Nue Quest: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>Hmm...
>Well, it's not like they just put down random rocks. Proper cobblestone takes a bit more than that.
>Also, probably shouldn't risk angering the oni.
>"Well, it is a proper cobblestone. I'm not taking just any random rocks, but that's a bit more than just a random rock."
>Still a rock, though. Hand her a fairly cheap bottle.

>You give her some cheap stuff.
>You obtain: Loose Cobblestone x1
>"What's the difference?" says the black haired oni.

>_

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"You can't just pick up any old rocks and make a path out of them. It'd be kind of a bumpy ride, 'cause, well, how often've you seen two rocks at the same time look exactly identical, shape and size and everything? No, you'd get far too many different shapes and sizes to make any sort of decent pathway. You've gotta work 'em proper, you know? Smooth 'em out and stuff."

[Hello Purvis]

>"You can't just pick up any old rocks and make a path out of them. It'd be kind of a bumpy ride, 'cause, well, how often've you seen two rocks at the same time look exactly identical, shape and size and everything? No, you'd get far too many different shapes and sizes to make any sort of decent pathway. You've gotta work 'em proper, you know? Smooth 'em out and stuff."

>"Can't make a path out of the beads, either, can you now?" says the black-haired oni. "Not a very good one, anyways."

>_

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Yeah, but things like that have different uses. Cosmetic stuff, mostly."
>To what extent do oni wear necklaces/bracelets/any sort of jewelery?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, but things like that have different uses. Cosmetic stuff, mostly."
>To what extent do oni wear necklaces/bracelets/any sort of jewelery?

>"Everything's got a use," says the oni, frowning. "It's only beads, isn't it? What'd you want them for?"
>A few more oni drift inside.
>Oni enjoy jewelry, but they don't really have the delicate touch needed to excel at making it. It's part of how you managed to do decently with it here, though your work is sporadic. You think, in the old days, they would have tengu or kappa do it. Or kidnap skilled humans.

[Kilgamayan]

This is now Nue Market Z-Machine where the goal is to take over ~*~~*~the economy~*~~*~ and make Nue Enterprises into a multi-million dollar corporation. No honestly allowed! Seriously saying something isn't in the spirit of the game when any interactions can be beneficial to everyone's goals is a little mean-spirited Kilga. I believe this will help us find out more in the long-run. Bartenders always get to hear the juciest secrets.

It's also going to cost us a lot of time. I'd estimate at least half a game day. And no, we can't just leave a flunkie to take care of things for us, because they won't know the proper exchange rates either, unless we want to write up an exact list of every conceivable gem and their corresponding price as well as a list of rocks we're not going accept. So we'll be drowning in outdated secrets because we won't have been able to act upon them, and for all that Eientei isn't going to sprout legs and leave the Bamboo Forest any time soon, whoever the culprit is isn't exactly chained to the ground, and that trail has a very real chance of going cold if we sit around doing nothing useful toward that end.

[Kilgamayan]

> "I know where I can get money for 'em. They're an inconvenience, but they won't stop me from doing business."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I know where I can get money for 'em. They're an inconvenience, but they won't stop me from doing business."

>"Where's that?" says the black-haired oni, as she opens her bottle and sniffs at it.
>"Oy," says one of the newcomer oni, "you're takin' that stuff what got switched up for our money, right?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Topside."
> Turn to the newcomer.
> "Yeah."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Topside."
> Turn to the newcomer.
> "Yeah."

>The black-haired oni nods. "What'd they want 'em for, anyways?"
>One of the three newcomers produces a glossy stone and puts it on the counter. "This oughta be valuable,"
>Glancing at it, you're pretty sure it's a piece brown jasper with surprisingly good quality. You'd give about 30-40☼ for it.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "All righty."
> Pour something in the 35☼ range and send it over, then turn back to the black-haired oni.
> "Accessorizing is one common use. They're rare and look pretty, so they tend to go for a decent amount."

[Hello Purvis]

> "All righty."
> Pour something in the 35☼ range and send it over, then turn back to the black-haired oni.
> "Accessorizing is one common use. They're rare and look pretty, so they tend to go for a decent amount."

>You give the oni a sizable bottle of good plum wine. Hopefully it'll keep her and her friends occupied for the next few hours.
>"Even them beads what she gave you?" the black-haired oni.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Different beads differ in price based on rarity, but yeah. I've been around that block a few times, I know what they tend to go for."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Different beads differ in price based on rarity, but yeah. I've been around that block a few times, I know what they tend to go for."

>The black-haired oni nods.
>"This make you a pawn shop now?" says the blonde one, as the three go back to one of the booths.
>A couple more oni walk in, you recognize one as that third oni whose attention you got earlier.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

All right, if this is how events are going to go down, let's make sure they're able to go down regardless of who's online, since I'm just kinda shooting in the dark here. If anyone is going to input long-term action plans with specific reasons and goals, when you disappear for a time, leave notes for other people about what you recommend doing and not doing to make progress so that progress can actually be made. This is doubly important if there is opposition to your idea, because forcing a course of action and then leaving the game to people that disagree with it only serves to ruin their interest and ability to play, as well as make everything take an unnecessarily long time.

> "This is place is still what it's always been, alcohol at a reasonable price. Only thing that's changed is the currency, really."

[Hello Purvis]

> "This is place is still what it's always been, alcohol at a reasonable price. Only thing that's changed is the currency, really."

>The blond oni nods. "That's alright then."
>The third group approaches the bar, and one of them puts a brick on the counter. "You're takin' rocks, ain't ya?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

Oy gevalt.

I'm not dealing with this anymore, I have to be up in less than 6 hours for work. >_>

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"The stuff that replaced our money? Yeah, I'm taking those."

[Hello Purvis]

>"The stuff that replaced our money? Yeah, I'm taking those."

>"S'wrong with this brick, then?" says the oni.

>_

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"People topside'll buy the stuff left in place of our money-and I'm pretty good at telling how much those things are worth-but that brick? Not so much."

[Hello Purvis]

>"People topside'll buy the stuff left in place of our money-and I'm pretty good at telling how much those things are worth-but that brick? Not so much."

>"Nonsense," says the oni. "This brick's way better than those stupid beads."

>_

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Yeah, it's kinda weird, but there are people topside who'll pay good money for stuff like those beads. It's a fashion thing; they like how the stuff looks."

Right, going to bed now. I think that after a few more interactions, we can just give a command like 'continue in this manner for however long', but until then, I'd say just keep going in the manner Kilga and I have been. Oh, and if anyone asks why we accepted the cobblestone but won't accept a brick, say that it's because we want it or something (not too likely to happen, I don't think, but it never hurts to be ready, right?

[Shadoweh]

Yeah we probably don't want to 'continue in this manner' until we stress the part where we're only accepting the rocks that people got their money replaced by instead of bricks and cobblestones. >.>

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, it's kinda weird, but there are people topside who'll pay good money for stuff like those beads. It's a fashion thing; they like how the stuff looks."

>"Maybe so," says the oni. "But it's still not worth as much as this."
>She pats the brick for emphasis.

>_

[Fightest]

All right, if this is how events are going to go down, let's make sure they're able to go down regardless of who's online, since I'm just kinda shooting in the dark here. If anyone is going to input long-term action plans with specific reasons and goals, when you disappear for a time, leave notes for other people about what you recommend doing and not doing to make progress so that progress can actually be made. This is doubly important if there is opposition to your idea, because forcing a course of action and then leaving the game to people that disagree with it only serves to ruin their interest and ability to play, as well as make everything take an unnecessarily long time.

Gosh Kilga, if you want to call me out on something, just say it straight. Point taken, however, I don't actually want to be hanging about trading booze for too long, either.

>"Maybe so," says the oni. "But it's still not worth as much as this."
>She pats the brick for emphasis.

>_

> "That's a brick, and it's not a gem or a bead - the stuff your money got turned into. No gems, no beads, no service, and that's final, and tell your friends that, too."
> Confirm: "That is just a brick, not what your money was before, right?"
> Draw up a quick sign that says "Only accepting the stuff your money got turned into."
> Draw up a reference chart, describing beads and gems' appearance and their relative values.
> Put these somewhere visible.

[Hello Purvis]

> "That's a brick, and it's not a gem or a bead - the stuff your money got turned into. No gems, no beads, no service, and that's final, and tell your friends that, too."
> Confirm: "That is just a brick, not what your money was before, right?"
> Draw up a quick sign that says "Only accepting the stuff your money got turned into."
> Draw up a reference chart, describing beads and gems' appearance and their relative values.
> Put these somewhere visible.

>"What," says the oni, giving you a look while you look for materials to make a sign with. "So it's not good enough for you now? What're you playing at, then?"

>_

[Fightest]

>"What," says the oni, giving you a look while you look for materials to make a sign with. "So it's not good enough for you now? What're you playing at, then?"

>_

> Aren't oni supposed to be honest to a fault? This is wilful ignorance of intent, and is two degrees away from lying. Of course, rumour is also to blame.
> Put on our best poker face.
> "It sure looks to me like you're trying to cheat me out of my hard-earned business. I slave away at the counter day in, day out, providing only the best in drinks and cocktails, and you still don't respect me enough to pay me properly?"

[Rin Kagamine]

I think they really don't understand the difference because they don't understand the difference between rocks and gems.  Also, every time someone asks if we take rocks the answer is some variation on "yes" instead of "No but we are taking those shiny gems that replaced everyone's money".  We've also already traded drink for a non-gem rock.  They've seen that and they're honestly trying to get drink based on our past actions.

[Fightest]

I think they really don't understand the difference because they don't understand the difference between rocks and gems.  Also, every time someone asks if we take rocks the answer is some variation on "yes" instead of "No but we are taking those shiny gems that replaced everyone's money".  We've also already traded drink for a non-gem rock.  They've seen that and they're honestly trying to get drink based on our past actions.

Yeah, we've just got to get rid of the precedent quickly, and then it's set. You're absolutely right that we must be very strict in what we're taking, but that, of course, leads to the small issue that we're in right now.

[Hello Purvis]

> Aren't oni supposed to be honest to a fault? This is wilful ignorance of intent, and is two degrees away from lying. Of course, rumour is also to blame.
> Put on our best poker face.
> "It sure looks to me like you're trying to cheat me out of my hard-earned business. I slave away at the counter day in, day out, providing only the best in drinks and cocktails, and you still don't respect me enough to pay me properly?"

>You suspect it is an attempt at being diplomatic rather than outright calling you a liar and attempting to bash your face in.
>"I did," she says, "It's right there on your zoggin' bar, isn't it now? Better than anything anyone else came with, I'd bet! And even though you went an' bloody well said it was okay the first time, now it looks like you're trying to go back on it, and tell me you ain't! So what makes that good enough and this not, huh? That's what I want to know."

>_