Gathering information

You sit in an inn, slowly sipping your drink and think about last ten days. You spend it on the road, going to the villages, seeking rumours about bandits.

{(INT 20 + D10) = 27 [Gao Xi]

Possible information to be obtained:

22-if the rumours are true. +

24-where they were +

26-approximate numbers +

28-characters of note-

30-exact numbers, equipment and location of bandits-}

{INT +30 exp}

And you confirmed that the rumours were true - there were bandits raiding the nearby villages. You even managed to pin the area they operated in. According to the rumours, there were about sixty bandits. That is all the information you managed to gather.

Then your thoughts go to your own soldiers

{(INT 20 + D10) = 25 [Gao Xi] vs difficulty 24}

{INT +20 exp}

In this time your troops used more than half of your supplies – as it goes you are left with 24 bags of grain.

Thankfully the morale stayed high, but it will not last long. The men follow you because they wish to fight if you will stay inactive too long the morale will lower. Then there is lack of proper weapons and armour that you must consider. And soon the lack of supplies will hit the morale of men hard. Before long you might find yourself without an army...

{Gao Xi's Volunteer Squad morale 30-1 = 29}

You might rally them to fight the bandits, even with lack of proper equipment, but that would be only if you managed to find the bandits quickly. Without a proper intelligence, it might take weeks to finally find them... not to mention that they could find your banner first and ambush your forces. Then there was a numeric superiority of bandits – of course, they could actually count less... but at the same time, they could have twice the number.

You sight. Without rations, you don't have the time, without the money you don't have the equipment, without the connections you don't have the support.

In that situation, you decided to

[A1]go after bandits. With some intelligence and a little luck, you will find them before the provisions run out.

[A2]leave the bandits business and join the volunteer army – you can't wait any longer.

[A3]spread rumors about evil of bandits in the area then look for unprepared rich convoy/traveling merchants to offer protective service as condottiere. Having intel on bandits' area, you help your client avoid such area and profit from it.

[A*]write in

[X*]additional decisions.