Freeway Fighter - Attempt 6

I'm on the right track now, but last time I was done in by some bad stats.  My Luck in particular was very low.  With better die rolls, I was pretty hopeful of making a good showing this time around, and making it back to New Hope with that tanker of sweet, sweet petrol.

I rolled a 12 for Skill, a 32 for Stamina, and an 8 for Luck.  For my vehicle, I rolled a Firepower of 11 and an Armour of 26.  Those were not bad, but I was still concerned about that Luck score.  Freeway Fighter has a habit of requiring lots of Luck tests, but not offering a lot of Luck bonuses.

I felt like changing things up a bit for this attempt, so I didn't blow through the early encounters.  Normally I'd ignore the barking dogs and the confrontation with Johnson, but this time I decided to see what would happen if I provoked a fight with him.  Rather than tell him the truth - that I was from New Hope - I lied, and told him I was a lone road warrior.  Johnson said that I reminded him of the man that had killed his family, and demanded that I draw my gun.  (The book was quick to tell me that I'd made a mistake, and my Luck was reduced to 7.)  With amazing speed I drew my pistol (with a Skill test that was impossible for me to fail), and held Johnson at gunpoint while I explained my actual story.  We parted on good terms, as he headed for New Hope and I continued on my quest.  (I really need to stop doing dumb things like this when I'm closing in on beating a book.  It's really not helping me.)

I drove past Joe's Garage, and was approached by a hostile gang in a Red Chevvy.  (In previous games I've been killing this enemy instantly with my a rocket, but this time I didn't want to waste one; I'd need them for the path through Rockville if I was going to rescue Sinclair.)  I engaged the Red Chevvy (Firepower 8, Armour 15) in vehicle combat, pretty confident that I'd be able to beat it with minimal damage to myself.  I was wrong, and the Chevvy proved more formidable than I'd expected, shooting my Dodge up before I could blow it off the road.  (My car's Armour was reduced from 26 to 14.  My Firepower was 3 points higher than theirs, but the dice really turned on me.)

Soon I came to a junction, where I turned east.  I saw an ambulance abandoned on the side of the road, and stopped to investigate.  Unfortunately, the back was booby-trapped, and I was caught in an explosion when I opened it.  I dragged myself into the long grass to wait for whoever had set the trap.  (My Stamina was reduced to 28.  I was well aware from previous games that the ambulance was trapped, but I wanted the credits you get from this encounter.)

Soon enough a Highwayman (Skill 8, Stamina 12) appeared, and fired his gun into the grass at me.  Luckily, he missed (due to a Luck test that reduced my score to 6).  I fired back, and killed him.  I was wounded a couple of times during the battle, though, which would be sure to hamper me physically from that point on.  (My Stamina was reduced to 17, and as a result of being shot more than once my Skill was reduced to 11.)  In the Highwayman's pockets I found 150 credits, and a pair of knuckle-dusters.

Further on I ignored a road to the south, and continued until I reached a barricade of upturned cars.  I fired a rocket (leaving me with 3), and the barricade disappeared in a roar of flames.

Satisfying.

Two bikers sped away from the blaze on a Motor Cycle (Firepower 6, Armour 9), and I gave chase, killing them easily with my machine guns.  I investigated the wreckage of their bike, and one of them threatened that "Fat Jack" would get me before he died.  I found 200 credits and a pair of handcuffs in a side pannier, as well as a map to their hideout.

At the next junction, I turned south to their gang's hideout, a town called Rockville.  One of their number fired a bazooka at my car, but luckily it missed (due to a Luck test that reduced my score to 5).  I drove further into town and returned the favour, blowing up the farmhouse they were hiding in with a rocket (leaving me with 2).  The gang were all killed, but there was one survivor in the wreckage: Sinclair, one of the leaders of New Hope, who this gang had recently kidnapped.  (This restored my Luck to 6.)  Sinclair took a motorbike back to New Hope, while I looted the town, finding a can of meat (which restored my Stamina to 19), a can of petrol, and a pair of wirecutters.

I headed south, east at the next junction, and south again.  Soon I had to refuel, and then I slept the night in the Interceptor (which restored my Stamina to 21).  In the morning I was attacked by an Armoured Car, but I took care of it with an oil slick.  At the next junction I turned back west, then headed south again.

I saw a dirt road with lots of recent tracks, and followed to the location of a Blitz Race, where I paid 200 credits for the opportunity to race for a can of petrol.  My opponent was in a Yellow Ford.  The race was hard-fought, and I sustained a lot of damage from the Ford's grenade launchers, but in the end I triumphed and was able to claim the can of petrol.  (I skimmed over this race, because I've covered it pretty extensively in previous posts.  By the end of the race my Luck had been reduced to 5, and I only had 4 Armour points left.  I was also down to 2 oil slicks, and 2 barrels of iron spikes.).

A bit further down the road, I saw a sign pointing to a place called "Spark Plug Pete's".  I pulled in, and Pete offered to fit my car with a supercharger.  I paid his price (100 credits and two packs from my medi-kit), and waited as Pete did his work.  As I drove off I could feel the extra acceleration, and was pleased with my choice.  (This restored my Luck to 6.)

At the next junction I kept heading south.  I came across an overturned Dodge, and pulled over to take one of its spare wheels.  I also decided to have a look in the glove compartment, and got bitten by a rattlesnake for my trouble (reducing my Stamina to 19 and my Skill to 10, and requiring me to use a pack from my med-kit).  I shot the snake in vengeance, and found a length of coiled tube in the glove box.

As I drove south a motorbike with a side car came up behind me, and opened fire (reducing my Armour to 3).  I dropped an oil slick, and the motorbike slid off the road as I sped away.  Soon I had to refill my petrol tank before continuing south.

I spotted an abandoned police car, but without a crowbar I wasn't able to pop the boot open, so I had to continue on.  Not much later I found myself under attack from a pick-up truck modified to resemble a chariot, but I blew it off the road with a rocket and kept on driving.  Further south I came to another junction, and was relieved to see a sign that promised engine and body repairs.  I turned east, hoping I'd be able to get my battered car fixed.

Luckily the sign was true, and I found a garage where the mechanic offered to fix my car for the cost of 200 credits.  I paid the money, and soon my car was ready to go (with my Armour score restored to 13).

Not much further east, I was stopped at a blockade, where a crazy masked man wouldn't let me pass without engaging him in a duel.  I accepted, and we both missed our shots.  This was still good enough for the duellist, and he let me through.

I continued east through a canyon before turning south, where I came to yet another blockade.  I was told that I wouldn't be allowed through unless I could beat a man named Leonardi in a drag race.  I accepted, and with the supercharger on my car I was able to do so with ease.  (This race involves rolling 1d6 every round for both racers.  The first to reach 24 is the winner, but if you have the supercharger you get a +1 bonus to every roll.  Leonardi still rolls first though, which seems like an unfair advantage to me.  I guess his car's just faster.)

Further south I came to a truck parked on the side of the road, and I was pleased to discover that it had a full tank of petrol.  Using the tube that I had found earlier, I siphoned the truck's tank to fill my own, and continued on (which restored my Luck to 7).  I also stopped and did some quick repairs on my car (which restored my Armour score to 15).

Soon I spotted the burning wreck of a Corvette, and pulled over to investigate.  I was confronted by a woman in overalls with a shotgun, who introduced herself as Amber.  She was from San Anglo, and had been sent out here to watch for me.  San Anglo was under attack from a gang called the Doom Dogs, and there was no way I'd get in without being killed.  Our only chance was to sneak into the Doom Dogs camp and try to disable their vehicles.

Amber seems remarkably unconcerned by
the burning car right behind her.

We safely approached the camp, before I his my Dodge behind some rocks.  While we waited, Amber handed me some glucose tablets and energy synthi-pills (which restored by Stamina to 23).  I also took the opportunity to patch myself up with a couple of packs from my med-kit (restoring my Stamina to 31.  The above paragraphs also involved two Luck tests, which reduced my score to 5).

After night fell, we approached the Doom Dogs' camp on foot.  As we neared the fence, Amber kicked a stone, which made a loud noise in the still night air.  A guard heard the noise (due to a failed Luck test, which reduced my score to 4), and came to investigate.  I stayed perfectly still, hoping I wouldn't be spotted, but the guard raised the alarm, and Amber and I were soon captured by the Doom Dogs.  My adventure was over.

THE POST-GAME

Stupid Amber.

Also, stupid Ian.  Three Luck tests in a row?  That's just mean, especially right before heading into what I assume is the final stage of the book.  Ah well, I can't put too much of the blame on Ian, as the final decision was mine.  Next time, I won't hesitate to silence that guard.