Getting a Farm Going

[Enfield]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

The same question applies to a host of other medical issues that require pharmaceutical maintenance or other regular care. Enfield mentioned diabetes, which is the classic example from Lucifer's Hammer. Among other factors, I would expect the HIV/AIDS epidemic to be a source of paranoia, discrimination, and other social complications atop its medical implications.

For that matter, anyone dependent on electrically-powered medical equipment probably died shortly after the first wave of nuclear strikes. Anyone know the effects of EMP on pacemakers?

Back to the thread topic, these issues present an interesting complication for any group attempting to align itself with the Cascadians. The Cascadians are working toward the survival of civilization, not necessarily that of any given individual. It's up to each referee to determine how far they take it in their campaign, but I'll point to one of the Cascadian movement's principles:



- C.

It is an interesting question. One of the purposes of my campaign is to have a community build around the initial group of survivors led by the PCs. The leadership core (based around the PCs) have expressly stated that they want to form a larger community around the farm, so as they contact others they will have that opportunity, and inevitably some people will have chronic illnesses and conditions. It will be interesting to see how they figure out the ethics of that.

[.45cultist]

I'm going to go over all of this for my pig/ geese farm plan I mentioned in another thread. I'd also like to go through several threads for a Homestead Home front book. It can be GDW/FFE specific or a generic guide, or better yet, both. Notes on how to establish a colony or a cantonment or just keeping a small town alive.

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

I'm going to go over all of this for my pig/ geese farm plan I mentioned in another thread. I'd also like to go through several threads for a Homestead Home front book. It can be GDW/FFE specific or a generic guide, or better yet, both. Notes on how to establish a colony or a cantonment or just keeping a small town alive.

I already designed a cover for you.

Seriously, though, I'd be interested in reading that. I can envision a couple of different ways you could present the material.

- C.

[Targan]

A potential source for mining some of the concepts in terms of modelling for gaming systems, HarnMaster has a supplement called HarnManor which goes into great detail on how to generate medieval agricultural settlements. Such things as how many people are needed for how much acreage, crop and farmed animal yields, other trades and specialties typically found in such settlements, etc.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by Targan

A potential source for mining some of the concepts in terms of modelling for gaming systems, HarnMaster has a supplement called HarnManor which goes into great detail on how to generate medieval agricultural settlements. Such things as how many people are needed for how much acreage, crop and farmed animal yields, other trades and specialties typically found in such settlements, etc.

Cool! This can be done. I can check the TNE World Tamer's Handbook for technology improvements.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

I already designed a cover for you.

Seriously, though, I'd be interested in reading that. I can envision a couple of different ways you could present the material.

- C.

That's great! Seriously, your module "Pacific Northwest" is first on the reading list.
Pacific Northwest's civilian career "Survivalist" can be converted to "Homesteader" by skill choice since the careers have some similarities. also the equipment, particularly chainsaws, long underwear, and the ATVs and UATVs. The weather rules for off season.

Paul Mulcahy's Site for more gear.

The food preservation and water purification threads on this site.

Traveller TNE's "World Tamer's Handbook" has ag and industry rules.

Also T2013 had a building system in man hours and some "civvie stuff".

[.45cultist]

World Tamers has complex rules cause of multiple world types. T2013 has farm rules and amounts in hectacres as well as equipment modifiers, I'll get the Harn book next pay day. I might treat pigs as manual laborers with two to three periods of hard labor, depending on how much daylight. I might try to stat an old tractor or two like the Ford Jubilee and some old John Deere trikes and the like.

[.45cultist]

Here is the beginning of my homebrew:Homefront.docx

[Vespers War]

Speaking of World Tamer's, one thing in it that would have been very useful in the T2K rules is its Roads sidebar, which covers what's available at each tech level and how they deteriorate. The tech levels aren't useful, but here are the roads that would be available in the Twilight War era:

Trails: simple unimproved routes where brush has been cleared by the constant passage of people, vehicles, or animals. Vehicles travel at off-road speed +1.25 kph (+5 to Tr Move). Reduce to normal speed in rain due to mud.

Improved Trails: widened trails graded by animal-powered scrapers. Travel is at off-road speed +2.5 kph (+10 to Tr Move), but reduced to normal in rain.

Crowned Roads: cambered so water will run off and often topped with stone or gravel. +3.75 kph (+15 to Tr Move) and unaffected by rain. Use by heavy (10 tonnes or greater) wheeled vehicles will destroy them in 1d20 days and use by tracked vehicles of any weight will destroy them in 2 hours, reducing the road to an Improved Trail.

Macadam Roads: crowned roads with an impervious surface of stone. +5 kph (+20 to Tr Move), unaffected by rain. Heavy wheeled vehicles will destroy them in 1d10 weeks and tracked vehicles in 6 hours, reducing to Improved Trail.

Asphalt Roads: crowned and drained and topped with a bitumen-gravel mix. Travel at road speed regardless of weather. Heavy wheeled vehicles will destroy them in 10+1d10 months and tracked vehicles in 12 hours, once again reducing to Improved Trail.

Concrete Roads: more durable, surfaced with a thermally converted mix of sand, gravel, and limestone. Unaffected by wheeled vehicles, destroyed by 18 hours of tracked vehicle use, reduced to Improved Trail.

The deterioration of roads over time during the Twilight War would (in my opinion) reinforce to players how the systems that tie the world together are breaking down, as transportation becomes more difficult.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

World Tamers has complex rules cause of multiple world types. T2013 has farm rules and amounts in hectacres as well as equipment modifiers, I'll get the Harn book next pay day. I might treat pigs as manual laborers with two to three periods of hard labor, depending on how much daylight. I might try to stat an old tractor or two like the Ford Jubilee and some old John Deere trikes and the like.

Here are some videos from my research you might find interesting. For the record, I use the HOSS double-wheeled system and find it superior to all other hand-powered garden tools (I have power tools too). Keep in mind that these are modern machines not something from an antique store either.

https://youtu.be/vuiqNFgDyCg

Here's a video of people going old school with equipment you can buy right now.

https://youtu.be/O82ZecB0UPk

Then there are people like me and my friends who would totally do this! Please note, this is a vintage horse plow being towed in this video.

https://youtu.be/tnNSFzxgZys

Enjoy!

Swag.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Vespers War

Speaking of World Tamer's, one thing in it that would have been very useful in the T2K rules is its Roads sidebar, which covers what's available at each tech level and how they deteriorate. The tech levels aren't useful, but here are the roads that would be available in the Twilight War era:

Trails: simple unimproved routes where brush has been cleared by the constant passage of people, vehicles, or animals. Vehicles travel at off-road speed +1.25 kph (+5 to Tr Move). Reduce to normal speed in rain due to mud.

Improved Trails: widened trails graded by animal-powered scrapers. Travel is at off-road speed +2.5 kph (+10 to Tr Move), but reduced to normal in rain.

Crowned Roads: cambered so water will run off and often topped with stone or gravel. +3.75 kph (+15 to Tr Move) and unaffected by rain. Use by heavy (10 tonnes or greater) wheeled vehicles will destroy them in 1d20 days and use by tracked vehicles of any weight will destroy them in 2 hours, reducing the road to an Improved Trail.

Macadam Roads: crowned roads with an impervious surface of stone. +5 kph (+20 to Tr Move), unaffected by rain. Heavy wheeled vehicles will destroy them in 1d10 weeks and tracked vehicles in 6 hours, reducing to Improved Trail.

Asphalt Roads: crowned and drained and topped with a bitumen-gravel mix. Travel at road speed regardless of weather. Heavy wheeled vehicles will destroy them in 10+1d10 months and tracked vehicles in 12 hours, once again reducing to Improved Trail.

Concrete Roads: more durable, surfaced with a thermally converted mix of sand, gravel, and limestone. Unaffected by wheeled vehicles, destroyed by 18 hours of tracked vehicle use, reduced to Improved Trail.

The deterioration of roads over time during the Twilight War would (in my opinion) reinforce to players how the systems that tie the world together are breaking down, as transportation becomes more difficult.

I would say that you should institute some sort of "deterioration check" to see if the roads degrade or not. Around my house, we have many dirt roads with heavily compacted bases (due to the heavy farm machinery driven on them) that only need to be graded once a year. They are just that packed down. There are also highways out there which are overbuilt (the Autobahn comes to mind immediately) that will fair better than your typical US highway.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

I would say that you should institute some sort of "deterioration check" to see if the roads degrade or not. Around my house, we have many dirt roads with heavily compacted bases (due to the heavy farm machinery driven on them) that only need to be graded once a year. They are just that packed down. There are also highways out there which are overbuilt (the Autobahn comes to mind immediately) that will fair better than your typical US highway.

The US used to put concrete then asphalt down, then decided double asphalt was cheaper, so now high ways don't last as long.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

Here are some videos from my research you might find interesting. For the record, I use the HOSS double-wheeled system and find it superior to all other hand-powered garden tools (I have power tools too). Keep in mind that these are modern machines not something from an antique store either.

https://youtu.be/vuiqNFgDyCg

Here's a video of people going old school with equipment you can buy right now.

https://youtu.be/O82ZecB0UPk

Then there are people like me and my friends who would totally do this! Please note, this is a vintage horse plow being towed in this video.

https://youtu.be/tnNSFzxgZys

Enjoy!

Swag.

Thanks!

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

Thanks!

You're welcome. Judging from his accent, the guy in the 3rd video is from the Ridge or Central PA. Yep... Olefin, Wallshadow, and I have to claim him... look at the truck's license plate.
PA representn' rednecks everywhere!

Corn isn't very economical for the space required, and neither are most other grains. techzpod mobdro - edited these were links.


More spammers. Keep an eye out - Kato

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

I would say that you should institute some sort of "deterioration check" to see if the roads degrade or not. Around my house, we have many dirt roads with heavily compacted bases (due to the heavy farm machinery driven on them) that only need to be graded once a year. They are just that packed down. There are also highways out there which are overbuilt (the Autobahn comes to mind immediately) that will fair better than your typical US highway.

So once again, it's all about the Benjamins...

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

I already designed a cover for you.

Seriously, though, I'd be interested in reading that. I can envision a couple of different ways you could present the material.

- C.

I'm going through and putting together a "garden tool kit", some stuff overlaps "Excavation Tools", but not all and as an example, garden hoes and concrete hoes are slightly different but round point shovels and spades are the same.
The gardening is going to be on a smaller scale than the ones discussed in T2013 too. I'm also making slight changes and putting the homestead in Dark Conspiracy, I run the country side like a T2K in certain parts. I've been working at a snail's pace but have the notes gathered together, now to try and not make anyones head hurt reading the thing.

[Bulldog1972]

I'm going through and putting together a "garden tool kit", some stuff overlaps "Excavation Tools"

Posting that here? Or doing a module at DriveThru or somewhere similar?

[Targan]

The dead make good fertilizer.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by Bulldog1972

I'm going through and putting together a "garden tool kit", some stuff overlaps "Excavation Tools"

Posting that here? Or doing a module at DriveThru or somewhere similar?

Here, My skills at composition are poor anyway.

[Starkiller]

In the 70s and 80s everyone I knew in rural Tennessee had these books. All you need to survive the end of the world. There are also some great herbalist survival books you can get as well to help aid in a more medical sense than survival sense. I still have my dads copies of Foxfires. The link is to an ebay listing for the set.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20397188555...hoCrm8QAvD_BwE

[swaghauler]

Here are some very Twilight2000 DYI gardening tools.

https://youtu.be/woHNgHkbWzA

https://youtu.be/dNTDJq3Cr_A

https://youtu.be/d6p8J5H01U4


Swag

[swaghauler]

Here's how to make Potassium Nitrate and other associated chemicals from URINE!

https://youtu.be/6w2cwJmVNbU