The Old Radio
You hear music. Actual music - not someone humming or banging on scrap percussion, but a recording. Tinny, warped, and coming from a junker's stall where a battered portable radio sits propped against a toolbox, crackling out a melody that ended seventy-seven years ago.
A small crowd has gathered, just listening. The junker hasn't noticed yet that his salvage pile contains something people will actually pay for.
Choices
- 1
Offer to buy the radio before the junker figures out what he has.
no requirementSuccessYou casually mention the radio and offer twenty caps. He shrugs - it's junk to him. You walk away with a piece of the old world that still works. For now.
FailureAnother buyer moves faster. A woman steps in with thirty caps and the junker takes her money before you can counter. The music fades as she carries it away.
- 2
Tell the junker what he's got. Honesty has a value too.
no requirementSuccessThe junker's eyes widen when he realizes the crowd isn't here for his scrap pile. He thanks you for the heads-up and sells the radio at a proper price. He tosses you a handful of caps for the tip.
FailureThe junker panics and snatches the radio off the display, convinced it must be priceless. He won't sell it to anyone now, and the crowd disperses, annoyed. Several of them shoot you dirty looks.
- 3
Examine the radio while pretending to browse. That model uses vacuum tubes - if it's still working, the components are worth more than the whole unit.
SuccessYou turn it over casually and spot what you expected: military-grade vacuum tubes, pre-war manufacture. These are impossible to replicate with current tech. You buy the radio for junk price and pocket the tubes - each one worth ten times what you paid.
FailureYou pick up the radio to examine it and the junker immediately gets suspicious. "Hey - careful with that! You break it, you buy it." He snatches it back and triples his asking price on the spot, convinced you've spotted something valuable. You have, but now you can't afford it.
UUID