Drifter Man

The unexpected early re-appearance of the bear aside, I concluded that there are a few aspects of the Deadman challenge I don't like, and decided to make a few tweaks:

• Set wildlife spawns generally to Interloper levels, except keeping wolves at "Very High", and including "Reduce wildlife population over time" to "High". This should eliminate 6-day respawn cycles of bears
• No feats (I've been using Cold Fusion and Efficient Machine, both very helpful but taking away a lot of the challenge from the challenge)
• No stims allowed
• Enabled survivor monologue (I guess that would count as optional anyway)

Code: 8sHI-/z8P-Dx+q-gQam-bAAA

I'll continue to call this setting "Deadman" as the spirit of Deadman has nod been altered by these modifications.

Let deadmen roll.

10 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

I shot it with a bow, it charged me, I dropped off and reset its pathfinding, it ran off into a distance... only to come back 15 in-game minutes later, without the care in a world that it had my arrow sticking out of its neck... and decided to maul me real good. For some reason, if it runs off far enough, the bleeding seems to stop.

That's good to know. I thought than once a bear gets shot, it will just keep running until it bleeds out, maybe except if you get directly in his way.

Thanks for reading!

12 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

Oh no!  Bad bear, stinking up the retirement village. 

Bad, bad bear, attacking elderly survivors 

11 hours ago, Dan_ said:

Boy, how wrong was this dumb dude I'm quotin' here? ☝️

Sucks to see such a good run go so abruptly, kinda of a bummer really. I was getting the deadman itch again but I don't feel so good about it right now. 

It's part of the game, as @Mroz4k said. I like how quickly your fortunes can change. This could happen on Day 44 , 144 or 544, all the same.

Deadman 11 / Day 40

The first guts have finished curing and I craft rabbitskin mitts. In the afternoon I locate the bear carcass. It is windy and I'm quite far from base, considering my poor clothing, so I choose caution. I wait for my fire to be ready for coal and only begin working on the carcass when I'm warmed up. I collect the hide and a small amount of sticks in the area of the Rail Tunnel.

Deadman 11 / Day 41

Today I'm working on the deerskin pants. While cooking more moose meat and making water, I use a short period of good weather to lure in a wolf and kill it with a clean headshot.

Deadman 11 / Day 42

More wolves on the way. This time I manage to lure in the two wolves from Max's and make them attack the deer at the homestead. I score one "combo", the other is a miss, unfortunately. In the evening I collect the hide and a good amount of meat from the non-combo deer.

Deadman 11 / Day 43

Bad weather most of the day... I finish the pants and begin working on the boots. It's going quickly and I want to be done before cabin fever kicks in.

Deadman 11 / Day 44

Today it's foggy. I collect some branches that respawned behind the cabin. In the afternoon it is nice and warm and I decide to take the other deer hide without fire. While I'm working I hear sounds I don't want to hear.

I have the presence of mind to fire the flare gun as soon as the harvesting sequence is finished. I miss but I'm saved from an immediate bear attack. I cautiously return to the cabin, which is now plastered with hides of animals of all kinds. When the fog starts lifting, conditions should be good for me to kill the bear.

I work for a short time on the boots and when the fog starts lifting, I head out. It's a nice weather at felt -3C, I should last a while. I load up smellies and wait for the bear on one of the rocks that mark the path to the cabin. When the bear attacks, I intend to jump down and make it lose tracking.

My shot is a nice hit. The bear charges. I mix up keys and hit crouch instead of sprint - funny, just walking off the rock would have been enough.

Maybe I could have had a chance, with five emergency stims in the cabin. But as soon as I'm on my feet, the bear returns and gives me another round.

I make it back to the cabin... two blood loss wounds, only one bandage. Deadmen don't stock up on bandages.

I die, killed by blessing in disguise.

11 hours ago, BareSkin said:

I found only recently that a bear was possible there. I was so innocently quartering till that day...

I've always known it can be there, but on most of my runs I got lifeless Trapper's Homestead. So when I noticed the bones in the cave, my heart stopped.

16 hours ago, Dan_ said:

Maybe the bear will prove to be a blessing in disguise to rabbit whisperer deadman? 

Ace writing as always, thanks for sharing! / Back to lurk mode. 

Blessing? Hardly... the bear will interfere with everything I do. It doesn't fear fire, you need to be in good position to deal with it... which you generally aren't if you are working on a carcass and the bear comes sniffing. There only are so many times I can use my flare gun. Eight shells are left for Deadman 11.

Thanks for lurking!

16 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I'm really enjoying the pro deadman run so far.  Go go Drifter Man.

Do deadmen risk the occasional piece of bear meat?  Sounds like you are flush with shrooms, and in addition to calories it's more carcassing and cooking skill ups.

For normal 'loper (I'm no deadman) I quarter the bear if conditions are favorable.  I may or may not use all the meat but it's fast way to get the hide and guts, and have optional meat on hand.

Thanks!

My deadmen don't risk bear meat before level 5. It's mainly that I'm not familiar with parasites and don't know if they make me too weak to carry out the necessary deadman tasks under deadman conditions - not to mention reduce my condition that I cannot recover. But more importantly, my freezer is now full of risk-free moose.

By the way, I'm flush with shrooms but I'd prefer using antibiotics if the need should arise. Antibiotics expire and don't warm me up.

Quartering can be faster if you want to get everything, but I really want just the hide - guts come risk-free from rabbits. In my view, doing a 2-hour time-accelerated task in the open is too risky in deadman mode. There's a good chance you'll have to interrupt it midway to save your fire, or your bare skin

Deadman 11 / Day 37

Once I'm done with the usual rabbit harvesting / cooking routine, I return to the cabin and take the two spare guts I've been keeping in the locker. I'm getting moose ideas. Wildlife around Trapper's is now too dense and dangerous to allow me roam freely, and a single rabbit run may not be enough to feed me until I'm at cooking level 5. Therefore, getting the moose would kill two birds with one stone. Three in fact - I could make the satchel.

I'm nearly done with the bow when night falls and it's too dark to continue.

Deadman 11 / Day 38

A blizzard rages from the morning into late afternoon. I finish the bow and harvest two rabbits that got caught overnight. When the blizzard stops, the moose returns, and the hunt begins.

I start a campfire at the beginning of the curved path towards the cabin and lure the moose in. As it charges, I shoot and return to the fire, which makes it run away. I miss, I'm really bad at hitting fast moving targets. But the hunt has only started.

In the end it takes me all evening and nine shots to get three arrows into the beast and take it down. The moose sinks into the ground head-first and its hind legs hover in the air - there is this new item dropping/placement mechanic apparently that causes this - someone probably thought it was an improvement. I recover one arrow and worry that the other two will remain under the ground forever. I get two 0.5 kg steaks out and cook them for immediate use, leaving the rest for tomorrow. It's late.

Deadman 11 / Day 39

The morning is very cold - I still haven't been able to craft any clothes, the guts are still curing - but it's foggy, and this means that my fire will live when I place it next to the moose carcass. I have to invest almost all of my remaining firewood to stay above zero while working, but I'm confident that the fire will last in this weather. The carcass is now fully above ground and my two remaining arrows lie on the snow.

After each steak I listen into the fog, which has in the meantime become very thick - I can hardly make out the cabin and the barn. Sure enough, after maybe 30 minutes the bear comes sniffing. It doesn't seem to be too interested, it doesn't head straight for me, but I can't risk time-accelerated work on the carcass with that thing around. This is a key moment for Deadman 11 - dead moose, perfect weather - and I'm not letting the bear ruin it. I stand up, lure the bear in and put a flare shell into it when it charges.

Then I can return calmly to the moose carcass while the bear is running around. I end up taking the hide and around 20 kg meat - sounds like a lot but actually it will only last around a week. In the evening, when the fog has already lifted and the moose hide is curing in the cabin, I make a short trip to see if I can find the bear. I think I can make out the carcass lying on the path by the edge of the map, in the direction to the Rail Tunnel. I think I can get to it tomorrow and grab the hide.

Deadman 11 / Day 34

First day of retirement. The previous post was Day 33 - mistake.

I have 9 snares, of them six deployed at the rabbit run at the cabin, plus two spare guts, which I consider saving for making clothes - although broken snares will probably force me to use them for replacements anyway. The first night yields two rabbits. I harvest them completely in the cabin and start a fire next to the building - heavy fog has embraced Mystery Lake and I don't want to go to the cave when I'm blind and smelly.

While I'm cooking the rabbit and making water, weather clears up to light fog, so I make a short trip to the second rabbit run near Max's Last Stand to place my remaining 3 snares. As I turn around, I notice bones in the bear cave. This means trouble. Once I return to my fire, I can see the bear appear and patrol the basin of Trapper's Homestead.

On the one hand, yes, it's a ton of meat with one arrow shot if lucky, plus material for bearskin coat that could be very useful to a well-fed deadman. On the other hand, the bear will be interfering with everything I do and create dangerous situations. It can home in on me whenever I try to harvest a wolf or a deer, or a rabbit when I'm outdoors. It can surprise me after time-accelerated activities in general. It can shoot wolves around that land unexpectedly right next to me. And it respawns fast on deadman settings. All in all, bear at Trapper's lowers my life expectancy and I should think of moving out of here as soon as I gear up.

Once I'm done for today, I repair some of my clothes that needed it the most (socks and underwear) and go to bed. I'm hardly tired and will wake up long before sunrise.

Deadman 11/ Day 35

Today it's three rabbits at the nearby run, another appears during the day. I'm gradually moving from a cattail diet to a rabbit diet, hopefully I can keep a good amount of traveller's friends for emergencies. I harvest guts from all rabbits but stop with pelts once I have 4 curing. No need to waste time and calories on more pelts, mitts are the priority, hat can wait.

I make a trip to Max's rabbit zone and collect two more bunnies. I do not redeploy the snares, deciding that it is too risky to frequent this place with the bear around. Instead I'll saturate the safe rabbit run at Trapper's with snares and try to make it work just from there.

With guts still curing, I start working on arrows. With the quality tools I brought with me, it's actually quite fast. I also repair my clothes to keep my temperature bonus around +15C.

Deadman 11/ Day 36

No cattails today, I get enough rabbits. I really hope that one rabbit zone will be enough at cooking level 4. A moose has appeared as bonus, restricting my movement around Trapper's Homestead. It's good that I brought the extra snares back yesterday, I might have trouble recovering them safely today.

In the evening I finish my sixth arrow. I'm waiting impatiently for the guts to cure.

Deadman 11 / Day 32

Checking safe first thing in the morning. Pants? No pants  just an old down vest. At least I have 4 pieces of reclaimed wood, fuel will come in handy.

Meanwhile I make water and prepare reishi soup. I think I can hear wolfsteps behind the barn, but hard as I try, I don't see any wolves from the inside.

Then it is noon, fog descends once again on Forlorn Muskeg. Time to go. I make a dash to the pier, no wolf appears. Soon I make a stop on a nearby island, processing meat from a deer carcass: 1.4 kg, worthwhile. I warm up and make coffee at the same time. A long journey awaits me today.

I hop from island to island, past the "Peanut Butter rock" and to the High Blind. The weather is perfect. I stop to collect sticks and cattails. High Blind has the usual archery book and a hacksaw. It's in better condition than the one I have - I swap again. I don't give names to my hacksaws and don't stay true to them, but I know their value.

Poacher's Camp and another warming break. Coal, a flare, old rags I have no use for. Two cans of 30% dog food behind the train cars - great find. Dog food is suspiciously common compared to other types of canned food. I notice I made the same mistake as with Deadman 10 - I'm hauling the hammer back, I wanted to drop it at the Spences'. Oh well.

No wildlife blocks my way today. The bear can be seen in the distance, moving away far southwards, along a path I've never seen it take before. I follow the tracks and the weather holds all the way to Trapper's Homestead.

The usual note from Great Bear Social Security is found slipped under the door. In addition to the crafted tools, I'm bringing back 4 birch saplings (I actually had 4 curing before, not 2 - I didn't leave them anywhere), 50 cattails and plenty of rosehips and mushrooms. I place 6 snares and collect sticks before bed. This has been an exceptionally smooth Deadman run so far.

Deadman 11 / Day 31

I'm overweight again but this time it is easy to drop some excess sticks and coal in the cave - I have tons of both - to be ready for the trip. I make a trial run to the rabbit zone and recover my three snares. Two rabbits got caught but I dispose of them - I don't need more food right now and can't haul them with me through the wolf country. It's still a bit too cold, so I sleep a little more. The "curve" is definitely ahead of me.

In the afternoon it is still a bit windy but ok for me to be outside. I'll just have to drop a fire early. As soon as I hit the ground under the rope, winds break out in full strength. I spend two hours under the rocky arch next to the rope, warming up at a fire and waiting for the winds to stop.

After a fruitless visit to Low Blind, guarded by two wolves, I head south and cross the railroad at the derailed flatbed cars. With no wolves in sight, I manage my load to be just under 35 kg and stay on my guard. Fog has descended once again on FM and the night is not far away.

At one point I notice a wolf running in the distance in front of me. It's running away from a bear. The bear is not in my way but the wolf is, and soon I notice another, and another... there are five wolves blocking my path and I don't have time for a detour.

I choose to break through.

Jumping from campfire to campfire, each time I get a few seconds of sprint before the next wolf is on me. It's time consuming and it also costs fuel, but I manage to get through. I use the flare gun once because the night is coming and I have to move on quick. I don't want to be caught in the soup at night.

Two more wolves at the Bunkhouses, another flare shell fired.

Then I'm at Spence's, tired and overburdened but safe. I stoke the fire up, search the building - two cans of dog food still in surprisingly good condition, matches, coal, scrap metal, nothing else of importance. I don't break any crates and skip the safe. Is it a good idea? There could be a pair of combat pants waiting for me...

I'm tired and go to bed, fire roaring in the forge.

Deadman 11 / Day 32

Hard at work. I put on my favorite MC Walker and craft my sets of arrowheads. A short trip around the homestead for more coal, sticks, cattails and a little meat from a carcass.

Then back to work until I'm tired, and again to bed. Knife and 16 arrowheads. We're going home tomorrow.

On 4/17/2019 at 11:44 PM, Glauron said:

I'm glad you made the safe decision! Your deadmans are all about longevity, and this one has a good thing going!

Fortune favors the cautious!

Deadman 11 / Day 29

Today's goal is ambitious: Park Office to Marsh Ridge. The reason for the rush is quite vain: both of my previous successful deadmen, Deadman 3 (49 days) and Deadman 10 (115 days) celebrated their 30th birthday at Spence's, and I want to keep the tradition.

However, first I need to wait for the warmer part of the day. In the meantime, I cook on a campfire in front of Park Office (perfectly shielded from wind, as I found earlier) - two rabbits that I caught overnight and some water. Then I sleep for an hour or two and set out, with no further delay, towards Milton Basin. I only stop to collect reishi, cattails and to harvest a carcass just above the rope to the Basin.

I take the two ropes down, with an one-hour warming/sleep break in the cave in between, and notice moose marks: got to be careful. I sweep the area, finding some more cattails and other plants, and end up in the cave at the Basin to warm up again. No wolves are in sight but I do see the moose.

With the moon symbol already rising, I cross the Basin to Hermit's cabin and find where the wolves are: blocking the direct path to the exit, two of them. At this late hour I do not want to risk a detour. And since my firewood situation is excellent, I decide to spend the night at Hermit's cabin. I clear the plentiful gifts of nature, kill two rabbits and sleep until the next day.

Deadman 11 / Day 30

Today I just bypass the wolves and reach Marsh Ridge. No moose there - the place is safe. I harvest two deer carcasses (one from the cave, one from the Ridge), find the sixth stim - the last one for a long time from now - and collect more sticks, coal and plants. I deploy the rope at the attachment point for tomorrow's journey to Spence's and spend the night in the cave. The tradition was broken, Deadman 11 is still about 2 days behind his predecessors.

18 hours ago, Hotzn said:

it's good to see someone else bearing the torch.

I should add the true torchbearer is @Gooner77, surviving in FM snowball-style by constantly bearing a torch. I had no idea this would be possible.

10 hours ago, Hotzn said:

Huh. Anew Drifter Deadman running... didn't expect that. Hardly playing myself these days due to work, so it's good to see someone else bearing the torch. Rep earned.

Do I recall correctly that the well-fed buff was not part of the original deadman challenge. Has deadman - gasp - become easier?

Thanks!

You can't deactivate the well-fed buff as far as I know - if you keep your stomach above zero for 3 days, you get it.

The main challenge of Deadman is to prevent any freezing, then to find enough food to avoid starvation. This is still as difficult as before. But once you manage to procure enough food, the well-fed buff helps in two ways. First, it makes the difference between having to choose which potentially critical items to leave behind (especially after Summit, but in general as well) when your limit is 30 kg, and easily balancing your load by dropping some stuff you know you don't need when your limit is 35 kg.

Second, unless you travel loaded up to the limit, it takes longer before fatigue makes you feel overburdened with what you carry.

So yes, deadman has become easier, as has all TLD play, with the well-fed buff, but not dramatically so.

I've also noticed that I'm meeting fewer wolves. It may be just luck or the wildlife was rebalanced too. Not that I mind in this case - I find frequent wolf encounters annoying, one gets used to them and then they lose their power.

15 hours ago, Dan_ said:

Day 34, I think it's fair to say you are the Forlorn's legitimate emperor, hats off my friend. 

Absolutely - I should see a doctor about that unhinged jaw.

Deadman 11 / Day 28

It's always great to come home alive with a heavy load of useful stuff and sort it all. Medical supplies go to the first aid kit: three stims (plus one I keep on me), around 20 prepared reishi and 10 prepared rosehips. I keep all the pills I have - they should be used first, I plan to live long enough for them to expire. 4 deer hides + 1 curing, 5 guts, one wolf pelt (from the Summit) 3 cured maple (+1 curing), 1 cured birch (+ only 2 curing? I thought I had brought more with me - I remember cutting three at... at... Skeeter's Ridge? Where the heck did I leave them again?), 15 cloth, 2 cured leather, 4 flares (I keep 2), 11 flare shells (I keep 6), 6 whetstones, 7 sewing kits, around 80 matches and 2 firestrikers, quality tools. I also drop some extra coffee in the container under the bed - I'm not opening a coffee shop in FM. I'm a rich Deadman, the deadest millionaire ever.

I sleep for 2 hours, then venture into a blizzard outside and collect 2 caught rabbits. I harvest their meat, then check I've got everything I need on me - especially the hammer and 9 pieces of scrap metal - and notice I'm still carrying 60 crow feathers. I drop them in the locker too, along with all my coal. I'll restock on coal along the way.

When I emerge on the Milton side of the cave, I start a fire to make warm tea and to cook the rabbit. When I'm done, it's felt +1C with the torch and tea, but I'm starting to worry about fatigue - I need to climb up to the Picnic Area today and I'm almost half spent. So I sleep for one hour in a cave (6 respawned coals as bonus, but nothing else - I passed through here on Day 1) and make another fire to brew a coffee. I take one last look on the Milton Basin and grab the rope, hoping for the best.

Good call with the sleep and coffee. Without them I'd be struggling - this way I just reach the top as my stamina runs out. As the last things before bed, I place my 4 snares at Milton Park and collect sticks. Salty crackers for supper, then I enjoy a quiet night in the office building.

13 hours ago, Gooner77 said:

One of my cans now is 0% and ruined as well

How does it happen that they lose condition (except letting them boil dry)?

Deadman 11 / Day 25

With the deer cook-eaten, I check the weather and return briefly to the fire to make some tea.

Then I take advantage of good weather and pass through Winding River to the Dam. Apart from a few cattails, I've already cleared out all resources in this region.

I enter the Dam and find my collection of deer hides and guts at the other entrance. It's always good to reunite with one's own stashes of stuff! The weather is still nice, so I move to the Ravine and collect other items I left there - including 10 cattails, very welcome now - and harvest two deer carcasses. I stay up late and spend the night in the Ravine.

Deadman 11 / Day 26

I revisit the trailer to pick up more supplies and return to the Dam for the big decision-making. I know I'll be overweight but if I take all I've got, my backpack will be at 50 kg. I painfully part with the less useful items and reduce my load to 40 kg. That will have to do.

In the afternoon I move to the Logging Camp. I approach carefully the wolf junction at Train Loading and make a wide arc while observing the Logging Camp, but notice no wolf activity. The trailers are utterly empty - source of cloth at best, once I have a knife. I call it a day and sleep in one of the bunk beds.

Deadman 11 / Day 27

I spend the morning making water at the stove, then set out at around noon. The winds are strong but there is no wildlife: The Clearcut is empty. I only see a wolf in the distance and a deer, also moose scratch marks on trees.

I'm tempted to pay a visit the Destroyed Lookout but the sensible Deadman prevails, and I soon arrive at the cabin at Unnamed Pond. Nothing to be found here, but the bed is warm.

In the afternoon I'm off for the last leg of my journey home. From the above I can see there's no wildlife on the Pond. I descend to the frozen pond, collect cattails and cook venison from the deer carcass while warming up. There's an archery book and a flare at the hunting blind. Good.

The winds are strong but actually not terribly cold, so dusk sees me home at Trapper's cabin. I quickly craft three snares before it's too dark to work, and place them on the rabbit run. Then I fall asleep, listening to the sounds of a blizzard.

This concludes the first part of this Deadman's journey - a wide tour of ML, CH, PV and TWM of Great Bear Island to collect key resources. It was much easier than last time, with fewer wolves and 5 kg extra capacity. Next up: crafting expedition to Forlorn Muskeg.

Deadman 11 / Day 23

When I get up I tear a few curtains: I want to have some supply of cloth for repairs when I come back to Trapper's. Then I read a few pages of the "Sewing Primer" and optimize my load - even with the well-fed buff I can acquire too many items to carry within the normal 35kg weight limit. The two boxes of simple tools must go, now that I have the quality ones. I finished "Stay on Target" yesterday, so I can drop that, too. This basically does the trick.

Felt -19C, brr... I can't reach Signal Hill in this weather, but I can't wait for too long, either. I sleep for an hour and set out. It's foggy.

Good news, the bear cave under Signal Hill is unoccupied this time. I make a warming campfire inside and clear reishi mushrooms in the area. Sadly, no carcass here. The conditions would be ideal for harvesting a carcass right now.

A while later I go up the rope and feel my way through the fog towards Signal Hill. I frequently stop to listen for threats but hear nothing suspicious. The path is safe.

There is no carcass here, either. The radio control hut has coffee, pinnacle peaches and sardines for food. Also, a flare. No useful clothes, no combat pants

I want to get on with my trek but the visibility is low and I think I hear bear sounds. I return to the safe area of the fence and listen up. No bear, was I imagining things? I look up at the tower and decide I should wait for better visibility.

One hour of sleep. The fog seems to be thinner. Bear sounds again, this time there's definitely a bear. A minute later I see him strolling outside the fence.

It's too late anyway. The moon symbol is up and the sun is almost gone. Darkness and bonus wolves could catch me on the way. I'm staying at Signal Hill tonight. My food reserves are thinning at an alarming rate - around 10 cattails and 4 crackers left - but I prefer having no dinner to becoming someone else's dinner.

Aurora tonight. Deadman 11 tunes in and listens to a strange radio transmission.

Deadman 11 / Day 24

I wake up and repair my bedroll to pass time, then look outside to see more fog - the light kind, the one I like. It's too early and too cold though. I start a fire in the barrell and make some water. The fog retreats and strong winds move in. I end up waiting until early afternoon.

Following my usual path to the right of the hill with Hilltop cave, I soon see a wolf blocking my way. I try pass around and run into another wolf. It shows up close and I decide not to take chances - I chase it away with the flare gun.

These developments force me to bypass this area completely and take a wide detour towards Hilltop cave. Strong winds return and I have to drop a fire. While waiting for my body to warm up and for the coffee to brew, I count 3 wolves in the area I tried to pass through. I also notice a deer carcass at Hilltop, and no suspicious activity there. My next direction is thus decided by the time I'm warmed up and the wind kills my poorly protected fire.

The carcass offers 0.8 kg meat. I cook it in the cave and collect large number of mushrooms around. At the hunter's blind I find a corpse with a rusty can of dog food (9%) and a book. Plus there are salty crackers in the cave. Once I'm warmed up and the meat is cook-eaten, I wave Pleasant Valley goodbye.

The transition Cave System has plentiful coal, another can of dog food (edible this time - this is a warm area so canned food lasts longer), some sticks and reclaimed wood that I will need for snares. At the other end I find what I was hoping for:

I'll process the carcass tomorrow morning, which will allow me to use fire for cooking the meat and making a warm drink before leaving. Instead I eat the dog food and take chances with the 9% can too - I'm a Deadman after all, and my options are limited when it comes to food. It's my lucky day, I survive the dinner all right.

Deadman 11 / Day 21

The mornings get colder and colder, but I'm feeling stupid adventurous today. The day has just started, I'm fully rested after a sleepless night and want to do something. Felt -17C should be enough to allow me climb the rope and get the deer carcass I had to abandon two days ago.

So I climb and reach the shelf with the carcass just as the winds hit with full strength. I make an emergency campfire shielded only by a tree and shave off another 1% condition. Mercifully, the winds let my fire live. Just before they die down themselves, they reduce the fire to 9 minutes, so the rest of my scarce fuel supply goes up in smoke. Fortunately I still have coal, so I add in one and use the heat to get all meat from the carcass and cook it. Then I climb back down, roam around to collect sticks - I find enough to feel safe again - and return to the cabin. A few hours of sleep make me rested again while I wait for better weather.

In the afternoon I hear no winds outside, so I peek out of the cabin. Minus 7C, good. While I am crossing the river it is already -10C, then -13C... in a few moments the winds make me stop and quickly look for a safe place for a campfire. I sit down, make water and hot tea.

The fire warms me up and the winds stop again in the meantime. I head out into the late afternoon and observe it is warm enough to search the barn and tractor away from the Outbuildings. I find nothing of value there and attract the attention of one of the barn wolves. I chase it away with a quick fire and reach the Barn without any more problems.

Lots of useful things in the barn. Simple tools in the back of the car - didn't know you could find them there. A mackinaw, also unexpected. Painkillers, emergency stim (my fifth, of which I've only spent one). No food though. I munch on cattails and read a copy of "Stay on Target" before going to sleep.

Deadman 11 / Day 22

First I repair the mackinaw to 100% and replace my parka - my temperature bonus increases to +16C. Then I read and sleep some more, and eventually leave into the sunny but cold afternoon. I'm forced to run to reach the Farmstead without freezing and literally jump into the basement. Inside I find quality tools, matches, a third thin wool sweater (I now believe the loot system has received a makeover as well) and a hacksaw in much better condition than the one I've got. The farmstead offers a good amount of food: pork and beans, salty crackers, peaches, two chocolate bars - enough to fill my stomach for today. The usual carcass at the barn is not present though.

Things look bright for Deadman 11 - behind schedule but not behind the temperature curve (for now) and on track to reach the Dam on Day 25. Will he find combat pants at Signal Hill?

Deadman 11 / Day 20

Crazy winds won't let me get on with my journey today. I pass the day by killing three rabbits: four stones, three hits, the one that missed was because the bunny changed course at the same time I was throwing the projectile. 

So it's Collecting 'hips and 'shrooms and cooking. I start two fires, only to see them soon reduced to embers by the winds that keep whirling around the cabin. At least manage to finish cooking the rabbits, so I save cattails today. The cost in fuel is massive though. I'm running out of sticks.

I wish I had books to read, but I left them all in the cave below the Summit. I wish I inject apply one of my three spare emergency stims to be tired for bed, but darn, my condition is 87%, too high. So I just process the mushrooms and rosehips, then stare into a dark corner of the cabin. And find a stale granola bar, which, astonishingly, doesn't attempt to kill me.

Oh, the joys of being Deadman.

Deadman 11 / Day 17

Summit Day. I go to the cave where so many Snowballs built shelters. I build just a campfire and sleep intermittently, waiting for better weather. Once the snowstorm gives way to fog, I'm on my way to the Summit.

I'm back before the fire I left at the base camp is out. I opened all containers - sodas are still usable but only two cans of pork and beans could be recovered. The usual supply of salty crackers, coffee and tea. Lots of rags but I keep the ski jacket, wool socks and ear wrap - once repaired, they will help. Two boxes of matches and a firestriker, about half spent. Plus some medical supplies, an one each of wolf, deer and rabbit pelts. Hmm, I was hoping for two deer. I didn't break crates.

Deadman 11 / Day 18

Morning means repairs. It doesn't take long and my clothing improves to +13C. Then I pick out items I'll leave behind. The well-fed buff helps immensely: I don't have to give up anything really valuable. I still drop books, the rabbit pelt, the extra flare gun and other items I don't need or can find elsewhere. That's because I'll be hauling a rope down the rope.

It's wolfy and beary at Eric's Falls, so I make sure not to stay around for long. Bad weather and "ursine attention" catch up with me near Crystal Lake while I'm clearing some remaining cattails, but I escape both without incident and return to Mountaineer's Hut for the night.

Deadman 11 / Day 19

The weather doesn't let me leave until late afternoon, when the winds finally come to a still. I leave the hut, get immediately barked at and have to get rid of my new companion with an emergency campfire. Then I move fast to the PV bunker and, after a brief stop to pick up supplies, on to Skeeter's Ridge. There I lose way while avoiding wolves and am forced to mountain-goat. Eventually I reach the carcass between the ropes above Draft Dodger's. A blizzard breaks out me while I'm making fire and I realize I'm going to take a hit. I take the quick rope down and run to Draft Dodger's, limiting the loss to 1%.

All good but I've been eating cattails all day. I have about 30 left + 4 boxes of crackers, but I should also get some normal food.

7 minutes ago, Dan_ said:

I must confess I'm surprised by the wind behaviour in FM in this run, I wonder if they changed it but before HRV came out FM was the windiest and most miserable place to torch travel. I couldn't keep a torch lit unless i travelled in heavy fog.

It's possible, weather in other regions received a shake-up as well a few months ago.

Most impressive run. Gooner77, the one who carries fire.

Deadman 11 / Day 12

Morning is too cold, as usual, I spend it in the mine, reading books. When the weather gets a bit better, I head down into Pleasant Valley. There is a wolf at Road's End, so I steer left and onto the river, which allows me to score a few cattails but makes me miss the derelict cabins with the static (?) painkiller guy. The bear cave is unoccupied and I can process the carcass lying next to it, undisturbed. At "Misty Falls Picnic Area", I score one rabbit but the cave does not yield anything useful apart from some fuel. I spend the night at the mouth of the cave.

Deadman 11 / Day 13

After some debate with the local wolf, I reach the bunker unharmed and get to search its famously empty lockers. What I find:

I drop off some items I'm not going to need in TWM and climb the rope. Moose scratch marks around the Landing Gear: got to be careful. I reach the Mountaineer's Hut before nightfall and find another hacksaw on the table.

Deadman 11 / Day 14

No wolves on Crystal Lake in the morning. The weather is cold but the winds are mild, so I start a warming fire in the middle of the lake and clear all cattails. The bear patrols the other end so I can't pick everything clean, but I still accumulate quite a stash.

The afternoon sees me past the Wing (tea, coffee and some pork and beans found in the container) and above Echo Ravine, where I process two carcasses for meat. I end the day at the lower end of the Cave of Engines.

Deadman 11 / Day 15

As soon as the weather allows, I sneak out to the Engine to steal the clothes in the container - I would normally skip this step on Deadman but who knows what treasures it contains. All goes smoothly until I start a fire next to the container - winds break out in full strength and I barely manage to get away from the wolves and back into the cave without freezing. I'm rewarded for my trouble though: a second thin wool sweater. I don't remember the last time I had two thin wool sweaters on low loot settings.

After that I pass through the cave and start a fire at the other end. I move the rope from one attachment point to the other - a Snowball-like habit to prepare a shortcut for when I'm coming back from the Summit, but possibly a waste of precious time in Deadman mode. I notice there are no wolves in the area - a rare opportunity, which I capitalize on by clearing out all cattails.

I take a small condition hit from freezing on the way back. I reached firestarting skill 3 on this journey, and celebrate by dropping all tinder. Plus I reached cooking skill level 3 as well - the first time I got to this level without finding a can opener. I celebrate that too, by smashing some dog food cans with impunity.

Deadman 11 / Day 16

I wait again until midday due to strong winds, then swap my mildly worn-out hacksaw (53%) for the second one and move quickly via Wing to Deer Clearing. I leave the container there intact - it probably has only cloth, scrap metal, rabbit pelts and some tomato soup, which will in bad condition by this time. Instead I push on since the weather is favorable, and reach the Secluded Shelf with the help of two cups of coffee. Fully exhausted. Summit tomorrow?