intact bridge across the River Housatonic--had been utterly choked with traffic, going both directions; it would seem that, in the throes of the Great War, panicking suburban families had all crowded in an effort to get someplace at all, packing an already perpetually congested road. In any case, this makes the motorway a fruitful place to scrap.

The nearest inhabited area they found was Newtown, a peaceful and welcoming town whose residents were nonetheless taken slightly aback by the firepower. When there, they happened across a peculiar group claiming to be the “Reformed Society for Psychic and Paranormal Research,” whose headquarters were located in Monroe, not far to the southeast. The people from the Society also seemed intimidated by the Shepaug Dam group, but otherwise the meeting was peaceful.

Further afield, one of the most unsatisfying results was from an expedition west, to the city of Danbury; contact was mysteriously lost without any signs of distress; only a sudden radio static. When the rear of the expedition moved in to investigate as well, they, too, mysteriously disappeared.

The town of Bridgewater was found largely emptied, with only a few independent homesteaders steadfastly holding onto their tracts of land. Brookfield, across the river, had been overrun by giant, mutated squirrels; the explorers avoided any confrontation. This general area was, however, deemed to be particularly fertile and suitable for agriculture. When they tried to reach New Milford, they happened across a raider checkpoint on US 202, manned by several dozen men in faux-medieval knightly armour, painted with red crosses in what looked like blood. They claimed to be in the service of the “Archbishop of Canterbury.” The explorers fought at first, but there were simply too many metalheads, and the explorers retreated rather than risk defeat.

Other parties began fanning east. They found a farming community in Roxbury, who were welcoming to the explorers, perhaps a little too welcoming--and the explorers noticed they made a show of concealing the fact they owned slaves. Southbury was emptied, save for some traders who had established themselves near the junction of I-84 and US 6. In Woodbury, they found the area inhabited by a particularly warlike tribe known as the Strontium Rangers; after the first warriors who tried to attack the explorers were handily defeated, the Strontium Rangers seemed genuinely impressed and invited the explorers to their encampment for a feast of roasted mutton. The explorers returned home with good relations established.

The explorers also reached Middlebury, whose entire vicinity had been overrun by fearsome yaoguai, mutated bears, who managed to eliminate the forward party, and the rear party chose to retreat. On the grounds of Waterbury-Oxford Airport, they found the airstrip and all its equipment inhabited by a peculiar people calling themselves the Children of Concorde, who lived entirely within the hull of one supersonic jetliner, kept in immaculate shape complete with strange markings that read BOAC. They said the airliner had made an emergency landing in the “promised land” of their airport’s single airstrip during the War.

Lastly, in Seymour, the explorers happened a town that, it seemed, had been recently emptied; they also happened across large forward parties of raiders who were heading south towards Ansonia and Derby. Wisely, they shied away from them as well.

Stats Changes
+5 Humans (Natural Growth)
+5 Humans, +5 Ghouls (Immigration)
-15 Humans, -15 Combat Armour, -15 Laser Weapons, -45 Ammunition (Exploration)
+660 Scrap Parts, +3 Tech Parts (Salvaging), +33 Scrap Parts, +6 Tech Parts (Salvaging with Mr Gutsies)

Challenge: Our people are calling for answers as to why our scouts near Danbury vanished, and the bizarre and abrupt nature of their disappearances had fuelled wild speculation…and even suggestions that we are facing something supernatural. We could send more soldiers to investigate, but the saying goes that trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. However, we may have another option: we have recently become aware of a society in Monroe whose mission is to investigate the paranormal and weird. But should we trust strangers with this? Would they trust us? And is this even supernatural at all, or are the suggestions just silly paranoia?

The Skylanders

Spoiler :

Sons of Hope

Spoiler :

Sovereign Fortuna Guild

Spoiler :

Ursine Order of Hershey

Spoiler :

Vault 77

Spoiler :

Vault 314

Spoiler :

Amidst matches of handy pong and bot jousting, the time had come for the brothers and sisters of Vault 314 to open the great hatch. They began combing through the ruins surrounding them. The entire town of Montclair seemed to have been overrun by radscorpions, especially concentrated around Upper Montclair (NJ Transit) station, and the Vault-Dwellers were nervous, but the Assaultrons they had with them were enough to protect them. The remains of the old Montclair State University campus, much to the dismay of the Vault-Dwellers’ emotions, had already been combed through. However, on the parched old lawns, they did find a stray wandering group of horses that were strangely willing to let the Vault-Dwellers take them in. And, upon further combing, much to their joy, they found a sorority’s unopened stash of alcohol.

Several other parties started spreading out through the wastes. One expedition, headed eastbound for Clifton, never returned, sparking a great deal of concern. Another expedition headed south, through Montclair, and to the borough of Glen Ridge, which they found quite thoroughly empty--perhaps the radiation the party detected had something to do with it.

A third expedition headed west from Mills Reservation; in the empty remains of Cedar Grove, they came across a group of human-looking scouts in renaissance-faire-looking costumes, who were quite impressed by the robots, and invited them to their home. A part of the suburb of Verona, it seemed, had been turned into an Italianate-looking principality, complete with a particularly clingy star-crossed royal couple who jointly ruled the village. In any case, from Verona, the Vault-Dwellers resumed their journey west, through Caldwell and to West Caldwell, both inhabited only by a few stubborn, emaciated wastelanders who seemed to shudder away at the mention of Verona’s name.

A fourth expedition headed north, through an empty Woodland Park, and spirits were high--until they reached the I-80 crossing and ran headfirst into a band of raiders who had camped out in Totowa. The bloodshot Buzzing Hornets in their bright yellow armour seemed hardly deterred by the robots and attacked, eliminating some of the humans and even downing some of the Mr Handies. The explorers retreated, but the Assaultrons had inflicted heavy casualties that the Buzzing Hornets wisely chose not to pursue.

A lone wanderer and an assaultron were also sent south to investigate Edison…but, as of September, they have not returned. That lone wanderer had often dreamt of having adventures of their own, after all. Perhaps they have been sidetracked?

Vault 314 has also begun allowing outlanders to take residence immediately outside the door if they are sponsored by a Vault Dweller, although, due to the Vault’s somewhat insulated location, partakers have been few and far between for the moment. Furthermore, some others arrived at our door, claiming to be from the “Sons of Hope” in nearby Nutley. Contact went swimmingly.

Stats Change:
+10 Humans (natural growth)
+1000 Food (Gathering)
+200 Scrap Parts, +5 Tech Parts (Salvaging), +207 Scrap Parts, +6 Tech Parts (Mr Handies), +7 Horses, +50 Alcohol (Montclair State University)
-25 Humans, -10 Mr Handies, -5 Assaultrons (Exploration disappearance), -10 Humans, -5 Mr Handies (Exploration losses)
-1 Human, -1 Assaultron (Special Mission)

Challenge: The discovery that our old university is open has sparked interest amongst some particularly sentimental vault elders of moving there, or, at the very least, establishing a permanent presence there so we may return to play handy pong at our ancestors’ old haunts. Others suggest that we are best to leave the past behind and move along--that we may have been from Montclair State once, but now, we are Vault Dwellers. What should we tell the Vault-Dwellers?

Vault 350
Yale University once hosted one of the premier biological warfare laboratories in all the world. When the bombs fell both military and technical staff working at the laboratory were ushered into Vault 350 along with a population of randomly chosen families. In-order to carry out experiments on unwilling subjects, Vault-Tec instructions provided that the highest ranking officer be made Overseer, institute martial law, and make summary “execution” a common and likely outcome of many crimes within the Vault. In-reality, there would be no execution, with the accused criminal instead being placed in a separate, secret section of the Vault for experimental testing. While the Vault’s main population of scientists, guards, and civilians were free to live and work in the “main” Vault quarters, the research facility was accessible only to the Overseer, the scientists, and a select few other key leaders. Today the Vault’s residents are still led by a harsh-but-fair militarist, but now the research has finally come to fruition with a sizable number of successes having led the Overseer to begin looking to the outside world.

Spoiler :

Wall Street Traders

Spoiler :

The Wall Street Traders spent the summer conducting a large-scale cleanup operation of the neighbouring streets, as far as Broadway to the west and FDR Drive to the east, and as far as the Federal Reserve Bank to the north. The cleanup operation went surprisingly smoothly; there was a brief scare when a small feral ghoul band attacked at Zuccotti Park, resulting in a short firefight that was resolved quickly in the Traders’ favour, though not without casualties. Within the perimeter, much of the NYSE’s employees worked upon scavenging.

The NYSE’s people also attempted to expand the Traders’ horizons, circulating around. The area to the east, around Pier 11 and Pier 15, was largely home to waterside buildings occupied by raiders with a working relationship with the NYSE. In the south, Wall Street explorers happened upon a squalid little town built upon Battery Park, inhabited primarily by ghouls. Their reaction to the Traders was rather cold, and they rejected any entreaties; it turned out that the town had been victim to slave raiders. The area to the west of Rector Street was irradiated, devoid of any signs of life, and difficult to navigate on the surface; these seem to be the aftereffects of a large warhead that seems to have struck Jersey City across the river.

Stat Changes:
+5 Humans (Natural Growth)
+5 Human Slaves, +5 Ghoul Slaves (Brought to market)
-5 Humans (Cleanup Losses)
+780 Scrap Parts (Scavenging)
+4 Tech Parts (Scavenging)
-5 Ammunition (Cleanup Losses)

Challenge: The tiny settlement at Battery Park has an intact dock that would allow us to vastly expand our markets and growth prospects. Even though the inhabitants of the area live in utter squalor, subsiding mainly on mutated fish from the Hudson, they have refused any and all attempts at contact--to them, we are the lesser evil. The town is small, and some have suggested we mount a strike and take the location for ourselves. However, do we have the capability to mount such an attack?

The Warriors

Spoiler :

To: Atlantic Maritime League
From: Chesapeake City

Please, we need your help! We are starving, and we may not survive the winter without food aid from the outside. Is there any way you could help us?

Notes

As always, tell me if I missed something in the stats. I’m still working out how best to do these updates--you’ll notice I cycled through a couple minor formatting differences in this update alone--so until then please bear with any sloppiness from my end.

I strongly suggest to everyone that they use all their available population to do at least something. Also, make sure that you do have people producing food, else you won’t produce food. If you don’t want your own people to do it, make your slaves do it for you.

You can’t use buildings the same turn you build them. This is mostly for the sake of my own sanity.

I've decided that NPC stats are going to be rather simpler than PC stats, again, for the sake of my sanity.

I’ve added a few FEV-related buildings and animals to the unique section of the OP, to account for J.K. Stockholme’s vault.

Jackelgull: My end says you should have had a clinic from the start. This didn’t make it into your stats for some reason; consider that fixed.

Zappericus: There was a mistake with your population numbers (I typed 310 instead of 130 and this carried over), this has been fixed and also retroactively applied re: food consumption. It made no difference to your orders or anything that happened.

Ahigin: Don’t worry, my stash of Beastie Boys puns was exhausted after Update 0 itself.

Ailedhoo: You don’t have to worry about specifying where people are fishing. Also, you can afford to explore a bit further; I didn’t count the Baron’s Cove one, and just had them salvage instead, since you pretty much already control that area.

Next update is Winter 2160-2161.

SouthernKing · Jul 30, 2018

Map

Stats:

Spoiler :

jackelgull · Jul 30, 2018

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DIDN'T GO ON ANY RAIDING EXPEDITIONS THIS YEAR!"
"I'm sorry Big Mama, but you didn't schedule any -"
The sound of a solid punch to the guts
"Phobos, please drag this worthless good for nothing out of my sight. Deimos, any good targets nearby?"
"The newcomers were telling me about a particularly brutal anti-ghoul settlement to the South. Sounds like they have lots of loot"
"Fanatics huh" Big Mama sighs, "No chance of an annual tribute then"
"Afraid not Ma"
"Well, it's been a while since we've had a good sack and loot. Tell my boys to suit up and take their weapons, we've got a raid to plan."
"Even the Hardy boys?"
"Especially the Hardy boys. If we don't let them use their 2H guns on someone they're gonna turn them on us."
"Yeah but they take all the good loot."

Send 260 Ghouls in Leather Armour. 250 with 1 handed guns and the Hardy boys with their 10 2 handed guns.

"Send another scavenging expedition to look for tech and scrap in the ruins of Hartford. Try to avoid the feral ghouls this time, our human slaves aren't exactly replaceable."

Send 50 ghouls with 50 Lt Melee and 90 slaves to scavenge for scrap.

The rest of the Population should be farming to feed the others.

thomas.berubeg · Jul 30, 2018

To: Terminus
From: The Sanctuary Guard

Blessings upon you and upon the stone which kept you. You, like us, were led to safety in the holy embrace of the cold stone, as is evidenced by your subterranean keep, and so we recognize you as kin. We will exchange bread and salt and meat with you, and slake your thirst with our beer, and welcome you as guests within our home, and you will do the same with us. We will stand with you should the vagaries of the cursed come crashing against your ramparts.

Be warned that not all have remained pure in this hell that is our world. In our wanderings we have encountered a group of savage men, barbarians far from the shining light of the Great Holy. Though they also were kept by the angels from Judgement Day, and did not burn in the fires of the cleansing, they have since turned their face from the holy sacrament. The Red Kangs assaulted our forces with no words of warning, and so we carry word of their existence as warning to you.

Seon · Jul 30, 2018

To Roscoe’s Horde (using a ghoul messenger)

Brothers,

We do not understand why you have fired upon us (or why so many of you speak the Holy Tongue), but we are sorry for whatever it is that we or people like us have done to you.

We understand—life is difficult and unforgiving. Every day is a challenge to feed oneself. If you are willing to put your faith in us and obey the Lionsmith’s Peace, we are willing to share what meager things we have.

Mother has taught us to love wounds, and there are nothing more lovely than thine.

NinjaCow64 · Jul 30, 2018

To: Battery Park

We will respect your request to leave you alone. However, we heard that some of your colleagues may have been recently taken in a slave raid. Raiders come to trade at our offices quite often. If your colleagues have ended up in our market, perhaps we could arrange to return them if you would be willing to adequately compensate us. How would 20 scrap for the return of one of your colleagues (assuming that you can positively identify who they are) sound?

If you feel like discussing this or any other trades further, you know where to find us.

Immaculate · Jul 31, 2018

From the Connecticut State Governor, Richard Weicker,
To the Reformed Society for Psychic and Paranormal Research (@Marcher Jovian),

Its always a pleasure to encounter state civilians who have not regressed to some pre-American failed state in these distressing times.

We would like to open trade with you and perhaps inquire as to the nature of your services and costs. Specifically we are interested in contracting you to investigate a site some of our citizenry believe may have some paranormal activity.

Shirogane · Jul 31, 2018

To Poxxy's Chem Dogs:

We need some muscle with big guns to help out with seizing a Casino up here in Valley Forge from some secondrate slavers and from seeing your latest work we think you'd be perfect for the job.

We will make it worth your time by offering you 2/3s of the spoils of weapons, ammo, another batch of slaves based on how many we capture, half of the tech parts, scrap and food looted, and all of the booze once its ours. tempted?

- DD, Kings and Queens

SouthernKing · Jul 31, 2018

To: Sanctuary Guard
From: Terminus

Your warnings and assurances are much appreciated. We are glad to see that not everyone in this shattered city is evil.

To: Order of the Holy Wound
From: Roscoe's Horde

Your words mean nothing to us. Do tell us more of this Lionsmith's Peace.

To: Wall Street Traders
From: Battery Park

Make no mistake: this does not even come close to making up for the pain your slave trade has caused us. Nevertheless, we accept your offer. [Battery Park identifies 15 humans and 10 ghouls amongst your slaves who belong to them]

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