Your recruiter takes his 2 W for delivering you, and heads out.Your recruiter takes his 2 W for delivering you, and heads out.
That's not from me, right? Just being clear.
"With your talents, you can probably get an minor chieftain's position in the HG, or a warrior's position in either of the other two. Wait pay for HG is a quarter W, half a W for infantry, and 1 W a day for WP. Times 7 for war service."
That's funny, I've not yet told him any of my talents. Flub on the ref's part?
"I want whatever will give me the most practical and intensive combat experience and training you have to offer. I want to be called first. What kinds of weapons do your soldiers use? Can I use my own weapons?"
(Doing Therapy)
The recruiter told him what you told the recruiter.
"Then you want War Party. We have shotguns and rifles and nitrogel mostly. What type of weapons do you want to use?"
They talk about training. It sounds like a couple hours to four hours per day for a couple weeks. You get the impression that this is more of a semi-informal armed mob than an army as you know it.
The recruiter told him what you told the recruiter.
The only thing I told him was that I had metalworking skills. Or is that what you're talking about? I'm trying not to mention the guns, since it seems they're illegal if you're not an Indian. I think it's funny, and I'm not arguing so much as confused a little and finding it rather humorous.
"Then you want War Party. We have shotguns and rifles and nitrogel mostly. What type of weapons do you want to use?"
"What you've got sounds good to me. I just don't go anywhere without this backpack. That's negotiable, of course. Can't really wear a backpack doing training. What about hand-to-hand skills? (I'll lose them when I go back to being a baby, but what the hey) I'd really like to learn to use batons if possible."
You get the impression that this is more of a semi-informal armed mob than an army as you know it.
"For the purpose of a well-regulated militia, necessary to the defense of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Amendment 2, US Bill of Rights.
That's what it sounds like to me. Better believe I believe in that.
(Doing Therapy)
"You can get trained in tomahawks, if you like."
"Uh no thanks. When can I begin training? I've got to quit a job and talk to a roommate first though."
"Come back tommorrow around one in the afternoon. And talk to your Councillor, press him for war against the Michiganders."
"Where I come from, a Wolverine is an animal to be hit by a car." (Ohio, Michigan is the rival football team)
If he doesn't get the joke.
"Oh it's an inside joke where I come from. We heard they fight really hard, like Wolverines."
Go to work. Tell the boss I've had another job off, but I would definitely come back if it doesn't pan out.
Tell Joel, he can keep the silver piece, but only if he agrees to let me move back in if I need to. I probably won't need to, but I just need to cover my butt.
Sleep, go back there tomorrow.
(Doing Therapy)
They laugh delighted at your wit.
Your boss is disapointed, and offers you a tiny bit more to stay, but he's not overly surprised. Turnover is high in dishwashing.
Joel is surprised, but agreeable.
"Best of luck my friend."
He rounds up several of his friends, and has them over for pizza, and a send-off for you party/watch football party. Its all guys, and everyone is either hard-working for low pay, or trying to find a job like that. In fact, one of them says he will go to the restauraunt you worked at tommorrow if its okay with you.
You show up the next day, and a group of two dozen mostly young guys is standing about in the open grassy square between the barracks, the hospital, and the commandery under a snapping green and red flag with a tomahawk painting woven on to it. A WP DI, an older guy with a grizzled look, strolls up, and says...
"All right, ladies, you think you're tough enough for the War Party." He spits to the side. "Doubtful. But show me what you got."
He points at each of you in turn, and has each of you go up against another fellow who jogs up, and turns out to be a skilled American Indian style wrestler. Your opponent's not tall, or huge, but his muscles are ropy, and he's very quick. He grins pleasantly at you before he advances, hands open to grab.
Your opponent's not tall, or huge, but his muscles are ropy, and he's very quick. He grins pleasantly at you before he advances, hands open to grab.
Go into boxing stance and pop the guy square in the nose. My character doesn't yet know he's lost his boxing skills (or has he?) so let's find out.
Please tell me you didn't take away my boxing skills.
(Doing Therapy)
You snap out a jab, and he fades to the left, but not quick enough. You hit his right cheekbone. He nods as if he just received valuable information, and with a grin starts circling you with little lunges in and out.
Time a punch to hit him when he lunges in.
(Doing Therapy)
He slips the punch, grabs your arm, and puts his feet in your chest. He's falling backwards, and in about 1.3 seconds you're going to be sailing over his feet to crash hard on the grass beyond him.
Monkey Flip. Hope that the lesson is over for the moment, shake hands, and ask how he did that.
(Doing Therapy)
You just barely land on your feet, but have to reach an arm back to steady yourself. He's impressed, having never seen that trick before.
"Nice indeed. Now, we show them how it is supposed to work."
And so you have to consent to getting thrown at slow speed with him explaining his moves.
"The essential is a good grasp, very firm, with both hands, on the extended arm. Then quickly, I place my feet above his hips. His hips are the axis, the turn point. Now he's holding my whole weight on his extended arm, and I'm NOT letting go. I fall, maybe bruise my buttocks, and still hold on. He's now above me, and I let my legs continue to rotate. Here I let go. If you want, you can kick off, and fling your opponent further...which I'm not going to do John...or I prefer you just do a simple rotate. He flies a small bit, and lands on his back....as I've shown John...you can do this landing with a shoulder to back roll and minimize the damage...hopefully your opponent won't know that, but he might. Then you continue with your own roll, and land with your knees wide on your opponent's chest." He pulls an imaginary knife from his waist and mimes slashing your throat.
He gets off you and offers you a hand up.
"I am Smoking Hill,or just Hill." He says with a quiet welcome, and then turns to the recruits. "Now John will demonstrate and explain his Monkey Flip."
"I am Smoking Hill,or just Hill." He says with a quiet welcome, and then turns to the recruits. "Now John will demonstrate and explain his Monkey Flip."
What he did to me was a Monkey Flip. At least that's what I've always heard it called. It just sounded like you thought I was talking about something different.
"Sure, let me see what I can do here. Throw a punch slow-mo, like I just did to you."
Can I pull it off?
(Doing Therapy)
You demonstrate it, and find it working well. It helps that you have a good teacher in Hill, and you just saw an example. You have no problem doing it.
They run everyone through their test, and send a few people home with apologies.
Then its practise time for real. First the warm-up, and then everyone pairs up in twos and starts practising monkey flips. You and one other guy who showed especial promise are given the hardest folk to work with more than others. So you have to work with a guy who just doesn't seem to get it, and with another guy who almost holds you up with his extended arm because he's just so big. He's six four and built like a small mountain. He laughs at you when you drop him and he lands on you driving all the air out of your lungs.
OOC: Yeah, I though you were doing a 'hey, I'm being tossed in the air to land on my back, let me flip in the air and rotate more to land on my feet.'
OOC: Yeah, I though you were doing a 'hey, I'm being tossed in the air to land on my back, let me flip in the air and rotate more to land on my feet.'
No, that throw was called a Monkey Flip. A friend of mine was in the army, and he learned it in basic training. He demonstrated it on me. I see where you got confused now. I wasn't too clear on that.
Did I learn a new skill with that?
He laughs at you when you drop him and he lands on you driving all the air out of your lungs.
"OK (gasp)
I've (gasp)
had (gasp)
enough (gasp)"
"When do we do guns?"
(Doing Therapy)
Yes. Monkey Flip 1@1.
They laugh, and give you a few minutes to catch your breath. Another hour of this, and then its time for guns. After that, its an hour of hide and go seek in the barracks area....and the punishment for being found is you get to run the track for the rest of the hour. Of course, being caught leaving the WP base is dishonorable (otherwise the lot of you could go charging out into the city and never be caught.)
Just go with the flow and do whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing here.
You spend forty of the minutes hid on the roof of the commandery before they find you. After that, its another twenty jogging the track. You're one of the last four found.
After that, its board tactics as they describe the small unit tactics on how to swarm someone, or break into a house on a chalkboard. Its rather like football in that there are 'plays', but instead of blocking for the ball carrier, there's covering fire for the man advancing toward the enemy position.
After that, its rifle practise. Simple basic shoot at a target from laying down stuff.
Just go with the flow. Do whatever they want me to do.
You're finished for the day after about four hours of practise.
They put you up in the barracks, and tell you that food is not included unless on active duty.
You spot something about a foot and a half tall and dark green that darts very quickly out of the barracks when you enter.
The others in your group suggest you go oout and get drunk that night.
They put you up in the barracks, and tell you that food is not included unless on active duty.
So I can't eat? How can I leave to get some food? If they're not feeding me, this might not be a good idea after all. If I can't get something to eat here, I might just leave. I'd love to see someone stop me.
Go get something to eat.
You look around for someone to stop you, and a military guy comes up to you. You're ready to slug him.
"Do you need something? I can get you a list of the nearby restaraunts and theatres if you like? Or if you want to go cheap, I can tell you the sandwhich shoppes for make your owns. I'm Dexter, by the way, and you're new here. I'm Regular Army. You Temporary Force guys always wander around for the first couple days with dazed looks on your faces."
"Yeah, send me to a sandwich shoppe."
I might not come back.
He gives you directions to a sandwhich shoppe. Its a make your own buffet with the sandwhich paid by the weight which keeps it neat and simple. There's only two employees in the place. One's the cashier/door opener (the door is controlled by a button inside), and the other slices the food, and tosses it (literally) on to the display table where it caroms off the front ledge of the table.
There are no chairs or even stools. If you want to eat it inside, you lean up against the wall,otherwise for most people they take theirs outside. Its cheap and hearty and fresh, and the line keeps moving quickly.
If you end up taking too long deciding between roast beef and ham slices, guys start grumpiing at you.
For another, no one who has ever left my game for Eric's has returned to my game. I don't really expect that you'll continue this story--someone else will pick you up from Eric if he fades out. After all, part of the point of having other referees here is so that I can start the new people, and then they can leave me for other referees, so unless someone else wants to pick up the extremely difficult Terminator time travel story, it's dead, Jim.
When I came to you, you assured me that I was going to get to go back to the Terminator world. So why is MJ saying that it has never happened? Am I going back to Terminator?
Am I getting paid by these paramilitary people? Is it a daily wage? I can't afford to keep coming here for lunch if I'm not getting paid and they're not feeding me. I might just stay AWOL and go back to the dishwasher job if that's going to be a problem.
If you end up taking too long deciding between roast beef and ham slices, guys start grumpiing at you.
That's fine. I'll take both. Ham and roast beef. How much does it cost?
OOC: I'm surprised too, but it is a reasonable choice MJ has made. I can probably take you to my version of a Terminator world when I get around to it, if you like. That would be easier and more fun for both of us than trying to get into MJ's programme for the Terminator world.
1 Wampum a day, and times 7 when on active duty. Plus when on active duty you get the right to loot. You're responsible for 3-4 hrs. a day practise, and they give you a place to sleep and shower in the barracks.
1/8th W gets you a 3/4th pound sandwich. Payment as said is by weight. You grab a piece of bread, toss on whatever you want, and put on a piece of bread on top, and they put it on a weight machine. Depends on how heavy a sandwich you want. Build a four pound, eight inch high sandwich, and it costs 1/2 W.
1 Wampum a day, and times 7 when on active duty. Plus when on active duty you get the right to loot. You're responsible for 3-4 hrs. a day practise, and they give you a place to sleep and shower in the barracks.
Tell me more about active duty. I might just want to try that instead.
1/8th W gets you a 3/4th pound sandwich. Payment as said is by weight. You grab a piece of bread, toss on whatever you want, and put on a piece of bread on top, and they put it on a weight machine. Depends on how heavy a sandwich you want. Build a four pound, eight inch high sandwich, and it costs 1/2 W.
How do you an 1/8th of a wampum? I'll get a 3/4th pound sandwich.
You're going to have to help me keep track of the loot.
They have lesser stones for smaller W.
Currently you have 3/4 W from the War Party. Not sure how much you spent and earned earlier.
I know you spent 2 silver blocks with change for lunch, and 2 sb for your apartment couch in Joel's apartment. But that comes out of your Pre-Iriquois Federation stash.
Currently, you have 7 silver and 4 3/4ths W. You've bought some clothes and welding gear as well. You're actually getting paid less for your time than as a dishwasher, but I suspect its more fun. And they pay for your bullets you use during the official training session.
You go on active duty only when War actually breaks out against the 'Michigander Republican scum'.
What gun am I using? Obviously I want to get as high as I can with that 9mm carbine if I'm going to be carrying it in the pack.
Unless you have something specific in mind to happen in the next couple of days, I don't see why we couldn't just start skipping ahead a little. Just mark the wampum at 3/4 wampum a day to cover food. If that's cool with you, we can do that.
(Doing Therapy)
They provide you with a 10 mm carbine, and let you use the 9 mm.
You practise for three days, and then come in to see two of the WP wrestling in the barracks area with others watching them. Johan is accusing Greg of being a thief, while Greg denies it.
They provide you with a 10 mm carbine, and let you use the 9 mm.
Can I keep that 10mm when I verse out? Let's hope.
You practise for three days, and then come in to see two of the WP wrestling in the barracks area with others watching them. Johan is accusing Greg of being a thief, while Greg denies it.
Walk around it, pay no attention. If they want to kill each other, that's not my concern.
They slam each other around for a bit, and then the others break it up as an officer is spotted coming to the barracks. There are hard feelings in the barracks between those who support Greg and those who support Johan, and then there are those like you, who don't care, but wish everyone would shut up.
You find out that some of each group are playing tricks on each other in the night. Shoelaces are being stolen, poop dropped underneath pillows...
So how much wampum do I have?
As long as no one messes with me, I won't have a problem.
Just stay out of everyone's hair and do what I'm told. I wouldn't mind skipping ahead.
Its been eleven days, and you have 11 and 1/4th W.
Everyone's been dragged into the 'fun' with you finding your shoelaces cut, and your pistol dropped in the toilet. No one is telling the officers, but they sense something is going on. Several serious fistfights have broken out.
"If I find out who dropped my pistol in the commode, I'm going to use it on them. I'm staying out of your way, kindly extend me the same courtesy, would you?"
How's the training going?
Everyone denies doing the pistol trick, and both sides suggest the other side did it.
Its going well mostly, but the unit is not working well together. Individual training though is going well. They plan to start you and others on explosives next week. After that, its the graduation exercise with some explosions and live fire under controlled circumstances (fire above the 'target') in an all day war game.
The next day your pistol is gone.
The next day your pistol is gone.
Which pistol? I've got 2. Take whichever I've still got, and scriff sense the other. I can find it like that.
When I locate it by scriff, just keep it in mind where it is, don't get it yet. Publicly accuse the thief, then when he vehemently denies it, find the pistol in his gear.
It would go down like I scriff the pistol wherever it is, get within a foot of it, tell everyone "Hey, dorkface here stole my gun." then when he says "No I didn't you lying sack of such and such." reach where it is and pull it out. If he's really lucky, I won't use it on him.