Afrika Korps - A community roleplaying adventure in 1942

[Baron]

Do not, under any circumstances, rub that lamp!  You have no idea of the horror you could unleash upon the world!  Lamp Rubbing -1.

And I'm not sure what we could gain from examining the shreds.  Use your imagination: what shreds tents?  Are we going to find an incriminating clump of fur or mummified bandages stuck in the tear?  Let's just assume that there's something stealthy out there that likes to use its massive and powerful claws, and use this "calm before the storm" segment to good effect instead of chasing menacing details.  Examine Claws -1.

I know what you're saying.  "Baron, you're full of ideas about what we shouldn't do, but why don't you throw your Pickelhaube into the ring and offer some constructive alternatives."  You are so predictable when you say that.  And no, I'm not going to labour the point that we don't have a bath towel, contrary to what the Hitchhiker's Guide tells us is the most important accessory to have in the entire galaxy.  Nor am I going to harp on about the evil ghost lamp which we don't really possess anyway (just check our inventory in the first post).  I am determined to offer a fresh idea.

Here's my current thinking: the tablets that were being most recently examined may have some relevance to the destruction/evacuation of the camp.  The information on them may be relevant, but we don't know enough of that ancient language to make use of it at the moment.  Furthermore, if we can't carry around a WW2 era mobile radio with carrying straps for any distance, we surely can't carry the tablets in case the information contained on them becomes useful later on.  So here's the plan: return to the previous tent and grab some of that paper and typewriter ink/ribbon, lay the ribbon out on the tablets line by line, carefully lay the paper out on top of the ribbon and then smack the back of the paper with an empty crate (or with something else that mimics a giant typewriter hammer).  Presto!  A copy of the tablet's contents.  Well, a mirror image anyway.  Still better than ghost lamp, IMHO.

>> Get ink ribbons and paper from previous tent

[Ponch]

I like the cut of your jib, Baron. You've clearly given this a lot of thought. I trust a man who knows what he's doing.

+1 Get ink ribbons and paper from previous tent 

Actually, now that I think about it... I think you may know too much... Hmmm. A picklehaube would do nicely if a man were of a mind to shred some tent flaps when other folks were in Ben340's birthday thread and you had this thread all to yourself... Curious coincidence... Don't you think?

I'm watching you, Baron. I'm watching you... 

[Stee]

blah blah blah blah blah  Lamp Rubbing +1.

I knew you would come round baron!

Nor am I going to harp on about the evil ghost lamp

Ghost, you have an evil lamp? Does it not like being rubbed? 

It's ok, you can rub this one 

[Ghost]

Ghost, you have an evil lamp? Does it not like being rubbed? 

It whispers to me in the night... oh the stories I could tell...

So is that solved? Baron went on a Pickelhauben-spree, wrecked the camp, left a lamp there for everyone to be afraid of, and probably kidnapped everyone to have a crew that'd row him over to Australia just in time for Ben's birthday? We can only hope he didn't try to milk Pönch on the way. That'd be a hell of an innuendo. An inTENTional one, too!

I see no harm in picking up the ribbons et al, as long as we leave the frikking lamp alone. So +1 from me.

[Baron]

blah blah blah blah blah  Lamp Rubbing +1.

I knew you would come round baron!

I have been misquoted.  Clearly Stee is in the thrall of the lamp.  Do not trust Stee.

Baron went on a Pickelhauben-spree, wrecked the camp, left a lamp there for everyone to be afraid of, and probably kidnapped everyone to have a crew that'd row him over to Australia just in time for Ben's birthday? We can only hope he didn't try to milk Pönch on the way. That'd be a hell of an innuendo.

My Pickelhaube sprees typically result in localized piercing wounds, not dispersed shredding.  Plus I am either an early 21st century nerd or a WWI era geriatric: both of which offer me a pretty air-tight alibi for not being in the desert wastes of Algeria in 1942.  As for milking Pönch en route to Ben's, you can't spell innuendo without "in", "you", "end", and "oh!"

[Ponch]

Well, I'm certainly not turning my back on you now, Baron. (I'll bet you're also behind the theft of this Roger smiley. It's not on the available list of smileys anymore, which means somebody must have stolen it! The same person who stole your tagline? Unlikely, sir!)

[miguel]

No,no,no,no!
No!

Who are we here? Freekin Gutenberg? The place was clearly overrun by werewolves or evil mummies and we are to make printable editions of some tablets we can read and take mental notes about it?
Since we're here, and the shred marks are here, there's no harm examining them, is it?
But no! We have to go all the way back, and take a 5 minute intense course on printing with bloody RIBBONS!
Jesus!
Adolf's moustaches must be swirling with despair right now!



p.s: and Pickelhauben sprees are only done with large quantities of schnapps!

[WHAM]

> Examine the shredded flaps

You examine the shredded tent flap.
The cloth has been torn in several places, as if someone or something was trying to force it's way in our out, but didn't quite know how to open the tent flap.

As you closely examine the shreds of cloth on the sand next to the tent, you catch glimpses of brass down in the sand. It appears there are several SHELL CASINGS of both rifle and pistol caliber, almost completely covered up by the shifting sand near this tent.

[Tabata]

shreds of cloth ... like ... bandages? 

like there has been another return of

*shudder*

   

Now I am scared

[Crimson Wizard]

shreds of cloth ... like ... bandages? 

I think he means tent cloth .

> Pickup couple of SHELL CASINGS (who knows when they may be useful)
> Examine tablets.

[Stee]

Shell Casings?? Torn fabric??? 

Since we know Wham likes to kill off the protagonist at every opportunity, I suggest the following

>iddqd
>pick up shell casings
>examine tablets (to check for warnings about lamp)
>rub lamp

I fear it may be our only option to save mankind from the dreaded cloth ripper

[Baron]

Clearly shell casings have no impact on mummies!  But I bet if you bound them tightly with typewriter ribbon you could slowly squeeze the after-life out of them....  In the mean time:

>> Use spork to comb desert sands for more clues

[miguel]

Something happened in this tent. Something violent!
A fierce Cursed Mummy tries to sneak in the tent, soldiers shoot randomly out of panic, bullets hitting the stone-like figure but falling short on the shifting desert sands.
But, although my accurate description of the events do bring some light to this, some things remain unclear and the aftermath shrouded by foggy dilemmas...
If the Evil Pharaoh Mummy succeeded in killing all the soldiers, where are them? Where is the blood?
Did the soldiers chased after the Headless Mummy?
Did the Limping Mummy drag the soldiers to a near catacomb?
And if it did, why did it leave the tablets and artefacts untouched?
a)because it is a trap? Whoever gazes upon the tablets gets a eye infection and becomes forced to forever wear a monocle?
b)because the mummy can't read and fails to see the importance of the tablets?
c)because the tablets are worth shit?

So many question and so few clues...

[Tabata]

... ähem ... reading the tablets might force the mummy to appear   

[Crimson Wizard]

Everything is simple.
The Unterfeldwebel got drunk and slept in the tent. Upon waking up he fell under influence of delirium tremens, tore the tent to shreds and started shooting. Then he ran to the desert. Soldiers followed him, trying to catch him up.
Right now they have probably secured him and transporting back to the camp.

[NightHawk]

>pick up shell casings
>examine tablets
>rub lamp

+1

[selmiak]

do the only reasonalble thing!
>pick up lamp (and maybe rub it if you are silently feeeeeling like it)

[WHAM]

> Pickup couple of SHELL CASINGS

You snatch a handful of shell casings from the sand near the tent and place them in your pocket.
You wonder how the spent shells got there, as there have been no shooting incidents in the camp for as long as you've been stationed here, and you do not recall hearing any shooting last night. You'd think you'd woken up to the sound of gunfire so close to where you were sleeping.

[Ponch]

you do not recall hearing any shooting last night. You'd think you'd woken up to the sound of gunfire so close to where you were sleeping.

Oh crap. This means we're probably a werewolf. That's the only logical explanation for why we can't remember eating our fellow soldiers. But let's not panic. It may be due to some other reason, no matter how unlikely. I think we should floss out teeth and check to see if there are any teeny, tasty bits of our fellow soldiers.

[Stee]

There is only one way to find out

>RUB LAMP!!!!