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Old 08-21-2010, 08:26 PM   #11
Rocket Man
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

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Originally Posted by Bruno View Post

It gets 10x worse if it's something the cat might like, because she might HIDE it after playing with it, and then you have to know to switch from Scrounge (Human) to Search (Feline). I'm pretty sure that's how my car keys ended up in a boot a few months ago - it's just too inconvenient for me to absentmindedly stuff them in a boot, whereas it's right at cat level...
I must have been dealing with too many English PCs lately ... my first thought on reading this was "How on Earth did the cat get into the trunk of a car?"
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Old 08-21-2010, 09:29 PM   #12
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

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Originally Posted by Rocket Man View Post
I must have been dealing with too many English PCs lately ... my first thought on reading this was "How on Earth did the cat get into the trunk of a car?"
Don't feel too bad. I haven't been dealing with that many Brits, PCs or IRL, and I had a similar thought.
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Old 08-24-2010, 03:35 AM   #13
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

When does one use Scrounging?

When one is McGyver or the A-Team!
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Old 08-24-2010, 09:38 AM   #14
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

I've noticed that most of the military templates (in GURPS Space, but useable for any setting, space or not) have Scrounging.

I suppose it makes sense. If you're spending most of your time in war-torn territory, then it's going to take some searching or inspired creativity to secure things that you'd take for granted in peacetime.
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Old 08-24-2010, 09:47 AM   #15
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

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Originally Posted by SolemnGolem View Post
I've noticed that most of the military templates (in GURPS Space, but useable for any setting, space or not) have Scrounging.

I suppose it makes sense. If you're spending most of your time in war-torn territory, then it's going to take some searching or inspired creativity to secure things that you'd take for granted in peacetime.
Yes, and not only that. A battlefield, or a deserted town/neighborhood after the battle, are typical grounds for scavenging. It's not just a matter of locating hard-to-get items that there's a shortage of because there's a war on; it's also a matter of finding that one useful item amongst heaps of stuff that others have abandoned, lost, or could not carry away, which often happens on the battlefield. Dumpster-diving. You need Scrounging for that, or at least a keen Perception.
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Old 08-24-2010, 10:14 AM   #16
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

I didn't note a few canonical uses of Scrounging in my previous post:
  • From the GURPS Basic Set:
    • Dumpster-diving to find useful information in garbage (p. B184).
    • Reducing costs for Gadgeteering (p. B476).
  • From GURPS Action 2: Exploits:
    • Turning up "free" gear when equipping for an adventure (p. 7).
    • Dumpster-diving to find useful information in garbage (p. 14).
    • Locating the ingredients for makeshift explosives (p. 24).
    • Seeking junk suitable for use as spare parts when making repairs (p. 42).
    • Finding improvised tools when stripped of gear (p. 42).
  • From GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons:
    • Turning up "free" gear when equipping for an adventure (p. 3).
    • Finding random salvage to sell for extra money (p. 15).
  • From GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages:
    • Locating parts for jury-rigging (p. 4).
  • From GURPS High-Tech:
    • Finding parts for improvising generators (p. 14), stills (p. 15), zip-guns (p. 92), lead shot (p. 163), surveillance gear (p. 210), and fingerprint kits (p. 217).
Note in particular that these applications don't offer alternative skills. The skills for assembly, repair, and (ab)use suggested here kick in after you find what you're seeking. They don't stand in for Scrounging, ever. It's quite possible to be an expert mechanic with no knack for improvising parts, a top merchant with no eye for value in garbage, etc. For characters like this, Scrounging is a thinking-outside-the-box skill.
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Old 08-24-2010, 01:08 PM   #17
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
It gets 10x worse if it's something the cat might like, because she might HIDE it after playing with it, and then you have to know to switch from Scrounge (Human) to Search (Feline). I'm pretty sure that's how my car keys ended up in a boot a few months ago - it's just too inconvenient for me to absentmindedly stuff them in a boot, whereas it's right at cat level...
I found a toy mouse in my running shoes the other day.

EDIT:
When I was in Iraq, we set up the internet and local area network for our company's barracks from 75% scrounged components.
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Old 08-25-2010, 09:02 AM   #18
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm
For characters like this, Scrounging is a thinking-outside-the-box skill.
... But ... all I can see is the inside of the box 8( <cue Trapped in a Box routine>

heh... Time to go watch Five Characters in Search of an Exit again :)
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Old 08-25-2010, 07:59 PM   #19
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

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Originally Posted by SolemnGolem View Post
I've noticed that most of the military templates (in GURPS Space, but useable for any setting, space or not) have Scrounging.

I suppose it makes sense. If you're spending most of your time in war-torn territory, then it's going to take some searching or inspired creativity to secure things that you'd take for granted in peacetime.
Not just that, but adapting them. Remember Kaylee finding synchronisers in a garbage dump.
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Old 08-26-2010, 03:17 AM   #20
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Default Re: When does one use Scrounging?

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
I found a toy mouse in my running shoes the other day.
The one I found wasn't a toy. =/
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