OOC - Chapter Five - Onto The Ice

[Decrepit]

So ... a key to nothing? Or is it a key to something the other group took with them, and presumably, then, not the only copy?

Just talkin' to myself.

[Raiko]

What's Isugtag doing with the leather pouch?

[amarriner]

What's Isugtag doing with the leather pouch?

Sorry for the delay. I'll post IC now for Isugtag.

[Raiko]

Sorry everyone, I’ve had a few very busy RL days and I’ve also found that my Web Host has been down for a couple of days (which means that the BtMoM blog & character sheets and also the Masks Wiki are down).

I think I’ve got a way to get the web sites back up within 24 hours, and I should be able to make some IC posts later today as well.

I have had time to keep up to date with both games, I’ve just not had chance to post

[Raiko]

Quick update:

My hosting company is gone. So I’m going to quit bothering about that stuff for a day or two and concentrate on getting things moving again here.

I hope to be able to make some posts tonight, but I run my ‘real life’ D&D game on Friday nights, so I may not have time. If not then I will certainly be online here posting on Saturday (we’ve got a quiet weekend planned).

I hope to get my own websites back up and running in the next week or two, I’m not rushing, as I’m looking into getting more reliable web hosting this time.

I’ll be providing a blog for BtMoM again, and possibly for Masks as well. The Masks wiki will return, but I’m not planning on having a BtMoM wiki this time as nobody seemed interested in it (please correct me if I’m wrong).

[amarriner]

I’ll be providing a blog for BtMoM again, and possibly for Masks as well. The Masks wiki will return, but I’m not planning on having a BtMoM wiki this time as nobody seemed interested in it (please correct me if I’m wrong).

I enjoyed browsing the wiki, but certainly if it's too much work to keep up don't worry about it.

[Decrepit]

I know I didn't use it much--sorry. This one's linear enough that there aren't the "clues" like there are in Masks.

[Steerpike]

It was interesting to look at the wiki for BTMoM at the beginning, but all the info you need is already here

[Raiko]

As Decrepit said, I think the wiki is much more useful for Mask, with it’s never-ending mass of clues than BtMoM which is much more linear.

a quiet weekend

My wife had other plans for the ‘quiet’ weekend.

[Decrepit]

The gamey response would've been to take the coins, but I don't think Jack would be too keen on looting either, and I'm sure it's right that he couldn't think of a real reason to keep them where they were going.

[amarriner]

The gamey response would've been to take the coins, but I don't think Jack would be too keen on looting either, and I'm sure it's right that he couldn't think of a real reason to keep them where they were going.

Agreed. It feels like we should take the coins, but I don't think Isugtag would want to.

[Steerpike]

I've posted a possible reason to take them IC

[Raiko]

I'm not very well today, I'll try to keep posting, but if I go quiet again you know why.

I've registered with a new web host, I'll be putting the blog and wiki back up as soon as possible, but getting the actual games back up to speed takes priority.

[Dave Syrinx]

I hope you got well and got set up properly with your new host.

[Raiko]

I’m feeling much better now.
I’m back at work and should be able to get posting in both games at lunchtime.

[Raiko]

I'm really sorry for the slow start to the year as far as posting is concerned.

I never intended to have my games goes through this kind of period - having seen many other PBP games die when the GM suddenly stops posting. Please rest assured that as long as I'm healthy and have access to the internet I'll keep the game running, even if it slows down from time to time.

Hopefully I'll manage to post every day this week, and real life will stay out of the way.

I'm hoping to finish off this little side trek on the Wallaroo in the next day or two (hence skipping quickly past holds 1 & 2), and get back on with the main quest to Antarctica. I'll be PMing all of the players who's characters stayed on the Gabrielle to make sure they're still around.

[Henrik]

It seems that my living arrangements have been worked out. I've also got access to internet, but you know how things become when you begin to work. Well, I look forward to hitting the ice.

[Raiko]

I’m writing two fairly long posts now that will move you all from your current location to the ice itself. There is only one significant event now during the rest of the voyage, and it won’t slow the game down, I just need to pause at that point for a day or two to allow you to post your own comments.

I’ll be posting the first post in another 24 hours, I’m just waiting to see whether you agree with John that the best thing to do is to leave the bodies and just log where you located the wreck. Or whether you are taking the bodies, either to bury at sea, or to store in the reefer hold.

Turlow and Starkweather will go along with the consensus that your player characters reach. I’ll check back tomorrow and adjust my post to detail what you did with the bodies.

So if all goes well your characters should finally be standing on the icy wastes of Antarctica by Wednesday or Thursday of this week.

It seems that my living arrangements have been worked out. I've also got access to internet, but you know how things become when you begin to work. Well, I look forward to hitting the ice.

Good to have you back.

[Raiko]

Nobody raised any objections to John’s plan to leave the bodies aboard the Wallaroo, and so I went with that.

Welcome to Antarctica!

If enough people post their reactions during the next 24hours, then I’ll make my next post tomorrow and you can finally get off the ship and onto the ice.

If not, then I’ll wait until after the weekend to make sure that everyone has had a chance to post.

[Raiko]

One important detail that I forgot to mention in my previous IC post is that the sun rose shortly after midnight on the 10th of November. You will not see another sunset until you (hopefully) depart Antarctica at the end of the adventure. I’ll try to remember to go back and edit my post later.

I’ll update my latest IC post with an image of Moore’s map later today, when I get home. I’ll also post some images of the region.

The landing plan involves everyone splitting into groups based on their skills, in-game Starkers and Moore will assign you to a relevant team, but OOC, I’ll let you decide (although obviously some things are self explanatory, eg McRaven & Kitt are aircraft crew, etc).

The teams are as follows:

■ Cargo work gangs (no special skill required): help move pallets off the ship, operate ship’s cranes, etc. Three ten-person teams.

■ Tractor crews (Operate Heavy Machine, Mechanical Repair skills): assemble and test the tractors, haul cargo pallets from the shore to the temporary camp site, smooth and prepare the runways. Lopez, Cole, and two to four others.

■ Aircraft crews (Pilot Aircraft, Aircraft Maintenance, Mechanical Repair): assemble and test the aircraft; fly them later. Halperin, Dewitt, McRaven, Kitt, Huston, Miles, and two or three others.

■ Camp preparation crews (no special skill required, Electrical Repair or Mechanical Repair skill helpful): dig basements and cut snow blocks with ice axes, assemble and tie down temporary shelters, string power lines and lay out the radio aerials. Callum or Isugtag, Cruz, and two to four others.

■ Trail team: (Drive Dog Sled): sled hauling and exploration. There are four dog teams, with one man per team. Pulaski, Frodesen, Sørensen, and one other.


Essentially all of the gear will be moved as follows:

SS Gabrielle ==> Shore (Thin Ice) ==> Temporary Sea Camp (Thicker Ice, 300-400yds inland) ==> Barrier Base Camp (10-100 miles inland)

The Gabrielle’s cranes and the big cargo ramp will be used to unload directly onto the ice.
The Tractors will drag all of the gear inland onto thicker ice, where the ‘Sea Camp’ will be established including a runway.
The aircraft will be reassembled and tested at the Sea Camp. The RF Scott (the Fairchild monoplane) will be the first to fly and will initially aid the trail team locating a suitable site on the barrier for the base camp.
As soon as the trail team have located a suitable route up onto the barrier ice, and a suitable base site on the barrier, work will begin to transfer all of the expedition’s gear up to the Base Camp, using both tractors and the Boeings.

Unloading the ship will take approximately twelve hours, a few additional hours will be required to establish a temporary sea camp.

Moving all of the equipment from the shore to the sea camp will take several days, hopefully the move from the sea camp to the base camp will begin whilst this is still in progress.

The move from the sea camp to the barrier base camp will take approximately a week.

Please post responses to Moore, and or the final part of the voyage only for now. You will be making landfall in my next update (after Moore has answered any questions).