We need to hit the Citadel again.
Now that we’ve got the key to the Ark’s galley, we should probably restock it. Wayne and Stark had prestocked the galley with foodstuffs that appealed to their somewhat esoteric and rarefied palates, so if we don’t want to gobble truffles and caviar and swig 40-year-old Laphroaig single-malt every single day (maybe just on days with an R in them), we should see if we can scavenge anything from the Citadel’s kitchen. And while we’re there and the place is empty, I want to rifle through the basement vaults. Fleetwood was the greatest junk collector in the history of junk, and a packrat like that is bound to have some interesting and valuable things in his sanctum sanctorum beneath the Citadel.
Rumor has it the lower levels of the building are haunted by the tormented ghosts of hundreds of laborers who died during the Citadel’s construction a century ago. I know that Fleetwood himself hasn’t dared go down there in quite a while, so I’m inclined to take those rumors seriously. Billy and his proton pack will accompany us on this mission, but even though he has experience with this sort of thing, I’m not sure he’s dealt with quite so many unhappy specters in such a confined space before. In addition to the fear factor, we’re going to be dealing with poltergeists as well, so you’re going to need top-notch ENgineering to get through this without your ride falling apart. And believe me, you don’t want to get stranded down there. Even if you find a stack of 100 LPs and an invisible jet down there, if your EN gets defeated then the nearest Driver will have to roll to save you, and if they win that roll, you get saved but have to split your haul 50/50 with your savior. If they lose that roll, your vehicle falls to pieces, you lose your payload, and you’ll have to find a new car (though your pre-Round LPs and existing gas will somehow remain with you). So buff up your EN before we go.
And it’s been too long that some of you have been suffering the reduced ManeuVerability (and simple unsightliness) of severed fingers. Our Mechanics in particular will need every digit they were born with to keep this train rolling, and we have some very important fine work for them to perform in the near future. We’ve just learned that Stretchbots are equipped to replace lost limbs given the appropriate raw materials, and it so happens that two rich depositories of these materials lie right next door to two of Hollywood’s fabled movie studios, which will also serve as potential sources for useful things. We can combine the studios and cemetery raids into two missions. The Burbank run will be slightly easier.
The Forest Lawn cemetery is populated by a sizable crowd of fairly generic zombies, but they’re separated from the Warner Bros Studio by the L.A. Riverbed, so once you duck in and grab some rotted flesh and finger templates and duck out, they won’t be able to follow you. The Warner Bros Studio across the river ditch is still guarded, but whether you outrun the guards with SP or just overwhelm them with superior FP, you should be able to get in. Find the garage and see what’s inside. We definitely need the Cadillac ambulance known as Ecto-1 if it’s there, and it’ll need to be towed by a Mule, as it doesn’t run. Once you’ve declared for this mission, if you’re not the Ectowing Mule (ha ha), you’ll be PMd a description of a car you find in the studio garage, and you can decide whether to trade your current ride for it, or keep what you have. Not all the new vehicle’s attributes will be immediately apparent until you take the car as yours, so it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but you should be able to make an educated guess. Of course, Mechanics will be able to make a more educated guess, since they’re so smart about the automotive arts; they’ll know more of a given vehicle’s attributes in advance. Will a non-Mechanic be able to consult a Mechanic for advice? Depends on if a Mechanic is present, of course.
The Hollywood Run is very similar, but more dangerous. Hollywood Forever’s boneyard has a longstanding blood condition: rather than zombies you’ll find vampires roaming within. They are essentially immortal unless you brought your stake gun…
…though they are quite sensitive to fire, so there’s that. Dig up some flesh and bone, and don’t forget the fingers. Then hop the wall to the Paramount lot, but use caution: the vampires work there, too. Head to the Property Department between Stage 17 and Stage 18.
I’ve learned from Marion that the old Stark Industries rumor I heard might actually be true: that a disgruntled Stark employee sold some experimental technology to the Paramount propmakers for use in certain TV shows and movies. Those will definitely be worth scavenging, but I can’t stress this enough: watch out for the Hollywood Vampires.
And keep your eyes out for things that might improve your FP:
Or your LK:
Or possibly your AR:
But don’t be tempted to pick up any old thing that looks like it might have been cool once, but will probably negatively affect your MV:
But once more, at the risk of flogging a dead Romulan, watch out for the vampires, even the salt variety:
Mission One: The Haunted Citadel
Join Cougar and Billy Murray as they fire up the particle accelerator and raid the Citadel’s kitchens and basement for nonperishable foodstuffs and rare loot.
Mission Costs:
Fuel. 40 miles round trip, including basement exploration (those catacombs are enormous). Scouts will use 1 gallon of gas, Escorts 2 gallons, Mules and Mechanics 4 gallons.
Risks:
Creepy ghosts will try to scare you away, but high FP and AR stats will embolden you and reduce the chances of you dissolving into a panic-stricken puddle. Poltergeists will take swipes at your ride, and only high EN can protect you from those.
Payout:
20LP, and potential loot such as gas cans, weapons, rare sneakers (to boost SP and MV, of course), god knows what all.
Mission Two: Warner Bros and Forest Lawn
Dig up corpseflesh and fingers from the Forest Lawn boneyard (watch out for zombies), then hop the river and infiltrate the WB picture car garage to see what you can find. If you’re a Mule, high EN will help your roll to see if you find the Ecto-1 relic. If you’re not a Mule, you’ll get a chance to trade (up?) to a new vehicle.
Mission Costs:
Fuel. 10 miles round trip, but driving around the cemetery and eluding studio security will contribute to your fuel consumption being rounded up to the nearest gallon. Nobody owns pint or quart fuel containers anyway.
Risks:
Zombies while in the graveyard, studio security at WB. And you might possibly pick a car that doesn’t ultimately strike you as an overall improvement. They’re picture cars, after all.
Payout:
15LPs, plus maybe A New Car!!!
Mission Three: Hollywood Forever and Paramount
Make your way into the ultra-spooky Hollywood Forever cemetery, and avoid the vampires while you dig up fingers and flesh. Then hop the wall and rifle through the Paramount Prop House to see what nifty space-age crap you can score.
Mission Costs:
Fuel. 10 miles round trip, plus evasive action. Also, flamethrower use will significantly affect your fuel consumption. But I wouldn’t recommend foregoing it here.
Risks:
Vampires. Fast, scary, and invulnerable to most conventional attacks, though they cringe from fire.
Payout:
20LPs and potential 25th-century technology… hopefully you won’t mistake the good stuff for the bits of painted plywood.
Edit 3/06/14 1:00 PM PST: added fuel costs
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