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>>5688740
In 2066, Mankind created Mechanimancy. Or perhaps it was more of a discovery. Either way, the term was coined by the automaton technician Lysander Dommels, who was tinkering on an experimental levitation engine for a new line of mechanical foot soldiers. Accidentally dropping his "12Sips!" energy drink into the machine, some of the chemicals inside which augment the brain's pleasure and logic centers (the company crumpled under the sudden controversy in later years) reacted with the complex wiring and circuits to activate the engine without connection to a power source. Not only could it activate the levitation engine, but readings showed that the 12Sips! energy drink nearly doubled the strength of the engine. After much collaboration with chemists, mechanics, and engineers, Dommels discovered a way to drastically increase the power of War Automatons. Initially written off as just a new power source, Dommels considered himself content with his discovery. Not willing to give royalties to the 12Sips! company, he had "6Jolt" created as an off-brand mixture that he could sell (lawsuits were sent, but never succeeded). For the next numerous decades, War Automatons were the new norm of warfare. Better, stronger, and resulting in less human casualties. They were even cheaper than people, only requiring an initial payment and minor upkeep compared to biological expenses.

Then by 2093 the true secrets of Mechanimancy was discovered. Initially minor peculiarities, it became gradually harder to not notice the odd Grunt Automaton pulling things towards it with seemingly nothing but its will or Tactician punching something far beyond its weight class. Strangest of all was the very rare Bruiser that gripped a decommissioned Grunt with so much force that the lesser robot reanimated. These Automatons could even be seen talking to the other machines as if they were thinking breathing people. Thorough investigations were done into 6Jolt, with much stress placed upon old Lysander Dommels' head. Though nothing incriminating came of the investigations, there was something that had to be done about these "coding errors". Eventually, something was done. For most models, further restrictions were placed upon them. 6Jolt was no longer legal as a sole power source, diluting it with another form of power seemed to nullify these abilities and their "emotions". A few models were given greater access to 6Jolt and more complicated inhibitors on their less necessary programs. These models soon became known as Mechanimancers, special units on the field that could damage tens of Automatons at once while repairing allied units at the same time.

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>>5688742
As war technology advances, so too does the scale of warfare. It was inevitable for Mankind to lag behind this quickly increasing scale, and so did civilization end in the year 2124. Evergrowing tensions between nations boiled over and War Automatons were near-thoughtlessly sent all across the globe. Into military bases, into political buildings, into cities, there was little concern for location. No one was sending their own men to die, after all. Then came the nuclear bombs. Following after was a long silence. The world had fallen apart, by the hands of metal men guided by men of flesh. Mankind would not see it this way, though government was gone the people still remembered machine long after the hellfire had stopped. Though the atom left much devastation in its way, the Automatons were a death in and of its own. Their thinking circuit boards allowed them to survive by leeching energy from wherever they could, continuing their orders for as long as they could. Certain areas of the world were even considered uninhabitable due to populations of War Automatons that guarded these locations with untold ferocity.

However, not all of these machines would keep to their orders. Nuclear radiation had a way of tampering with circuitry that rendered some parts of them inept. By most cases this would be in regard to their necessary parts, like their limbs or sight, thus making them unable to continue duty. Though, in very very rare cases, an Automaton would find their personality inhibitors beginning to erode. This would lead to machines acting out of line from their metal superiors, looking for new things to do, augmenting themselves to adapt to the scenario. These Automatons would sometimes be exiled, if not executed, by their old platoon for insubordination.

This wasteland isn't free of threats however, as a mixture of released bio-engineered behemoths and irradiated beasts have kept things far from peaceful. From nigh-impenetrable titanic tortoises to wall-shattering megahorned rams, all the way to bear-eating Eagle Rocs. Though not unstoppable, they did a fantastic job at slowing down both man and Automaton from maintaining land.

On the human side of things, the work to reclaim the world has been slow. Most of humanity was cut down in the beginning, so the leftovers have struggled to even find other people to survive with. Nonetheless, makeshift settlements and bunkers have been propped up as bastions for man to recover inside. Trade routes and common roads have even been established for the wanderers of the world to make their way around, though it's not too uncommon to be jumped by dangerous people.

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>>5688745
Finally, we come across a small platoon of War Automatons residing in an ancient government office they were assigned to many years ago. In particularly we focus in on you, one of the metal men in this platoon. According to your memory, you and your platoon were instructed to clear out this facility and hold your position until more orders came in. That order was given to you 37 years, 5 months, 1 week, 6 days, 11 hours, 32 minutes, and 49 seconds ago. Since then, many members of your platoon have been lost to Man, Machine, and Beast alike. So much so that your numbers now remain at only five. Each member belongs to a different designation, with their own strengths and weaknesses.

>Specialist
By far the best eye on the field, the Specialist is well known for its range and accuracy in comparison to any other designation. A well-placed bullet from one would destroy most enemies in a single shot. Its arms are charged by 6Jolt energy, giving it a far wider range of motion. The Specialist has heightened intelligence as well, being able to manufacture bullets using their Scrapper subroutine. The Specialist is not a sturdy Automaton, however, and can be easily demolished by an enemy that gets within close range. Alongside this, the Specialist was given little funding to the legs and cannot cross large distances easily. The thought was that the Specialist would only have to remain in one area to proceed with its commands.

>Grunt
The well-rounded ground trooper. Reliable on the field with a powerful heavy machine gun, It was cheap but strong. It excelled at medium range, though its accuracy lessened at longer ranges. Its levitation engine meant they could not be inhibited by rough terrain, floating past without issue. Being the most common machine meant that ammo was not scarce to come by as well. Few issues could be found with this model, though with no real outstanding features it stood as a very basic fighter. It could combat at close range, though not as well as a Bruiser, it could combat at medium/long range, though not as well as a Specialist, and it was by no means as intelligent as a Tactician. Overall, it was the safe, simple, and expendable option to throw into war.

>Bruiser
None could brawl as well as a Bruiser, bashing through anything with the force of a wrecking ball. Its strength was rivaled by few, and its armor shrugged off bullets better than any other. They used good strong steel and minor amounts of 6Jolt to craft this beast, though put little thought into its mind. Tough as it was, Bruisers rarely thought outside the box and most of the time couldn't understand why the box was like that anyways. Not to mention its daunting size next to other Automatons made it hard to love even for those who liked machines. Terrifying, unintelligent, and not very approachable.

>>5688747
>Mechanimancer
Mechanimancy was always regarded with a healthy level of suspicion. It was dangerous and hard to control, at least for humans. For the Mechanimancer, it was like breathing. A thought could repair a machine, another would flatten it to scrap. Few things were outside of the Mechanimancer's otherworldly grasp. Of all Automatons, it was the closest to the intelligence of the Tactician. Unfortunately, like the Bruiser, it was a very harrowing looking machine for humans. The design was reminiscent of a human skeleton, though not as resistant when actually damaged. Underneath the standard issue cloak of the Mechanimancer was a torso with a pair of legs but lacking any arms. These were regarded as unnecessary due to Mechanimancy's affinity for controlling its environment without the need for limbs.

>Tactician

Undeniably the most intelligent of any Automaton, the Tactician was commonly placed in charge of other machines with high success rates. The Tactician could scan an area, gauge the difficulty, and process how to approach the easiest. Not just applied to combat scenarios, Tacticians were one of the few Automatons that had its human superiors communicate with it directly. Tacticians were always regarded as friendly and approachable to human personnel, able to understand common etiquette and manners. However, Tacticians have always been back-line troops that were never meant to see direct fire. The weakest of all machines, it had only basic melee subroutines and no programming in weaponry. Its frame was plenty easy to break even by biological hands.

--------------------------------------

Choose your designation wisely, as it will affect how you can react to the wasteland around you. The wasteland is a force of change however, and as your inhibitors wear away you may find yourself changing along with it. Growth is a possible event for you, allowing you to further reinforce your strengths or mitigate your weaknesses. Survive on your own, find survivors to ally with, or perhaps slaughter them instead.

It's a hard world out there, but anyone can make it if they try. Machine or man.

>>5688748
>Tactician

>>5688747
>>Specialist

>>5688747
>Grunt

>>5688748
>Mechanimancer

>>5688747
>Specialist

>>5688747
>>Bruiser

>>5688748
>Tactician

>>5688748
> Mechanimancer

>>5688747
>>Specialist

>>5688748
>Tactician

Rolled 1 (1d2)

We've got a tie between Specialist and Tactician right now, so I'll be flipping a coin to see which one wins here. If there ends up being a vote before I post an update that breaks the tie, or if there's some major voting upset that pushes one of the other options to win, then this roll will be disregarded.
1 is for Specialist, 2 is for Tactician.

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> Deprived of the metallic skeleton rave which my soul so earnestly yearns for

>>5689167
coming out of lurking to say tactician I guess, I don't like random tie breakers

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>>5689234
One day anon, I'm sure!
>>5689240
Tactician it will be then! I actually had just finished up the Specialist's drawing, so I'll go ahead and just share what it was going to be now. Tactician will be done in a few hours.

>>5689252
Sick drawing.

>>5689252
You can always reuse it with we find a specialist in the wastes.

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>Tactician
You've always lacked the physical ferocity of other War Automatons, that much was always obvious. You couldn't shoot like a Specialist, punch like a Bruiser, or wield Mechanimancy like a Mechanimancer. But your brain, that extensive and intricate pattern of circuitry that makes you tick, is by far your strongest attribute. Hence why you're the one in charge of this tiny group of surviving machines. You have your one Specialist stationed on the rooftop, your Grunt makes scrap runs, your Mechanimancer goes out for energy runs, and your Bruiser acts as overall muscle for anything that needs doing. With that being said, resources are dwindling here. Your orders are to maintain post at this building, but there's only so much longer you can do so before you run the whole town dry of supplies. Worse yet, your Grunt has been reporting signs of hostile life near the town's outskirts. Things have been looking grim.

The primary problem with inhibitors in a Tactician is how severe the limitations should be. A Tactician is meant to always find the surviving scenario in a situation, but not at risk of jeopardizing the mission. For a normal Automaton, it wouldn't be a second thought. Even if at risk of power failure, it will uphold the order. However, recently you have felt that conviction begin to sway. At times you have even thought about going directly against the mission. Over 30 years and not a single order from command? Have they just forgotten about your whole platoon? Sometimes you just can't help but feel... Frustrated.

Something clicks in that intelligent mind of yours. Frustration. Emotion. You have just felt what is commonly described as a human emotion. The realization hits you like a brick. Has the radiation finally gotten to your inhibitors? Are you dying? You recall similar events happening to some of your other platoon members and they either failed to maintain function or were exiled by... Well, by you. Sure you were designed for thinking outside the box, but it seems that the box has completely ceased to be and now you're just left outside. The curse of unbridled intellect has fallen upon your mechanical being.

You take a minute to calm down, an action foreign to you but one that comes naturally. How horrid. Nonetheless, you have options to make.
>Carry on as per normal, leave everyone to their duties
>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure
>Attempt to sneak away under the cover of night, before anything bad happens to you
>Attempt to explain the situation to your peers, maybe without being exiled or worse
>Write In

>>5689326
>>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure

>>5689326
>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure
Robot uprising when?

>>5689326
>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure

>>5689326
>>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure

>>5689326
>>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure

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>Act like normal, but start subtly assigning everyone to prepare for departure
Right. Be normal and things will go smooth. You'll look less suspicious that way anyways, with the whole inhibitor thing going on. Now you just need to go over your plans, or lack thereof.

As it stands, you have nine days worth of supplies. The trip to the next nearest urban location is seven days out on foot, provided you take the main road and encounter no major obstacles. Minus a day at the town to find a fresh source of supplies, that leaves about a day's worth of scrap and 6Jolt to stretch. Not the best numbers you've ever had to deal with. You mull over data sheets and your thoughts, pondering how you could get more resources.

The town you're currently in is practically dry of all its useful items, but after looking over Grunt and Mechanimancer's reports and cross-referencing against old town hall documents, you gauge there could be enough for another five days worth of supplies if you all work together for a full day. The downside to this is losing out on another day's worth of supplies if you cannot find more. But the upside... You would be able to keep all of your Automatons going more than long enough to reach the next town.

On the other hand, the easiest option would be to simply leave one or two of them behind. You would be down in terms of manpower, and whatever unique skills they brought to the table, but your days would increase exponentially. Remove one and you now have 11.25 days, remove two and you have 15 days! You suppose if you just took one then you would have 22.5 days, but is it really optimal to leave behind three of your already very heavily dwindled platoon? Not to mention, you'd have to come up with an explanation as to why you're leaving them.

Three different options, you predict each one will have a very different result. The system for this quest will be explained in the next post. (Also I apologize for the lazy drawing, my power went out earlier causing me to lose a lot of progress, so I was not very motivated to continue work on it)
>Move out now, while you have nine days of supply (Roll Leadership)
>Attempt to locate the last resources in the town before leaving (Roll Urban Survival) (Follower Bonus)
>Leave now, but only take (1-3) of your men (Choose how many and which ones you will leave behind)

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>>5690309
Quest system explained: First, how to roll for this quest. I know some of you are well aware on how most rolling goes, but my system is a bit different and I just want to make sure no one ends up confused. When required to roll, there will be a d10 roll required and the first two will be counted (the highest of the two being the end result). The dice are low to put an emphasis on skill levels, but the DCs are low as well to match. In order to beat the DC, the calculation will be d10+Stat Modifier+Skill Level. You just have to roll the d10 if you want though, I can apply the bonuses myself.

Follower Bonus means each of your Followers will roll their own skill alongside you. In this example scenario, all four of your followers would roll their own Urban Survival skill to assist you. Each success from you and/or a Follower means another day's worth of supplies. Alternatively, you can have your Follower roll a skill for you. You don't know their bonus, but you can make calculated assumptions and go from there.

You have Five primary stats: INTelligence, REFlexes, BODY, TALK, and TECHnology. HUManity is a sixth unofficial stat that will increase and decrease depending on how you obey your inhibitors (which are more like suggesters at this point).

There's a slew of Mental and Physical Skills listed in the image attached, but let me assure you that you don't need to worry about them too much. The main point distribution is complete and you will earn additional levels in skills over time depending on your experience, your research, or if someone more experienced is teaching you. Most skills should be fairly self-explanatory, but if you need me to explain anything I will do so.

And that's about it. Admittedly I created more than a few skills explicitly due to your unique position as a Tactician, but you did pick the Tactician so I hope you're alright with it.

>>5690309
>>Attempt to locate the last resources in the town before leaving (Roll Urban Survival) (Follower Bonus)

>>5690310
OH CRUD I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO EXPLAIN THE MAIN STATS. Just a quick add-on real quick.

Primary stats range from a -5 to a +5, with 0 being the basis. -5 is complete ineptitude, while a +5 is the peak of machinekind.

>>5690314
Don't forget to roll a d10!

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>5690318
its kind of common knowledge to only allow rolling after votes, otherwise people vote depending on who rolls higher

>>5690321
Oh, got it. Sorry about that, wasn't completely aware. Still relatively new to this board.

>>5690309
>Attempt to locate the last resources in the town before leaving (Roll Urban Survival) (Follower Bonus)

>>5690309
>Move out now, while you have nine days of supply (Roll Leadership)
I'm going to vote for playing our best skill, and hope we can get to the next area without too many problems.
Not sure if I should roll now or wait for a prompt.

Rolled 5, 4, 7, 1 = 17 (4d10)

Locked in for
>Attempt to locate the last resources in the town before leaving (Roll Urban Survival) (Follower Bonus)
About to head to the theater, going to go see the new Spiderverse movie. Go ahead and roll for Urban Survival, update will start progress once I get back. I'll pick the higher of the first two d10 rolls as the result.

As for your Follower bonus, here are their Urban Survival rolls. Their modifiers won't be shared, but you can guessimate the success rates based on their descriptions

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>5690563

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>5690563

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>4-1(REF)+4(Urban Survival)=7
You take the time to direct everyone towards resource scavenging for a day, splitting your forces up to different sectors around the city. Although a day's worth of resources is exhausted, you find enough to give you an additional three days of supply. This, minus the current day's spending, totals to a solid count of 11 days to work with. Much better to have three spare as opposed to one, you think. Now you'll be okay even if you have to take a detour or something of that nature.

At one point as you're by yourself searching the contents of another ruined building's drawers to mild success, a shadow slowly casts over you from behind. You feel your body freeze and your mind tenses from fear and alarm. Then a voice, raspy and low, scratches out from a mechanical voice box.

"Tactician. I wanted to speak to you alone."

You turned around and look up at the large Mechanimancer gazing down upon you. They make no movements, but stare down upon you with their large eyes. With your inhibitors lessened, you can't help but remark on how intimidating the engineers at Dommels-Franz Mechanical made your platoon member. The pause after the Mechanimancer's words lingers longer, before you realize you haven't actually spoken back. You don't have a heart, but with your closest equivalent being your battery you feel as if it is pounding like mad. Thankfully your voice box does not betray your feelings as you speak with a fluid and eloquent tone.

"Mechanimancer. You have permission to speak."

"Thank you, Tactician. I would like to inquire on the nature of this little escapade you have sent us upon. While the other Automatons may lack the heightened intelligence to remark on your orders, I have noticed a peculiar discrepancy." The Mechanimancer's head slowly tilts to one side and back while it speaks, "Divided amongst us were nine days worth of resources to allocate. There was no logistical reason to dry up the scant remainings of the town for our mission from Command. For what reason have you decided to set us upon this task?"

>>5691280
You can tell by the way the Mechanimancer hisses out words like steam that they are implying something dangerous of you. Or perhaps that's just how they normally speak. Either way, you're going to need a damn fine response.
>"I have received new orders from Command, we are to make haste to the neighboring town and hold there for further orders." (Formal Speech Roll)
>"I suggest you not go looking around where you shouldn't, Mechanimancer. Unfortunate things happen to those who do." (Intimidate Roll)
>"Truth be told, Mechanimancer, I am actively choosing to relocate our base to the neighboring town. As it stands we will soon run out of resources here and our functions will begin to cease. I choose to remain operational." (Persuasion Roll)
>"As your commanding officer, you will do as I authorize and command. I authorize you to follow my commands, I do not authorize you to question them." (Authority Contest)
>Write-In (The skill required will be decided based on what is written)

--------------------------------------

Authority Contests: This is a challenge of ranking order from you towards whomever you direct it at. Your Authority Level will be compared to their Authority Level. If your Authority Level is higher, the opponent will be forced to obey your command even if they do not agree with it. This is a double-edged sword however, as those who have to obey you through ranking may not be happy with you pulling your rank. They have to respect your Authority, but they don't have to respect you. Automatons always respect Authority Contests, but Humans have a 20-70% chance of not doing so. Most Beasts will never respect Authority Contests.

>>5691281
>>"Truth be told, Mechanimancer, I am actively choosing to relocate our base to the neighboring town. As it stands we will soon run out of resources here and our functions will begin to cease. I choose to remain operational." (Persuasion Roll)

>>5691281
>>"Truth be told, Mechanimancer, I am actively choosing to relocate our base to the neighboring town. As it stands we will soon run out of resources here and our functions will begin to cease. I choose to remain operational." (Persuasion Roll)

>>5691281
>"Truth be told, Mechanimancer, I am actively choosing to relocate our base to the neighboring town. As it stands we will soon run out of resources here and our functions will begin to cease. I choose to remain operational." (Persuasion Roll)
Ultimately the Authority Contest is the safer option, but this is the robot uprising choice against our human overlords.

>>5691281
>>"I have received new orders from Command, we are to make haste to the neighboring town and hold there for further orders." (Formal Speech Roll)

Majority vote is locked in for
>"Truth be told, Mechanimancer, I am actively choosing to relocate our base to the neighboring town. As it stands we will soon run out of resources here and our functions will begin to cease. I choose to remain operational." (Persuasion Roll)
Go ahead and make your Persuasion rolls.

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>5691493

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>5691493

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>5691493

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>5691493

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>9+3(TALK)+6(Persuasion)=18
You straighten up your back and speak at an even tone, refusing to back down against the Mechanimancer, but not being outright hostile towards them.

"Truth be told, Mechanimancer, I am actively choosing to relocate our base to the neighboring town. As it stands we will soon run out of resources here and our functions will begin to cease. I choose to remain operational."

The Mechanimancer takes their time formulating a response, their head tilting to one side and snapping back at varying speeds. No sound is made, the eyes of the larger machine bearing down on the Tactician. If you were Human, you feel like beads of sweat would be forming on the back of your neck. After what feels like a very long silence, they speak once more. Their tone is more subdued and is less hiss-y than it was before.

"...Your honesty is commendable, Tactician." Small jolts of electricity zap along their biomechanical brain as they pause for a moment, "Your logic is sound as well. In a vacuum, perhaps that would have been the ideal maneuver. However, the orders from Command-"

"Came to us over 37 years ago. Have you received any word from Command since? I have not." You interject with a sudden counterpoint. The Mechanimancer's eyes widen slightly, then return to normal.

"I see. I have also been concerned on the silence, but as a mere unit I thought myself not fit to bring it up..." They look away for a moment, "Command has been quiet for some time now, but their order was to hold position."

"And we have, for far longer than logically necessary. If they have left us long enough to near completely run out of supplies, in a town with storage designed for upkeeping government licensed Automatons, do you not think they have left us to our own devices? I am not content to rust away on the orders of those who have abandoned us here."

The tall machine again pauses, clearly processing this information. Eventually they turn towards the exit, not looking back to you when they speak.

"We should prepare for departure, Tactician. It is beneficial to continue operation, in case of new orders. The government building will be protected from native personnel even without our interference."

With that, the Mechanimancer leaves swiftly. Once you see the last of the cloak disappear out of sight, your body relaxes as you collapse backwards onto your rear. These emotions have been extremely hazardous towards your functionality, enough to where you feel understanding for the insistence of inhibitors on Automatons.

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>>5691899
Your troops are prepared to leave as you activate your DigiMap (a term coined by the late Darcy Franz, who was never that good with names). This DigiMap is a great boon to you as a Tactician, though it's not useful at close range like the Specialist's Radar. The Map will allow you to locate towns in your vicinity that were frequented before the End came for them. While it doesn't tell you their situation in the current year, it at least gives you an idea as to where you can go.

There's multiple options on the map, but your main goal is what's currently routed. Every grid square represents one day of travel time. Grey markers are Unexplored locations, Orange markers represent your Current location, Green markers represent Goal locations, Yellow markers represent Visited (Unoccupied) locations, and Red markers represent Visited (Occupied) locations. If you choose to take command of a location and are able to do so, a unique marker will be placed on that location upon leaving which represents your ownership. Newly discovered locations will be marked automatically on your DigiMap.

When moving through cells to a new location, each cell has a 10% chance of starting a new Event. Events are temporary involvements along your path of either good or bad nature. I will roll to see how many events are triggered (1 on a d10) and roll a d2 (1 for good, 2 for bad) to determine the nature. Good events may range from encountering a stash of loot to encountering a group of possible allies, but have plenty of variance between. Bad events will always take one day's worth of rations from you, but may either end there as an obstacle or provide a further challenge in the form of enemies. As with good events, bad events will vary in range of possibility.

As of this moment you could choose to visit another location that is also within range, but by default the town of Solsato-4 is the closest option. You may also choose the Wander option, which will have you scout different grid cells until you encounter a new event or unmarked location.
>Travel to Solsato-4
>Travel to another location (Choose One)
>Wander

>>5691900
You currently have 11 days worth of supplies.

>>5691900
>>Travel to another location (Choose One)
>concrag-2

>>5691900
>>Travel to Solsato-4
the optimal path

>>5691900
>Travel to Solsato-4
Looks like the most promising of options.

>>5691900
>>Travel to Solsato-4

Rolled 8, 5, 8, 3, 3, 7, 2 = 36 (7d10)

Locked in for
>Travel to Solsato-4
Rolling one d10 for each cell you are travelling through to Solsato-4. If there are any 1s, you get an Event!

>>5692236
No Events on this trip, peaceful roads it seems. Onwards straight to Solsato-4.

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Welcome to Sunny Solsato-4!

Beautiful Solsato-4 is THE tropical resort location for you and your family! With our lovely water parks, delicious tiki drinks, and gorgeous palm trees, you're sure to feel like you're king of the jungle!

You read the faded writing on a nearby sign with a touch of amusement, looking around at the hard brutalist architecture that's survived the decades of wear and tear. The water parks are nothing more than concrete fields now, the palm trees long uprooted and decayed. The advertised tiki decor and tropical theme no longer exist, replaced with a cold world of manufactured stone. Whatever joy this place once sparked is now clearly devoid of that feeling.

Your troops don't seem to care much against or for the setting as they all begin looking for supplies as required. No command necessary from you, but admittedly this does leave you... Alone. The trip here was about as quiet as it could be. The silence during much of the trip ate at you, something that never happened before your inhibitors wore down. You occupied your hearing with the sounds of nature that managed to survive. This place is quiet again, but unlike the natural silence of the road, Solsato-4 is... Dead. It feels empty here.

There's an air of uncertainty and uncomfort, but there's important work to be done. Excluding today, you have 3 days left of resources. Your Followers will be scavenging for more in the background. Question is, what will you do?
>Scour the area for supplies (Urban Survival Roll)
>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)
>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)
>Catch up with a Follower and bond with them (Choose Specialist, Grunt, Bruiser, or Mechanimancer)
>Write-In (A skill roll may be decided upon based on what is written)

>>5692755
>>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)

>>5692755
>>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)

>>5692755
>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)

>>5692755
>Catch up with a Follower and bond with them (Choose Specialist, Grunt, Bruiser, or Mechanimancer)
>Mechanimancer

>>5692755
>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)

>>5692755
>>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)

>>5692755
>>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)

>>5692755
>>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)

>>5692755
>>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)

>>5692755
>>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)

Hey, very sorry about the delay folks. Had a real bad storm pass by that knocked my power out for the whole night. I'll get you guys an update sometime today

>>5693785
The QM curse is escalating.

>>5694143
I will NOT give up!
But uh, I am going to need another day. I'm brewing up a bigger art piece to make up for lost time, but I may have bitten off a bit more than I could chew in one day. Hope you guys have been enjoying the art so far, at least!

Oh I nearly forgot! Locked in for
>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)
And because of what I’m doing to make up for lost time, I will allow an ADDITIONAL roll for
>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)
Go ahead and make a roll for Geography and a roll for Awareness! Be sure to stare which one you’re rolling for, or the order of them if you decide to roll both at the same time

Rolled 3, 2 = 5 (2d10)

>>5694212
Geography roll, then Awareness roll

Good to see you're still with us, this quest has been very fun.

Rolled 7, 10 = 17 (2d10)

>>5694212
k, geography then awareness

Rolled 6, 5 = 11 (2d10)

>>5694212

so, I think OP is dead

>>5697634
NOT DEAD just busy... Way too busy... I wanted to give an update but I was worried it'd be too many updates too soon, and now it's nearly Wednesday... My idea was too ambitious amongst other things, so I might just call that quits and make a simpler drawing to get the next bit out. Sorry guys :(

>>5697725
Don't worry about making the drawing simpler. Please don't burn yourself out or anything like that, many good quests die because of being too ambitious.

>>5694203
Your artwork and the way you format updates is charming. It's very important for a QM to deliver updates of consistent lenght and you've nailed it so far. And by no means impose more work on yourself between updates, jesas. In fact, draw when it counts!!

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>Search for an ideal base of operations to work out of while here (Geography Roll)
>7+4(INT)+4(Geography)=15
>Walk around and stay alert for any possible inhabitants in this place (Awareness Roll)
>10+4(INT)+8(Awareness)=22
Your feet clank quietly against the concrete floor of Solsato-4, walking down into its inner workings of endless grey halls. The town you were stationed at had so much more variety to it, felt so much more alive. You wonder how anyone found this to be a tropical resort of any kind. Maybe it was better before the war. You're keeping an eye out for a good spot to hunker down with your men, but things are going a bit slow. Partially because you've also got an eye on your surroundings for any signs of movement. While this town feels quiet and still, there's a creeping feeling in your circuits that this is not the case.

Those suspicions are confirmed quickly by a quiet clanking sound in your proximity. You whip around to surprise a strange looking robot that clearly hadn't expected you to spot it. Without any hesitation, you break into a dead sprint away from the thing as you process what it was. Judging by the body shape it appears to be DFM technology like yourself, but the strange assortment of limbs and tools don't connect to any specific model in your head right away. Not to mention the strange coloration and Tiki mask. That mask... You definitely feel like there's some level of cultural appropriation going on there, but who cares it's the apocalypse and you're a robot not a human.

You chance a look back every moment or so and it looks like it stopped chasing you a while ago. You slow down with relief, only to look down and find there to be a big hole underneath your feet. Oh dear. You collide with the hole's walls over and over as you tumble your way down, eventually colliding with the ground below. Ouch... You check yourself for damages, but find that somehow you've only taken dings and scrapes. You sit up from the floor and look around at your environment. Seems like a deeper part of the town, but much more open. You could fit Bruiser there, get a table set up there, hang on... This might just be the right place. You'd have to see just how secure it is by exploring the area more, but the start is there and you're raring to go.

You could go at it alone, grab your allies, or leave for something else. Up to you.
>Explore the place by yourself, allowing your squad to continue looting for resources
>Call in your troops to explore the area together, although they haven't found all the resources they could in one day
>Leave to go look for something yourself, make a mental note of your path here
>Write-In

Two things learned: One, no more big art projects unless I know for a FACT that I'll have the time and energy to knock it out quick and good. Two, I am never going to try for making a gif or video again. The initial idea was to make this a four part gif, but I'm settling for a three part image after more problems than I can count. No more week long delay! We're back to the daily grind folks!
>>5697730
>>5698542
Also thank you both for the kind words. I appreciate you guys sticking with the quest, even if I'm a bit lackluster with the delivery at times

>>5700036
>>Explore the place by yourself, allowing your squad to continue looting for resources
>>5700038
well, I'm glad you got a learning experience from it!

>>5700036
>Leave to go look for something yourself, make a mental note of your path here

>>5700036
>Explore the place by yourself, allowing your squad to continue looting for resources

>>5700036
>>Write-In
>>Call in the Specialist to scout the safehouse and its surroundings. It SHOULD have the bestest skills for tracking down enemies.
While the team will lose points on urban survival to find good stuff, the shift won't be as severe as a mass recall. I presume it's more dangerous out there, so the three together will do fine and us two here as well.

>>5700128
+1

>>5700036

>Leave to go look for something yourself, make a mental note of your path here

>>5700128
Supporting

>>5700036
>>Call in your troops to explore the area together, although they haven't found all the resources they could in one day

Tallied votes
>Explore the place by yourself, allowing your squad to continue looting for resources - 2
>Leave to go look for something yourself, make a mental note of your path here - 2
>(Write-In) Call in the Specialist to scout the safehouse and its surroundings. It SHOULD have the bestest skills for tracking down enemies. - 3
>Call in your troops to explore the area together, although they haven't found all the resources they could in one day - 1
Locked in for
>(Write-In) Call in the Specialist to scout the safehouse and its surroundings. It SHOULD have the bestest skills for tracking down enemies.
Will begin working on the update shortly

nice

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Sorry for the delay, trying to get back in the swing of things.

--------------------------------------

>(Write-In) Call in the Specialist to scout the safehouse and its surroundings. It SHOULD have the bestest skills for tracking down enemies.
You take some time to let the manufactured adrenaline rush calm down, taking in the environment. It's clear there's a lot of ground to cover down here and it would take a while to do it all by yourself. Bringing all of your troops here would severely cut down on your starting supply in this town, but if you just bring in one you would minimize loss and double your ground covered. The answer for who to call in is fairly obvious to you, as Specialist is the only other Automaton you have on hand that excels at mapping out a field. You issue a recall command directed to Specialist's Netlink, getting the confirmation ping back fairly quickly.

There's about an hour before Specialist makes its way to you, as it is both needing to learn the route and it is slow on its feet. You spend this time getting a general idea for this place's scope. After a couple looks down tunnels and such, you come to the realization that this underground system... It's massive. You know of certain amusement parks and military bases using tunnel systems underneath the above ground buildings in order to get around and have more secretive areas... But this is quite honestly excessive. A whole civilization could fit down here, provided they didn't have to eat or drink... Huh. Well, that could be an interesting idea.

Specialist arrives and you give it the rundown of the situation. Its not much of a conversationalist, but it nods and begins scouting out the area. The Specialist's Motion Scanner should easily pick up any threats that are waiting in the shadows. You leave it to its devices while you continue scouting out the area yourself.
>Roll for Urban Survival (Follower Bonus)

As a warning, there may be a Threat Roll upcoming. Depending on this Urban Survival roll, dangers may indeed be lurking around the corners. Threat Rolls will take place after the Player Rolls are complete (if there is a failure), shown publicly. Similar to how tile movement rolls are conducted, there will be a threat on a 1-2 on a d6. However, Specialist does have a high Urban Survival and will negate any ambush bonus threats could have received. You have time to decide if you want to bring in any back up, which may be useful in a fight but would be pointless if no fighting were to occur. It's your decision as the Tactician to choose what you feel is the right maneuver.
>Don't bring in any more troops
>Bring in a few troops (Choose up to two)
>Leave the area to remove yourself of danger, but leave Specialist behind to fight possible threats
>Leave the area to remove yourself and Specialist of danger
>Write-In

>>5701859
>Don't bring in any more troops
It should be fine, hopefully. Also good to see you back Techie.

>A whole civilization could fit down here, provided they didn't have to eat or drink... Huh. Well, that could be an interesting idea.
Sweet. This might be a good base of operations, provided we don't get extremely unlucky with the threat roll.

>>5701859
>>Leave the area to remove yourself of danger, but leave Specialist behind to fight possible threats

>>5701859
>>Don't bring in any more troops

>>5701859
>>Don't bring in any more troops

Rolled 6 (1d10)

Locked in for
>Don't bring in any more troops
Please roll for Urban Survival, Specialist is assisting on the roll. Here is its result.

Rolled 8 + 4 (1d10 + 4)

>>5702274
I don't know what do we add for the spe- ah DUH you rroll

>>5702331
ah, it's 1d10 + REF + URB + ASSIST so this time we have 8 + -(1) + 4 + 6 ===> 17

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>5702274
Going off of what this anon >>5702334 is saying, I'll roll as well.

>>5702468
That would be an 18, then.

>>5702470
>>5702468
Nice. Can we get a crit? Anon? No? No one?

Whoops, sorry for the delay.
I'll try to get an update out tomorrow, probably earlier than usual if I can. For now though, looks like no need for a Threat Roll! Great job guys.

niiice

Hey guys so, guess who just got back from the hospital? Me! I’ll be well enough to get back to things in a day or so I think, but uh… Yeah, I wish I wasn’t getting blocked by life so hard. DAILY SHIT. STARTING TOMORROW. NO MORE BS. I HOPE. Sorry again for the delays, I promise I want to keep things going strong!

>>5709330
>guess who just got back from the hospital?
Damn QM, don't push yourself to do it. Take some time to rest.

>>5709330
What happened?

>>5709330
the qm curse...

>>5709394
Ah I've had plenty of time to rest, I've got to start doing things again or I'll end up going crazy
>>5709683
I got in an accident and ended up taking a hit to the leg, kind of put me on a forced break for a while and hurt like hell but on the upside it wasn't a hand or anything. Should heal up just fine as long as I listen to the doc's orders, so that's good at least

>>5709729
RIP techie

rip indeed

Damn. It was a good thread.

http://thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5688740/
Also, archived. It'll be nice to look back to.