Strictly (Duke) Springer - Day 025

Ratchet, the
Engineer

We move back to the spaceport and roll for detection. Being in a spaceship, we are detected. The result is holdup men, but because I have more than 2 companions, there is no encounter.

It takes an hour per contact attempt here, so nine rolls. I pretty much want one of everything offered here, so rolling should be easy. Unless I get a 3, which means no more rolls.

I buy a hopper (ship’s boat) for 900. I buy 20 RU at a cost of 1 each. I hire a second medic at a cost of 10. I buy 5 PS bots at a cost of 120 each for a total of 600. I buy some hopper guns, Tech Level 3, for 80 secs.

I still don’t have my hypercharges and I am out of daylight for today. Time to move on soon.

Our assets are:

1 Antelope starship, which I owe 118,300 secs. in principle.
1 Hopper, with TL-3 guns,
1 Stasis pod 2 CU,
15 Fuel Units,
23 Repair units,
20 Life Support Units
1 U-bot,
7 PS-bots,
7 U-suit,
10 Heavy Hand Weapons,
100 Side Arms,
and the ship is fueled with 2 hypercharges.

I have 1,185 secs.

Strictly (Duke) Springer - Day 024

I posted this as a "the Demon Core", but it could just as easily
be a hypercharge.

We are on our way back to Regari. I am down to 2 charges at the end of today. I need to purchase 4 more hypercharges once I get there… If I get there. Palatek is really a bad place.

I’m approached by two ships, which heavily out gun me. I have the option to jump away, so I do that. I enter the Regari system and I am not detected. I descend to the planet. I spent two hours jumping and then 4 more landing. I have 4 hours of daylight left.

Let’s talk about economic cost of space travel. Hypercharges cannot be stored, the can only be installed in empty slots. I have four empty slots. Hypercharges have a standard cost of 500 secs. As a standard cost, they are not modified by wealth codes. This is so you can’t get stuck in a bad system for a want of 500 secs. times a ridiculous number. Another cost of installing hypercharges is, it takes the rest of the day, which WILL screw you an the most inopportune time.

In my last run, I made 4600 secs. I used up 7 skimmers, 20 RU and two hypercharges. The skimmers were free. The RU were not, but didn’t cost that much. The hypercharges cost 2000 secs. for four replacements, which I currently don’t have yet. I really spent several weeks digging in the dirt for less than 3000 secs. It would take forty, forty! runs like this to pay off the ship. That’s not a fun game.

I need those hypercharges and something else to sell. The ruins are right out. I’ve had weeks of that. The Industrial, Mining, Colony and Rural are secondary objectives as they have a lot of good opportunities. I need weapons and I need crew, so we are off to the Slums.

We are detected. We have a contact that wants to buy all kinds of illegal stuff I don’t have. It takes no time.

My very next roll yields something great, heavy hand weapons for 23 secs. each for Tech Level 5 weapon. They also take up 1 CU. My ship can hold me, plus 15 other people in cramped conditions. I want those heavy hand weapons, and a lot of them. I buy ten, one for every crewman, plus 4 extras.

My next roll, I get regular side arms. They cost 4 each, are tech level 4 and take up no space. I purchase 100 of them. Again, one for every crew member. I can’t get hypercharges here, so tomorrow, we will move on to the spaceport.

Our assets are:

1 Antelope starship, which I owe 118,300 secs. in principle.

1 Stasis pod 2 CU,

15 Fuel Units,

3 Repair units,

20 Life Support Units,

1 U-bot,

2 PS-bots,

7 U-suit,

10 Heavy Hand Weapons,\

100 Side Arms,

and the ship is fueled with 2 hypercharges.

I have 2,795 secs. 

Strictly (Duke) Springer - Day 023

We are still in the city. We have 7 skimmers to sell and I can roll once an hour.

I get another 10 right off the bat. But then roll a 1 which means these skimmers are worth 30 each. No deal. Roll again.

I get a 5 then a 10. I finally get that luck six, which means the Skimmers are worth 20 times more than their base price. That’s a total of 4200 secs.

Before I leave, I pay the crew early and pay that ship payment. I throw an extra 1000 at the principle. That works out to 70 secs. salary for the crew, 1,300 for the interest and to pay down the principle owed on the ship. Remember, there is no adjustment in the interest payment. I read that rule wrong the first time I played and won rather easily by counting the 300 secs. of interest against the principle.

I boost for orbit and then 4 steps out where I will pause for the rest of the day. Technically, I don’t have to pause, but it makes record keeping easier when you are blogging the results. I could back at Regari today, but I want a fresh start in the morning.

Our assets are:

1 Antelope starship, which I owe 118,300 secs. in principle.
1 Stasis pod 2 CU,
15 Fuel Units,
3 Repair units,
20 Life Support Units,
1 U-bot,
2 PS-bots,
7 U-suit,
and the ship is fueled with 4 hypercharges, having used 2 to get here.

I have 3,425 secs. in my pocket. And I feel great!

Strictly (Duke) Springer - Day 022

This is Deadeye, with a Heavy Side Arm
and an armored U-suit. 

Strategy time. We are in the big city. I have a lot of things to sell, but no ready cash to purchase items. While base prices remain the same, the Wealth code of this planet is 100. Everything is more expensive. I can sell a skimmer at a base price of 30, but due to that wealth code, the price will be double to 20 times it’s normal price, or 600 secs. Each.

The crew is fully healed. We have 7 skimmers to sell and I can roll once an hour.

Guess what? I get a 10 on the first roll which is exactly what I want, sell a skimmer. However, my next roll is 2 on the Base Price Multiplier Table. I can sell each for 90 secs. I’m not doing it, so lets roll again.

I get a 5, a 7 and 11. 7 is Fuel Units, which I could sell but I hardly have any. Five is repair units. I get a six, so they are selling for 20 each. I’ll sell 20 for a total of 400 secs.

The next series is 12, 5 and 7. I’ll check the prices on the Fuel Units (7) and on Repair Units (5). I roll a five for FU and 4 for Repair. Too expensive.

Three more rolls. 5, 5, and 9. I check the prices on each. 3, 5 and 2. Three is x5, five is X10 but 2 is simply twice as much. I will buy those Life Support Units. I’ll buy 20, which keeps my record keeping easy. The total price was 20x2 base price times 2 again. 80 secs.

Our assets are:

1 Antelope starship, which I owe 119,300 secs. in principle.
1 Stasis pod 2 CU,
15 Fuel Units,
3 Repair units,
30 Life Support Units,
1 U-bot,
2 PS-bots,
7 Skimmers,
7 U-suit,
and the ship is fueled with 4 hypercharges, having used 2 to get here. 

I have 595 secs. in my pocket. And I feel good.