graebarde 03-15-2003, 09:29 PM While I'm one of the 'old farts' on the list I think I could contribute somethings to the group. I was in the Army for 12 years, five in the Infantry with two 'combat' tours, though the second wasn't actually considered one.
Then into Logistics, mostly transportation, but more than a bit on the planning side of things.
I went throught the OLD infantry training of the late 60's where the grunt was trained on many things in more detail than they are today, to include first aid that is more than splinting a leg, and simple demolitions, booby traps, and mines. And took the Ranger course.
Was EMT trained after I got out, but went to college and have a BS in Agriculture (Production Agronomy) [thats field crops to the unlearned]. Tech school trained mechanic before I went into the southeast asia wargames, and can do welding and hot iron blacksmithing {which I learned from my uncle).
Raised on a diversified farm so have experience with crops and livestock. As a small holder we did most everything at home, from plumbing, carpentry, masonery, mechanics, butchering, canning, meat preservation (smoking). Can hitch and drive a team, or ride. Not a ferrier, but know how to take care of horses, cattle, and other livestock. While not a green thumb, enjoy the garden and have had several large ones that put food on the table for a year at a time. And we learned to scrounge the junk piles.
I am not a marksman by anymeans, but have hunted for food. Quit the sport hunting when I came back from Asia.
Can setup and operate a still if necessary, or build a crusher to extract oil from seeds like soybeans or sunflowers.
Will attempt to help in what ever area is needed. And if nothing else I am a pretty darn good cook, either in the kitchen or the camp, for which I have the belly to prove it.
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MJGRIFF 03-16-2003, 08:11 AM OK I pick Graebarde for my track
!!!!!! Heck if he can cook and make fuel that's pretty much all I need, and on down time I can learn blacksmithing!!!
Sua Sponte
Griff
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TR 03-16-2003, 12:32 PM OK I pick Graebarde for my track!!!
Oh geez now it's like were picking teams for baseball (etc)...
Here's something to consider to spice things up... based on where you live now are you in a impact crater from a nuke or one of the many trying to push back Soviet/Cuban/Mexican invaders... or something else?
Here in Colorado no real nuke impacts in my imemdiate vicinity, Colorado Springs/Punkin Center is a long ways off and the prevailing winds blow to Kansas...
The only real problems are drought conditions (nothing new), ocassional marauders and New America for awhile until Milgov comes to visit...
Until Later
TR
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MJGRIFF 03-16-2003, 01:22 PM Well outside of hordes of Redneck Marauders, a drought that will make the whole state go "POOF" one day, & irradiated winds from Atlanta.....not bad!
Ok, there is one problem, because of the current "crisis" Georgia Football has been cancelled
But it wouldn't matter because in the Canon my unit is deployed to Iran, and there's no telling when we're supposed to finally come home.
Sua Sponte
Griff
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MJGRIFF 03-16-2003, 01:24 PM Oh forgot to mention. TR you're just jealous because I called him first!!!!
Sua Sponte
Griff
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TR 03-16-2003, 01:33 PM TR you're just jealous because I called him first!!!!
Yep that's me!
I always wished the "Howling Wilderness" suppliment had been re-done and re-published with more information. As helpfull as it was to know what was going on around the country it generally was only a few paragraphs in length (or less) for each state.
Heck, there could have been a whole series of adventures done with a "Travelling Across America" theme... putting right what was once wrong... etc. Here in Colorado they were reasonably kind, though I had to modify things... explain what happened to New America in the interim before Milgov showed up (i.e. my Colorado Twilight books). As well as describing the failed nuclear strike on Colorado Springs/NORAD (Cheyenne Mountain).
Now that I think about you could have done whole regional guides or state guides with detailed information on that particular region and how it relates to the whole of the country... ala Shadowrun's series of Native America Lands (etc) series of sourcebooks. That would have been something, hopefully FarFuture is taking suggestions for when they re-print everything...
Until Later
TR
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pmulcahy 03-16-2003, 06:33 PM Originally posted by TR
Here's something to consider to spice things up... based on where you live now are you in a impact crater from a nuke or one of the many trying to push back Soviet/Cuban/Mexican invaders... or something else?
<snip>
Until Later
TR
Well, since I'm in San Antonio about 6 miles from Lackland AFB as the crow flies, I would be having fun and games with Soviet Division Cuba in T2K...
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Grimace 03-16-2003, 06:38 PM I'd be a partisan fighting against the Soviets occupying Juneau, Alaska in Twilight. Once that was over, and the Americans were back here, I'd be free to take the fight to those Rooskies.
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graebarde 03-16-2003, 10:07 PM hummmmmmmm well in 96-2000 I was in a small town up the coast from Corpus Christi. Outside the blast area and presumably out of the fall out zone. I KNOW if I survived the blast I would be out of the immediate area asap, headed north from the coast.
For the past year I lived in Beeville TX... and had I been there I would be envolved in making the life of the Division Cuba/Mexican Peoples Army as unhealthy as possible.
I now reside in the sw Mizzura area, and south of the Whitman missle fields. Not too sure of the fallout in the area, but no attack targets that Im aware of outside a stray hitting.
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Rainbow Six 03-17-2003, 04:57 AM I'm about fifteen miles north of Edinburgh and about three miles from what used to be the UK's third biggest Naval base before it closed down in the early nineties, so I reckon my house would be radioactive rubble.
Then again, at the time that War started in Europe, I would have been in my mid twenties, unmarried, and physically fit (well, reasonably so...) so I might have been conscripted before things went boom, which would put me pretty much anywhere that the British Army might be.
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TiggerCCW UK 03-17-2003, 06:08 AM As far as the Twilight history goes, I'd be living in non radioactive rubble, but engaged in a civil war with southern Ireland - theres a cheerful thought for St Patricks day
OT I was in Edinburgh for a couple of weeks recently Rainbow 6 - had a great time. Some very good bars, especially the Dome, the Cafe Royal and the Worlds End. Not best pleased with The Tass though - the owner has a real problem with the Irish, thinks we should all be sent to the Falklands for some reason.
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Rainbow Six 03-17-2003, 06:41 AM OT - Tigger, Happy St Patrick's Day - hope you're having a good one!
Glad to hear that you had a good time on the whole in Edinburgh - can certainly testify to the ambience of the Cafe Royal!
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dawg180 03-17-2003, 08:49 AM Well, as to the "what would you be doing if the world ended" question, if the timeleine was correct I would have been at my parent's house during the summers or down at college. My parents live about a mile from Fermi National Accelator Laboratoryk, which is a big govt. research center, and school was University of Illinois in Champaign, which is home to the National Center of Supercomputing Applications, i.e. the folks who develop software for the military and specifcally for ICBM launch coordination.
So I would have been one of the lucky ones in that my meager life would have most likely ended in a few glorious milliseconds of bright light while the rest of you had to survive after the holocaust- ha ha, suckers!
Assuming it was nowadays, I would be helping defend my friend's liquor store, as it would be worth more than Fort Knox!
Dawg
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MSGT MULDOON 03-27-2003, 09:07 AM The answers to the 2 part question:
1) Me as a PC--- hmmm..
STR 8 or so (Im strong but not in shape)
CON 4 or so (I dont get sick but Im nto in good shape)
AGL 4 (Im athletic when it comes to some things)
INT 5 (Im average)
CHR 7 (I can talk my way out of fights)
EDU 5 (I graduated HS and some college)
As far as skills -- well my dad was a mechanic for 45 years so I picked up SOME stuff, I used to race ATVs and Class 5 buggies in the desert so I can drive. I can use a PC - somewhat. I grew up fishing and camping. Im a cop so I can bluff my way into and out of things. I can shoot - really well. My observation is average and I knwo enough martial arts to get me in trouble. Ive been a manager and salesperson. I speak Spanish fluently and know a little German, Italian and a smidgen of Vietnamesse.
2) In the twilight war I would have been either in the service or would have been in teh SF Bay Area as a Federal cop so its was a toss up!!
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Harold Mayo 03-31-2003, 10:31 AM Pretty cool. I didn't come out half bad using the conversion thingie:
STR 6
AGI 6
CON 6
INT 10
EDU 8
CHA 3 (can't have everything, I guess)
Mining Engineering-6
Business Management-6
Demolitions-4
Pistol-6
Rifle-7
Unarmed Combat-5
Geology-2
Drive Automobile-6
And a whole bunch of things from levels 1 to 3. I need to work on increasing that charisma score, though.
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Chuck Mandus 04-01-2003, 11:14 AM Let's see, living in the Pittsburgh area, I would most likely be floating around among the refugee population to the north of me or hiding out somewhere in the Pittsburgh metro area with my .22LR rifle and a hodge-podge of radio gear. Being an amateur radio operator, hopefully that would make me more employable by one of the militias in Westmorland County or the Washington Militia. The downside is that some leader who goes by the name "Whitey" will be in my area and cause a huge ruckus. I guess it could be worse, at least Pittsburgh wasn't nuked so radiation isn't much of a concern although there are a lot of other nasty things that can kill you as well.
Me as a character, I did one a few years back, I'll have to look it up and revise it.
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Eric..... 04-01-2003, 09:19 PM At the risk of being overly self-indulgent or egotistical, this is pretty accurate according to the guidelines. Like most people, I've got a lot of low level skills and a few pretty good ones. However, most would be of minimal value ATSHTF.
I dunno, do you need an entertainer/teacher/counsellor/cook in your cantonment? North Central PA might be a good place to hide out, if the folks exiting Philly don't filter this far north and west and kick us out.
Eric "Flatpick" Bergy
STR: 6
AGL: 6
CON: 5
INT: 7
EDU:8
CHA:7
BS in Computer Science / Mathematics,
minors in Business and Music
BMMT in Music Therapy, Internship in Mental Health Facility
Music Education Intern, Level I Educational Certificate
Middle School Choral / General Music Teacher
Experience as Retail Salesman, Tree Farmer, Forklift Operator, Carpenter, Cook, Waiter, Lifeguard, Professional Rescuer, CPR / First Aid Instructor
Professional Musician, Soundman, DJ Entertainer, Talent Coordinator. Computer Programmer in Distribution Management / Inventory Control, Computer Operator in Production, Retail, and Inventory
Clinical Music Therapist, Eldercare Provider, Childcare Provider
Music Educator, Special Event Coordinator
Computer:3
Persuasion: 4
Leadership: 4
Instruction:4
Music: 7 (Singing, Guitar, Keyboards, Music Theory and History)
Willpower / Self-Discipline:5
Psychology:3
Act /Bluff:3
Cooking:4
Spanish: 3
German: 1
Italian:1
French:2
History:4
Rifle: 3
Pistol: 2
Observation:3
Martial Arts U/A:3
Archery:2
Forage:2
Scrounge:3
Swimming:4
Bicycling:4
Drive Car:4
Medical:2
Regards,
Eric....................
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Rusty 04-02-2003, 06:21 AM do you american players consider fighting skill rifle 3 as a low?
I live in finland, the last time i fired assault rifle was 2 years ago when in training for military reserve. (the finnish defence forces), since that about 20 bullets with 9mmP autoloader, 20 bullets with .50AE autoloader and a couple of nights with shotgun in the forest looking for birds, i can shoot to 150m with AR a good set of holes in 20 cm diameter, but still i consider mt fighting skills to be 1 or 2.
So do you guys really play with guns everyday (like seen on exellent Bowling for Columbine document)?
The idea of entertainer/teacher/conselor/cook playing everyday with guns gives me creeps
Sincerely: Matti Rustanius
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graebarde 04-02-2003, 10:48 AM Rusty,
Do NOT beleive EVERYTHING you see on the boob tube. THought there are a significant number of gun owners and enthusisits in the USA, and shooting is a sport here, NOT everyone packs all the time. There are areas of the US where it is more prevelant, but trust me the majority of them a responsible citizens, not the Columbine kids.
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dawg180 04-02-2003, 01:36 PM Rusty,
Just for a baseline, I own two pistols and two target rifles, and go shooting about once a month, firing maybe 200-300 rounds during that sessions- all on an indoor range. Here in Illinois you can not even carry a gun on your person legally unless it is hunting season (which I believe is two weeks long), and then only in certain areas, and typically only long guns like bolt-action rifles or limited capacity shotguns depending on local ordinances. In fact, ownership of a handgun is illegal in the City of Chicago, and I think long arms are illegal too, or at least have to be locked up at all times. The Bureau of Justice estimates about one in seven Americans owns a firearm, though one can assume less than that actually shoot them regularly (My dad owns a lever action rifle, but he has no fired it in almost 30 years).
Unfortunately, american television and movies gives the impression every bad guy is running around with an Uzi, and this is most certainly not the truth. To be honest, most the majority of weapons are owned by theose who live in rural or semi-rural areas where you actually would use them as a tool. I believe they are also more prevalent in the southern half of the U.S., though I have not seen any recent statistical information on this (the reasons of which would take too long to explain here)
Also realize that Michael Moore, who directed Bowling for Columbine has something of a bias against guns (and war in general if you happened to watch the oscars recently)
Actually, we should probably start this as a separate thread....
Dawg
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dawg180 04-02-2003, 01:43 PM But I digress....back to the question at hand
To answer the question at hand, a skill level of 3 in rifle is what I would consider myself to have.
I can routinely hit a 1" target at 50 yards with a 3 power scope when laying down for a point of reference. About 4 years ago I shot a 31/40 my first time out in qualification with an M16 (first time ever shooting a firearm), which I consider to be average for a regular infantry soldier.
If anyone would like to argue that I have a lower (or higher) skill, please feel free to comment!
Dawg
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Harold Mayo 04-02-2003, 04:45 PM Rusty:
I'm not a professional soldier at all (and most professional solders can't claim good marksmanship, anyway). I am a mining engineer with an additional graduate business degree. I manage a stone quarry. I DO shoot practically every day. I rarely go more than two days in a row without shooting. I shoot handguns, mostly, but also semi-auto rifles and bolt rifles with shotguns thrown in on occasion. With bolt rifles I can consistently outshoot the majority of police SWAT guys that I shoot against in "sniper" competitions and I am ok with handguns, being more capable than AT LEAST 95% of the people that I ever encounter who shoot competitively.
Creepy? I wouldn't think so, but I guess that it's all in how you look at things.
Bowling for Columbine as an excellent documentary? I must disagree. Michael Moore's "documentary" is a work of fiction, pure and simple. It is FAR more fictitious than our president (legally elected, I might add) or our war with Iraq. If you dig just a little, you'll find that Michael Moore is as full of s**t as he appears to be.
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TiggerCCW UK 04-03-2003, 05:04 AM I must agree with our American colleagues, the media and film industry have portrayed them all as a race of gun toting nutters. Having worked as an NRA coach in PA and NH I can testify that while gun ownership is fairly prevalent in rural areas, you don't see Uzis everywhere.
On the other hand if Americans are so quick to point out that they have been shown in a bad light by the media, why do they believe everything they see and hear about Northern Ireland? On my last trip to the US I was asked by an otherwise apparently intelligent man in his mid thirties did we have ice cream or coffee in NI. I thought he was having a laugh at first but realised that he was completely serious!! We do not live in a land of white thatched cottages and we do not live in a perpetual state of war with our neighbours - its a great country and I think you should all come and visit it.
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dawg180 04-03-2003, 08:44 AM What, you aren't a country of short people in green suits with a pot of gold???
I'm disappointed!
You know, it is amazing how little most people know about the rest of the world, much less their own country. Did you know 17% of american high schoolers cannot even find the U.S. on a map??? Or as said on the Simpsons episode I saw last night:
"I know how to read a globe, Lisa! There is the country of Argentina, and there is the country of Randy McNally..." - Bart Simpson
Dawg
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pyro 04-03-2003, 10:56 AM Rusty,
Allow me to chime in here also. In my real life I'm a chemist and a volunteer firefighter in Central Utah. I own two rifles, a shotgun and pistol. I shoot, depending on how busy I am, once a week to once a month.
My skills are average in that I hit what I'm aiming at most of the time. I don't shoot competetively.
Now about half of my firefighters are concealed carry permit holders and they carry routinely and I don't worry about if they are packing or not. (unless they are on an attack team then I insist that they leave their pieces in the rig. It is very dangerous to carry a firearm into a structure fire for obvious reasons.)
As a side note I also shoot fireworks semi-professionally and I hold a Pyrotechnician's license. Hence my screen name.
Pryo out.
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liverpoolirish 04-03-2003, 01:39 PM Like the time an American asked a young comedian whether they were from north or south Ireland, and being from Mayo they replied they were from the West, leaving a very confused Yank....
Bryn
(Marvelling that last year I saw an ad on CNN with dancing Oirishmen living in a thatched cottage somewhere in Munster....)
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graebarde 04-03-2003, 10:54 PM "its a great country and I think you should all come and visit it."
Ahhhhh is the ticket in the mail?
)
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