Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

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achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Yeah, the Random Numbers are messed up.

Check out the university

# ? Jul 28, 2021 13:37

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# ? Jun 5, 2024 22:18

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

Let�s use 2 medikits and check out North Texas State University.

# ? Jul 28, 2021 14:48

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

nelson posted:

Let�s use 2 medikits and check out North Texas State University.

# ? Jul 28, 2021 16:46

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

nelson posted:

Let�s use 2 medikits and check out North Texas State University.

A bit of culture is always useful.

# ? Jul 28, 2021 20:25

Runcible Cat: May 28, 2007; Ignoring this post

Guy Fawkes posted:

A bit of culture is always useful.

Loot loot loot!

# ? Jul 28, 2021 21:53

SatansOnion: Dec 12, 2011

Guy Fawkes posted:

A bit of culture is always useful.

I like how you think. Let�s go loot us some culture!

# ? Jul 29, 2021 01:29

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Guy Fawkes posted:

A bit of culture is always useful. (2 medikits / University)

Highway Holocaust posted:

�OK, it�s worth a look,� agrees Uncle Jonas, when you tell him you want to search the university campus before the convoy takes the freeway south. �See if you can rustle up some polythene sheeting. We�re mighty short an� we�ll be needin� some real bad as soon as we hit the desert. We�ll wait right here for you an� keep an eye on the road. Any trouble then jus� give a holler.�

With your uncle�s request in mind, you walk towards the centre of the campus in search of what was once the chemistry faculty. Most of the buildings are just burnt-out, rubble-filled shells, their contents either buried beyond reach or looted months ago by roving city gangs. A shattered sign indicates the entrance to the building you seek, and your hopes rise when you notice that it is the least damaged structure on the campus.

Inside, the sound of your footsteps echoes along the dusty corridors as you make your way down to the basement storage levels. To your disappointment you discover little remaining there of practical value.

Shall we keep searching or return to the convoy?

Endurance: 18/27 Medi-Kit: 9/12 Water Canteen: 3/4 Rifle ammo: 2/20

# ? Jul 29, 2021 09:49

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

We ain't leaving without loot.

# ? Jul 29, 2021 10:02

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

anakha posted:

We ain't leaving without loot.

# ? Jul 29, 2021 10:32

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

No sign of the polyethylene in the vicinity. Continue the search efforts.

# ? Jul 29, 2021 10:38

SatansOnion: Dec 12, 2011

The good stuff�s never just sitting in the open. But if we keep looking, we might find where they kept the good stuff

# ? Jul 29, 2021 11:14

Ratatozsk: Mar 6, 2007; Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

We need to go deeper.

# ? Jul 29, 2021 14:35

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

SatansOnion posted:

The good stuff�s never just sitting in the open. But if we keep looking, we might find where they kept the good stuff

# ? Jul 29, 2021 20:00

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Highway Holocaust posted:

Eventually you enter the last storage room: it contains two objects that stir your curiosity. The first is a large wooden crate, seemingly overlooked by whoever looted the other basement rooms, and the second is a reinforced steel door that is set into the far wall.

Shall we check out the crate, the door, or neither?

# ? Jul 31, 2021 09:31

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

The crate might have loot.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 10:56

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Loot that crate.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 11:12

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

anakha posted:

Loot that crate.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 14:48

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

I have crate expectations.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 15:48

Luigi's Discount Porn Bin: Jul 19, 2000; Oven Wrangler

Mystery door! There could be anything behind there! There could even be a crate!

# ? Jul 31, 2021 18:26

Ratatozsk: Mar 6, 2007; Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Luigi's Discount Porn Bin posted:

Mystery door! There could be anything behind there! There could even be a crate!

Inspect the door until it�s a jar

# ? Jul 31, 2021 20:44

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

anakha posted:

Loot that crate.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 21:14

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Highway Holocaust posted:

The rotten wood splits and crumbles under the slightest pressure, enabling you to open the crate with your bare hands. Inside, you discover hundreds of square plastic tubs, bound together with tape into units of twelve. Sealing the whole consignment is a vast sheet of clear polythene�just what your uncle wanted! Using your hunting knife, you slit open the sheeting at the corners, remove it from the tubs and fold it away carefully for future use.

The tubs themselves are each adorned with blue and white labels that display the letters: N a C l.

We roll: 0 + 3 (Perception) = 3.

These plastic containers are quite unlike anything you have seen before, and you are curious but suspicious: why have they been left untouched when everything else has been either looted or destroyed? Rather than risk opening what may turn out to be a bowlful of dangerous chemicals, you step away from the crate and quickly leave the basement.

With the bulky roll of polythene sheeting slung over your shoulder, you hurry back to the convoy as quickly as you can. Uncle Jonas greets you with a broad grin and offers to help you stow your find aboard the bus. �That�ll come in right useful if we run short o� water,� he says, as he slams shut the stowage door. �We can use it to rig up a solar still.�

Once everyone is aboard, you start the roadster and lead the convoy in single file onto the southbound carriageway of Interstate 35.

Obstructions are few on this stretch of Interstate 35. Most of the wrecks that once choked this route into Fort Worth now lie in dusty heaps at the side of the road, their bodies having been stripped of serviceable parts long ago by city gang scavengers. The piles of auto-shells steadily increase as you near the outskirts of Fort Worth, warning you of the increasing likelihood of ambush and prompting you to keep your eyes peeled for anything that could pose a threat to the convoy.

To your left, you can see the buildings of downtown Dallas perched precariously around the edge of a huge crater. These once-gleaming towers of mirrored glass and steel now lie black and broken, like a circle of charred bones. It is a chilling sight.

At a junction on the outskirts of Fort Worth, you decide to leave Interstate 35 and follow a safer route that will take you around the city. The remains of Interstate 820 serve your purpose well, until you reach another junction where the Jacksboro Highway crosses your path. In order for the convoy to connect with Interstate Freeway 20, the highway that leads all the way to Big Spring, you must traverse one major obstacle�the Trinity River.

You consult your map. There are two places where the convoy can cross the Trinity, both of them close by. Two miles further along Interstate 820 there is a bridge over Lake Worth. Two miles northwest, along the Jacksboro Highway, another bridge crosses the river at a place called Lakeside Village.

Shall we try the bridge at Lakeside Village or continue along Interstate 820 to Lake Worth?

# ? Aug 1, 2021 12:02

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Lake Worth.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 12:08

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

Really, Cal doesn't know what salt is? Sigh.

Lakeside Village, let's look for some loot he can actually recognise.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 12:31

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

BTW, am I being dumb or does the information in the text not match the map at all? If we're coming south on 35 then turn west and carry on till we hit the Jacksboro Highway, we're right in the middle of Ft Worth - and the Trinity River is to our north and not an obstacle? We just need to follow the road around a little further then turn west toward Weatherford to get onto Interstate 20.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 12:48

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

achtungnight posted:

Lake Worth.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 13:59

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

Tiggum posted:

BTW, am I being dumb or does the information in the text not match the map at all? If we're coming south on 35 then turn west and carry on till we hit the Jacksboro Highway, we're right in the middle of Ft Worth - and the Trinity River is to our north and not an obstacle? We just need to follow the road around a little further then turn west toward Weatherford to get onto Interstate 20.

I think we're detouring around Ft Worth on smaller roads that aren't on the map, but yeah, the Jacksboro Highway is on the other side of the river so I don't see how we could follow it to a river crossing from here.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 14:31

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

Black Robe posted:

Lakeside Village, let's look for some loot he can actually recognise.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 15:13

Ratatozsk: Mar 6, 2007; Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

I thought I had some memory of reading about Joe Dever taking a trip through Texas just before writing this series, but a cursory internet search didn�t come up with anything.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 16:33

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

Black Robe posted:

Really, Cal doesn't know what salt is? Sigh.

Lakeside Village, let's look for some loot he can actually recognise.

Agree on both.

# ? Aug 1, 2021 19:19

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Black Robe posted:

Lakeside Village, let's look for some loot he can actually recognise.

Highway Holocaust posted:

After a brief conference with Uncle Jonas and the others, they agree to wait here at the junction while you go off and scout the bridge at Lakeside Village. If it proves safe, you will return and lead them across.

It takes you less than five minutes to reach Lakeside Village and, to your relief, you find it deserted. However, your hopes of an easy crossing are dashed: the bridge across the Trinity no longer exists�it collapsed several years ago.

You are preparing to turn back when you notice an old school bus, almost identical to the colony�s vehicle, lying on its side amid the rubble of a derelict building.

Should we check out the bus or ignore it and rejoin the group?

# ? Aug 2, 2021 09:32

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

Check it out as we're here.

# ? Aug 2, 2021 13:10

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

Black Robe posted:

Check it out as we're here.

# ? Aug 2, 2021 13:54

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Check out the bus, but if we see any signs of magic, bombs, or vampires get off immediately.

# ? Aug 2, 2021 14:50

Ofecks: May 4, 2009; A portly feline wizard waddles forth, muttering something about conjured food.

Overturned wagon? Check it out but beware of Helghasts. and horrifying nightmare fuel illustrations from one Gary Chalk :gonk:

# ? Aug 2, 2021 19:03

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Highway Holocaust posted:

It takes you a few minutes to clear the rubble away from the engine compartment, but your efforts are not in vain. Some of the engine components are still serviceable and could prove useful as spares for the colony�s bus.

Below are listed the items worth salvaging from the wreck. You may take two from the list, all of which are Backpack Items:

Distributor Cap

Condenser

Gas Modifier

Oil Plug

Fan Belt

Spark Plugs

Solar Regulator
If you decide to keep any of these spares, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

You return to the convoy and tell the others the disappointing news that the bridge at Lakeside Village is out. There is only one alternative�the bridge across Lake Worth. As you take your place at the head of the column and lead the convoy along Interstate 820, you can only pray that it has not suffered a similar fate.

For a mile beyond the junction, the highway passes through a corridor of petrified trees, the pitiful remains of a fertile city park that thrived before the holocaust. Then it crests a ridge of high ground that overlooks the sickly, tainted waters of Lake Worth. The bridge ahead is blocked by a manned barricade, and you slow to a halt, signalling to the others to pull off the road to avoid being seen.

Cutter is the first to join you, his eagle eyes fixed on the barricade as silently he assesses its strength. Uncle Jonas and Hammer Harlan are the next to arrive and they are quick to ask Cutter for his opinion. �Ain�t nothing fancy down there,� he says, almost casually. �They got a few cars strung out in a line, that�s all. I figure if we was to hit �em hard enough, you can bet yer boots we�d bust through their centre like a bull through a wicker fence.�

�We can�t risk damaging a vehicle,� says Hammer, wiping the sweat from his brow. �If we smash a rad or rip a tyre, we can kiss goodbye to our hopes o� seein� Big Spring.�

�True enough,� replies Cutter, stroking his stubbly chin. �But I�ve got an idea that�ll give us a better-than-evens chance o� cuttin� through without a scratch.�

Cutter points to the side of the highway, where a length of crash barrier lies curled and twisted like a petrified metal snake. �We could rig that piece to the front of the bus,� he says, indicating a v-shaped section shorter than the rest, �and use it like one o� those ol� fashioned batterin� rams. It�ll protect the engine an� wheels an� pack one heck of a punch.�

Uncle Jonas looks sideways at Cutter, his eyes narrowed, his face drawn and serious. Then his expression softens and he starts to laugh. �Why, you sly old son of a gun. Trust you to figure out a way.�

Fifteen minutes later, the barrier is firmly roped and braced to the front of the bus. Cutter volunteers to take the wheel and lead the attack, with Uncle Jonas driving the tanker and you bringing up the rear in your roadster. If all goes to plan, the bus will smash through the barricade, leaving a gap wide enough for both the tanker and you to follow in its wake.

As soon as everyone is in position, Cutter gives the signal to move. Fortunately, the bridge is below you, at the bottom of a steep hill, enabling the bus to build up a good speed. Your heart quickens as the convoy gathers pace, and nervously you watch as your speedometer needle moves further around the dial.

The bus is fifty yards from the barricade when the defenders open fire, their automatic weapons filling the air with wave upon wave of lead. The vast bulk of the tanker shields you from this hail of death, but your heart goes out to those aboard the bus who must be bearing the brunt of this withering fire. Then you hear a tremendous crash as the bus slams into the barricade, and moments later you see the tanker shudder as it widens the gap that Cutter has made. It ploughs through with ease, but in doing so, it catches and spins the torn wreckage directly into your path. A cold chill runs down your spine as the twisted wreck of a car comes hurtling towards your windshield.

We roll: 7 + 5 (Driving) + 3 (Perception) = 15.

A rush of adrenalin sharpens your senses, making you super-aware of the deadly situation. You react with lightning speed, steering your car out of the path of the oncoming wreck yet avoiding the myriad other obstacles that litter the bridge and threaten to send you to your doom. With consummate ease you overcome these dangers and resume your position in line behind the tanker.

Once the convoy is clear of the bridge, Cutter pulls over to the side of the highway and you stop in line behind him and the tanker. Uncle Jonas jumps down from his cab and together you run forward to check the damage to the bus. The front and sides are riddled with bullet holes, many of which have penetrated the engine and passenger compartments, yet, miraculously, no one has been killed or seriously injured. Aunt Betty-Ann appears at a window and reports that four members of the colony have been hit. She says not to worry�they have minor wounds and she is sure they will pull through.

The radiator is leaking coolant but Cutter is confident that he can have it fixed within an hour. �It�s a real shame we�ve got so few guns aboard,� grumbles Cutter, as he sets to work sealing the perforated radiator mesh. �It ain�t no fun being the target for them punks when you don�t get a chance to shoot back.�

A hundred yards along the highway you see a sign that points to a road leading off to the east. It says:

CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE