LINE NOISE
News from Chez Diesel
16 October 1998


If you've been wondering about the absence of Our Illustrious Leader from Fed Data 
Space recently, it's because she's been struck by the dreaded Rigellian Green Plague 
and has been put in quarantine.

However, she's not been lying idle in her sickbed, she's been busy making Fed a much 
more dangerous place. A new version will go up on Tuesday, and Monty will start 
attacking people! So better make sure your ships are up to scratch - or stay on the 
ground!

Eventually, the intention is that Monty will go after the person with the highest reward 
(there will be ways to remove rewards - but they'll be expensive!) but until Bella is sure 
the code is working as it should, he will just cruise around and only attack people who 
are foolish enough to hang about in the same sector.

I am confident that this news will cause a large increase in the share-price of Jarrow 
Shipbuilders as you all rush out to buy heavily armoured ships!

A few minor changes over the last few weeks have included the bottle of 
WWOOOOOOSH - an object that you can give to a certain Doctor and obtain a small 
amount of groats - or use in a fashion that has an interesting, and useful result. You 
can work out what you should do with it yourself... but make sure you are carrying some 
clean underpants!

The Trading prices now fluctuate up to 30% above or below their base rates. This can 
mean extra-large profits but can also mean you sell at a lower price than you bought, if 
you are not careful.

Merchants can now check the price of any commodity, on any planet, while sitting in my 
place enjoying a pint of Diesel's Old Peculiar. This makes coping with the changing 
prices a little easier.

The ability to check prices will be the only privilege Merchants gain. Giving jobs out to 
Poor People will have to wait until you are a Journeyperson (a desperate attempt by 
Our Illustrious Leader to keep the game slightly ahead of the players!)

There have been wild rumours flying around about what the requirements for 
Journeyperson will be - there's been talk of increasing your stats to 75/75/75/75, or 
perhaps something to do with how many rounds you've bought. The confusion wasn't 
helped by Bella, who was playing decidedly dumb on this subject.

However, after plying her with generous measures of Rigellian Green Chilli Vodka, I 
managed to find out a little more information.

You'll have to solve a very complex puzzle, for which you will need strength and 
dexterity of about 70-75. You will also need the cooperation of one of each of the ranks 
below you (with the exception of GroundHog). Now we'll see who has made the most 
friends!

The puzzle will go in in about a fortnight... I'll try and find some more information before 
then.

But if you think getting the lower orders to help you out sounds tricky, Bella also let slip 
that to get from Journeyperson to Guild Master, you will need the vote of five other 
Journeypeople! I can see very large bribes changing hands at that point!

One person who may have a little trouble getting Traders to help him out is Omi. He 
and Zugger are still not on speaking terms, and he has now managed to annoy Hawk 
and Spacehound - I don't know all the details (and I don't think I want to!) but it looks 
like THE ALLIANCE is now gunning for the Junior Merchant!

Don't forget to mailbox me with any juicy gossip, or you can pass messages via my 
sidekick Pugwash (the Sexiest Merchant).

And don't forget that next weekend is ADVENTURE 88 in Sutton, where Pugwash and 
Pegasus will be helping (!) Our Illustrious Leader demonstrate Fed to the assembled 
masses. If it is as good as last year's convention, it will be great fun so do try to come 
along.

If you can't make that, I look forward to seeing you all at the next Fed Meet which will 
be on Saturday 19 November at the Commodore Show.

See you there!