Monster Hunting

“Would I ever want to settle down in Bastion? No. Not for a long time, anyway. Sure, it would be safer to stick around in the city… raise a family… live vicariously through Arena competitors. But I’ve already got a family out here, you know? And believe me when I say that there is nothing in this world that compares to the thrill of a good hunt.”
- Springbar, Hunter, interviewed for Ultimate Careers: A Guide for Young People.

A gang of masked individuals hoot and cheer from atop armoured vehicles as they speed out into the desert, stirring up thick clouds of dust behind them. A catlike scout slinks into the shadows as a hulking Monster passes by; unfazed, they slowly release a held breath and move to follow it. Two figures swing down from a clifftop in tandem, traversing an elaborate network of ropes with breathtaking grace.

Far from the safety of Bastion, wild Monsters roam the Wasteland. Most people brave enough to venture this far give them a wide berth, but Hunters are not like most people.

Since working alone in the Wasteland is extremely dangerous, many Hunters choose to work in small groups alongside other Hunters, engineers and Monsterologists. More ambitious Hunters who prove themselves worthy may instead attempt to scale the ranks of larger hunting organisations, with the associated money and prestige acting as an acceptable substitute for the sense of family common in smaller groups.

Some of the hunting organisations that you may come across in and around the Arena are described below.

(OC Note: You may, if you wish, choose to start the game as part of an existing hunting organisation. However, this does not mean that your organisation is guaranteed to provide you with resources, and you will be unable to start the game as a high-ranking member of either of the organisations listed below.)

“Salt & Wound regret to inform you that your request of a “poison-breathing, fire-spitting, winged behemoth” could not be fulfilled. They hope that you are satisfied with the substitute and encourage you to contact them in person should you have any complaints.”
- A delivery note sent with a poison-breathing, fire-resistant behemoth. Records suggest that the buyer did not choose to file a complaint.

Named after its two founding (and currently leading) members, Salt & Wound is known as the largest hunting organisation in the world. Their prices may be high, but they deliver a consistently high-quality service to competitors and Network Executives alike.

It would be easy to assume that their efficiency came at the loss of their passion for hunting, but the crowds that gather at a distance to watch them at work say otherwise. Hunters affiliated with Salt & Wound will often attend League Conferences to stir up enthusiasm for the next big hunt – and, it is rumoured, to scout for prospective new Hunters.

“HELL YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
- Quote attributed to an unknown Nimrod, last seen driving at 80mph towards her quarry.

A small organisation which has been drawing more attention in recent years for the daring and captivating stunts performed by its members during hunts. If the goal of this was to increase business, the Nimrods were certainly successful; more and more Arena competitors are now turning to them for Monster sales, seemingly drawn to both their enthusiasm and their affordable prices.

“Ultimate Ventures? My friend just came back from an expedition with them! Said he was scared half to death when he saw a bunch of Wastelanders on the hills either side… they didn't even go near him though. Apparently they knew the expedition leader, so they just stood back and watched the convoy go past.”
- Dishrag, Arena bartender.

Founded and currently owned by Flair of Creative Acquisition, Ultimate Ventures organises Wasteland expeditions, allowing Monster Hunters, archaeologists and explorers alike to travel safely outside Bastion… or as safe as anyone can possibly be in the Wasteland.

“If you want to hunt a Monster, you generally need to understand it first. That’s where the hired Monsterologists come in. Or, if you can’t afford one of those, you could always just invest in a tonne of weaponry. That works too.”
- Snare, retired Hunter.

It is recommended that new Hunters follow precedents set by decades of past Hunters – while creative applications of traps and technology can be fun to watch, they do sometimes go horribly, horribly wrong.

With that said, there are plenty of roles available for Hunters with a variety of skillsets, including stealth-based tracking, brutal Wasteland beatdowns, careful trap-rigging and clever uses of lures. Below are some common strategies for hunting, any number of which may be used in a given hunt:

Sometimes Hunters will need to engage in spontaneous Monster chases; after all, you can’t prepare for everything! But when you can prepare for a hunt, it tends to make things a lot easier.

Firstly, it helps to be familiar with the territory that a specific Monster is likely to live in. For example, an ice-breathing Monster is likely to live in colder regions, while a burrowing Monster will probably make its home in a sandy or grassland region. It is also common knowledge that the further out you go, the scarier (and therefore more awesome) the Monsters get – any Monster that can survive the inhospitable lands far from Bastion is likely to have some kind of advantage when it comes to battling! Skilled trackers and behavioural experts may use their knowledge of the world to locate interesting Monsters with similar environmental attributes. Socially-skilled Hunters may use their talents to persuade, bribe or threaten the inhabitants of the Wasteland for information about local Monsters.

The stealthiest Hunters may prepare for difficult hunts by observing the target Monster in its natural habitat. Where and when does it sleep? What does it eat? Are there any regular patterns of behaviour that would make it more susceptible to an ambush, or would engaging it head-on be a better approach? The answers to these questions usually make the hunt itself run more smoothly… if the scout survives long enough to make it back to their group.

Traps are a valuable tool in a Hunter’s arsenal; being able to limit your target’s movement makes it far easier to subdue and transport back to civilisation. Depending on the type of Monster being targeted, different types of traps may be more or less effective. A simple pit trap won’t pose much of a challenge for a Monster with an impressively high leap and trying to catch a gaseous Monster in anything other than a sealed container will not go particularly well.

Some examples of useful traps include:

• Metal leg traps
• Weighted nets dropped from above
• Deep, camouflaged pits
• Cages stocked with appetising bait
• Archaeotech powered tripwires

If your target Monster is too unpredictable to trap or has a physical weakness that would make it easier to fight, it may be possible for a Hunter to simply beat it into submission. Large, well-trained Monsters often accompany packs of Hunters as they scour the Wasteland, acting as powerful tools when fighting a wild Monster.

Other weaponry may also be used to subdue a Monster – hunting vehicles will usually be well-stocked with harpoons, caltrops, rifles and spears, as well as powerful offensive Archaeotech such as stun guns and temporarily blinding lasers.

“Oh, what’s that? Your trap backfired? That’s a real shame, Marsh. A real shame indeed.”
- Vipertooth, rival of Marsh.

Who owns a captured Monster? Usually, it’s whichever group managed to put a collar on it first. But for the foolish Hunters who work alone or in very small groups, the owner of the Monster that they just felled often ends up being the thief who points a gun at them and says “Mine now.”

A trapped Monster may be shot from a distance so that the triumphant Hunters can’t take it back alive. Archaeotech equipment may be overcharged so that a stun gun becomes a lethal weapon or sabotaged so that a powered tripwire barely causes a Monster to stumble. When dangerous Monsters are so valuable, betrayal, sabotage and theft become commonplace practices. Outwitting your competition is just part of the thrill of hunting.