Here's the situation:
Its a modern or contemporary setting, lets say sometime between 1995 to the present.
You or rather your character can only take with him or her what you could reasonably carry on yourself while walking or running. However, that does include an average-sized backpack and maybe an over-the-shoulder duffle bag.
What do you take?
What do you arm yourself with ?
What kind of footwear?
Clothing (or 'armor')?
What kind of communications Gear?
(assume a team with at least 2 to 3 others as allies)
IF it makes a difference, does the choice of gear change if the situation is:
1) Time traveling to a known destination.
2) Time traveling to a random decade or century.
3) Heading to a Zombie-infested city or town
4) Rescuing friends without permission of the authorities. "Off the Books" (Modern-day, with contemporary/modern-day politics)
5) Invited to be a passenger or crewmember on an alien spacecraft that has visited Earth
6) Part of a Group of modern-day humans who have decided to STEAL an alien spacecraft that landed here by mistake.
7) You are part of a new group of allies or friends that hunt Vampires or other monsters.
- Ed C.
A nice suit and a little Walther in .380. Six passports in different names and nationalities. A dozen krugerrands and a hip flask full of very old brandy. A very nice lighter. A leather bag full of Virginia flake and a bent stem pipe.
...A cheatcode.
Or, more seriously, it would fit the situation. In order:
1) Guns.
2) More guns.
3) Lots more guns.
4) Guns, helicopters, tanks and lots of money.
5) Guns, environment suit, recording equipment (Complete with as many contracts as I can get) and diplomatic immunity.
6) Special forces training all around. Guns and "special weapons" (Read: Nastiness). Assorted survival equipment and lots.
7) Lots of guns and various types of ammo. As many non-evil research tomes as possible. Recording equipment (Many, lots and varied). Everything shall be uploaded to the internet *Live*. Youtube and every place I can manage.
Crack the conspiracy.
Of course, that's my RPG avatar. Myself, and realistically, almost everyone here, it's more like "Cower in the corner for a couple hours".
Cheat Code??
We're talking table top Roleplaying games you silly goose!
- Ed C.
Yes...I know there is a typo in the thread title I PM-ed an admin/Mod to fix it if possible.
Quote from: Koltar;378837Here's the situation:
Its a modern or contemporary setting, lets say sometime between 1995 to the present.
You or rather your character can only take with him or her what you could reasonably carry on yourself while walking or running. However, that does include an average-sized backpack and maybe an over-the-shoulder duffle bag.
What do you take?
What do you arm yourself with ?
What kind of footwear?
Clothing (or 'armor')?
What kind of communications Gear?
(assume a team with at least 2 to 3 others as allies)
There are a lot of unknowns to be able to exactly answer the above questions; like who is the character, what is the level of resources available, where in the world are the characters going, how long is the 'mission' expected to be, will there be any resupply, what is the mission, and lots more that I can't think of at the moment.
QuoteIF it makes a difference, does the choice of gear change if the situation is:
1) Time traveling to a known destination.
2) Time traveling to a random decade or century.
3) Heading to a Zombie-infested city or town
4) Rescuing friends without permission of the authorities. "Off the Books" (Modern-day, with contemporary/modern-day politics)
5) Invited to be a passenger or crewmember on an alien spacecraft that has visited Earth
6) Part of a Group of modern-day humans who have decided to STEAL an alien spacecraft that landed here by mistake.
7) You are part of a new group of allies or friends that hunt Vampires or other monsters.
- Ed C.
Short answer to the seven above - yes the gear would probably change. And a lot would depend on the answers to the first set of questions I had.
In general though, for backpacks I tend to like the Jansport D-3, D-5 or a large Alice with frame. Side arms, some S&W revolver in 357 (I like the Model 28), or a Browning Hi-Power (9mm), or a vintage Colt Model 1911A1 (45ACP), or an H&K USP Tactical (45ACP). In addition to one of those a compact backup (in the same caliber) such as a American Derringer COP (357), or one of the S&W 6900 compact series (9mm), or a Springfield Armory 1911A! Ultra Compact (45ACP), or a AMT Backup DAO (9mm or 45ACP). Longguns will have even more variables, a lot depending on legality. But, some readily available would be a modern made Winchester Model 92 (357), Winchester Model 70 Varmint SHB (308), Browning Model 1886 (45-70), FN Model 1949 (30-06), or any of probably a hundred more different rifles. Or maybe a shotgun like a Mossberg Model 500ATP8-SP (12Ga), or a Winchester Model 1300 Defender (12Ga), or plenty of other very nice reliable shotguns. For communications gear one of the better FRS twoways. I'd also want some good optics, probably one of the better pair of compact binocs and/or a full size pair of binocs like the Optolyth Royal BGA/WPs, or maybe some NVGs of some type.
Like I've indicated, it's hard to answer the questions without some information. Depending on the variables, I could completely change out everything listed above for other gear. Hope this helps some.
If there is much prewpping to be done; a fair quantity of toilet paper may be in order.
Quote from: Angry_Douchebag;378854If there is much prewpping to be done; a fair quantity of toilet paper may be in order.
Dude, read the fine print in my last post - I know about the typo - okay?
SO,......how would you equip your character?
(after putting the phone down of course) - Ed C.
Yeah, food and toilet paper for the time-travel scenarios. Trinkets to trade with the natives... some nice rope... sun screen... a good knife... a nice pistol and some ammo... a way to make flame... something to read.
Quote from: Koltar;378856Dude, read the fine print in my last post - I know about the typo - okay?
SO,......how would you equip your character?
(after putting the phone down of course)
- Ed C.
Yeah, I know, I'm just kind of a prick that way.
As far as gear, I would probably just have a short list of equipment that wouldn't be rendered useless or obsolete by the context of any of your listed scenarios.
- A pistol (small caliber for easy concealment and to allow me to carry a larger quantity of ammo).
- A hatchet (good tool and nice heft for HtH).
- Water purification tablets
- A small very basic toolkit (drivers and combo wrenches)
- Duct Tape
- First aid kit.
- Extra socks
- Dehydrated Velociraptors
Quote from: Koltar;378851Cheat Code??
We're talking table top Roleplaying games you silly goose!
- Ed C.
Yes...I know there is a typo in the thread title I PM-ed an admin/Mod to fix it if possible.
Mouse. Not goose. :p :D
In any case, I stand by my statement. If the place I'm going to has a cheat code, I'm getting it. :p
Forget gear, I'd spend the points on skills. With the right skills you can acquire any gear you need.
Just think of Bourne - he rarely carried a firearm, he knew where to find one, including taking them off people shooting at him.
"I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs two hundred fifteen pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab of the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking."
Skills. Any moron can carry a gun or toolkit or whatever.
Among skills, dealing with people. Especially if you want to steal something or someone from somewhere locked up. You knock out or kill a guard, people are going to be curious. You bribe or blackmail him, he'll keep things quiet for you.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;378864With the right skills you can acquire any gear you need.
Where you gonna find duct tape and toilet paper in 15th century Spain or on an alien spaceship? "What are the 3 sea shells for?"
Though now I really wanna see the sequel where Bourne is sent to ancient Rome...
Quote from: Angry_Douchebag;378859- Dehydrated Velociraptors Who are completely loyal to me.
This and Fixed It For You.
First, a good backpack,
Then, a webvest, and a belt with attachments for pouches.
As for a weapon, a 10mm short barreled glock pistol, a p-90 for more serious work and a sniper rifle, possibly a dragunov as those things are rugged.
Never forget a couple of good knives, one utility, one combat.
Dragonskin body armor, it's better than that crap the military gives soldiers because the contractors bought off the procurement department.
Good, comfortable, durable boots, anything but doc martens.
Complete first aid field kit, not just a pack of bandaids but full military field first aid kit.
Binoculars.
walkie talkies.
Concentrated food, water and water purification tablets. Several ways to make a fire including a solar mirror. Take some chocolate with you, it's effective at boosting morale, believe it or not. Moderate stimulants, like "power drinks" in powdered form. Don't forget a mess kit.
Good sunglasses.
Extra socks. (Never underestimate the value of socks for keeping your feet comfortable and warm.
Some basic hygiene supplies, esp. some toilet paper. Also a good razor and some soap.
Flashlights in various sizes from very small, efficient LED models that run for hours and hours to a really big, long range monster with limited use.
A kevlar helmet.
A few grenades of available. Grenades are very useful and versatile.
Good, sturdy, durable clothes, dark grey if possible.
Extra underwear.
Basic toolkit, along with some good glue, black tape, duct tape and cracy glue.
Quote from: Simlasa;378865Where you gonna find duct tape and toilet paper in 15th century Spain or on an alien spaceship?
Either you're sent to those places without notice, in which case you don't have a backpack full of goodies, or you have some notice, in which case you take gear specifically for
that particular mission.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;378868Either you're sent to those places without notice, in which case you don't have a backpack full of goodies, or you have some notice, in which case you take gear specifically for that particular mission.
I now picture Kyle Aaron's generic hero character as having "Macho Man" as his theme song - except as sung by Rammstein (Or AC/DC) instead of the Village People.
Thats also why I included 6 to 7 different framing scenarios to the question.
- Ed C.
Is that a Jason Bourne kind of game? What's the context?
Quote from: Koltar;378837What do you take?
Jandd Barad internal frame pack
2 water bottles, water purification tablets/filter, 2 changes of clothing, 4 pairs of socks, first aid kit, electrical tape, aspirin, power bars, rope, rations, camp stove, small towel, small flashlight, waterproof matches, windproof lighter, couple plastic spoons, gerber multi-tool
QuoteWhat do you arm yourself with ?
Glock 18c and Henry U.S. Survival .22 plus X5 pistol reloads and X5 rifle reloads.
Muela HA-W hatchet
Muela Scorpion Tactical Fixed Blade knife
QuoteWhat kind of footwear?
Hiking Boots
QuoteClothing (or 'armor')?
Outdoor clothing including parka, rain-proof hat, sunglasses and leather gloves.
QuoteWhat kind of communications Gear?
(assume a team with at least 2 to 3 others as allies)
Midland Outfitter Series GXT1050VP4 50-Channel 36-Mile Waterproof 2-Way GMRS Radio with NOAA All Hazard /Weather Alert, Rechargeable Batteries, Dual Desktop charger 12 Volt Vehicle Adapter and 2 Headsets (Pair, Mossy Oak ) X2
QuoteIF it makes a difference, does the choice of gear change if the situation is:
1) Time traveling to a known destination.
2) Time traveling to a random decade or century.
3) Heading to a Zombie-infested city or town
4) Rescuing friends without permission of the authorities. "Off the Books" (Modern-day, with contemporary/modern-day politics)
5) Invited to be a passenger or crewmember on an alien spacecraft that has visited Earth
6) Part of a Group of modern-day humans who have decided to STEAL an alien spacecraft that landed here by mistake.
7) You are part of a new group of allies or friends that hunt Vampires or other monsters.
- Ed C.
1) Depends
2) No
3) Bigger guns if possible
4) Lose the camping gear and survival rifle, bigger guns if possible
5) No
6) No
7) No survival rifle, more anti-vamp stuff
Quote from: Koltar;378837IF it makes a difference, does the choice of gear change if the situation is:
1) Time traveling to a known destination.
2) Time traveling to a random decade or century.
3) Heading to a Zombie-infested city or town
4) Rescuing friends without permission of the authorities. "Off the Books" (Modern-day, with contemporary/modern-day politics)
5) Invited to be a passenger or crewmember on an alien spacecraft that has visited Earth
6) Part of a Group of modern-day humans who have decided to STEAL an alien spacecraft that landed here by mistake.
7) You are part of a new group of allies or friends that hunt Vampires or other monsters.
Apropos role-playing, this would change enormously not just based on the situation, but on who my character is. If my character is an American special forces commando, they'll take something very different than if they are a Middle Eastern engineering manager.
That said, there are a few principles I'd follow. For going back into the past, I might want to take some stuff to fundamentally change the world - like a bunch of microfiche of crucial info, and a sack of different potato varieties. That is, unless I'm not allowed to change history.
For zombies in the modern-day, I'd want to take a good toolkit. In my opinion, the key with zombies is to use good shark cage principles when outfitting your vehicle and/or fortifying your base of operations. A well-built shark cage will keep out an infinite number of sharks - and is a vastly better strategy for wandering into shark-infested waters than trying to shoot all the sharks that come at you.
For the rescue or the aliens, it will depend crucially on what info there is about what my character would be facing.
On a side note, if it's just ye ordinary lurching zombies, there's not much reason to panic unless you get surrounded.
"So, we run away?" "Nah, just walk."
*Fifteen minutes later*
"...Never thought I'd be bored during a zombie attack."
And that is way modern zombie horror has more than lurching zombies.
a portable dvd player, extra batteries, the complete run of macguyver, and some chewing gum.
Quote from: two_fishes;378956a portable dvd player, extra batteries, the complete run of macguyver, and some chewing gum.
Forgot the paper clips and a Bic pen.
I hypnotize Jesus Christ into believing that I am his father, then stuff him into a backpack and carry him around like Yoda. That should cover just about about any possible situation I might encounter.
:rolleyes: :D
Quote from: jeff37923;378959I hypnotize Jesus Christ into believing that I am his father, then stuff him into a backpack and carry him around like Yoda. That should cover just about about any possible situation I might encounter.
:rolleyes: :D
Big deal. All jesus could do was turn water into wine, rocks into bread, make 4 fish and a loaf of bread feed a multitude and blast fig trees. he couldn't even stop the romans from nailing him to a cross.
Well, OK, ,maybe he could raise dead and walk on water, but he had no combat skills except against money lenders in temples.
He might be good at logistics but not much use in a tactical combat situation. I mean, wasn't his main combat strategy to turn the other cheek?
Quote from: Cylonophile;378962Well, OK, ,maybe he could raise dead
That would be the trump card for the whole zombie scenario.
No Jesus Christ or other historical/mythological figures to be miniaturized and put in the backpack.
Those ain't the parameters involved.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;378990No Jesus Christ or other historical/mythological figures to be miniaturized and put in the backpack.
Those ain't the parameters involved.
- Ed C.
Rotary Plasma Cannon?
Quote from: Angry_Douchebag;378992Rotary Plasma Cannon?
Over-compensating much?
Nope. No Plasma Cannon.
Just what the OP says: What you can actually carry with you - in your hand, holstered on a belt, in a backpack, or in an over-the-shoulder duffle.
And Yes, you can use or carry both the duffle and the backpack at the same time.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;378837
1) Time traveling to a known destination.
2) Time traveling to a random decade or century.
- Ed C.
A bit concerning the above two. First, when time travelling to a known destination (time and location), I'd tend to go with items that looked like they belonged there. Depending on the resources available, the equipment would be extremely well made using much better material than was available to the locals, but made to look as much like what was available. Depending on the exact time period, I'd probably want to have concealed emergency equipment, like very small commo gear, compact binocs, medical gear, modern backup weapon, etc., but the big rule would be - blend in.
Now, as to the more random time travelling, there are some variables. If it's that I was planning on going to 1066 England and instead wound up in 1737 Fiji, then obviously I'd be equipped for the former, not the latter. If it was that I knew that I'd be time travelling but no idea on the where or when, I'd try to be ready for the less pleasant times and places, but would probably be much more modern equipped, except prehaps for having some rather drab type generic 'peasant' clothing to change into or at least cover up my gear. If I don't even know I'm going to be time travelling, then I'd have whatever I had for whatever I happened to be doing at that time.
Quote from: Koltar;378990No Jesus Christ or other historical/mythological figures to be miniaturized and put in the backpack.
Those ain't the parameters involved.
- Ed C.
Who said anything about miniaturization? This would be a full scale actual Jesus Christ in the backpack. :)
Well, Just what you can carry, ha?
Mkkay... um...
A Heckler and Koch XM8 Automatic Rifle with 1,000 rounds of 5.56 ammo, the one with the M320 Grenade Launcher with 25 mixed grenades. This includes a 4x sight, integrated folding bipod, 100 round magazines, an IR laser/Designator and a night vision sight.
Six standard fragmentation grenades, six mixed smoke grenades, six flash-bangs, and six cs/teargas grenades.
I'd go with a Jimmy Lile (http://www.jimmylile.com/)Next Generation First Blood survival knife, with a USMC K-a-Bar (Short for kill a bear) backup.
The usual survival equipment including waterproof matches, 7x35mm Binoculars, flint & steel, a whetstone, at least two flasks of flammable oil, fishhooks, 300 ft of 24 lb. test line, and shorter lengths of 50 lb and 100 lb test line. A Noah Water Systems Trekker (http://www.noahwater.com/trekker.html) portable water purifier, a Black Diamond (http://www.acmeclimbing.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=794)Mountain Climbing Gear package, 2x 70M of Dry Rope (http://www.rei.com/product/799208), A Black Diamond Quicksilver Quickdraw (http://www.rei.com/product/751535)Set, A Body Glove Professional Snorkel Set (http://www.bodyglove.com/store/products_detail.php?product_id=31061&set_session=yes&mwrc_session_code=mJhjS3DqsNNxn7NFwM5G),
and some hikers mosquito netting (http://www.vtarmynavy.com/mosquito-nets.htm?gclid=CLPg8tuMwKECFRUhDQod0x6UhQ)would round out the gear pick.
GameDaddy.... Nice.
All of that sounds like it could fit into either a backpack or an over the-shoulder bag of some kind.
The whole idea is that your player character involved in this KNOWS that he or she is about to get into a risky adventure of some kind - and for whatever reason he or she has volunteered to do this or they have to out of necessity for some reason.
The equipment or gear is what you grab for such an event when you got less than 24 hours to prepare and very limited or no knowledge of whats ahead of you.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;378837Here's the situation:
Its a modern or contemporary setting, lets say sometime between 1995 to the present.
You or rather your character can only take with him or her what you could reasonably carry on yourself while walking or running. However, that does include an average-sized backpack and maybe an over-the-shoulder duffle bag.
What do you take?
What do you arm yourself with ?
What kind of footwear?
Clothing (or 'armor')?
What kind of communications Gear?
(assume a team with at least 2 to 3 others as allies)
IF it makes a difference, does the choice of gear change if the situation is:
1) Time traveling to a known destination.
2) Time traveling to a random decade or century.
3) Heading to a Zombie-infested city or town
4) Rescuing friends without permission of the authorities. "Off the Books" (Modern-day, with contemporary/modern-day politics)
5) Invited to be a passenger or crewmember on an alien spacecraft that has visited Earth
6) Part of a Group of modern-day humans who have decided to STEAL an alien spacecraft that landed here by mistake.
7) You are part of a new group of allies or friends that hunt Vampires or other monsters.
- Ed C.
First thing on my list is a shovel. If it’s modern era then you can get one of those sweet Swiss Army style folding axe-saw-combo shovels.
If I can I would like to get my hands on at least a concealable bulletproof vest. In the modern era or unknown temporal destination a decent semi auto pistol (not a gun guy, so I would most likely just choose the 1911, I know there might me a weight issue) would be fine. If time traveling to a known era, I would try to carry something that took really common ammo for the time and place so that I wouldn’t have to carry as much with me.
I would also try to get a hold of one of those survival knives that have the built in compass and the hollow handle that is full of things like matches.
For clothes I would go for jeans, a light jacket, and a change of “respectable” clothes for whatever era I knew I was visiting. If a random era, then a just a white shirt and black suit (with matching hat, just in case.)
Comm gear would be, if possible, those encrypted channel military radios. If not, then those all weather Motorola walkie-talkies and plenty of batteries for either.
This should leave room in the load out for any of the special scenarios you mentioned.
EDIT: Just remembered: rope. Something light but strong.
I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned the idea of a "go-Bag". Its a concept or idea thats been talked about in the press or Media a bit more than usual the past two years.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;379131GameDaddy.... Nice.
All of that sounds like it could fit into either a backpack or an over the-shoulder bag of some kind.
The equipment or gear is what you grab for such an event when you got less than 24 hours to prepare and very limited or no knowledge of whats ahead of you.
Almost, except for the 'effin water purifier which is a suitcase sized contraption. While it can run temporarily on any 12 VDC charge, It also really needs the equivalent of a car battery to purify @ 3.8 Gallons per minute. So a Car-sized rechargable battery and some kind of charger, wind or solar based would be needed for an extended expedition.
OH, and I almost forgot, a fifth of Jack Daniels (For trade), and a fifth of Appleton Estates Rum (for consumption). Good liquor is worth its weight in gold in any time frame.
Could such an opening as the OP work as the starting point of a convention game scenario?
- Ed C.