Big City Living (Midpoint Mingle)

[midpointmods]

The town of Midpoint: called thus because it is at the exact center of the game arena, a busy little Western town full of strange people, many of whom don’t look remotely human, because this is where all the players gather and live. Midpoint Saloon: called thus because it is the only bar in Midpoint. It’s also the biggest building in town, four stories high, dotted with windows, painted a jaunty yellow and decorated with red and green flowers in all the window boxes.

This is where your veteran teammate points you. Or just stomps off to and hopes you follow.

Downstairs is a bar and tavern, Old West style, right down to the upright piano in one corner and a raucous crowd of locals - largely locals, but with a healthy smattering of unusual or downright alien faces that clearly indicate the presence of other Players - eating, drinking, gambling, and getting into trouble. There’s a broad, bearded man behind the bar, waving cheerfully at you as you enter.

The rest of the night and the next day is yours to do with what you see fit. Explore the town, take a long nap in your new room, try to get to know people... everyone is here for the next twenty-four hours before travel to the mission site, so it’s a good chance to scope out the competition, at the very least.

Comments

[shadowsran]

"Nope, just seems like charging directly at people who are pretty obviously stronger than everybody here is just a waste of time and energy." Any entity or entities overseeing the place can clearly turn powers off like flipping a switch. One or even many completely ordinary individuals seem to her a weak bet against that.

Though she's much more forgiving. He won't get anywhere, but the charge-ahead types will be good for data. Accrue attention and poor reputation themselves, allow for better targeted hypothetical strikes from better behaved individuals.

It's all about the long game.

[cicadashell]

"Everyone has a weakness."

Even some overlord aliens or whoever these people are, they just have to find it. Either that, or he makes himself a problem and they let him go because he's not entertaining enough. A back-up plan.

[shadowsran]

"Hard to spot when they can just pitch you in the bad jail before you get anywhere close, I'd have to imagine."

And on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, she expects the deviation from the standard play could be entertaining enough.

[cicadashell]

"How many fucking jails are there?"

It's rhetorical. Five at least, and that's far too many.

[shadowsran]

"Enough of them, and just as likely more we don't know about." For the real punishments. Whatever had been done to Soldat, however well he's been managing since. "Could be whole other arenas. This could be some kind of beginner level."

[cicadashell]

She's managed to confuse him with the mention of other arenas and levels.

"Fuck this place."

[shadowsran]

Hypothetical, of course. Barring Bad Jail, any extras beyond what's immediately observable and understood is relaxed speculation. That said:

"There's the spirit."

Her horse nickers, which she'll take as further agreement.