- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Take the meal and HE grenade. Drop the binoculars.
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Apr 29, 2022 04:02
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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Jun 5, 2024 08:28
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- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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Take the meal and HE grenade. Drop the binoculars.
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Apr 29, 2022 04:31
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Take the meal and HE grenade. Drop the binoculars.
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Apr 29, 2022 05:43
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Take the meal and HE grenade. Drop the binoculars.
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Apr 29, 2022 19:41
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Grenade!
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Apr 30, 2022 03:56
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Grenade! 
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Apr 30, 2022 04:29
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- Toplowtech
- Aug 31, 2004
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is that even a question, come on. grenade, obviously
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Apr 30, 2022 12:00
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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is that even a question, come on. grenade, obviously
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Apr 30, 2022 19:57
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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California Countdown posted:You bring the grenade close to your face in order to set its timer. Carefully you turn its dial to the minimum time setting—four seconds—then you ease out the pin and hurl it across the roof.
A searing, yellow flash is followed by a dull, percussive boom, which makes your ears pop. As the smoke clears, you see that one of the shooters lies dead, and the other is leaning against the parapet, clutching at his wounded thigh with his free hand. The seated clansman appears to have survived without injury. You draw a close combat weapon and move stealthily towards the group before the shock wears off. The seated clansman sees you approaching but, curiously, he does nothing to alert his wounded companion.
You act quickly. The clansman may have a badly wounded leg, but his finger is uninjured and it is curled around the trigger of his assault rifle. You rush him and kick the gun out of his hands, sending it sailing over the parapet. Before it hits the ground, you press home your advantage and attack.
Cape Cod (wounded): CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 13
Owing to the surprise of your attack and the weakened state of your adversary, ignore any ENDURANCE point losses that you sustain during the first two rounds of combat.
Cape Cod (wounded): CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 13
Combat Ratio: 5
We roll: 7
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 20
Cape Cod (wounded): CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 5
We roll: 1
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 20
Cape Cod (wounded): CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 2
We roll: 9
Cal Phoenix: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 19
Cape Cod (wounded): CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 0
California Countdown posted:The remaining clansman, whom you first saw seated next to the parapet, cowers on the ground like a frightened child. His hands are tied behind his back and, as you bend to grab hold of his arms and pull him to his feet, he pleads for his life. ‘Don’t kill me, please don’t kill me,’ he cries. ‘I’ll help you, if you’ll just let me live.’
You shout an all clear to Rickenbacker in the street below, and as you turn your face away, you see the headlights of the convoy vehicles as they enter the town.
Without untying his hands, you escort the clansman down slowly from the roof and retrace your steps along the alley to the main street.
The first of the convoy vehicles draws up as you and your captive arrive back at the roadster. Rickenbacker notices the cords binding the clansman’s hands and comments on your thoroughness.
‘Neat job you did there, Cal.’
‘Not really. He was already trussed-up like that when I found him,’ you reply.
Then Cutter and a handful of colonists disembark and come over to take a look at your prisoner. Readily he answers their questions, and seems genuinely eager to appease them. You discover that his name is Cookie. He says that he was trying to escape from Yuma and that the other two men, who ambushed you from the roof of the cinema, were scouts from a clan called the Pumas who control that city. Cookie says he was running east in the hope of finding a colony to join. The scouts were sent to capture him and take him back to Yuma where the Pumas’ leader, whose name is Pentagon, intended to execute him. It was to serve as a warning to the other members of his clan.
‘If you’re so keen to get away from the Pumas,’ says Rickenbacker, ‘why the hell did you join with ’em in the first place?’
Cookie says that he was exiled from California four months ago, after being caught by an army patrol while he was looting food from a derelict store in downtown LA. ‘I joined the Pumas ’cause I had to. It was either that or starve to death in the desert.’ He says that he knows the surrounding area well, and offers to help the colony if you agree to take him with you.
Nobody is very keen on the idea of having a clansman aboard, especially after the murder of Mike Gorgas and the clan attack at Sentinel, but most agree that having someone with a thorough knowledge of the area with you would raise your chances of survival considerably. Finally it is agreed to let Cookie stay with the colony, but on the condition that his hands remain tied and he is treated as a prisoner, not as a colonist.
The night is spent at Wellton, during which time you must take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Early next morning, after you have fixed your front tyre, you and Rickenbacker set off in the roadster to scout the land around Yuma. What you discover there confirms Jaeger’s story—the city is held in force. The Pumas have looted the ruins of the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, and they possess some heavy ordnance, among which are several pieces of light artillery. Cookie says that they have the shells for these guns, and that they have all approach roads zeroed-in. To take the convoy anywhere within a three-mile radius of the city would be suicidal. However, you must get across the Colorado River if you are to reach your goal.
Eager to prove his worth, Cookie offers to show you a way to avoid Yuma and cross the Colorado without getting your feet wet. Reluctantly the colony agrees to give him a chance, and allows him to be untied.
Cookie informs you that the convoy could make a successful crossing at the Imperial Reservoir, located on the Colorado River ten miles to the northwest of Dome. Your map confirms its location, but no highways are shown and you doubt that the convoy’s heavy vehicles would be able to cross there safely, if at all.
Cookie is insistent that it is possible, and, after much deliberation, the colony leaders agree to try. The convoy sets off immediately for Ligurta, a town on Interstate 8 that you checked thoroughly on your return from Yuma earlier this morning. The town is still empty, so the convoy halts here. Driving the clan pick-up truck that you discovered parked behind the cinema last night, Rickenbacker, Cookie, and yourself leave Ligurta to scout the tiny town of Dome. It is empty, but two miles beyond it you find that the bridge across the Gila River is guarded by a Puma patrol.
‘I count six of them … and a truck,’ says Rickenbacker, as he peers through the dirty windshield at the distant bridge.
‘They’re from Yuma,’ offers Cookie. ‘Puma scouts. Probably part of the group that came lookin’ for me.’
Carefully you assess the situation. A frontal attack on the bridge could prove costly, and the long whiplash aerial that you see fixed to the clansmen’s pick-up can only mean that they are in contact with their base at Yuma. It would not take very long for their leader, Pentagon, to send reinforcements if the scouts radioed that they were under attack. The foul, black waters of the Gila River may look uninviting, but at least they are shallow and fordable, and it would be easy for you to circle around this bridge in the pick-up and cross further upstream, where you could not be seen. However, no matter how shallow the water, the convoy’s buses would never make it. No, the only way the convoy is going to reach the Imperial Reservoir is by crossing here at this bridge.
Rickenbacker, who has been given a transceiver by Pop Ewell, radios the convoy to inform them of the situation. At once they suspect that Cookie is trying to lead you into a trap. He denies the charge, and in order to prove his good intent, he offers to try to lure the clansmen away from the bridge.
We roll: 8.
The colony agrees to let Cookie attempt his plan, but they also warn you and Rickenbacker to watch him closely. Still they do not trust him and they are afraid that he will try to betray the convoy’s presence in the area. Before they sign off, they tell you to maintain radio silence until the bridge is clear, just in case the clansmen are monitoring the frequencies.
Carefully you listen to Cookie’s plan. He suggests that you approach the bridge on foot, using the sagebrush as cover. Once you are in position, as near to the bridge as you can get, Cookie and Rickenbacker will approach in the truck, with Cookie driving. They will stop before they reach the bridge, whereupon Cookie will jump out and attract the clansmen’s attention by shouting. Once they have taken a good look at him, he will run into the scrub. Hopefully, this will be enough to provoke the Pumas into giving chase, leaving the bridge unguarded. The moment they leave the bridge, Rickenbacker will open fire on them from the truck. Your task is to prevent any of the clansmen from reaching their pick-up and using the radio.
You are not sure that the plan will succeed, but you can think of no alternative. ‘It’s risky,’ says Rickenbacker, ‘but I reckon it can work, so let’s give it our best shot.’
A swirling nest of butterflies that have suddenly taken refuge in your stomach prevent you from answering. The best you can manage is a weak smile as you set off towards the bridge.
As soon as you reach a position that offers a clear view of the bridge, you signal to the others and wait for them to approach. Cookie and Rickenbacker play out their parts to perfection, and everything goes as planned until one of the six clansmen breaks away from the main group and runs back across the bridge. He is heading for the truck.
Rifle: 3 rounds
Machine Pistol: 34 rounds (uses six at a time)
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May 1, 2022 01:51
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Sounds like a sniping situation. Rifle
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May 1, 2022 05:37
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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machine gun just to be contrary.
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May 1, 2022 05:49
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Sounds like a sniping situation. Rifle
My thoughts exactly.
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May 1, 2022 19:19
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Sounds like a sniping situation. Rifle
California Countdown posted:You raise your gun and track the clansman as he runs across the bridge, but you do not get a clear view of him until he emerges from behind the bridge’s supporting girders and sprints towards the pick-up truck. He is more than thirty yards away when you let loose your first round of fire.
We roll: 3 + 7 (Shooting) = 10.
Your gunfire wounds the clansman fatally. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) With his last ounce of strength, he staggers to the pick-up truck and falls across the rear tailgate. There, standing in the back, is a keg filled with blasting powder. The clansman believes you are a rival clan who are out to steal this explosive, and rather than allow it to fall into your hands, he pulls the self-igniting fuse that is attached to its cap. Less than a minute later, the fuse runs out and the powder explodes, with devastating effect. There is a shuddering boom, and then the truck erupts into a blazing fireball of orange and scarlet flame.
When the dust and debris have finally settled, you see that the clansman did not survive the blast: his body lies a few yards from the blazing wreck, stiff and lifeless. To your left you can see Rickenbacker and Cookie running towards the bridge after completing their part of the plan successfully. You call to them and they are relieved to see that it was not you who perished in the explosion. You rejoin them and together you return to the pick-up to report that the bridge across the Gila River is now clear.
While you are waiting for the convoy to arrive, you busy yourselves by putting out the flames that are feeding on the wreckage of the clan truck: the oily smoke could attract unwanted attention. Shortly after the fire has been extinguished, the convoy arrives and several of the colonists help with the burial of the clansmen and the removal of the smouldering wreckage to somewhere less exposed. Everyone is aware of the need for increased vigilance after your encounter with the Puma bridge patrol. Sooner or later the Yuma clan base will notice their disappearance and send more scouts to investigate.
Once the clean-up is complete, Cookie is transferred to the Landcruiser and you take delivery of your roadster from Rex Tyler, who has driven it the short distance from Ligurta. Then, with your partner, Rickenbacker, you take up your familiar position at the front of the convoy and head off along the dirt road. Soon you reach the firmer surface of Highway 95 and follow it north, across a flat and featureless desert that was once the Yuma Proving Ground. A sign appears in the distance, just a dot on the horizon at first, but gradually growing larger until you can make out the directions painted on its sun-blistered surface:
LAGUNA & IMPERIAL RESERVOIRS 7 MILES
You follow the sign, taking the smaller road that branches away to the west. The name ‘Laguna’ stirs memories of your childhood before ‘The Day’, for it was at Laguna Beach, California, that you were born and raised. You are still thinking about your old home, wondering if it is still the same, when the reservoir and dam appear in the distance. The two features make an impressive sight, enhanced by the rugged backdrop of the Cargo Muchacho Mountains and the knowledge that the land on the other side of the reservoir is California state territory.
You bring the convoy to a halt at a point overlooking the wide service road that runs across the top of the dam. Cutter goes forward to check its cracked surface and after walking its entire length, returns to declare that it is passable.
You must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
The convoy manoeuvres into line and gets ready to cross the dam. Rex and Pete Tyler’s tow truck leads the column, followed by the Landcruiser and the DC1 gasolene tanker, the heaviest of all the colony’s vehicles. You help Rickenbacker, Macy, and Langdon to steward the crossing, making sure that the vehicles stay in line and do not get too close to each other. With the passing of the larger vehicles, you notice that the road surface rapidly deteriorates, Cracks appear in the concrete, some more than a foot wide, exposing the rusty steel rods embedded within, which were placed there to strengthen the structure. Near the centre of the dam, the concrete is powdery, and when the time comes for you to cross, large chunks of the road are simply no longer there.
With difficulty, Macy and Langdon make the crossing in their Trans-sol, leaving you with the unenviable task of bringing the roadster, the last colony vehicle, across a rapidly disintegrating surface. Rickenbacker advises you to leave the vehicle and cross with him on foot, but you are loath to abandon your car.
‘It’s OK,’ you say, waving away his protests. ‘I’m sure I can make it.’
‘You’d better hurry then, Cal,’ he replies, ‘before the whole centre slips away.’
With your stomach churning, you climb into the driving seat and reach for the ignition.
Apprehensively you descend towards the crumbling roadway and, as you approach the centre of the dam, you try to steer towards the widest section of the remaining concrete surface. Everything is going well until your front wheels jam in a widening rut and the roadster comes to a sudden stop. You pump the gas pedal and the floor shudders as the rear wheels spin uselessly on the powdery surface. Then the car lurches to the left, as the section on which you are caught begins to break away from the rest of the dam and slip towards the edge.
‘Jump for it, Cal!’ screams Rickenbacker. Instinctively you know that it is too late to save your roadster, but not too late to save your life. As the left side of the car tilts towards the river far below, you clamber out of your seat and make a desperate leap for the roadway.
We roll: 5 + 5 (Stealth) + 19 (Endurance) = 29.
You land on the broken roadway with your arms outstretched and your hands scrabbling to find something to cling to. An exposed steel rod falls beneath your grasp and you clasp it with bloodied fingers, while your feet swing wildly in the void. Dust and debris are falling on your head and shoulders, grazing your scalp and causing you to cough violently: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
Stoically you hang on to the bending steel rod while Rickenbacker and the others come to your aid. They throw the end of a rope, which lands close to your right shoulder, and urge you to take hold of it so that they can pull you to safety.
We roll: 9 + 17 (Endurance) = 26.
Gritting your teeth against the pain that is coursing through your arms, you stretch out and grasp the rope with your right hand. Then you take hold of it with your left, and slowly you are hoisted away from the crumbling edge. As your companions lift you eagerly to your feet, you notice an expanding circle of ripples in the river below. They mark the final resting place of your Roadster.
Fighting back the sadness that you feel at having lost your roadster, you put on a brave face and join the others on the far side of the dam. Some of the colonists are celebrating their entry to California, but their numbers are few and, in the main, the mood of the colony is one of pessimism. You may have crossed the Californian state line, but you still have a long way to go before you reach civilization.
Pop Ewell tries once more to radio Pine Valley, but the contact is worse than before and he concludes that the mountains must be blocking the signal. On this side of the river lies the remains of a dirt road which runs north to south. Maps are consulted and it is found that this trail leads north to a small camping settlement called Picacho, and south to Yuma. As it is far too dangerous to approach Yuma, it is decided to go north in the hope of finding a way through the mountains to Highway 78.
You join Rickenbacker in the clan pick-up truck and begin scouting the way ahead.
You follow the course of the Colorado River, first north, and then west towards Picacho. Throughout your drive you are treated to a spectacular view of the mighty river and the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, once the home of eagles and deer, and great flocks of Canada geese, ducks, and swans.
Within the hour, you reach the tiny settlement of Picacho. Rickenbacker radios the news to the convoy and tells them to halt while you go ahead to check that it is safe to enter. Picacho appears to be empty, but as you make your approach, a clansman appears from one of the log cabins and starts waving at you. He is smiling and, because of the pick-up you are driving, you assume he must think you are fellow clansmen.
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May 2, 2022 03:46
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Stop for plot.
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May 2, 2022 04:34
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Stop. Hello, fellow clanz!
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May 2, 2022 05:54
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- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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Hello fellow bandit!
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May 2, 2022 06:53
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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California Countdown posted:As you bring the truck to a halt, Rickenbacker takes up his machine pistol in expectation of trouble. The clansman seems to be alone, and you notice that there is only one motorcycle parked beside the cabin from which he emerged. This cabin stands at the entrance to what was once a state-run campsite.
After a few seconds, the clansman’s smile wears thin. He takes up a pair of binoculars, which are hanging around his neck, and focuses them on your truck. With a start, he drops them, turns, and runs through the campsite entrance.
‘He’s seen us!’ hisses Rickenbacker. ‘Quick, Cal. Let’s get him before he gets away.’
Hurriedly you put your foot down and drive through the entrance gate. Beyond lies a cluster of log cabins, grouped in a horseshoe formation around a central parking area. As you squeal to a halt, the clansman is nowhere to be seen. ‘We’ve gotta find him … and quick!’ says Rickenbacker, leaping from the passenger door. ‘You search one side of the camp and I’ll search the other.’
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May 3, 2022 03:53
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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North
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May 3, 2022 04:42
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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South
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May 3, 2022 05:23
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- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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North
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May 3, 2022 06:24
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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May 3, 2022 19:07
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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California Countdown posted:You jump out of the truck and look from one cabin to the next, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive clansman. You see no one, but you do notice that all the cabin doors are closed and secured with padlocks. The clansman could not have entered the cabins, so he must have run behind them.
You run along a paved passage between two of the cabins towards an area that was once used to cook barbecues. Several brick-built ranges are dotted around the area, beyond which you can see another log cabin. This one is larger than any of the others, and once served as a restaurant for the site.
In the dust that covers the ground you notice a set of footprints leading to one of the brick barbecue ranges situated fifteen yards away to your left. At once you reach for your gun and level it at the range, approaching it slowly. You have taken only a couple of steps when you hear the click of a firing bolt being cocked. In the next instant, the clansman rises up from behind the barbecue stand with a machine pistol held before him at waist level.
Rifle: 2 rounds
Machine Pistol: 34 rounds - uses 6 at a time
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May 4, 2022 03:12
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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May 4, 2022 04:52
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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It’s called an Uzi machine pistol, and it can save your life!
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May 4, 2022 05:52
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- Adbot
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Jun 5, 2024 08:28
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Apr 29, 2022 04:02
