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Completed [LP CYOA] I'm a High Tech Hobo Who Stumbled into Another World While Out Scavenging For Parts

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
Grimgravy lightbane Any desire to consolidate on A3 for cannon goodness since it seems we won’t have the mana ourselves to both move and charge the mana capacitator?
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
Huh who wha--

Oh.

Well, the mech is slow, but has two things going for it, thick armor and two cannons. Which we can't operate. Meaning we'd need someone else to make the most of it. Now, who'd be insane enough to get in an untried prototype robot? Are there any japanese teens with daddy issues we can coopt?

A. I need to find a gladiator, and quick. The match is tomorrow night. This city is full of those seeking to get into the arena. Surely I can find a willing guinea pig. The only question is where I should go to find one…
3. Go to the bars. Drinks help negotiations, and someone drunk enough might be willing to help.

If not, start looking for men with impaired decision skills. Who knows, maybe there is a drunken master in there somewhere!

...and I am curious about playing a protagonist who isn't the first to volunteer for whatever heroic duty the plot expects of them.

Seems like just the sort of job that requires a fateful meeting between a desperate hobo and a down-on-his luck gladiator drowning his sorrows at the local tavern!

Alternatively, based on our armor's strengths, our biggest weaknesses are (a) a complete ignorance of magical knowledge and (b) we are slow as fuck. On the other hand, our biggest advantage is a tremendous level of durability, and good accuracy/range. Of the B options, the hydraulic pike seems like the one that works best with our strengths while masking our weaknesses. It takes a long time to charge up, but that's fine - we will allow ourselves to take an absolute beating in the early portion of the fight while we ready up the killshot.

What we really have to watch out for is some magical fuckery that would prevent us from moving, and thus storing up the energy needed to use the pike.

Going B2 but A3 also seems like a heap of fun.

It's so great to be back with you guys!
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,158
I guess I'll switch to B2 then, seeing that everyone is going for the stupid shovel thing.

B2
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
We need a lore update for this:

I haven’t pushed this hard ever since the Great Bargain Sale Wars of Shulgi Park.

It takes a long time to charge up, but that's fine - we will allow ourselves to take an absolute beating in the early portion of the fight while we ready up the killshot.
Yeah but what do we do when we miss lmfao

Well, we're fucked if we miss. But judging by our stellar voting history, complete with hits like Sphere Diplomacy, I am fully confident in our ability to see this through successfully.

And by "successfully" I mean that we get our arm chopped off and become stronger for it. Hoping that Zhang Jue also exists in this universe as well.
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Well, we're fucked if we miss. But judging by our stellar voting history, complete with hits like Sphere Diplomacy, I am fully confident in our ability to see this through successfully.

And by "successfully" I mean that we get our arm chopped off and become stronger for it. Hoping that Zhang Jue also exists in this universe as well.
I'm surprised no one else went for the B4 giant net launcher. It's pretty simple: If our maneuverability sucks, we just need to make the other person's maneuverability suck even more, and in a shitty melee we top out because our armor is harder to damage. And it's easier to land a big net than a precise shot on someone.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Bar Crawl

The unmistakable, familiar stench of alcohol-laced vomit – or perhaps the other way around – floods my nose as soon as I step into the noisy bar. I had heard that this place was popular with independent gladiators and wannabes alike. Given the strict deadline and the whole checklist of things I have to do to prep my potential gladiator for piloting the machine, this place is my only shot. Dodging the drunks like a skilful waitress, I make my way to the counter.

The bartender gives me the briefest of looks before turning his portly frame back to his work.

“Hey, man, I need something,” I begin. Surely he knows who I can approach. He’s a bartender in an arena city, after all.

“If you need a drink, pay up and name your poison. If you need something else, door’s that a way.” The bartender’s response is quick and practiced, hinting at a lifetime of spouting the same line to people asking for things.

“Drinks, well…” I have no money to spare. Any allowance I get from working at the Junkyard goes right back into boarding and meals, unfortunately. It’s mandatory. Then again, I haven’t had any money for a long time, so it’s nothing new to me.

Mr. Bartender sees through my poverty-stricken self and snorts. “Door’s that a way, then.”

I don’t think I can expect any more words from him. I’ll just have to do this myself. Casting my gaze around the bar, I try to find someone who looks like they will hear me out.

***

A. A good-looking young man in the company of what seems to be a couple of ladies of the night. They seem to be having a jolly old time. Perhaps I can reel him in with promises of future riches and glory.

B. An old lady with a wrinkled face that looks like it’s been carved from steel. She’s sitting in the corner of the bar, being given a rather comfortable amount of personal space by everyone else. She would clearly be past her prime, but that might be all the more reason she would hear me out.

C. The little serving girl being harassed by a bunch of drunks. Not that I’ve much hopes from her as a pilot, but I know how stories like these go; if I help her out, she’ll lead me to some super strong hidden talent. Probably.

D. There’s a… cow tethered to the back door for some reason. It seems to have strangely intelligent eyes. Could it be? But no, I’ve been sober for so long, there’s no reason I would be seeing things here. Right? But even a cow can pilot magic armor, if I work on it...
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
An avanteur, a has-been, a magical girl and an intelligent cow. Might as well start drafting plans for a prosthetic arm.

I'm leaning towards a B>D vote right now. As I see it, our two goals for this match are (1) winning and (2) giving a favorable presentation of our product so that the Junkyard supports our R&D initiative. In this case, someone with experience might be the smart choice, especially since our suit of armor is an experimental design and will require its pilot to adapt quickly.

As for the cow, uh, how can we not want her?
 

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
Do we know of anything at all that correlates with having a shitload of mana?

I’m inclined to the spark of determination in the cow’s eyes, but granny reminds me of when we first saw Zhang Jue. Then again, if hidden talent is about mana then that’d be what we ought to go for for good cannons; experience is possibly a drawback with this totally new-fangled contraption that handles much differently.

C > D
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
D. There’s a… cow tethered to the back door for some reason. It seems to have strangely intelligent eyes. Could it be? But no, I’ve been sober for so long, there’s no reason I would be seeing things here. Right? But even a cow can pilot magic armor, if I work on it...

It must be bovine providence!

sfxpufDN-QsyYjZoC-n9Hg.jpeg


The cow is the perfect Isekai companion. The most loyal one of the Overlord bunch too, if not the most capable.

The grizzled veteran calls to me, but the description makes it sound like she's been a lot more down on her luck than I thought I'd be willing to take on board. Eh, beggars and choosers.
The magical servant girl... actually fits the plucky teenager archetype, so I am not averse to that. Were it not for the power of tropes though (which we don't know if they are in effect), I'd place her chances slightly below the animal's...
 
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baud

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Messages
3,992
Location
Septentrion
RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
C>B
The magical girl! And even if she loose, we might be able to guilt her into taking care of the protag, who will be recovering from a bad case of (literal) disarmament
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
C>B

Serving girl is more likely to know enough gossip about what arena fighters are willing to take a chance, and as long as we can get the drunks off of her she should be willing to answer a question and steer us in the right direction, so our total lack of social graces shouldn't be a barrier to getting her to help us. A is fail because we're a smelly hobo and that man is trying to enjoy the company of hot girls, and when it comes to B it's a bit of a gamble. On the upside of things B is available and looks like a possible expert. D feels like we're trying to turn the CYOA into a giant meme (armored cows shooting laser beams).
 

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