I don't think you can carry your crossbow while you work, but you can leave it in the employee area while you are there.
The crossbow folds up, remember? It's in the backpack with the two pistols. I don't have it ON ME except that it's in the backpack. I don't see how that could be a problem. As the saying goes "You're only breaking the law if you get caught."
I posted this in my last thread, as an edit. You must not have seen it. I edited the post whilst you were posting, so that's probably why. You might want to go back and reread my last post, just to make sure you got everything.
Is there any side or front pouches on the 9 mm holster to hold a spare magazine? I have 2 holsters in real life that are made like that. It's a very common design.
Go back to the gun store. I would be looking for a Smith and Wesson 22 LR target pistol. It shoots the same ammo as my Marlin. I own one. It comes with two ten round clips. Original cost, (I believe) $200. However, it was on sale, marked down from $250 and some change. And not to tell you how to do your job, but 22 LR is the single most popular gun caliber in the world. It would be a very bad GE roll indeed if these did not exist. (Of course, that's our world, but you get what I'm saying) I didn't know if you were aware of that or not. I'm just giving you information about our world. If a gun store here is out of stock on 22s, then they must have just had a major sale of them, and will get more next week. That's how popular that caliber is.
Also, when determining its damage category, the S/W 357 is about the same caliber as the 9mm, (I think the 357 is .002 inches larger) however, the 357 magnum is probably 3 times as powerful as a 9mm, easily equal to or greater than many small caliber rifles. Also, revolvers on the whole are a lot more reliable and accurate than an automatic. If that means that my 1@10 skill has a bonused chance to hit, all the better. Didn't know if you were aware of this or not, that's all.
As I recall, the plan on the martial arts training was you were working five days in a row and then having your first class on your next day off. You had already worked one before you went to the school, and the second is behind you, and the third is beginning, so you have today plus two more days, and the day after that you don't work but have your first martial arts class.
Well, I can go in there and train any time. Perhaps my friend the blackbelt would be interested in sparring with me today? I'd have PJ pants and a t shirt with me, just in case. If he wants to spar, spar with him and learn what I can. If he doesn't want to spar, check out the gun range.
There are indeed shooting ranges of the sort you request--three of them, in fact. Down side: because of the hazards involved in firing such weapons in a space station, these are far removed from the other areas, near the top of the station. It takes about ten to fifteen minutes to get there by elevators.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but it is not at all uncommon for gun ranges to sell and/or rent out guns. There's an indoor range here, they rent out the guns for sale as demonstration models for people interested in buying them. You get the store gun to test, they sell you a new gun. If so, I would be looking for the 22 target pistol there.
And MJ, I sent you a couple of emails I think that you REALLY need to look at. Check your email after you get done here, if you have time.
O.K., crossbow is folded up in the backpack; but in point of fact, you can't wear the backpack while you're working, so it's in the employee room. You could wear one of the pistols, probably, as it isn't about whether you're carrying a weapon but about whether you're carrying unnecessary weight that would interfere with your ability to do your job.
It's always hazardous to edit posts, but particularly after I've started responding to the forum. Remember, my first step here is to open all the threads that show replies, and then to start reading the replies (in a convoluted order that doesn't need to be described here) and responding. Thus if I have already responded to a post today and there was a new post to your thread, your thread is already open awaiting my attention, and I won't see any additional posts or edits, maybe not ever.
The holster has one pouch for a clip. That's the holster for the Ruger, right?
It is, of course, entirely possible that the most popular caliber weapon in this universe is a .20 or a .25. Also, since explosive-driven slug throwers are really an antiquated technology, the odds of finding exactly what you're looking for are sort of like going to a gun store looking for a flintlock with removable bayonet on a thirty-nine inch barrel--they'll have what they have. They don't have .22 pistols in stock at the store where you usually shop, and the shooting range does rent out guns, but they're all kinetic or photonic energy types.
--M. J. Young
Yeah, that holster is for the Ruger 9mm.
I was just saying that about the 22 because I know you're not overly knowledgeable about firearms. I didn't know if you knew how popular it was here on our world. If that would influence your decision at all.
Go check out the nearest gun range. I want to see if I can hit clay pigeons with that crossbow. If it matters, I'm pretty good at doing that with a shotgun. Of course, that's with a shotgun, not with a crossbow. If I actually succeed, would there be any new use bonuses for the extreme difficulty? That would be a moving target, and a very small moving target at that. I've seen a guy that could hit flying aspirin tablets with a 22 pistol. That's a guy you don't want to gunfight.
Also, I'd want to rent out an energy weapon or two, just to see what it can do. This is all before I go to work.
I see that you have a 1@6 SAL with the crossbow, which suggests that you've already practiced with it under some conditions. Can you tell me what those practice conditions included? I'm trying to decide whether this would be "new use" or just practice.
As far as shooting the clay pigeons, they're not clay. You fire at three-dimensional moving holographic targets. You can set several parameters, including:
- size
- shape
- velocity
- acceleration
- pattern, such as line, parabola, evasive, random
- distance
- vector, that is, which way is the object moving relative to you
- direction, that is, what are the possible range of starting points (can it launch from behind you, for example)
Energy weapons do pretty much what you'd expect. They have no kick; they are not as fast as slug throwers because they have to recharge (like a stroboscopic flash). The ranges on the lasers are long. The blasters tend to have multiple damage settings. There are also sonic weapons, which tend to be very devastating at very short ranges. What else do you want to know about them?
--M. J. Young
For the Skeet shooting crossbow, I'd like 1 foot diameter targets 20 feet away, moving in a straight horizontal line, about 6 feet off the ground, at about a fast human walking speed. That would be simulation of a moving head shot. (Can you simulate human targets with this holographic stuff? Is it like a Star Trek Holodeck where you can program targets that shoot back? Non dangerous rounds, of course. Just enough to let you know you got hit. What are the parameters of the holomatrix? Could you make a holographic obstacle course? I could teach myself Parkour and not ever realize it.) As far as crossbow practice, I've actually never shot this one. I practiced with the steel crossbow that Mr. Smith and I built. That would have been stationary targets (Probably boards, tree stumps and the like) This would be completely new.
Have I seen anything resembling a drum magazine for the Ruger 9mm? They make a 40 round drum for a Colt 1911 45 automatic. It would make the gun pretty heavy. A 50 round drum for a 9mm would weigh about half as much. Have I seen any Ruger magazines larger than 15 rounds? To my knowledge, they are only made in 10, 15, 20, and 30 on earth, but that means very little out here.
Just an interesting side-bit. During the assault weapons ban, you were not allowed to manufacture a magazine for civilian use larger than 10 rounds, UNLESS the magazine was permanently attached to the gun. So, some company built a 9mm handgun with a 50 round, internal, snail drum magazine. And it complied with the letter of the law.
Skill with crossbow applies to any crossbow at least to professional level. At that level, some distinction would be made between different crossbow designs, although such as heavy or light, cantilever or crank. At expert level, it would have to be your crossbow.
And as I go to add it to your sheet, I find that it is already there at 1@6 Use Crossbow T3@1. Sorry I didn't see it before.
You fire a full six quarrels (the number that the crossbow itself holds). Two of them are very near the center of the target, and three others are solid hits, only one missing.
Accessories for primitive explosive-driven slug-throwing weapons are rare. You would have to special order them. You might be able to get something made if it's not available. Even places that carry such antique reproduction weapons do not usually have much in the way of accessories, since these are mostly the province of collectors. You have not seen any unusual magazines for any weapon.
--M. J. Young
Is that a new use for a moving target?
What other kinds of targets can I make? Can I make any that would look and react like a human target? Is the holographic program sophisticated enough to program targets that shoot back?
If nothing else, can I give it an evasive pattern similar to a human? (That would be 'Duck when you see the arrow coming')
I apologize. I thought through the answer to those questions, but then didn't realize I hadn't written them.
The holographic effects here are very limited. They do what I indicated, and no more. The "evasive pattern" works by a random movement system, such that you cannot predict the moment it will change direction or velocity; this limits your ability to lead the target. It does not shoot back.
There are professional-level ranges which can be used to train people for military and law enforcement. There are none aboard TerraNova, but one of the surrounding satelites has one. They cost thousands of credits to use, and are generally used only by corporations who train their security people in them. There is a lot of red tape even in traveling to that particular habitat.
Derek leaves a message at your hotel, says he'll call you on the vid later.
--M. J. Young
I apologize for my behavior over the past few days. It's another one of those "You'd have to be inside my head to understand" kind of things. Hey, look at it on the bright side. Before my psychotic rants would go for a dozen posts. Even the board is showing my improvement!!!
You didn't answer me, is it a new use on the moving target?
Program the same 12 inch target, with a faster moving speed and an evasive pattern. Maybe a nice jogging pace.
How much is all of this costing me?
How much longer before work?
Can I call Derek, or do I have to wait for him to call me? If I can call him, call and ask how he is doing, and if there is anything I can do to help him.
MJ Two Posts
Editing is dangerous, so I'm double posting, since it's many hours later.
Is there any way to selectively disown equipment? I would imagine I'm probably over my weight limit. I'd like to take the Verser's Survival Pack at all costs. It's everything I could need to get acclimated in the new world, until I find my gear. My character would be thinking that it was his most important possession. I just wanted to make a note of this, just in case there was any relevance to it.
Is there any kind of evasive pattern where the target changes size, as opposed to speeding up and changing direction? Or could it just change size randomly? If the evasive pattern could be that it stayed on course, but went from 12 inches to 2 inches, that would be what I would want.
NOTES
Anything here resembling an AR-7?
Speaking of delusions, can a dream become so real that it causes you to forget reality?
Your skill ability level with the crossbow is listed at 1@6. I find it difficult to believe that you were able to practice the weapon sufficiently to bring the skill to 1@6 without ever having shot at a moving target before. However, if you can expain that to me so I believe that you never previously shot at a moving target of any sort, I'll give you credit for a moving target. I will not give you credit for moving targets twice, though--the slow pace of the first "moving target" is below what Multiverser considers significant relative movement (no adjustment to chance to hit), so I'm stretching to give it to you for that.
The best you can do on the size of target thing is to program a three-dimensional target that turns and has different dimensions from different angles. Thus if you made something like a 12" diameter frisbee or discus, you could then have it turn such that it was moving away from you, and in the process it would shift the target it faced toward you (as well as its "angular" size, that is, a one foot object one foot away from you fills a much larger percentage of your field than the same one foot object one hundred feet away from you).
The range charges five credits per hour. It took you fifteen minutes to do your first run, but most of that was figuring out the interface so you could create the target you want. It will take you a similar amount of time to figure out how to do the things you want to do for your second run; it will not take long at all to set parameters you've already learned how to set, but when you're including new variables it will take time to learn to program these. In this case, it looks like you want to make variable movement, and include variable range so that it will move both toward and away from you, and to allow it to turn randomly on multiple axes. As for making it a jogging motion, the best chance on that is to limit the altitude, such that it can move left and right, forward and back fairly freely, but can only move up and down within about a foot (based on its center point). Again, it will take you about fifteen minutes to program all this and fire one complete round of bolts. You can cut back the time it takes to program it significantly once you understand how to set the various parameters, as long as you stay within what you know.
Since you now have an idea of how much it costs per hour and how much you can do in that time, you can figure out how much it's going to cost and how soon you have to leave for work.
I don't think you've ever used the computers to call someone; I'm not sure you knew you could do that--you did use it to order pizza, but you didn't actually talk to anyone when you did that. Apparently it can be used to make the equivalent of phone calls, because it seems that this is what Derek did. Whether you can do it, too, is something you would have to try.
As far as selectively disowning equipment, you do know that if you give something away or sell it, it doesn't go with you, so at least that works. Also, the bullets you shot did not go with you (or at least, you don't have that sense pointing you to where they went).
If you're asking me whether you get to choose what to leave behind if you exceed your weight limit when you verse out, the answer is no--that task falls to the referee. If you're asking me whether in anticipation of versing out you can get rid of stuff such that it is no longer yours and won't use weight limit, the answer is yes--but you have to disown it, and that means it would no longer be yours while you are in this world, either.
--M. J. Young
How did I get to 1@6 without shooting at a moving target? Well, I rolled "Use Crossbow" at 1@3 and then had 300 days practice. If I ever used it to shoot at a moving target, it would have been unrecorded practice, and not a new use.
When I said "Jogging Pace" I meant that it should move at the speed at which a human jogs. Faster speed, harder to hit. Give it that and the random evasive pattern.
Just keep practicing with that for a while.
When I asked if I could call Derek, I think it would be safe to assume that the computers let you make calls, since they do just about everything else around here. What I meant was it's easier for a person in jail to call out than it is for you to call them. I'll call him when I'm finished in an hour.
You're going to tell me that this is "unrealistic"; let me agree with that up front. For targeting purposes in Multiverser, "harder to hit" because of motion does not happen until there is greater than ten miles per hour difference between the target and the shooter, and then the penalty is 1% per one mile per hour. Thus setting your target for a "jogging" pace does not make it harder to hit in mechanical terms.
One reason for this was strictly a matter of practical mechanics. We did not want it to be the case that a player could say that because he was running away from the opponent, the referee would have to penalize the opponent's attacks for movement--after all, fighters in melee are always moving. Thus it was our decision that the ordinary chance of success was based on attacks made on any target that was moving at up to ten miles per hour relative to the attacker. This reduces the amount of math that has to be done in ordinary combat--even if people are shooting at each other from speeding automobiles, they are most likely going to try to bring themselves alongside or on the same line in such a way that the relative movement is zero (as it would be, for example, if you were directly behind the target).
I will give you new use for a moving target, given that all your efforts to this point have been against stationary targets.
You spend most of the rest of the hour shooting at these moving targets, and then collect your quarrels, which are undamaged.
You get the message from Derek when you return to your hotel to clean up and get ready for work. The message is that he stopped by to see you. You can try to call him on the vid; how would you try that?
--M. J. Young
--after all, fighters in melee are always moving. Thus it was our decision that the ordinary chance of success was based on attacks made on any target that was moving at up to ten miles per hour relative to the attacker.
I could add here that if the target is absolutely stationary (and can't help it), then the referee probably won't include the portion of its Target Value that comes from its Agility when he calculates your chance of success. So, a magically paralyzed man is easier to hit than a jogging man, precisely because he isn't moving. It's just that the difference between dodging while jogging and dodging while staying in roughly the same place doesn't affect your targeting enough to warrant a penalty.
I guess what I'm saying is I don't think it's even quite as unrealistic as MJ makes it sound, once you consider that Agility factors into the chance to hit.
MJ, Scott, believe it or not, I wasn't going to call that unrealistic. The reason I would say that is because the only moving target I've ever shot at was with a 12 gauge. By the time the pellets hit the target, it's an 8 inch spread hitting a 4 inch clay pigeon. Using bullets or arrows, I have no idea what would happen.
Back at the hotel, ask if Derek left any information about where he could be contacted. If he did, have the desk clerk show me how to call him. If not, then there's really no point in trying at all.
If I can't call Derek, just go to work at the scrap yard. Do I learn any new metalworking techniques?
The clerk says that the message just says "Derek", but if you know his name the computer should be able to find him, at least to leave a message.
You are always learning more about metalworking. You do not get those things listed as new techniques, but if you stay with it for several months your skill ability levels will increase.
--M. J. Young
Before I leave to call Derek, I would try crossbow speed shooting. Multiple moving targets (Three probably) engaged as fast as I can reload and fire. I would have never done anything like this before, so it should be a new use if I succeed.
To the desk clerk:
"Derek Jacob Brown. Can you help me call him?"
When I get Derek on the phone, ask him what's going on, is he in trouble, anything I can do to help?
Just to make a point. I said I wanted the target accelerated to a jogging pace. A good jogging time on a mile is 6 minutes. That would be averaging a speed of 10 MPH. You said 10 MPH is a "moving target" which is exactly what I did.
And MJ, you said that my crossbow holds 6 arrows, 5 on the bow and 1 in the loading track. That is a mistake. Crossbows hold the spare arrows on the bow on either side of a the firing mechanism. The one in the track to be fired does not count. So, if you really want to be realistic, the crossbow holds 7 arrows, 6 on the bow, and 1 in the track to be fired. It's like a gun has an 11 round capacity. That's 10 in the clip and one in the chamber. The crossbow actually holds 7 arrows. Unless, of course, this particular crossbow violates every known use of crossbow design that I have ever seen, that is.......
Oh and ya know what? You were concerned that I wouldn't play my character right, because my character is no longer psychotic, but I (the player) still am. I can offer proof that I am no longer playing as a psychotic. The psychotic me would have kept the old crossbow that Mr. Smith and I built, simply for sentimental reasons. The non-psychotic me is less sentimental about such things.
NOTES:
Don't forget to deduct 5 from the balance when you find it.
See if your boss Sam Ash will let you blacksmith a grappling hook which you can fire from your crossbow
Don't forget to get a new spider silk crossbow string (or two or three) Do they make rope out of that stuff???????
Sorry, that's a communications failure. According to the Multiverser description of "jog", it is a skill that looks like running at "slightly accelerated walking speeds (3-8 mph)" Most people walk at the low end; most people jog at the low end. As far as a "good jogging time" on the mile being six minutes, when I was in my best physical form I could run a mile in between seven and eight, so I cannot imagine that anyone would consider a six minute mile "jogging". I've never been highly athletic or a fast runner, but I can still outrun a jogger if he doesn't change to running.
If you meant ten miles per hour, I apologize that I took it to be closer to five. However, I've passed joggers on the road, and they weren't doing much better than five.
Your efforts to fire faster than you've been doing result in you missing the target repeatedly.
I described your weapon. It has a five-quarrel holder mounted on the side. I have seen crossbows without such a thing; in fact, most of those I've seen have one quarrel in them and you've got to carry the rest some other way. This quarrel holder was a feature.
The clerk taps the computer screen, repeats the name, "I'd like to place a call for Derek Jacob Brown."
In a moment, Derek's face appears on the screen. "This is Derek Brown, Computing Services. Can I help you?"
No, he's not in trouble; in fact, he got a job out of it--the head of computing services for the whole station was impressed with his abilities and hired him to work as a systems troubleshooter. He's been learning a lot, and has his own place. He didn't mention you because he didn't want to get you in any trouble.
--M. J. Young
I described your weapon. It has a five-quarrel holder mounted on the side. I have seen crossbows without such a thing; in fact, most of those I've seen have one quarrel in them and you've got to carry the rest some other way. This quarrel holder was a feature.
ON THE SIDE!!!!!! I get it!!! Sorry MJ. I've never seen one like that. All the crossbows I've seen had the holders on the bow. My fault. In that case, I've got 36 arrows in my backpack. Thirty in the quiver, 5 on the side, and one with its head wrapped in a plastic baggie which is loose. A crossbow and 2 pistols as on-person equipment at all times. I'm ready for defending.
Talking to Derek
"Hey dude, that's pretty cool. Just like Frank Abignale huh? He got caught forging checks, and became the head of the FBI check fraud division. In that case, what time do you get off work? I'll treat you to dinner if you want to, to celebrate. And how's everything else going? Well, I'm going to work now. You know where that is, so come and say HI if you want to."
Go to work, ask Sam Ash (My Boss) if he has any scrap metal (Mithril I believe it was called) that I could use to make a lightweight, collapsible grappling hook which can be fired from a crossbow. Don't show him that I've got the crossbow on me, of course, but just try to build it from memory.
Any new uses on the metalworking? This would be something I've never done before, if he lets me do it.
After that, assuming nothing happens to change things, go back to the shooting range and try the multiple target speed shooting again.
From Behind The Screens:
John 2 is attempting to practice by exceeding his own fire rate. Since the rules stipulate how fast he can load, aim, and fire the crossbow based on the weapon's speed, his SAL, and his RSV, I must assume that if he attempt to exceed that rate he sacrifices something--and the only thing he can sacrifice is aiming, so he is no longer taking aim before shooting. I won't roll for shots that aren't aimed, unless I roll untargeted rolls to see whether the crossbow works (which I could do--failure then would mean that he tried to fire before the weapon was loaded). But we'll keep things within reason.
MJ, you misunderstood me. I didn't mean that I was trying to fire faster than I was physically capable of doing. I meant I was trying to fire faster than I had ever done, which would be my maximum possible speed. It would be aimed shots, just fired quickly. Can I get a do over on that, since you misunderstood what I said?
So this TerraNova habitat is floating in space. Do I know where the outer walls are that lead to space? Further, is there anything which would indicate to my character that a gunshot or a grenade could open a hole in the wall leading to outer space? Perhaps signs that say "Do not shoot guns inside the habitat. You will cause a decompression"? (Might sound stupid to you, but if the only way I can help Lauren take out the bad guy is by blowing a hole in the wall..... I might just be crazy enough to try it.)
Derek is at work now, and will be off in about four hours; but he'll meet you in eight hours when you're off to go out to dinner.
You have already fired as fast as you are capable as part of the practice. We don't need to do it over, we'll just say that you had the same outcome in this round as in previous ones.
Did I say that there was mithril in this world? That would be quite unusual--mithril is usually found in fantasy worlds, not sci-fi ones, but it's not impossible. Sci-fi worlds usually have stuff like duralloy or plastic steel, something that's at least partly synthetic, or sometimes white dwarf alloy, which is beyond the technology of this world, I think.
You were standing at the window looking out into space when you were in the luxury hotel. I think you've probably also been in a restaurant with such a view at some point, and there are public areas at the edges of the mall which are windowed. You have seen no signs indicating any danger in connection with using weapons around such walls or windows--but then, the weapons you have in mind are all archaic, and the only people likely to have them are collectors who understand their dangers (or visitors from primitive worlds who would be instructed in this when they disembarked from their ships). So you have no information as to whether you might break the walls or windows or not.
--M. J. Young
Did I say that there was mithril in this world? That would be quite unusual--mithril is usually found in fantasy worlds, not sci-fi ones, but it's not impossible. Sci-fi worlds usually have stuff like duralloy or plastic steel, something that's at least partly synthetic, or sometimes white dwarf alloy, which is beyond the technology of this world, I think.
No, you never said that. I was just making an assumption. You know what they say when you assume. You make an Ass out of U and Me.
Go to work.
NOTES:
Find your credit balance. Add 155 for today's pay, 160 minus the 5 for the shooting range.
The scrap that is stronger than steel turns out to be non-metallic synthetics, polymers and plastics of a highly advanced sort.
Your work mostly involves sorting materials, keeping it stored, and delivering it for customers. Any work that you do with such materials really involves testing its composition and purity, putting it in forms that are easier to store and use, and measuring quantities.
Derek is awaiting you when you get out of work, and asks if you had anywhere in particular in mind for supper.
--M. J. Young
"Hey boss man (Addressing Sam Ash, my boss) Would it be OK with you if I blacksmith a grappling hook? I'm pretty good at metalworking, and I want to make one. Personal reasons, ya know. I can build it off the clock and I can even pay you for the materials, if you so desire. It's just something I need. If not, that's cool. I just thought I would ask."
If so, see how and when I can do it. If not, mentally give him the finger, and get back to work.
After work "Hey Derek, how was your incarceration? And do you have my watch? I would have broken you out of there if it had been a 15th century dungeon, but where you were, you were kind of on your own. I hope nobody popped your cherry. So what's up? And where do you want to eat? It's on me. The sky is the limit. Or as Chris Rock would say 'The limit's the sky.'"
Sam doesn't mind you making stuff on your down time, as long as you pay for the materials and aren't tying up equipment when it's needed. Obviously you can't do it today, because Derek is awaiting you, unless you come back later--but I recall you got an early start today, so you're probably going to head for bed shortly after dinner.
Derek points out that there is no sky in TerraNova, unless you have an outside window, in which case the sky does not have a limit. But he says it was just something he thought odd. It's his first time in space.
Derek has probably lived fifty years, but he's still very much the twelve year old boy whose looks he retains. Hamburgers appeal to him, and they're not very expensive. He complains that there's nothing quite like a Big Mac or Whopper in this world, at least that he's found yet, but you do find a place that flame broils beef patties and dresses them with an assortment of condiments on buns.
Derek tells you his story. It seems that when he adjusted the heat in the apartment where he was using the computer, he overlooked the fact that this would show as an anomaly somewhere, and he was flagged as being in an unoccupied apartment. That particularly irked him, because he had managed to get around all the security on the computer system and was about to write himself into the system when they grabbed him. In any case, they questioned him, and he tried to explain to them that he'd come from another universe. The police didn't believe him, and they kept asking him where his parents were, what ship he used, what planet--all stuff he couldn't answer. They had grabbed his stuff, and he was pretty sure they were checking that--which was going to give them headaches, he was betting. After all, his video games are twentieth century and his laptop originated there, but he'd made some modifications to it using twenty-fifth century technology and his tools and chips and stuff all came from around that time--and none of it was going to be traceable to any manufacturer in this universe, not even his underwear. But they didn't believe his story.
He made a point of not mentioning you.
They put him in a holding cell, and he noticed that there was a screen there--apparently for prisoners to use for phone calls to their lawyers and such. He hacked into it, created a test program through which he was able to create a fictional police investigator and give him clearance to read the files of current cases, pulled up his own case and read through it, so he knew what they were thinking and what they couldn't prove. When they questioned him again, he pointed out that they really had nothing more on him than a really minor crime of trespassing in an unoccupied apartment, and they couldn't really hold him much longer on that.
They handed him over to some woman who was the equivalent of a social worker, who kept treating him like he was a lost child. They also gave him his stuff back. He finally persuaded her that she could keep looking for his parents, but she should also give him the chance to prove that his story was true. After all, if his story was true, he was never going to grow up and she was never going to find his family, and whatever foster parents took care of him would never understand why he wasn't getting any older, while he could be a productive member of society instead of a drain on their resources. If her story was true and she cut him loose, the worst that could happen is he would fall on his face and prove that she was right.
She called Raeph Williams, chief of computer services on the station. He'd actually been following the case ever since that first hacking attempt, and was very interested in meeting. They talked about a lot of stuff--about the fact that Derek had managed to adapt his binary equipment to their trinary systems so easily, and some of the problems they had because they had to work in both binary and trinary. Then Raeph offered him a job--much to the shock of the social worker, who apparently still thought Derek was a kid despite the fact that she understood nothing of their technical jargon.
So he's started working there, has his own bachelor pad and pretty much the run of the station, since computers are everywhere and his job is to keep them working right.
So, what's been happening with you?
--M. J. Young
528 credits plus 155 for today equals 683 minus whatever I just spent on Derek. I paid for the hotel room for 50 days in advance, so your call when it's been 50 days.
"I'm surprised you let them arrest you Derek. After the last time I got arrested, that was it. I'm immortal, the cops aren't. They're going to kill me or I'm going to kill them. That's just the way it is."
"So it sounds like you had a decent time. What's your bachelor pad like? Is it nicer than that hotel room I've got? Perhaps I could move in with you. Unless it's an ungodly high amount, I'd pay half the rent."
"While you were out, I checked out a martial arts school. I'm hoping to get started there in the next day or so. Nothing really fantabulous has happened to me. Is there anything I can do for you to celebrate your release? Would you like to go to the shooting range with me? They've got this really cool holographic setup. I was tagging them with my crossbow."
Also, check out the gun store again. Do they have anything resembling an AR-7? (John, what's an AR-7?) An AR-7 is a 22 caliber rifle designed for United States Navy pilots. The barrel, magazine, and action unscrew from the stock. The stock opens up, and you can put them inside. It's a 7 round magazine, if I'm not mistaken. It goes from a normal sized 22 rifle to the size of the stock. Perfect for a survival pack (Or to fit in the cockpit of a fighter plane) They were designed for the military, but found a civilian market, especially among survivalist types. Anything like that?
If so, get that and some ammo for it. Put that in my Verser's Survival Pack. I'd have 2 pistols for defense, a crossbow for large game hunting, and the AR-7 for small game. I'd be prepared.
Also, I've been meaning to get some knitting needles and yarn. Find out where that is (Have Derek check) and get 2 sets of needles and 4 balls of yarn. Practice knitting, and keep one set of needles and 2 balls of yarn in the survival pack. Who knows? I might verse into an arctic wasteland and need to knit a sweater on the spot.
Any evidence of the verser teacher? How would I know? A little thing called 'Scriff Sense.'
Figure 15 credits for burgers for two if one of them is a teenaged boy.
"Well, I figured it was a relatively civilized world, and it would be better to let them treat me according to their legal system than find myself a fugitive in a world where you can't get beyond the walls of the building. Anyway, I had set my rifle aside and my darts were in the pack, and taking them on with a butcher knife, a cast iron frying pan, and a length of chain might have been wild to see, but I wasn't going to beat three security guards who came in with guns ready."
"Oh--well, it's a bachelor pad. It's only got the one bed, and the sofa is not designed for sleeping--it form fits to people sitting on it, but if you lie down on it, it's very lumpy between the seats. And it doesn't really have a kitchen, just something like a hot plate and a microwave and one cabinet that keeps stuff cold. I mean, it's really nice, and comfortable, but it's really built for one. Oh, and the rent is covered as part of my salary. I work for the station management, sort of."
"I'd love to go shooting, but I think we're on rather different schedules--I've got to be back to work in about ten hours, and I'm going to need to get some sleep before that. We'll have to figure out when we're both free."
Something like the AR-7 would be a special order antique weapon. You can order one; you'll have to put a hundred credits down and pay the hundred fifty balance when it's delivered. Ammo is about the same as for the other guns.
Yarn is easy enough to find. Do you want natural or synthetic fibers? Metal or plastic needles?
You relax and search for other versers, but only sense Derek.
(Scriff sense only works when you use it, so you have to specify that you are relaxing and sensing the scriff, or I have to realize that you are relaxed and might notice such a thing.)
--M. J. Young
668 Credits, minus the AR-7 is 418.
FOUR HUNDRED EIGHTEEN CREDITS!!!!!!!!!!!
"Well Derek, that's why I put together this Verser's Survival Pack here. (Show him the pack) When I versed out the first time, I took an entire van full of stuff with me. When I versed out the next time, I lost most of the stuff, and the van wasn't there either. There must be some kind of weight limit or something on what you can take with you. Since I took the van, I'm forced to assume that whatever you have on your body comes with you. Therefore, I want to make sure I've got everything I could conceivably need on my body at all times. Weapons, clothes, money, other assorted knickknacks. So, I'll be armed to the teeth at all times, and be ready for whatever is awaiting me in the next world."
"Good point about not being able to escape. However, we're versers. There isn't a prison built that could hold us, if you get right down to it. Stick a knitting needle in my jugular vein, and I'm out of any situation. I hope I never have to, but, ya know....."
"Well, you know where my hotel room is. Come by sometime and see what happens. Either I'm available or I'm not. Your 'Bachelor Pad' sounds like an apartment that I had back home. It was tiny, but it kept the rain off, so I couldn't really complain."
Describe the weapon that is like an AR-7. I'll take it. I'll pay for it up front, if that's OK with them. Give them my contact information, and they can call me when it's in. My hope would be that's it's a 22 caliber and takes the same kind of ammo as my other rifle. If not, no big loss.
So 250 credits for the AR-7. I'll mark that down. How much is the ammo? (I think it was 10 credits a box of 50 for the 9mm and 357 ammo.) If it's the same as my 22 bullets, (and even if it's not) get 500 rounds
Dumb Question: Why not just make it easy and say that it's 22 ammo of the same type that I already have? Just seems like it would be easier that way.
And do they have any speed loaders for the 357? (It's a round thing with 6 holes in it that holds bullets. You can put in all 6 bullets in the same time it would take you to load one.)
Also, get 2 extra spider silk strings for the crossbow. That's the most vulnerable part of the crossbow is the string. Do they have any rope that's made out of that spider silk?
Four balls of synthetic yarn, two sets of metal needles.
After I have all of that, go back to work at the Ash Can. Take my wrenches and see if I can blacksmith some of them into a grappling hook. This would be a new use (I think) Three hooks, capable of being fired from the crossbow, or thrown. Collapsible, if I can figure out how to do it.
Take whatever I don't blacksmith into the grappling hook, and sell them to Sam Ash (My Boss) for scrap. I believe it was 80 credits a kilo for scrap stainless steel. I think there's probably 10 or 15 pounds in wrenches.
And before bed, start knitting. See if I can knit a sweater for Derek. Nothing fancy, just a solid color basic sweater. That should be a new use.
Is there a strap on the backpack where I could hold my sleeping bag? It probably wouldn't fit inside the backpack, but they often have straps on the top for holding such things.
NOTES:
Backpack
Kabar knife
14 inch hunting knife, and everything that comes with it.
Ronco pocket fisherman
S/W .357 magnum, loaded
250 rounds .357 ammo
Ruger P-89 pistol, magazine currently contains 15 shots 9mm
7 magazines 15 round each for 9mm
250 rounds boxed 9 mm ammo
9 mm holster, with the gun inside.
crossbow, folded up
30 arrow quiver, loaded with 30 arrows
6 extra arrows, 5 in the side holder, one loose, head wrapped in 1 inch plastic bag
1 Pearl Harbor jumpsuit
100 chlorine tabs
2 quart canteen
three days food
10 four ounce silver crowns
20 two ounce gold pieces
20 two ounce platinum pieces
32 1/2 oz shillings (nickel)
32 1/2 oz pence (bronze)
5 BIC cigarette lighters (one sealed pack)
2 glue grenades
2 fragmentation grenades
The plastic ground tarp that I bought.
Gems, some valuable, some not
Dynamo FlashlightWhen I get it: Two balls of yarn, one set knitting needles, AR-7, and a quantity of ammo, to be decided later.
Fanny Pack
Four 4 ounce crowns (Silver)
Five 2 ounce gold pieces
Five 2 ounce platinum pieces
Four 1 ounce gold coins
Ten 1 ounce silver pieces
32 shillings (nickle)
32 pence (bronze)
Straight razor
5 BIC cigarette lighters
Leatherman multitool in black nylon sheath, on the strap
Gems, some valuable, some not.
Diamond ring, gold setting, $225 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $235 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny packTHIS IS MY ON-PERSON EQUIPMENT AT ALL TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!
MJ Two Posts
Curious. When I engaged the demons in Dancing Princess, that would have been a new use for first time shooting at a live target with either rifle or handgun. would there be any other new uses? It would also have been engagement of a moving target with both guns, and another new use for blanking at an invisible target with the 9mm. (Blanking, shooting an unseen target at point-blank range) If it's only one new use, I will accept that. However, if you feel like giving me all of the new uses I mentioned, I wouldn't complain. Just curious.
Notes:
Exploding Rambo Arrows???????????
The weapon is a Collapsible .22 rifle with a six bullet clip. The barrel slides into the stock, but it can't fire without extending the barrel. The rear of the stock folds down and comes up flush over the trigger guard, latching in place to either position. The clip inserts into the rear portion of stock, and can be kept in place, but the gun will not operate unless fully opened. An expert can do this in ten seconds, but it will take you thirty until you shave some time off that by practice. It does take the same ammo as the other .22. It will take a week to arrive.
The speed loader is also a special order item, as very few collectors of antique-style weapons do anything with them other than target shooting. You can get one for thirty credits.
The bowstrings are four credits each.
Yes they make rope from that. You can get 200# test that's roughly one eighth inch in diameter, 500# test at one quarter inch, 2000# at half an inch, and if you want better than that you have to order it. The thin stuff weighs about three pounds per hundred feet, twice that for the quarter inch, twice that again for the half inch.
Each skein of yarn costs three credits, and you pay two credits for a pair of needles (which are sold singly). These are very light, as they appear to be tubes, probably aluminum, laser-sealed seam, with a slightly rounded point at one end and a button at the other.
I recall it taking my mother several days to knit a pair of slippersocks. She wasn't at this constantly--but neither are you. Also, she worked from a pattern the first few times. Blankets and scarfs are the easy things to knit--large flat rectangular sheets of cloth. Sweaters are inherently complex, and are usually done in several pieces which are then attached to each other (although I suppose a sweater vest might be simpler and might be done in one piece with the shoulder tops fastened at the finish). You're welcome to start working on a sweater, but it's going to take a while, and a considerably longer while if you're making up the pattern as you go, as opposed to getting a pattern from somewhere to follow. I think it usually takes an amateur several weeks to make a sweater.
The backpack has a frame. Such frames are designed generally to permit the attachment of tent and/or sleeping bag usually at the bottom, although sometimes one will go on top (not preferred, as it means whichever is on top has to be removed to get into the main section of the pack). It is also reasonably common to strap larger objects such as a two-hand axe to the outside bars alongside the pack itself.
On new use--you might think this is unfair, but the first time you do something new it may be a new use for any and all reasons it is different, but this disqualifies the separate identification of those reasons. Thus you might get a new use for shooting at a moving target, then on another occasion a new use for shooting at an unseen target, and on another occasion for shooting at a moving target, but if you shoot at a moving unseen living target, that's only one new use which covers moving, living, and unseen. Also, that's discretionary--I usually do give a character new use for his first attack on a living target, but not for every weapon he uses, particularly if the weapons are similar. That is, I'll give you new use for a club but then not also for a sword, for a rifle but not also for a pistol or a laser, for a bow but not also for a crossbow. Remember, "new use" is the rare and unusual way to improve a skill; it only seems common because you notice it when it happens.
--M. J. Young
The weapon is a Collapsible .22 rifle with a six bullet clip. The barrel slides into the stock, but it can't fire without extending the barrel. The rear of the stock folds down and comes up flush over the trigger guard, latching in place to either position. The clip inserts into the rear portion of stock, and can be kept in place, but the gun will not operate unless fully opened. An expert can do this in ten seconds, but it will take you thirty until you shave some time off that by practice. It does take the same ammo as the other .22. It will take a week to arrive.
What's the weight and dimensions? (Did you just invent that out of whole cloth, or is that a commonly used gaming weapon? Sounds really wild from the description.) What is this "Either Position" you mentioned? I can fold it up or fold it down? I would keep it folded over the trigger guard, if that is what you mean. Is there anywhere for spare ammo? The AR-7 doesn't have that, but this isn't an AR-7.... Perhaps a slot in a hollow stock to put a couple hundred rounds? (22 bullets are small, I wouldn't be surprised if you could get 1,000 loose rounds in a hollow stock) Also, does it float in water? The AR-7 does. (Again though, this isn't an AR-7....) Ya know, all of a sudden, I have this mental picture of it. Unfolded, it's a standard 22 semi automatic. However, the barrel unscrews and slides inside the firing mechanism, and the stock is hollowed out, and that covers up the mechanism. Kind of to wrap around and protect the mechanism when in storage. Is that accurate? If so, then the stock couldn't be hollow to store spare ammo, but that wold probably be OK with me. If it is that the stock and the mechanism would both be exposed (I also have a mental picture of that) then the stock could be hollow to hold ammo. Either way would be acceptable.
The clip inserts into the rear portion of stock, and can be kept in place
On this point specifically, unless the firing mechanism is inside the stock, this couldn't be true. (That's called a Bull Pup stock) The magazine would have to be underneath the firing mechanism. Perhaps we should discuss what it looks like.... I'm only trying to educate you a bit on gun design, since I know it isn't one of your strong points. Not arguing.
I would be (and am) debating whether or not to disown my other 22 rifle. If it comes to where I verse out unexpectedly, consider that when you decide what comes with me on the verse. If the Marlin 22 doesn't come, I wouldn't be totally surprised.
The speed loader is also a special order item, as very few collectors of antique-style weapons do anything with them other than target shooting. You can get one for thirty credits.
Actually, it would be commonly used for collectors. People would still do speed shooting (Speed loaders are essential for that with a revolver) Not arguing, just letting you know for future reference. I'll take 3. How long will they take to arrive?
The bowstrings are four credits each.
I'll take 2
Yes they make rope from that. You can get 200# test that's roughly one eighth inch in diameter, 500# test at one quarter inch, 2000# at half an inch, and if you want better than that you have to order it. The thin stuff weighs about three pounds per hundred feet, twice that for the quarter inch, twice that again for the half inch.
Would that really be stronger than steel? Parachute cord is about that strong for the same diameter rope. Again, not arguing, just letting you know. I'll take 100 feet of the 2,000# half inch rope.
Each skein of yarn costs three credits, and you pay two credits for a pair of needles (which are sold singly). These are very light, as they appear to be tubes, probably aluminum, laser-sealed seam, with a slightly rounded point at one end and a button at the other.
I'll get 4 skeins yarn, 2 sets of needles.
RE: The Sweater. I meant start on it. (In Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone knits a sweater in one night. I must have gotten the wrong idea. Well that and he would have had computer enhanced 3@10 knitting.) Actually, I think I'll just try to knit Derek a scarf. Start on it at least. New Use?
The backpack has a frame. Such frames are designed generally to permit the attachment of tent and/or sleeping bag usually at the bottom, although sometimes one will go on top (not preferred, as it means whichever is on top has to be removed to get into the main section of the pack). It is also reasonably common to strap larger objects such as a two-hand axe to the outside bars alongside the pack itself.
Attach army sleeping bag at the bottom of the frame.
RE: The New Use. Actually, I don't think that unfair at all. I think I was more just throwing it out to see what you would say. Didn't really expect you to agree, just thought I would ask. Kind of a "Why Not Ask Him?" more than anything. I marked down a new use on both the MAK 90 and the Ruger. Are you saying that I don't get new uses for both of them? I don't really agree with that, because they are completely different weapons. I would like to avoid arguing, so if that is the way it is, let me have the New Use on the MAK 90, despite the fact that I used the Ruger first. I'd like to improve my ability with rifles more than the Ruger. Or could I get a living, unseen target New Use on the Ruger and a moving target New Use on the MAK 90? I DID use the MAK 90 to shoot the flying demon, successfully. Would that be OK?
NOTES:
Don't forget to figure out your new credit balance.
Where is TerraNova? Am I in orbit around earth? Does earth even exist?
MJ, Two Posts
On the Collapsible 22 rifle. I'd just like to interject my own thoughts on this, since I know guns are far from being your specialty. Perhaps it will help you with future refereeing if you have a better idea of what a gun like this would look like. If I'm just misunderstanding your design, please explain that in better detail. If it is a case of your unfamiliarity with firearms, perhaps this will give you some ideas to think about for the future.
A gun like this might have a wire stock that slides out from some clips on the sides of the firing mechanism. It might also have a plastic stock that was in the traditional fashion. The stock could be hollow on the bottom, so that when it folds up the stock is covering and protecting the firing mechanism. The top would be solid, and it would only fold in one direction. Also, in this configuration, it would be likely there would be no need for the barrel to extend at all. It could or could not.
The stock might be outwardly solid, and fold to meet the firing mechanism. It would have a notch cut out to protect the trigger guard. This would be much larger folded up than the hollow, mechanism covering stock. The plus side is that the stock could very well be hollow, for holding some ammunition.
The barrel would come out and lock into place. When it collapsed, it would either lock into place, or screw in. A barrel that screwed to extend would be unlikely, unless the gun was designed to be used only with a scope, and not with traditional sights. The screwing would make it very easy for the front barrel sight to not be aligned properly, after all. If it were designed to be used with only a scope, and not traditional sights, it would come with a scope. Also, the folding stock would have a notch cut out to protect the scope. The barrel might screw in to collapse, but it would be built so that it locked into place in only one position, as stated above. Also, it could extend and have a screw nut to hold it in place. That would not affect the barrel rotation to unscrew. It would be a design of the locking mechanism. Indeed, I once had a 22 with a removable barrel that locked in place and screwed in like that.
A wire stock would almost certainly be capable of firing with the stock folded. The aforementioned 22 had a wire stock (Same concept, it came apart and collapsed) I could fire it with the stock folded or not.
The magazine must insert around the firing mechanism. There's no way around that. It could be anywhere within 360 degrees of the firing mechanism, but it MUST insert in that area. There's no way around that that I know of. The only way it could insert in the stock is if the firing mechanism was inside the stock. Called a Bull Pup stock. That would completely negate the need for the stock to fold up though.
A gun with a Bull Pup stock (Firing mechanism inside the stock) would have the other end of the barrel at the end of the stock. The magazine would insert into the bottom end of the stock. The end of the barrel where the bullets go in would be pretty much over top of it. The barrel would extend from the top of the stock, most likely in a 2 piece telescopic sort of fashion. (True telescopic fashion I don't think would be possible, because I can't see how you could keep the inside diameter of the barrel consistent like that) It could also not extend at all, as the barrel would be pretty much inside the stock. There would be no need to fold the stock up, as the firing mechanism would be contained inside the stock itself. The stock also could not have any (or not much) space to hold spare ammo. This would probably be the absolute smallest configuration, and it would have little need to collapse at all. I wish I could show you the picture of it that I have in my head, because if it had a hollow place to hold a couple hundred rounds, it would be the perfect design.
As I stated, the AR-7 floats in water, collapsed or not. The stock is hollow. It was designed that way on purpose. It does not hold any spare ammo, aside from the magazine. The collapsing, unscrewing barreled 22 that I had did not float. It had a 20 round semi auto magazine.
Also, just a technical aside, it is usually common to refer to the magazine as a "Six round clip" not a "Six bullet clip". Both are acceptable, just letting you know common usage, that's all.
Any of these designs would be acceptable. Like I said, I know guns aren't really your strong point, and I'm just trying to educate you a bit about them. I would prefer a gun with a partially hollow Bull Pup stock that could hold several hundred rounds of ammo, but that is of course, your call.
The barrel would not be more than 18 inches, making it a carbine rifle.
Also, I don't imagine it would weigh more than about 3 or 4 pounds, unless the hollow stock was full of ammo. If my math is right, there would be about about 140 22 bullets to a pound. (a 22 bullet weighs about 50 grains, 437.5 grains in an ounce, 7,000 grains in a pound, 140 bullets to a pound)
Speaking of mental pictures, I think I just got one of your design. A Bull Pup stock with the firing mechanism inside, magazine insertion inside the end of the stock, and a short barrel that folds over the top of the stock. The barrel could fold, or it could extend. To extend, it would extend, then drop down into place on a Bull Pup stock configuration. It couldn't telescope in the normal fashion, and have the inside barrel diameter remain consistent. Perhaps you did come up with a (mostly) accurate design of what this would look like. The Bull Pup stock design would almost certainly have a pistol grip, like on an M-16. That I could see folding over the trigger, a sort of safety switch. The barrel may or may not extend, depending on your preferences. I could see it happening or not. If it didn't extend, the barrel would be much shorter (Obviously) but the front and rear sights would only have distance of about 4 inches apart from each other. I don't know how that would affect aiming, but it's what would happen. Unless it was built to be used with only a scope, and did not have traditional sights. In which case, that wouldn't matter. Just my two cents, as I know you're not overly familiar with modern firearms.
After reading the first paragraph of your first post, I was going to say that you seem to have the picture pretty clearly; but then you seem to have written a thousand words more about it, so I may have to take my time with this.
I invented this to meet your request. The barrel does not unscrew but slides in and out of itself, telescoping as it were. It is slightly wider in diameter in the extended end than in the stock, which shortens its range a bit. Think of it in three sections. The center section has the trigger mechanism and the chamber. The stock folds down and around and up to cover this, and is partly hollowed for this purpose, but also has part of the feed mechanism to hold the bullets and feed them to the chamber when it is in position. The barrel pops out from the other side. When it is completely collapsed it approaches rectangular in shape, as the barrel extension is flush with one side and the other side has two relatively flat surfaces (a bulge on the rear stock meets an indentation on the central section, and as they come together pressure interlocks the mechanisms, which have to be released by a lever on the underside). There's a release button beneath the barrel which when depressed into the central portion unlatches the lower section and allows the barrel extension to slide out.
It does not store spare ammo. As you say, the hollows in the rear section are needed to cover the trigger, plus there is the bullet feed mechanism in that section.
"Either position" means extended or folded.
Each section is about fifteen inches in total length--the barrel extension a bit shorter as it has to stop before the hammer mechanism in one direction and still have an inch or so of tubing inside when fully extended to secure it in place. It comes to forty-two inches from tip to back. Folded, it is fifteen inches by about eight inches by about one and a half to two inches, but not perfectly squared in any direction.
Floating sounds like it would be a feature. Despite the fact that this weapon is constructed almost entirely of polymers and plastics with some metal parts, it was made for survivalist use, so it does float. That means it's also lightweight, so we'll say three pounds. I hope that would float.
Don't forget, you're in a world that is the equivalent of about a thousand years in the future. This particular antique could be five hundred years antique and still be five hundred years beyond anything you know. It would have had the chance to advance as far beyond the AR-7 as the AR-7 advanced beyond the matchlock. What you think "possible"--well, I'm sure the musketeers would tell you that it's absolutely necessary that a ramrod be installed along the barrel which is long enough to reach to the breach, so that you can tamp down the ball and powder and wad before firing. You would have a difficult time explaining to them why they don't need such a device, and why they don't need to put powder in the flash pan. And those guns were still in common use two hundred fifty years ago.
It does not fire with the stock folded because the ammo supply is in the rear stock. This is partly done as a safety feature, to prevent the weapon from firing when it is stowed.
Speed loaders will take several days; they're manufactured elsewhere in the galaxy.
Concerning the spidersilk rope, the thing about spider silk is that it is stronger than steel for the same weight, not for the same diameter. Parachute cord is made from silk, I believe, so should be comparable in strength. My expectation is that the numbers I've given should make it lighter than that, but I'm thinking I estimated wrong on that (12# for one hundred feet of half inch rope strikes me as heavy. I'm going to reduce those numbers to 1# for the eighth inch, so that would be 4# for the 100' half inch rope). Even that strikes me as a bit heavy, but I'll think about it. I remember the nylon ropes we used canoeing as being rather heavy, but they were probably 1" diameter.
Yes, all right. That's:
1@10 Operate Large hand-carried explosive-driven slug thrower (rifle) T6@1 +2
2@2 Operate Ruger P-99 pistol T6@1 +2
TerraNova orbits a star. There are lesser habitats orbiting it. That's pretty common knowledge, so I figure you'd have picked it up by now.
I think that covers everything.
--M. J. Young
I'm going to have to keep track of all of that.
On this rifle, I've paid for it, so I would consider it mine. No one else would be making a personal claim to it. I'm wondering if it would come if I versed out before it arrived... How would I know? I wouldn't. I'm just wondering out loud.
And yes, I realize that the gun is 500 years beyond me. However, the Colt 1911 45 auto used in service today is exactly the same as the gun built in 1911, aside from some very minor improvements. A WW1 soldier would have no trouble using one built in 2008. This rifle wouldn't necessarily be outside my understanding.
Go back to the room and start knitting the scarf for Derek. New use?
You keep asking me whether knitting a scarf is a new use, and I keep wondering what you think you've been knitting to this point to get a 1@2 SAL. Scarves are rather simple--long sheets of knitted cloth. The next level is sheets of knitted cloth seamed together, or knitted cloth with patterns in it (either from changing stitches to change the texture or from incorporating other colors into the pattern), and the step beyond that is for oddly-shaped cloths, and then things like tubes. I don't think you can learn to knit without making something very like a scarf.
I did forget to cover the grapple; that was my oversight. As a blacksmith, you undoubtedly made heavy iron hooks, and fused them sometimes to poles to make something like a harpoon. You would certainly be able to make three rounded hooks fused together long the ridge to be a standard grapple. However, I'm not certain how you would approach what you describe--a considerably lighter grapple that collapsed but sprang open at some point, that could be fired from a crossbow.
That doesn't mean you can't do it. It means I want you to describe to me in detail how you think it works (I can think of several ways it might work), of what you think it is constructed, and how you construct it. Dedicate a post just to that, so it's not cluttered with other issues.
--M. J. Young
You keep asking me whether knitting a scarf is a new use, and I keep wondering what you think you've been knitting to this point to get a 1@2 SAL.
I learned knitting at 1@2. I don't think I used it all since I learned it. I had intended to practice some more with the Smith ladies, but found out about the demons at about that same time. Knitting a scarf would be a new use, because I wouldn't have knitted much of anything, much less something that large. If you don't want to give me a new use, I understand, it's another one of those "Just thought I would ask" kind of things.
The grappling hook I would design like an umbrella. I'm sure there are umbrellas in this world which I could use for example. Nothing spring loaded (Too much chance for it to pop open) A manually operated umbrella. I recall an episode of MacGyver where he made a grappling hook out of an umbrella he found in the trash. The hook itself would come to a right angle, and have hooks coming down at right angles from the top. (Like bending your finger at the first joint) When closed, it would also be a mace/club type weapon. The hooks would not collide with the main throwing handle. They would each come to the side. When closed, it would have a Triskelion shape, when viewed from the top. Also, if I judge that I could throw it farther than firing it from the crossbow, then don't even make it able to be crossbow fired. The hook must be open before it is thrown. No way to open it after that. More simple design. Besides, if the hole I'm trying to throw it through is so small that it would only go through closed, I probably wouldn't be able to hit it anyway.
Speaking of MacGyver, did you know that the character was a physics and chemistry major in college? That's how he knows how to do all of that stuff.
I'd make it out of wrenches. One box end wrench would be left partially untouched, to make the hole to tie the rope in the end.
MJ, Two Posts
This is concerning my S/W 357 magnum. That gun holds 6, my 9mm holds 15. I prefer the 9mm over the 357, for that reason. However, Uncle Bob says that he prefers the 357, because if all of your shots are hits, you will do more physical damage with 6 shots from a 357 than you will with 15 from a 9mm. He said that it's equal to the energy of three 9mm bullets, easily.
I just thought you might want to know that for your gaming purposes.
However, if it was a choice between an 8 shot 9mm and a 6 shot 357, I'd take the 357 as well.
MJ Three posts
I know that the referee is the one that decides such things, however, my character would hold his Verser's Survival Pack above all other possessions. He would gladly lose almost anything else, to keep that.
That MAK 90 and ammo I would want to keep though.
O.K., I'm trying to wrap my head around this grappling hook. Bear with me.
Center post, probably 1/2" diameter as round as you can make it, with a round hole (from a box wrench end) at one end, the other end spreading into a triangle. Maybe 14" in length.
Heavy hinges on the edges of the triangle at the tip. Three bars extend from these, maybe six inches. Hinges on the ends of these as well. Bars attach to those hinges, maybe four inches each.
Those outer bars also have hinges, about one inch from the attachment hinge. To these are attached bars which go back to hinges on a ring around the center bar, six inches long. The ring slides freely.
If I'm envisioning this correctly, when it is folded "flat" the connecting bar attached to the ring will lie under the shorter section of the two-piece bar, running from just below that hinge to the ring, which when slid down fully will be one inch from the end--just above where the hole is. When it opens, the ring slides up forcing the upper hinges to open but holding the lower sections in. When the ring is one inch below the tip, its bars parallel the upper bars and the lower pieces come down at a right angle. Pushing it past that point causes the outer bars to angle in slightly.
You need some sort of securing mechanism to keep it closed and to keep it open. What ideas do you have for that?
(And this is the sort of description I was hoping you would give me--how does this thing you're trying to make actually work, and what do you have to do to build it?)
--M. J. Young
(And this is the sort of description I was hoping you would give me--how does this thing you're trying to make actually work, and what do you have to do to build it?)
That's the thing though. You undoubtedly know more about blacksmithing than I do. How I would do this and how my character would do this might not be the same thing.
Ya know what? Forget the grappling hook for right now. Let's just go back to knitting the scarf.
Well, most of what I learned about blacksmithing I learned by playing role playing games and figuring out what it is blacksmiths have to do and how they must do it. But as you observed, "make a grappling hook" can mean a lot of different things, and if you're going to stretch the envelope by doing something unlike what you've done before, I'm going to want you to explain it in detail--partly so that I know how difficult it is, and partly so that I know what you've got when you've finished.
But we'll continue working on the scarf, going to work--and soon it will be your day off, the first day of your martial arts class.
--M. J. Young