The Swamp

Old thread if you'd like a re-read

For those who missed it or need a refresher:

RimWorld is a computer game in which you manage a group of stranded castaways on a remote planet, working to establish a sustainable settlement in the face of threats from starvation, natural disasters, wildlife, hostile natives, pirates, etc.

What makes RimWorld different is that unlike most other games, in which you have direct control over your characters, your settlers in RimWorld have minds of their own, and your planning must take into account their strengths, weaknesses, and personality quirks. RimWorld characters can develop rivalries, fight, fall in love, become drug addicts, have nervous breakdowns, and all manner of other things. All these details make it as much of an emergent storytelling generator as of a game.

So, what I'll be doing is playing through some sessions of the game, using characters based on Swampers to make it interesting, and post updates and screenshots here as things play out.

The game has gone through some significant updates since we left off and recently hit its official 1.0 release. Some of the major new features include:

• The world is now a proper sphere rather than a flat map.
• Other factions now have their own settlements, will travel routes and territorial control accounted for, making the world feel more alive.
• You can have more than one colony active at once.
• You can pack up your people in a group and send them on a mission to settle at a new site, trade with other factions, rescue people, or even attack enemies.

Additionally, there's an absolute shit-ton of player-created mods for the game, a few of which I'll be implementing to make things more interesting. This one adds some more details to faces and simple animations to give characters a South Park-esque effect. I'll put up a few examples here and let you guys play "Guess Who."



Still getting a few things straightened out for the initial set-up, but should have more in the coming days. Will also see about putting up polls for in-game decisions again. Stay tuned...

Swamp RimWorld 2018: White Flight to the Stars

I thought they got rid of the hands and feet after that patch because they look so stupid walking around.

BFJ, Rush, Syb, Mr. D, ?

This was good stuff. I forget how I died. Did I got on a meth binge and kill somebody?

Pruitt for the last guy? IDK.

First one is BFJ. You can tell by the pile of vomit at his feet.

This was hilarious. I’m glad it’s back.

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:03 am This was good stuff. I forget how I died. Did I got on a meth binge and kill somebody?

At least you weren't pecked to death by an emu.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:08 am Pruitt for the last guy? IDK.

First one is BFJ. You can tell by the pile of vomit at his feet.

And the Ravens' purple he's wearing.

New poll up to choose the biome for our new colony.

I would strongly advise choosing Arid Shrubland, Temperate Forest, or Boreal Forest. The others (especially the ones toward the bottom) have a progressively greater chance of getting everyone killed before things have a chance to get interesting.

Can we visit the Swamp?

duff wrote: ↑Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:34 am Mr. D, ?

He's a backwards hat, not a toque guy.

So, looks like "Swamp" is currently tied for the lead...know that sounds neat, but just to make sure what you may be getting into, here's the in-game description:

Wetlands choked with vegetation and disease. Dense overgrowth makes it hard to move around, and clearing areas for building takes a long time. Most of the terrain is too marshy to support heavy structures.

And that's the "Temperate Swamp," which is the less-bad kind. "Tropical Swamp" is worse.

Just changed my vote from Boreal forest to temperate forest.

I've been missing the necessary amount of vomit in my life.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Tue Nov 13, 2018 5:07 pm I've been missing the necessary amount of vomit in my life.

Next comes marriage. Be careful.

I've been working on my sculpting skills. The vomit looks so real.

duff wrote: ↑Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:34 am I thought they got rid of the hands and feet after that patch because they look so stupid walking around.

BFJ, Rush, Syb, Mr. D, ?

If Buffalo Soldier were still here.

So after realizing that the novelty of setting the Swamp colony in an actual swamp wasn't worth dying of malaria, Temperate Forest pulled out ahead in the vote and will be the site of the next colony.



Now for the actual most important decision: the colony pet. See the new poll above.

We need an animal that can be trained to haul. So stay away from the little critters.

I don't want just a pig..WAR PIG....or Bacon

Caribou all the way. It can pull a sleigh, and venison is tasty.

So, less formal poll...how many should there be in the initial colony group? The first ones I had done earlier started off with 4-5, while the final one started with 8, I think.

Johnny Carwash wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:00 am So, less formal poll...how many should there be in the initial colony group? The first ones I had done earlier started off with 4-5, while the final one started with 8, I think.

More the merrier.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:56 am Caribou all the way. It can pull a sleigh, and venison is tasty.

A cougar can help defend the base. Also, cats are awesome.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:34 am

Johnny Carwash wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:00 am So, less formal poll...how many should there be in the initial colony group? The first ones I had done earlier started off with 4-5, while the final one started with 8, I think.

More the merrier.

And more members means more potential food.

I voted cougar, hoping for a Marshmallow level of badassness.

I think starting with a few more Swampers helped that last group. I vote for 7.

Ground slot sounds funny, but I went practical and voted caribou. My father-in-law was a non-nonsense old farmer, and one of his famous quotes to me was, "a pet has to earn its own keep." (He liked dogs and cats that would kill rodents.)

Ground sloths are massive!

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:46 am Ground sloths are massive!

Yeah, in case anyone was confused, ground sloths in the game are big-ass things like this:

Those are banana trees, for scale.

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:58 am Those are banana trees, for scale.

A standard unit of measurement in Kentucky?

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 1:06 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:58 am Those are banana trees, for scale.

A standard unit of measurement in Kentucky?

COME ON MAN.

I think we should only have capybaras as pets, but that's just me.

Serious(ish) question: Does the terrain / climate effect the animal?

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 1:47 pm Serious(ish) question: Does the terrain / climate effect the animal?

Hadn't thought of that. Not sure, but I'm guessing a Temperate Forest wouldn't be a problem for any of those in the current poll.

Looks like ground sloth has edged out the others to be the colony pet.

Was hoping to have the intro ready today, but needed to iron out some things with the setup. I did manage to crack one specific problem that should really help the narrative flow compared to last time.

Will have the first colony group up tomorrow along with some introductory updates and the popular "Who dies first?" prediction poll.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:09 am

duff wrote: ↑Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:34 am Mr. D, ?

He's a backwards hat, not a toque guy.

If you were Facebook friends with my mom you’d know how totally fuckin’ wrong you are.

Alright, here we go.

Swampville VI


tennbengal spent his childhood exploring wrecked ships on his desolate home planet. He then became a mindless construction drone and was subjected to brutal social experiments, leaving him incapable of creative thought or leadership. His life revolves around food and he will often pig out even when not especially hungry.


govmentchedda was trained as a child spy on a war-torn homeworld, giving him with strong combat skills but depriving him of a formal education. Nonetheless, his excellent memory led to him serving as a "human computer" for a dictatorial regime. As befitting his background, he works best at night and prefers to sleep during the day. He is a kind person but is lazy.


Pruitt was a slave doing manual labor on a medieval world before somehow escaping to become a paramedic. This makes him our top doctor by default. He is described as having "a pretty face, which predisposes people to like him." He is a pessimist.


rass was an orphan on an industrial world and grew up to be a drifter. This left him lacking in book-smarts, but helped him acquire a solid variety of practical skills. He is good in a fight up to a point, but has a low threshold of pain, leaving him subject to collapsing like a bitch after a mild injury. He has a strong dislike of men for some reason, presumably excluding himself (or not?)


BFJ was born as the product of an illicit love affair and raised by nuns in a convent. Growing up he developed a love of sculpture and consequently has high skills in both artistry and mining. Exceptionally stubborn, he refuses to engage in violence, manual labor, or cooking. Additionally, he will fly into a jealous rage if he finds that his living quarters are less lavish that someone else's.


Nonlinear took a keen interest in scouting pursuits as a child, and grew up to be a frontier marshal. He is good with a gun and has some medical skills, but is otherwise a willfully ignorant Philistine. Also, he is a cannibal.

I entered twilts as the seed for the random planet generator and got this. Welcome to the planet Praecipua-983. Go ahead and make your "New Vejana Expanse" jokes now.



As before, we won't be alone. Here are the factions with whom we'll be sharing the planet. You'll see that one of them is comprised of amoral psychopaths who place no value on human life...talking, of course, about the Libertarians. We should watch out for the pirates as well.



For our first colony this round, we chose the relatively safe location of a temperate forest as our landing spot. I looked for a spot comfortably distant from pirate settlements, but not so close to friendly ones as to be encroaching on their territory. This seems like a decent place, on a flat plain near a river below the Purple Bear Mountains. Looks like it will offer a mild climate with a year-grown growing season and abundant natural resources.



And here we are. Just about as generic of a woodland area as possible. The rock outcroppings have ample amounts of ore, some rich patches of soil, and of course more wood than we'll ever need. If there's any downside, it's that there's not much in the way of natural defenses, so we'll need to start designing a secure base quickly.