A few Forlorn Interlopers: Attempting the “Keg Stand”…


conanjaguar

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Keg 1 / Preface

“I never asked for an easy life, just to be a stronger man.”
-Someone or other at some point in history

I once again have that sadomasochistic itch to attempt some insanely difficult challenges. What could be more fitting than the first such challenge I ever attempted… the Kegstand.
The mission: survive for 50 days in the Forlorn Muskeg on Interloper without leaving. As I take it, going into transition caves for coal is allowed. There are no other restrictions.

This challenge was inspired by @Gooner77 and @Drifter Man. I invite them to drop by for a read whenever they have the time.

I like to begin these threads with a plan, so here goes:

Depending on where I spawn, I will make a run for either the Poacher’s Camp, or directly to Spence’s, gathering every cattail I find. I will attempt to find those deerskin pants for the extra warmth, of course. If I find a hacksaw at the Spence Homestead, then I’m in luck. If not, I’m probably dead, but I’ll deal with it.

What has killed me in each of my earlier attempts (see my Tales of King Arthur’s Knights thread) was, in a word, wind. Utilizing torches to the utmost will be absolutely essential to success. For a base, I think Spence’s has it all, unless by divine intervention I find a bedroll. In that case, I will set up shop in the transition cave by the waterfall.

Strict rationing of food will be required. After the dog food is gone, it will be cattails all the way, since my skill at living “The Hotzn Way” is nonexistent. I don’t think I can expect to get Well Fed during this challenge.

Speaking of rationing… matches will be worth twice their weight in platinum. This is why grabbing that flare from the Poacher’s Camp will be critical.

All right, enough with the briefing. There are sticks to grab and cattails to pick.

Let the games begin!

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5 minutes ago, conanjaguar said:

Keg 1 / Preface

“I never asked for an easy life, just to be a stronger man.”
-Someone or other at some point in history

I once again have that sadomasochistic itch to attempt some insanely difficult challenges. What could be more fitting than the first such challenge I ever attempted… the Kegstand.
The mission: survive for 50 days in the Forlorn Muskeg on Interloper without leaving. As I take it, going into transition caves for coal is allowed. There are no other restrictions.

This challenge was inspired by @Gooner77 and @Drifter Man. I invite them to drop by for a read whenever they have the time.

I like to begin these threads with a plan, so here goes:

Depending on where I spawn, I will make a run for either the Poacher’s Camp, or directly to Spence’s, gathering every cattail I find. I will attempt to find those deerskin pants for the extra warmth, of course. If I find a hacksaw at the Spence Homestead, then I’m in luck. If not, I’m probably dead, but I’ll deal with it.

What has killed me in each of my earlier attempts (see my Tales of King Arthur’s Knights thread) was, in a word, wind. Utilizing torches to the utmost will be absolutely essential to success. For a base, I think Spence’s has it all, unless by divine intervention I find a bedroll. In that case, I will set up shop in the transition cave by the waterfall.

Strict rationing of food will be required. After the dog food is gone, it will be cattails all the way, since my skill at living “The Hotzn Way” is nonexistent. I don’t think I can expect to get Well Fed during this challenge.

Speaking of rationing… matches will be worth twice their weight in platinum. This is why grabbing that flare from the Poacher’s Camp will be critical.

All right, enough with the briefing. There are sticks to grab and cattails to pick.

Let the games begin!

I wish you luck but you are aware the loot has moved since the update? 

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1 hour ago, Leeanda said:

I wish you luck but you are aware the loot has moved since the update? 

Yep :).

4 minutes ago, cullam said:

That was my first thought as well. Which means it's an all new adventure!

I was just about to say that. But yes… who knows, I might even find that bedroll.

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On 12/14/2022 at 3:28 PM, Leeanda said:

Or matches😊

I just tried it twice, and died because I couldn’t find matches in Spence, at the Poacher’s Camp, in the High Blind, or in the cave near Spence’s. I will check the waterfall cave, the Low Blind, and the memento cache next time.

If there are no matches… I’ll either have to give myself a pack of matches (and a bedroll, making it MUCH easier) or try with a different region.

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On 12/16/2022 at 12:51 PM, conanjaguar said:

I just tried it twice, and died because I couldn’t find matches in Spence, at the Poacher’s Camp, in the High Blind, or in the cave near Spence’s. I will check the waterfall cave, the Low Blind, and the memento cache next time.

If there are no matches… I’ll either have to give myself a pack of matches (and a bedroll, making it MUCH easier) or try with a different region.

As someone for whom every post-DLC run started in Forlorn (but then I went straight to ML), I can safely say that this challenge is going to a be a lot more tricky than pre-DLC.

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I can confidently say Spence's no longer spawns matches (except possibly as a rare find from one of the containers), and neither does Poacher's. I am not sure of the other places like the Hunter's Blinds or the towers, but based on where the new player spawns are in FM, it's quite a trek to look anywhere else.

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Kegs 1-5 / Day 1

So I had to give myself a pack of matches (and consequently a bedroll) by tweaking the starting loot allocation. I also set time and weather to noon and clear, just for the sake of navigation.

In each of these runs, I fell through thin ice and got hypothermia, or was eaten by a wolf after a sudden gust of wind blew out my torches.

I will have to rethink my strategy. The downsides with the Spence place are
1) There are at least five wolves patrolling the property, and 2) a fire must be kept going 24/7.

I think that for my next run, I will attempt to make my main base in the waterfall cave. With a bedroll, that means that I can save ten hours of fuel each day that would otherwise be spent to prevent me from freezing in my sleep. At regular intervals I will go to either Spence’s or the Poacher’s Camp to collect sticks and prevent cabin fever.

With this strategy, food and water will be the only remaining concerns.

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Keg 6 / Day 1

As per my usual, I spawned at noon in clear weather, giving myself a pack of matches, a bedroll, and (wonder of wonders!) a bottle of accelerant via custom settings.

I started relatively near the Poachers Camp. I approached it cautiously, taking my time and picking as many cattails as possible. Fortunately, the bear and wolves were busy elsewhere, so I took the extra few seconds to grab the coal on the other side of the train and check the backpack by the barrels. I was rewarded with a pack of matches!! Hallelujah!!!

I ducked inside the train and read the memento note, grabbing the flare, the outer shell, and the two books. I used the useless Small Arms Handbook to get the fire going with just a single match, boiled a liter of water, made and gulped a hot rose hip tea, and set off the tracks. I wanted to find those deerskin trousers.

A light fog settled over the ‘Keg as I neared the exit to Mystery Lake. 893195EB-D918-42BA-B623-D711CC64D170.thumb.jpeg.7b2c016d5b9b9a81e61c480648cb8144.jpeg612D982F-2964-4B66-9C52-C24CC8B78CFA.thumb.jpeg.57e392ef612cf950ae02606e8905a5af.jpeg893195EB-D918-42BA-B623-D711CC64D170.thumb.jpeg.7b2c016d5b9b9a81e61c480648cb8144.jpegAACB89E6-7BBD-4269-BD64-6AD473DBB0FC.thumb.jpeg.8500307c715b2b9199a4e4d451251968.jpegHowever, it was of the “Grandmother” variety, and brought with it fairly warm temperatures. I poked around a bit, trying to find the right hollow tree while picking up sticks and bluffing wolves and avoiding the moose5DD85449-0118-4960-B709-50739CB69E89.thumb.jpeg.a0ea2654c54ddea1016edab50a946193.jpeg, until I decided to go up to the radio tower.

On the way, I stumbled across an abandoned snow shelter. 3C270711-FF59-4752-8ABE-8CECBF080FA1.thumb.jpeg.6452d71069790e1e3f452888640d2cc7.jpegThere, I found a can of soda, a box of crackers, a tin of sardines, a down vest, and a t-shirt, as well as a prybar! Pretty good loot for ‘Loper if I do say so myself. After glitching my torch inside the snow shelter, I was forced to use another match to keep up the chain as I continued onwards and upwards.

Presently, I arrived within sight of the radio tower as the aurora began to sing, and was pleasantly surprised by… bunnies! B45D353C-C0EF-450A-8B28-2D780E4DED36.thumb.jpeg.436e35bc00b2ab33c6cad4ac057e5454.jpegWait… the aurora makes me glow too?!
I made note of the site for future reference, and searched around for that hollow tree. I found one, but there didn’t seem to be any cache inside, so I used it as a sheltered spot for my campfire. I got in three hours of sleep to save the session as the aurora came out to play.2EEC24A5-50B0-42EC-B4CF-D4FB0575CE72.thumb.jpeg.8da43b2309fd5b84c81311dbbfea7d62.jpeg0A427584-5C44-47A1-8F07-5D5E9F4AB3B4.thumb.jpeg.e629ecb5fb86a34cfa4de50b071dd098.jpeg

Ruminations:
When I awake, I plan to take charcoal from the fire and survey my surroundings, so I can find out exactly where that cache is. It’ll probably cost me another piece of coal, though. But, besides that minor detail, everything is going according to the plan.

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Keg 6 / Day 2

I kept the fire burning all night with my copious stockpile of sticks, allowing me to get in a few hours of sleep. When I awoke, the weather was too foggy to do anything, so I piddled around, collected sticks, and boiled water until it lifted. I then had to let the fire go out, took charcoal, and then rekindled the fire so I wouldn’t freeze while I did the survey. To put it mildly, I was nowhere close.

So I picked up my bedroll, pulled a few more torches, and, avoiding the local fluffies, made my way back to the snow shelter, where it literally ate my torch. This minor setback cost me a match, but I made it to the Poacher’s Camp mostly intact, where I lit up the fire barrel and did another survey. Still further; it must be by Spence’s.

Since I was in the area, I decided to head up to Hat Creek and set up shop. A sudden gust of wind disrupted the fog just long enough to blow out my torch before dying down, costing me another match. I grumbled and made my way up to the cave. I explored most of it before falling fast asleep. 

Keg 6 / Day 3

I awoke in low condition, so I decided to keep fed and heal up. I poked my head out the other side of the cave into Marsh Ridge… and was hit in the face by the usual Day 3 Blizzard. I ducked back inside and harvested the deer and broke the branches in the main chamber. As I cooked the meat, I noticed the very appetizing new textures on the meat. It looked good enough to eat. I then went back up and poked my head outside… the blizzard was still raging. I blundered around, picking up quite a few pieces of birch bark and some sticks, before the cold chased me back in. Without much else to do, I passed time and slept for the rest of the day.

Keg 6 / Day 4

I awoke late at night, lit up a fire and made two birch bark teas, which were gulped down scalding hot. Warmed and refreshed, I sallied forth from my stronghold and explored Marsh Ridge. I exterminated all but one of the local bunnies, cooking them up on the spot and drooling in real life over the delicious textures. When my fire went out, it was fairly warm, so I walked around and broke branches and grabbed birch bark until I got too tired to think straight. Back into the cave to sleep for 10 hours.

Ruminations:

For better or for worse, it”s time to go to Spence’s. It will be a quick trip, at most lasting three days to break everything and collect all the cattails, and then I’ll come back to my cozy cave and look for those deerskin trousers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Keg 6 / Day 5

Today I went up to the radio tower in a light fog. The local wolves were a bit of of a nuisance, but I put my fire in a sheltered location (because of Murphy :D). Two seconds later, a high wind came, so wandering around was out of the question. I sacrificed a bit of condition to break some crates and scrub bushes while boiling water. The body with a blessed can opener was in a different place than usual.

When the wind finally died down in the early afternoon, I decided to make the trek to Spence’s. Unfortunately, when I tried to goat down the cliff face, I took a hard fall, spraining everything and losing most of my condition; I was barely in the white. Grumbling, I slowly made my way up to the cave and back to base. At least I didn’t waste any matches.

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Keg 6 / Day 6

I went out to Marsh Ridge and grabbed the 2.2 kg of meat of the deer carcass before running in to warm up in the bedroll for a few hours. When I went back out, there was a light fog and no wind, so I lit a fire next to two cedar limbs and began to cook birch tea and stock up on sticks.

Right as my meat finished cooking, a blizzard blew up out of nowhere. To make things worse, I could hear wolves howling relatively nearby, in what I assumed to be a wolf-free area. By some miracle, however, I had sited my fire in a dip in the ground that shielded it from the worst of the wind, and I was able to boil water and saw both limbs without any interruptions. With this task done, there wasn’t much else to do, so I went back inside and slept some more.

Keg 6 / Day 7 

I awoke in good spirits, eager to get a move on to Spence’s. Even though I had to light a match to navigate through the pitch blackness of the cave, finding five pieces of coal that had dropped from the magic ceiling made it worth my while. My joy reached euphoric levels when I found a revolver and ten rounds of ammo in a discarded backpack. A lucky bug that may never happen again.

Since I was cold, I lit a fire at the exit and got a few hours of sleep in while boiling water, drank a cup of hot birch tea, and set out. 

Soon, from around a corner I heard the dreaded barking sound that usually means: “You are an interloper, sir, and I am here to show you to the nearest exit.” 
“Not today, Fluffy. Not today.” I said.
I drew my revolver and put a round right into the wolf’s face. Unfortunately, Miss Fluffy continued her charge, and engaged me in a struggle. Fortunately, I fought her off with my prybar with minimal damage to person… but my clothes! The cotton toque and jeans were completely trashed, and everything else was fairly battered up as well.

After some more walking, I spotted the Low Blind. I couldn’t see any other way to get to it other than make a mad dash across the ice. I reached the far edge, when - SPLASH! I fell into the ice and contracted hypothermia.

Frantically, I staggered towards a nearby hollow tree and tied to light a fire. Failed, failed, failed… on the fourth try, when my condition had turned red and my vision bleary, the flame finally kindled. I put on all my coal and brewed a  cup of birch tea, drank it, and took a nap. I awoke during an aurora, and lived long enough to take to screenshots before the wolf came out of nowhere.

Next time, I really need to learn to back up my save files.

THE END

 

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  • 4 months later...

Hopefully going to start a video series of my next run to keep myself busy :D.

EDIT: Turns out there are things man was not meant to know, and using different Steam accounts on the same computer is one of them.

Edited by conanjaguar
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Keg 7 / Day 1

Same as last time, Loper with a pack of matches and a bedroll.

I started near the High blind in light fog. Temperatures were cold, but tolerable.A2308206-E756-44F8-B403-DF456664F046.thumb.jpeg.19d40a8d7d365ce25371396d895f4920.jpegSkirting the thin ice and collecting cattails, I searched the high blind, finding a soda, a copy of Stay on Target, and a chunk of firewood. From here, I could just make out the outline of the bunkhouses.1EF6403C-8826-444E-8401-90E42F7343C1.thumb.jpeg.c49fba8df63d5c7b4d1bd76356f55da7.jpeg

I continued to the Homestead. My ploy to distract the wolf worked… to a degree. I chucked a rock to distract him and tried to sneak past, but he noticed me, and I ran for the barn. 

Inside, I actually had a positive flt with the ski jacket, hat, and socks I found, so I broke down the crates, finding the seeds of the universe:CD8BADDF-FA3F-49F1-B82A-B135A990AF85.thumb.jpeg.c36556d85504d557d872e96dd0c24265.jpegI also looted the safe, finding cash and a cured wolf pelt… that is going to be completely useless.

By the time I was done and lit up the stove using a “seed of the universe”, the fog had lifted a bit, and, to my delight, I saw… deer!9F18D0A3-AF28-4E0D-B51C-6E18218DC30B.thumb.jpeg.23f104554701e6bc09d28f3425c3a7fb.jpegMaybe I can have a bit of luck with the Hotzn Way this time.

Since it was late in the day, I filled up the forge and hit the sack.

 

 

 

Edited by conanjaguar
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On 12/14/2022 at 12:22 PM, conanjaguar said:

Keg 1 / Preface

“I never asked for an easy life, just to be a stronger man.”
-Someone or other at some point in history

I once again have that sadomasochistic itch to attempt some insanely difficult challenges. What could be more fitting than the first such challenge I ever attempted… the Kegstand.
The mission: survive for 50 days in the Forlorn Muskeg on Interloper without leaving. As I take it, going into transition caves for coal is allowed. There are no other restrictions.

This challenge was inspired by @Gooner77 and @Drifter Man. I invite them to drop by for a read whenever they have the time.

I like to begin these threads with a plan, so here goes:

Depending on where I spawn, I will make a run for either the Poacher’s Camp, or directly to Spence’s, gathering every cattail I find. I will attempt to find those deerskin pants for the extra warmth, of course. If I find a hacksaw at the Spence Homestead, then I’m in luck. If not, I’m probably dead, but I’ll deal with it.

What has killed me in each of my earlier attempts (see my Tales of King Arthur’s Knights thread) was, in a word, wind. Utilizing torches to the utmost will be absolutely essential to success. For a base, I think Spence’s has it all, unless by divine intervention I find a bedroll. In that case, I will set up shop in the transition cave by the waterfall.

Strict rationing of food will be required. After the dog food is gone, it will be cattails all the way, since my skill at living “The Hotzn Way” is nonexistent. I don’t think I can expect to get Well Fed during this challenge.

Speaking of rationing… matches will be worth twice their weight in platinum. This is why grabbing that flare from the Poacher’s Camp will be critical.

All right, enough with the briefing. There are sticks to grab and cattails to pick.

Let the games begin!

Your problems are already here, your in forlorn muskeg, your never supposed to be in forlorn muskeg.

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Keg 7 / Day 2

The light fog still hung over the Muskeg. I was good for about 3-4 hours of collecting. However, I wanted to grab the deer carcass before it rotted; if I ever want a pair of deerskin pants, then I will need to get all the dead hides I can find.

I pull some torches and take a few sticks and the can to the carcass to light a fire. I have to chase off the wolf with a torch before lighting up.C16C2099-500C-4154-AF96-3EAE665FE0CD.thumb.jpeg.fe0b97b04febcb683cfce2ea85e6de25.jpeg

While the carcass defrosts, I break the nearby scrub bushes and boil water so as not to waste the burn time. I take everything from the carcass; the meat is a decent portion, about 1.5 kg.

When done, I take a few torches and break more scrub bushes. I misjudge; my torch goes out and the wolf is standing right in front of me. Acting on instinct, I bounce a rock off it’s noggin and send it running. 67B34D9A-2219-4BCE-A592-3614C80414DA.thumb.jpeg.0520c09e9419412a62b4ddcea3066a25.jpeg

I manage to break a crate by the bunkhouse before I start getting cold. I run back to the forge and light it up, breaking some nearby scrub bushes to keep burn-positive while water boils. This is getting unsustainable fast. I need to move.A541C67B-ADA3-4F66-89FB-1D26B234B236.thumb.jpeg.6ec98aa49a7a809b4d5a1a25f217be6f.jpeg

Tomorrow will be the day.

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