Most crank lights use a cheap battery that poops out after only a few charge cycles. If you do decide to get crank or shake light, make sure to get one that uses a capacitor rather than a battery to store the energy you generate. They last a heck of a lot longer.

Since my player-character has the Pocket Microfilter she would not need water purification tablets. Also, the water bag is only good for a few uses. Therefore it makes sense to use the original PSP and get the Mk5 and PICO Lite separate.


I looked at several fire starting tools, including the BlastMatch. The two that I really like are the Aurora and the StrikeForce. If my player-character needs a one-handed tool, the PSP has a Spark-Lite. By the way, I decided to replace the Spark-Lite with the Metal Spark-Lite since my last post.


I did the research on the Pocket Microfilter. If my player-character maintains it, even in the field, it will purify 50,000 liters of water. One of the ways is to fashion some sort of filter over the pre filter. That is one of the uses for the bandana.


Of course the PSP has a small fishing kit. About the snare, even with an animal caught I don't know anything about dressing an animal. So unless there is a player-character (besides Chihiro) who is a good hunter, we will have fish every day.

Jeanette Isabelle

After Mobile BOB mentioned Crystal™ Salt Sticks, http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=227846&gonew=1#UNREAD I wondered since all natural deodorant is available, why not all natural alternatives to products we use today. I did a search on natural toothbrushes and found the solution to a problem I had with this game. I was amazed. I did a search on feminine care products and found it, including cramp relief.

If this post-apocalyptic world goes green, society will rebuild.

Jeanette Isabelle

I have several friends who use Burt's Bee's Natural Toothpaste as underarm deodorant. They smell good even in Houston's heat/humidity so it seems to work!

-Blast

Personally, I find it a large assumption that her room would be intact. If the world comes apart as you claim, why wouldn't the house be picked through for anything even remotely useful for surviving?

Electronics will definitely survive for 40 years. I have several items that are very close to that and still work. All depends on storage conditions.

Thinking about things from the other end of the equation. A person suddenly appears out of nowhere. Looks clean, kempt, and all new stuff on them. Wouldn't this immediately scream target? Nothing to defend yourself with would make you easy picking for anyone wanting what you have.

I've done a lot of RPGing in my days. This whole premiss sounds very shakey. You are depending on an altruistic GM to ensure your characters safety upon moment of arrival.

About the only thing that you would need on you to "survive" the 40 year lapse would be medical / batteries. If everyone is friendly to your character, they can provide anything else you need. Additionally, if your room is intact, most items would still be intact. 40 yr old clothing, if in the right environment, would still be perfectly useful. Going on a "trek" in a dress would not be wise if you have perfectly good pants and such. There are many high quality garments that are great for being in the outdoors in the summer that promote good air flow.

Knowledge is the one thing that can't be taken away. So medical skills would be a big plus.

Thanks Blast! Sounds like a graet way to save a little weight in an emergency bathroom kit.

The house is still in the family. I have established this.


The custom kit is black so it is less obvious and I tried to keep it as small as possible for that reason. Also, she will be getting clothes and a new pair of glasses to fit in this new society.


Her sudden appearance has been worked out.


A dress would be needed on the trek to blend in.

Jeanette Isabelle

So, you are telling me that your family would not touch your room for 40 years if you vanished? Esp if they think there may be useful survival items in it for their own personal use? Sorry, but this is very very far-fetched...



I still believe your character would stick out. Speech patterns and trends change in that time. It takes some time to truly assimilate into a new society. How quickly would you be off on a quest? Any time to observe these new surroundings? Once again, 40 years is longer than you think, esp after some sort of terrible episode.



I still don't buy the dress on a trek. Some sort of tunic with leggings maybe.

The whole concept is interesting, but fanciful... What is your ultimate goal? Really thinking of survival skills or??? I can think of better, practical RPG guidelines for that. Perhaps in 40 years, medical technology is better due to rediscovery of herbs and such... Your character would really not fit in being displaced 40 years... It would take time to make the transition, let alone the mental trauma and anguish of loss...

You have a valid point but I have heard stories in which a room remains untouched when a person disappears.


Maybe so but when I'm walking by, what could I possible do that would paint me as a target?


What is my ultimate goal? For years I wanted some sort of role play where "anything goes" does not apply and player-characters have to solve problems without magic or science fiction. There is some science fiction in this role play but not so much that it solves problems for us. I want something where I can use gear I can get in the real world and the knowledge to use it that is at least close to what I have in the real world.

Why real world gear? The real world already has a lot of innovations. Learning all I can about them, what works together, what doesn't, why, why not and techniques are all apart of the challenge. For example, just recently I found out I can more than double the battery life of Photon Micro-Light but only cut the brightness in half. There are other things I have learned because this role play has challenged me and my player-character Jeanette has not been introduced yet. What more will I learn by the time she is introduced? When I play her, will I gain a better understanding of what works and what doesn't?

When I was designing the custom survival kit, I was happy to remove items from it when I read that I could accomplish a certain task without it.


I want to hear what you think.

Jeanette Isabelle

Jeanette,

Thank you for humoring me with my questions.

I still think the biggest survival challenge for your character will be the shock of a new enviroment and the change in people. This really shouldn't be downplayed. Think about the recent Katrina stories how civilized people quickly broke into chaos. Thievery happened very quickly.

In the "rebuilding" society, I would believe that the same would hold true. If the supply chain is still broken, I can believe a lot of mistrust would still exist 38 years after the fact. A classic battle of have / have nots would exist. What type of dangers are you envisioning on your quest? Feral cats / dogs? Rabies could certainly be raging unchecked in the wild with the abscence of vacines.

As a society, we depend on technology way too much. Not many people are comfortable in "the wilds". Blast, however, would revel in it as would most in this forum.

A good plot twist for you GM would be that maybe only one or two of your "planned" items are still in your room. The rest missing due to being needed by your family to survive. Maybe a book was missed. A knife in the back of a closet.

Are you sure your family would be welcoming at first appearence? A stranger (40 years removed) suddenly shows up. I can see some interesting plot decisions around that...

Will the trek be more urban or more woodland? As discussed here, that really makes a difference.

Medicinals and salt would actually become a commodity in this brave new world. Knowledge of plants and herbs would be valuable as well.

I'll ponder more on this later... It is a very intriuging prospect.