Hey, ATS, Let's Play -- Rimworld

I am sensing some of us need a bit of a distraction, and as they released a new update and scrubbed my old colony because half my mods are nuked and not updated yet, I thought I'd start a new one. My question is:

Would you enjoy playing along with me for the time being? I can give you some decisive power over what directions we take this colony. Of course, pawns being pawns, they'll act out on their own too and the game will do as it does which is why Rimworld is so entertaining. It creates its own dramas.

I mean my very first colony was lost to a fire started when a maddened herd of muffalo (think fluffy blue buffalo) took revenge on me for shooting one. They started a fire in my entirely wooden hall and the whole thing burned down on top of my hapless colonists with winter coming on. It was ghastly ... and hilarious all at once. The colony's poor Pomeranian went up like a gasoline-soaked cotton ball!

And yes, there are cannibals ... and human leather for the truly depraved. I don't tend to play that way myself, but it's there. Heck, I felt bad for harvesting a kidney in my last game.

I'll play, take screenies and write up the day's mayhem in a hopefully entertaining format and then pose a question or three about how to proceed. That's how I envision this working. I'll give you all a set amount of time to catch up and post your choices. Top choices will be the direction I'll try to steer our poor "contestants" in.

So for tonight, I'll just see if there's enough interest in this idea for me to bother. I'll pose a few setup questions and see where we are by the time I'm done with my work tomorrow afternoon.

1. Scenario

a. Crashlanded - This is the standard base. It starts with 3 colonists, a random pet and some booty/resources. Yay! We made it to a lifepod ... now what?
b. Tribal - We get five people and a random pet and far more primitive booty. We also have penalties to our research because we start out with bow and arrows, yo. Our tribe was massacred by "gods" and we alone managed to survive and escape.
c. Stranded Caravan - We get five people, some nice weapons, some caravan animals and some booty. It's actually an easier scenario. Our colony sent us out to trade and then fired off the rescue ship they built and left us behind. They left us!

2. What terrain to start with?

Plains, savannah, forest, desert, jungle, swamps, ice caps, tundras ... if you can think of it, odds are there is something close to it. Additionally, there are coasts and lakes and rivers, roads, hills and mountains. Every terrain has its advantages and disadvantages. There are seasons, including growing seasons, and surviving winter can be a real trick especially early on. I like hills or small mountains with a river or lake because I like having a the security of stone mixed with the food source provided by fishing. Obviously, certain terrains make it tough to farm for various reasons.

So if you're interested in trying to project, give me a scenario you'd be interested in along with the type of terrain you'd like our intrepid settlers to have to conquer. Something like a plains square with some hills and a road or river. You can give me a couple choices, first and second, if you like. I'll go with the top options.

And tomorrow, I'll set up a list of our "contestants" for us to pick over.

Animals are really valuable in this game if you pair them up you can go crazy like this.



The tribe and any really hot or cold terrain would be the hardest , with that one it might take a bit longer to get off the ground , but will probably give the most rewarding feeling.

Think Tribe and Rainforest personally if i had to choose.

Looking forward to what others have to say and to updates as to what happens in your playthrough

Have fun

So I only actually got 1 person to chime in ... Hmmm, well, I'll go ahead and post 10 possible characters I created this afternoon.

I will set to the lucky ones in a jungle. I'm not sure if I'll go tribal with them or abandoned caravan, but either way, I will have the extra sets of hands I prefer having to start.

So let's get a look at our potential colonists:



This is Screws. She grew up off world. Her home was in a constant state of war, so she was sent to a military academy at a young age and from there was put into the space navy. A battle gone wrong saw her lifepod crashing on this world where she was rescued by a local tribe. Her technical skills and knowledge made her a valuable member even though her upbringing put her at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to practical tribal survival skills with animals and plants.



This is Flint. While there are certainly plenty of tribes on this world, higher learning is not unknown. Flint's tribe gathered the goods needed to send him off to an academy in a nearby citadel for some years while he was young to learn things that might benefit the tribe, and when he returned, he apprenticed to the tribe's shaman taking over that role in time. Flint abhors violence even though he loves his older brother BlackDog, a consummate hunter and warrior.



This is BlackDog. Where his brother went away to learn, BlackDog grew up in the tribe becoming a scout. He's an excellent marksman and hunter. Survival leaves little time for development of the deeper aspects of the intellect, but if you need to get through the deeper parts of the wilderness, there are none better for the job.



Lena grew up in a small fisher village. She studied history and then was apprenticed to the gravedigger and built caskets until the savage tribe raided her home. Taken captive, Lena was traded around to several different tribes until she ended up with this intrepid group struggling to settle a new home. Needing all the help they can muster, the colonists promise Lena full status as a member if she pitches in with them to build a new home.



This is Bluto, the mysterious stranger. He grew up an orphan running wild on a distant urbanized planet. He learned all the tricks of the scoundrel's trade and eventually become a smuggler of illicit goods. Unfortunately for poor Bluto, one too many deals went bad, and he ran afoul of one of the galaxy's most notorious and ruthless gangsters. It's a rough go when the only way to save your skin is to immerse yourself into the tribal life of a boring backwater Rimworld, but here Bluto is ... grubbing in the dirt with the rest.

And for the final five potential rogues for our gallery:



This is Red. He has a problem. He loves fire ... a lot. Red loves fire so much that he's gotten his family kicked out of a couple of settlements. There's just no place for a pyro in the Rim. But Red can't help it. The flames ... they dance. They're so pretty ...



This is Chops. He's Red's little brother, and where Red can't get past fire, Chops has a temper, a bad one. Chops also loves his guns. He's a brawler, too. Chops has spent time learning a thing or two though at a small port where the ship builders worked on the fishing and trading vessels. Those skills can be valuable when his temper is under control.



This is Dash, the father of both Red and Chops. Having to raise those two has made him stone sober! Dash is a chef, and a darn good one. He can generally be found serving the best tables in town ... so long as his sons aren't burning down the town or causing fights with the wrong people. He's getting to an age where he'd like to settle in and settle down, but his boys show no signs of civilizing anytime soon.



This is Wanda. Wanda has a mission in her life. She felt called from an early age to it. Her tribe has recognized her calling and they say she is blessed. Tribes everywhere recognize that calling and she wanders and heals. It's a talent she has. Although the right group, in the right situation might get her to settle in and practice her skills long-term.



This is Meg. Meg is Wanda's sister. Where Wanda is saintly, Meg is the tough as nails frontier type. Meg set up her own business on an old trade road and operated her own distillery and bar for a few years. She became quite the local character, famed for her beauty, diplomatic nature, and singular ability as a crack marksman. A recent dustup with local pirates caused Meg to leave her business in capable hands and decide to travel with her sister.

So I'll let people chime in on which rogues you might want to see in our gallery. Family ties will remain the same regardless of whether or not you choose all members. I have mods that will let me create family ties and then the game will randomly cast those characters out into the world somewhere. They may or may not show up during the course of gameplay.

You can your five favorites.

a reply to: ketsuko

Hmm.. Never actually played Rimworld. Is there the possibility of six characters? I love the last 5 and Bluto (mysterious!).

Always got intimidated by rimworld and jumped into another game

a reply to: Serdgiam

I can edit the scenario, and I'm sure I can find a scenario out there that would let me have 6 at least.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well that's a fine howdy-doo... Rimworld isn't available to Console Master Race players like myself. Guess I'm stuck out in the cold on this one.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

This was going to be my player journal, but I was going to chronicle it here with some editorial input from anyone following.

In this case, the input is which five would you play with if you could?

a reply to: ketsuko

Only if you dont have anything better to do.

Otherwise, I vote no Meg, a la Family Guy. Completely arbitrary

a reply to: Serdgiam

I use Meg semi-regularly, and she almost never disappoints. The last time I put her in, she underwent some kind of weird religious conversion experience and annoyed the heck out of everyone with her proselytizing. It kept starting social fights and someone bit off her finger.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: burdman30ott6

This was going to be my player journal, but I was going to chronicle it here with some editorial input from anyone following.

In this case, the input is which five would you play with if you could?

Ah. OK.
I'd take Crashlanded because you said it has booty. Tundra, of course, because: Alaskan.
Black Dog, Chops, Lena, Bluto, and Meg. I *try* to play RPGs diversely, but ultimately I always end up playing the stereotypical sniper/hunter/ranger build, so those guns & combat values rule all.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well now I changed my mind!

I just dont know. Dealers choice

I can see oh so much fun with all of those characters.

Having heard about all her other fun combinations of characters, here's my picks:

Tribal - Sounds like the hardest startup

Swamp - Mmm... diseases and rot!

Flint - Abhors violence? We'll see how good he is when the raiders show up
Lena - Sounds like a newbie
Bluto - He's _very_ mysterious /blue raja /mystery men
Red - fire, fire! heh heh fire! - What can he burn in a swamp? Sounds like a challenge.
Chops - temper, temper...

a reply to: Teikiatsu

I am very much already a Bluto fan.

Hes mysterious!

Unless I get a wave a people before tomorrow who outvote, Bluto looks to be in since he has three votes, and I confess he interests me too. It must be the poncho/sombrero combo covering his eyes.

a reply to: ketsuko

Lol..

I didnt even see his picture. My eyes latched onto that "mysterious" and I just went..

a reply to: ketsuko

Just downloaded yesterday, reminds me of Dwarf Fortress.

a reply to: ketsuko

Ditch the pyromaniac , you don't want to have him get a episode during a raid.

I would pick meg , for the simple fact she has low skills but can do everything and gets a small bonus for the most important stuff.

originally posted by: Serdgiam
a reply to: ketsuko

Hmm.. Never actually played Rimworld. Is there the possibility of six characters? I love the last 5 and Bluto (mysterious!).

Always got intimidated by rimworld and jumped into another game

You can start at different difficulties and different type of scenario's.

You will slowly learn the ropes , from getting the basics like food and shelter, to producing your own synthetic organs, weapons , armors , everything a colony needs basicly.

And the Micro managment system to do all that is simple yet well designed.

You can assign any item to a spot with stockpile zones, with a filter based and priority level system.
So your colonists put the meat in huge freezers so it don't spoil.

Or placing medicine next to a Hospital bed , so your injured colonists don't bleed out when the guy assigned to medical has to walk all the way to the main stockpile to get the medicine.

And then there are thousands of mods to enhance the gameplay.

I played thousands of games over the years, im not impressed quick but this one is defenatly in my top5.