Mafiascum.net

Howdy.

Some of you may remember playing some version of the Oregon Trail in your younger years. It's a game about an era of U.S. history that often overlooks the Native genocide that accompanied a national policy of "manifest destiny". However, since it came up in Discord today and I happen to own the best (and most challenging) variant, Oregon Trail II, I figured that I might run a Let's Play to send four scummers west.




(4/5)

Equinox, party leader
Haschel Cedricson, 47
CaptainMeme, 25
xofelf, 23
VashtaNeurotic, 12 (died of internal injuries)

Progress so far: September 1, 1848, 1939 miles traveled
Final score: 25,555

Independence to St. Joseph Road Junction
St. Joseph Road Junction to South Platte River
South Platte River to Fort John
Fort John to the "Parting of the Ways"
"Parting of the Ways" to California Trail Junction
California Trail Junction to Oregon City

(5/5)

zoraster, party leader
AGar, 27
Silverclaw, 62
Ariel, 25
Mitillos, 35

Progress so far: September 19, 1848, 2310 miles traveled
Final score: 28,195

Independence to St. Joseph Road Junction
St. Joseph Road Junction to the "Parting of the Ways"
"Parting of the Ways" to Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger to Oregon City



lendunistus, 5
Sirius9121, 19
dsjstr, 8

Progress so far: September 10, 1848, 1998 miles traveled
Final score: 24,510

Independence to Fort John
Fort John to the Dalles
The Dalles to Oregon City

/in!

EDIT: I am 47 years young.

/in

Let's go real age with 25

/in, let's go 23

/in

Oh and make me 12, I will be a rambuncous tween

/in and 65 like the boomer i apparently am

I'll be a headstone or some shit!

If we get another five people, then I will launch a competing wagon party and y'all can race for who gets there first!

Unfortunately, I discovered that I cannot save the game at random events, so that means we can't rub salt in the wounds of xofelf getting attacked by a bear. Sorry! It looks like that sort of thing would work better on a live stream, which I'm totally happy to do if enough people are interested. In the meantime, it looks like I'll be saving at road junctions and basically whenever I feel like it, and there will be plenty of either type.

Anyway, the first wagon party started their journey on April 1, 1848! How exciting. At Independence, using the $425 they had remaining after purchasing a wagon, the party purchased a lot of supplies:



The gist is that we purchased seven oxen, fruits and vegetables, the traditional several hundred pounds of bacon, clothing, medicines, tools, and miscellaneous stuff to maintain our sanities as we march across the continent. I I bought enough food to last, but I also purchased a rifle, gunpowder, and bullets in case we need it toward the end of the journey. Once we got everything we needed, we joined a small, 10-wagon train consisting of 47 people, and we went on our merry way.

Upon exiting Independence, we encountered our first river crossing. The Blue River was still frozen, so we crossed on the ice. It was quite fortunate that nothing happened because the high for April 1 was 36°F, so the ice could have been melting for all we knew. We passed through the towns of Westport and New Santa Fe. I opted not to stop because I had purchased all of the supplies we needed (or at least I think I did).

On April 9, we had a severe thunderstorm. Thunderstorms were fairly common on the prairie, so I opted to continue as usual because to slow down or to wait for improved conditions would mean wasted time, and we needed to get to Oregon before the snow did. As the thunderstorm cleared, we decided to cross the Kansas River. Given that the ferry was a hefty $6.25, we decided to float the wagon across the river. The wagon didn't tip over, which was great. However, VashtaNeurotic got a cold, which was not great.



Vinegar was an option to alleviate his cold, but who has ever taken vinegar for a cold? We decided to increase his fluid intake because he probably got sick from not drinking enough water.

As VashtaNeurotic chugged water, we reached our first junction of the trail: the St. Joseph Road Junction. Where did the party go next?





Vote with your favorite device now! Deadline will be whenever I start the game again, but it won't be for at least 24 hours. Choose wisely.

In post 8, Equinox wrote:so that means we can't rub salt in the wounds of xofelf getting attacked by a bear. Sorry!

I came here to have a fun time and I feel so attacked.

I'm good with whichever.

Also, that is some intense nostalgia. I had forgotten that this was the one with people's faces in pictures. Haven't played it since like middle school.

*coughs*

You know what they say, the best treatment of a cold is going down St. Joseph's Road.

/in wagon 2, randomize me an age!

Oh /in Wagon 2 if that materializes, and fuck it, let's be 27 again.

/in wagon2 25

/in wagon2 35, because I want to recapture the wonderful days of my lost youth. :þ

/in wagon2 if there's room

i'll be 5 for shits and giggles

in if allowed, preferably 19 yrold

I vote to go west

west is best

Thanks for the interest! Unfortunately, the second wagon party is full with Mitillos, so I've put lendunistus and Sirius9121 on the waiting list for when I start another round.



Oregon Trail heading west (2) - Haschel Cedricson, CaptainMeme
St. Joseph Road (1) - VashtaNeurotic
No preference (1) - xofelf

With that, the party decided continue heading west with VashtaNeurotic feverishly coughing and sneezing in the wagon. At the junction, I got a nasty splinter in my thumb that I noted in the in-game diary, but otherwise no other events of note happened. There was heavy fog as we made our way through the plains of what is now Nebraska, but skies were clear when we rolled into Fort Kearny. I decided that it was a good time to top up on food and take care of some wagon maintenance, so we went inside and visited the doctor, blacksmith, and livery. I purchased an additional 90 pounds of bacon, four kegs of pickles, and 100 pounds of rice.

CaptainMeme caught a cold a few miles past Plum Creek. Since increasing fluid intake for VashtaNeurotic worked well the last time, we decided to also have CaptainMeme hydrate.

As the party passed through O'Fallon's Bluff, we came across an abandoned wagon. I searched it and found a pound of nails. The thick fog continued until we reached South Platte River.



Unfortunately, the game bugged out and wouldn't let me cross, so I'm pausing here for now. I'll launch the second wagon party and see if I can't get the first party to cross the river later tonight. For shits and giggles, though, I'll give y'all a few hours to decide on how you want to cross the river! Here are the conditions:

This river looks as though it may be rather difficult.
Width: 3000 feet
Depth: two feet

What do you think Equinox's wagon party should do here?





Results in maybe three to four hours.

Two feet? That sounds fordable to me!

Fordin' sounds good to me!

CaptainMeme and Haschel Cedricson suggested fording the river while the depth was good, so the party forged on. Upon crossing, they double-teamed up California Hill and locked their wheels down Windlass Hill, landing in Ash Hollow. The next several days of the journey were easy rolling on flat land, passing through Courthouse and Jail Rock and Chimney Rock. As they passed Robidoux Pass Trading Post, there was a prairie fire. It was odd, given that the temperature was a cool 67°F on May 21, but the party opted to wait for conditions to improve before moving on. A couple of days later, they continued to Laramie River, which they crossed until they reached Fort John.

The party stopped at the fort to top up supplies -- 50 pounds of dried fruit and two kegs of pickles -- and get their health and wagon checked. Luckily, CaptainMeme had recovered from his cold by this point, so it was simply a wellness check at the doctor's office.

At the fort, there was a decision to make. Where did Equinox's party go next?





If you opt to rest, then make sure to note for how long.





The second party is ready to go! They convened in Independence on April 1, 1848, and may have even run into Equinox's party while shopping. Similar to the first party, they bought plenty of food and supplies to ensure their survival on the five- to six-month overland journey. In case anyone is curious, here's what was purchased by both parties:


At any rate, they finished their shopping so quickly that they joined a different, nine-wagon train of 32 people. The Blue River that morning was a fairly ordinary river, so zoraster's party forded it, marking their first step west. Between Westport and New Santa Fe, zoraster was appointed trail guide. Immediately, he was faced with his first test: the trail was flooded.



He attempted to ford through the water but got his wagon stuck in the mud instead. Double-teaming with another wagon's animals got the party going again, though the flooding continued for the next couple of days. There was finally respite at Blue Mound, but there was heavy fog as they floated their wagons across Kansas River. Luckily, they didn't tip the wagon over, but they did decide to just take the toll bridge at Red Vermilion River, paying $1.00. The trip was relatively uneventful, and they crossed the frigid Big Blue River. On April 19, they reached St. Joseph Road Junction, three days behind Equinox's party. No big deal. Perhaps zoraster's party would catch up soon. That said, at the junction, where did they go?





Depending on how many people I hear from, I may pick this up later tonight or wait until tomorrow. Up to you!

The other party went west, so clearly we take .