[ATE] Farming example

[Joe]

These are very rich examples. I like them a lot.

I can imagine dropping them into a game, virtually unchanged, as detailed descriptions either of the PCs' home base, or of other settlements they come across during the campaign. I'm not certain that the player would want to go into this much detail about the precise farming methods all the time, but knowing that it was there whenever we wanted it would be really, really wonderful. And I think that we'd end up wanting to explore it, since we knew it was there!

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Joe

These are very rich examples. I like them a lot.

I can imagine dropping them into a game, virtually unchanged, as detailed descriptions either of the PCs' home base, or of other settlements they come across during the campaign. I'm not certain that the player would want to go into this much detail about the precise farming methods all the time, but knowing that it was there whenever we wanted it would be really, really wonderful. And I think that we'd end up wanting to explore it, since we knew it was there!

Even if the players only learn about this stuff, peripherally, it adds an amazing sense of depth to the setting if you know what's on the menu at the local bar where they meet the old man or woman who plans to make them an offer they can't refuse.

Also, since this is a survival setting, identification of bottlenecks and shortages in local supply-chains and infrastructure can drive many, many adventures.

Moreover, if you know what surpluses one settlement has available, as compared to others, then you know how the local economy has started to shape up -- and that means you know where the merchants and traders come from and what they carry, and (roughly) how much each commodity is worth, relative to the others.

That helps a lot, when it comes time to add verisimilitude to a bartering session. :)

[(E)]

Kingsport

Assumptions
- Ice age related End
- Short growing season, not equatorial. Growing season for plants about 60 days.
- The ancestors of the current survivors had the opportunity to salvage the plants and animals that survived the early stages of the ice age.
- Sea level is lower and the salinity higher.

Notes
- While the default End for this set up is cold related, a heat related End would fit. Just move Kingsport to the Antarctic (added bonus of being far away from probable radiation in a nuclear exchange situation) or to the coast of the Arctic ocean. Add in a oil, coal or gas field that was serviced by plane.
- Some juggling could be done to replace cold with radiation, if so replace sheep with goats if the climate is warmer/dryer.
- This is a fairly large community, if traders could reliably carried supplies, this type of livestock operation would be done on a smaller scale in multiple locations.
- The high lambing percentage and fast maturing ewes would mean the breeding animals have a fast turn over, reducing the effects of radiation on the flock as a whole.
- May support a microlight plane.
- Complicated ventilation/heat exchangers on the main barns.
- Consumes 2 hectares of trees as fire wood per year, harvested from a forest that has been killed by cold, harvested by machine,

Initial Resources
- Airport with a heated runway, well stocked fuel supply.
- Nearby city or industrial facilities to scavenge.
- TL 9 Farmers and farming equipment

Description
The rusty ice encrusted gates crunch open just enough for you to slip through and close quickly behind you. You stomp your way through the snow to the heatlock on the hangar doors. The wool and plastic lined hangar is full of machinery, straw, the sound of sheep and the all pervasive smell of ammonia. A sentry, wrapped up in a heavy homespun jersey sits in front of a cobbled together drone control control rig.

The view that the drone provides give you a good impression of Kingsport even though it is locked down for winter. The two huge hangars each big enough to hold three A490s, The retractable greenhouses, the multiple domes of the geodesic wintering barns and the snow blanketed fences marking out the fields and paddocks.

Livestock and Animals
- Sheep, Primarily Shetland, East Friesan and Merino all with TL9 genetics. During the short summer they are taken to distant pastures to feed on the grasses that survive the cold. The shepherds use dogs descended from huskies and heading dogs or huskies and huntaways to herd the sheep. The armed Shepherds usually carry gieger counters, GPS/radio tracking equipment, thermal optics and drones to assist them in managing their flock.
The TL 9 genetics provide the sheep with worm and parasite resistance, a high growth rate when food permits, cold tolerance and most ewes produce two lambs with high sexual dimorphism. Big fast growing rams and smaller ewes that are robust and ready to breed at a young age. The sheep live outside for 4 months of the year, on a indoor grazing rotation for 5 months and in pens for the coldest 3 months.
- Geese and Ducks, a blend of wild and domesticated genetics.
- Cats, to control vermin.
- Dogs, as mentioned above.

Crops
- Oats, descended from Fast growing GE strains.
- Cold resistant vegetables; Kales (including a fodder variety), colards, carrots, spinach, leeks, parsnips, turnips (including fodder), chard.

Seasons
Due to the short growing season there are three months of nonstop activity to get all the outdoor crops from planting to harvest. Kingsport relies on machinery modified to run on the Bio-Aviation fuel it has stockpiled to get this work done. The old material from the sheep pens is spread on fields to increase fertility and to provide some additional heat as it breaks down. Oats and fodder crops are planted in fields that have been left fallow. The retractable poly-carbonate greenhouses extend along a combination railway track/fence to provide warmth for a longer growing season as well as an indoor environment for the sheep to graze in. When the weather gets too savage the greenhouses are retracted to avoid damage and the animals would be moved to the triple glazed geodesic barn complex*. The runway heating system is also used to increase the length of the growing season, heat from solar and decomposition sources is used.

Machinery is also used to harvest as much firewood as possible, most of which would come from long dead forests.

The cold makes food storage easy and as a result every year when the sheep finish grazing outside not quite 2/3 are slaughtered and processed.

Lots of insulation (wool) and the careful use of solar energy to assist heating supplement the wood fires to heat critical areas.

Produce
- Meat, dairy products, wool, lanolin, fat, leather
- Oat derived products
- Alcohol
- Dogs
- Mechanical services
- Woolen clothes
- Long down time so some manufacture possible.
- Salt (or would have a large stockpile)
- "Ham" from mutton and other long lasting meat
- Fur from any "pest" animals that threatened the flocks

Require
- Additional Nitrates, the short growing season and fast growing crops would demand a great deal.
- Sulfur.
- Tools, machinery would be pushed to the limit for 3 months then repaired during the cold months.
- A greater range of seed.
- Entertainment, a long time spent indoors.
- Drone materials
- Will want another source of fuel
- May desire stimulants for the busy part of the year

Skills present
- Animal handling
- Vet
- Engineer
- Electronics
- Driving
- Piloting, drone
- Leadership, A high level of organization and planning is required for the "summer"

*See the "Eden Project" supposedly snow/cold resilient, upgraded to TL9

[(E)]

The Dalton Mountain fallout shelter
Description
While the residents of Dalton are a strange group to say the least they have managed to maintain the extensive food production systems that were installed in their facility just before the End. Traveling up to the concrete walls you see the signs of several failed crops. Inside it looks eerily similar to the faded photos advertising "Family Restaurants" from crumbling magazines.

Bunkertech Modular food production system

Notes
- These are attempts at biological closed systems so sooner or later various toxins will build up or deficiencies will become insurmountable.
- No system is perfect and there will be gradual loss somewhere.
- The larger and more complex a system the longer it will last
- They can greatly increase the endurance of a shelters food supply

The Bunkertech food production system is a series of relatively self contained machines that produce something resembling food. The are designed to supplement the stored food in a fallout shelter. They are also useful for producing vitamins and other compounds that do not have a long shelf life (Some key vitamins do not last longer than about 6 months). While Bunkertech make a range of self contained models there would be many other makes and models.

Algae farm
- Key components, tank full of water, some trace elements, light and algae.
- Produces, spirulina (TL 7)

Bunkertech Food(tm) Foundation Unit (TL 9 ish)
a self contained algae farm the size of standard refrigerator that produces up to six meal equivalents per day. In the smallest shelters this unit can act as the entirety of the food production system. It consists of a housing containing two water filled tanks each with an oscillator and light source. An air pump provides CO2 while a PH meter and thermometer ensures conditions stay optimal. A hopper full of the various trace elements needed to support the algae serves both tanks. The algae is automatically extracted and dried then extruded into the collection bowls. Typically there are two varieties of algae, spirulina (high in protein, carbohydrates and some vitamins) and a bulk "filler" algae that is less rich and more filling. The extruded product resembles animal feed pellets but can be moistened and reshaped. There are a wide range of packaged flavourings available. Oxygen is also produced.
Requirements
- Power, (though some models use sunlight to fuel the algae and solar power to run the other components)
- Clean water
- Nutrients, typically a powder
- Acidity regulators, Alkali conditions required
- Regular cleaning with chemical cleaners or a sterilizer. (weekly)
- Air, providing the CO2
- Starter algae
- Regular maintenance (once per month of use)
Produces
- three "Food(tm) units" per tank per day. A food unit of "filler" algae equals a meal (measured by calories and space only), a food unit of spirulina equals two days worth of vitamins and protein. (not a complete diet though).
- Oxygen

Bunkertech Food(tm) range
a selection of GE algae that are designed for different purposes, they are differentiated by colour for simplicity of use. Many other varieties may exist.
- Green, Spirulina
- White, "Filler"
- Red, Mycoprotein substrate
- Orange, Omnivorous animal food
- Brown, Ruminant animal food
- Bioluminescent, Lighting
- Grey, Soil conditioner
- Dark brown, Industrial uses
- Blue, fish food
- Off white, paper production.
- Purple, Contains gelatinous compounds (Laver)
- Yellow, oil rich
- Light brown, Sweet tasting but otherwise low food value.

Bunkertech Waste Reclamation unit
Produces some of the nutrients required for the Foundation (and other) units as well as drinkable water. Requires a moderate amount of power.

Bunkertech Food(tm) Auto-Chef
This unit is designed to further process the material from other units into a wider range of food like products. Simply fill the hoppers with the requisite raw materials, turn the dial to the desired meal and press the start button. A TV diner style tray will be filled with various recombined, molded, dyed, heated and artificially flavoured Food(tm).

Bunkertech Burger(tm) Unit
This is a self contained unit the size of a microwave houses a tube that is loaded with a nutrient rich growing medium or substrate dosed with spores for a GE fungus. When warmth and moisture are added the mushroom like fungus fills the entire tube and begins to grow out the open end. Once this growth extends eleven millimeters (half an inch) it is automatically sliced off leaving an exactly circular slab of meaty(tm) protein rich fungal matter. This is coloured and deposited in a small refrigerated compartment. The deluxe model has a small non stick cooking surface. The super deluxe model has a UV lamp that increases the vitamin D content. The Grand model has a selection of non cylindrical growing chambers so you can make square Burgers(tm). Several different Fungi have been developed for use in this unit.
Produces
- Two Burgers(tm) per day
Requires
- A small amount of power
- A small amount of water
- A prepackaged "burger" starter substrate or one Food unit of Red algae and spores every ten days.
- Monthly maintenance

Bunkertech Hotdog(tm) Unit
Works exactly like the Burger(tm) unit except it makes hot dogs

Bunkertech Fish(tm) Unit
This unit houses a tank that provides all the everything required to raise a close relative of the brine shrimp (SeaMonkey). It automatically extracts, colours and compresses the shrimp into a selected mold. Standard molds include "Cocktail Shrimp", "Cube", "Crisp" and "Fillet"
Produces
- Two Fish(tm) meals a week
Requires
- Starter
- One food unit of Blue Algae
- Monthly maintenance and cleaning

Bunkertech Desert(tm) Unit
This produces a range of Jelly like desert products
Produces
- two Deserts(tm) or Jelly Cubes(tm) per hour
Requires
- One Food(tm) unit of light brown algae
- One Food(tm) unit of Purple Algae

Bunkertech Notbutter(tm) Unit
This is a more complicated unit that extracts and refines the oil content from yellow algae.
Produces
-a small amount of almost margarine like product per hour. One stick
Requires
- One food unit of yellow algae
- A considerable amount of power

Bunkertech Production Backup Unit
This unit is used to create the "starters" used by other units. It processes live algae, fungi and shrimp into long life "starters". Care must be taken to avoid cross contamination, failure to do so will result in a mixed starter, for example Bioluminescent Algae could get mixed with a White Algae starter.
Requires
- A sample equivalent to one Food(tm) unit
- power
- relatively skilled user
Produces
- Several hundred "Starter"

Bunkertech Sterilizer Unit
This is a larger unit that is used for the sole purpose of cleaning the other (disassembled) units without the added requirement of cleaning chemicals.
Requires
- A moderate amount of Power

Bunkertech Lifepack(tm) Unit
This unit takes existing Food(tm) heat treats it and seals it in tough plastic packets for storage or transport. Some models also irradiate the food for greater shelf life.
Produces
- Long Life Food(tm)
Requires
- Power
- Rolls of Lifepack(tm) plastic sheet.

Bunkertech Bun(tm) Unit
Works like a bread maker, uses white algae pellets, NotButter(tm) and jelly Cubes(tm) to make a bread like product.
Requires
- One food(tm) unit of White Algae, one stick of NotButter(tm), one Jelly Cube(tm).
Produces
- Four Buns(tm)

Produces
- Long lasting food of reasonable nutritional value and good appearance that lacks any real flavour.
- Many useful algae starters that could be used on a larger scale
- Potentially could provide a solid biological foundation for long term agriculture.

Requires
- Knowledge of farming techniques
- More artificial flavourings

I'll probably think up more.
[Edit, here are some more, http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...postcount=310]

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by (E)

Bunkertech[/B] Modular food production system

I am totally stealing this the next time I run Fallout.

Bunkertech Bun(tm) Unit
Works like a bread maker, uses white algae pellets and ...

Soylent buns are made from people!

[(E)]

Bunkertech largely finished

Other ideas
- cabinet farms.
- homestead
- small scale
- mall
- full scale bunker food production
- nomads
- dry environment
- various TLS

Quite an interesting exercise, anyone else have any ideas or suggestions they want looked at? On a side note about half of the algae types exist already.

[jason taylor]

If this is an After-the-end game, perhaps "scavanger" can be an occupational template. Their job is to obtain what can be obtained from desolate places, and negotiate or fight with rivals of their kind for material. Because of their wider array of knowledge perhaps scavangers are often elected as settlement leaders.

[Minuteman37]

Originally Posted by (E)

Bunkertech largely finished

Other ideas
- cabinet farms.
- homestead
- small scale
- mall
- full scale bunker food production
- nomads
- dry environment
- various TLS

Quite an interesting exercise, anyone else have any ideas or suggestions they want looked at? On a side note about half of the algae types exist already.

Your Dalton Mountain fallout shelter is great and all, but I'd like a larger mature TL9 example to work from. The kind of shelter that's comfortable enough that I could have PCs be from it and treat them like people from before "The End" but in an after the end scenario set many years after "The End". Or for example make a campaign that's built around trying to find such a place and gain entrance becouse it's just that much better then the outside world.

I'm not sure just how extensive your expertise are, but it would also be great to have dedicated list of trade goods for the settlements. Like what kind of "cash crops" it can make or the tools it should be able to produce.

[AlexanderHowl]

The only problem with the farming town is that it would be impossible to wall in the farmland. If you are working on a TL 4 infrastructure, the highest level sustainable with such a small population, with TL 9 artifacts, you would need around one acre of cultivated land per person for maximum variety of diet (which is the sustainable level required for a non-Western diet). Careful management can increase carrying capacity to ten people per acre at TL4, but it requires massive inputs of manure, more than could be produced by a community of 100 people. You would probably also require an additional four acres per capita of coppiced woodlands to generate sufficient lumber and firewood, as well as mushrooms, for your people if they are facing an Ice Age environment.

The problem with a SALT facility is the power requirement. If you are pure vegetarian, you need a minimum of 2 GJ per day per capita to safely grow the plants to support the people. If you are omnivorous, you need a minimum of 20 GJ per day per capita to safely grow the plants that feed the animals that support the people. In the former case, you need a constant 4 MW of electricity for 100 people. In the latter case, you need a constant 40 MW of electricity for 100 people.

[Tallor]

Gonna be honest, I'm a massive fan of GURPS and I'm really lost with these traits and conditions.

Though I admit I haven't read After the End yet, which I assume is exactly what I should have done.

I suppose this is the sequel: Agricultralists Till Earth. :D

PS I too, will steal the hell out of this for a Fallout clone, if that's okay. :)