Before day 21
From day 18 the rats are in the house: 2 arrive every 2 hours up to 6 at once, each stays 12 to 24 hours, and one bolts 70% of the time when you come within 2 metres. Catch 8 before day 21: it pays +10 Morale and 5 survival points, and it is what keeps day 52 quiet.
The rats got away, and it is before day 51
Day 52 will add Outbreak Worsening and Outbreak: Nausea, and nothing between now and then undoes that. Stock 6 doses of Fever Meds Meds Life -10 500 g 1×1 cells $100 100 d shelf life Fever Reducing , Meds are suppressing your fever. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Removes High Temperature and Fever statuses. During disease outbreaks, suppresses symptoms for 12 hours. Removes 10 Life upon use. , or of Antibiotics Meds Life -10 500 g 1×1 cells $250 100 d shelf life Fever Reducing , Meds are suppressing your fever. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Anti-Infection , Antibiotics are suppressing your infection. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Removes Vomiting, Fever, and Severely Infected statuses. During disease outbreaks, suppresses symptoms and deterioration for 12 hours and relieves nausea. Removes 10 Life upon use. , which also removes Outbreak: Nausea for 150 dollars more a dose, and plan the outbreak days indoors: the vomiting interrupts whatever you are doing, so a scavenging trip on those days is a trip cut short.
The outbreak is on
Take a dose of Fever Meds Meds Life -10 500 g 1×1 cells $100 100 d shelf life Fever Reducing , Meds are suppressing your fever. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Removes High Temperature and Fever statuses. During disease outbreaks, suppresses symptoms for 12 hours. Removes 10 Life upon use. every 12 hours: while it holds the drain stops and the caps on Max Satiety, Morale and Stamina lift by 10, which on an unworsened outbreak cancels them and on a worsened one halves them. Do not dose on the last night: day 54 clears the outbreak and the medicine’s effect together, so a dose taken late on day 53 is money spent on hours the outbreak does not reach.
Open the crises list The outbreak and the rat infestation on the crisis calendar, with every other crisis around them and what each end pays.
The two crises, and the tag between them
| Crisis | Starts | Ends | What it asks | What its end pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat Infestation | from day 18 | day 21, or the moment the task is done | Catch 8 mice: +10 Morale, 5 survival points | nothing; it subsides on its own |
| Outbreak | day 50, "Feeling Unwell"; the effects land on day 51 | day 54 | nothing | +20 Morale, 8 survival points, 2 Planning Points, Scrap Metal, Waste Plastic, Wire, Cold Cuts, Marinated Eggs |
The rats decide the outbreak. Catching the 8 marks the infestation eliminated; letting it run to day 21 marks it ignored, and the worsening on day 52 fires only on that mark. There is no third option.
What the outbreak does
| Effect | From | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Disease Outbreak | day 51 | Lose 1 Satiety and 1 Morale every 2 hours. Stamina recovery -20%, Morale recovery -10%. Max Satiety/Morale/Stamina -10 until the outbreak ends. |
| Outbreak: Upset Stomach | day 51 | 40% chance of being forced to run to the toilet once every 8 hours, interrupting current actions. This effect lasts until the outbreak ends. |
| Outbreak Worsening | day 52 at 8:00, rats left | The contamination left by the rat infestation has made the outbreak even more severe. Lose an additional 2 Satiety and 2 Morale every 2 hours. Stamina recovery -20%, Morale recovery -20%. Max Satiety/Morale/Stamina reduced by another 10 until the outbreak ends. |
| Outbreak: Nausea | day 52 at 8:00, rats left | 40% chance to vomit once every 8 hours, which will interrupt current actions. Lasts until the outbreak ends. |
Read the drain against the days. Disease Outbreak alone is 12 Satiety and 12 Morale a day; with Outbreak Worsening it is 36 of each from 8:00 on day 52. Over the 3 days from day 51 to day 54 that is 36 against 76 of each stat, on top of the caps, before the ordinary clock.
The medicine
| Medicine | Price | Applies | Holds | Lifts the caps by | Also removes | Costs you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fever Meds | $100 | Fever Reducing | 12 h | +10 | none of the outbreak effects | 10 Life |
| Antibiotics | $250 | Fever Reducing, Anti-Infection | 12 h | +10 | Outbreak: Nausea | 10 Life |
Both medicines’ effects say the same thing: "Meds are suppressing your fever. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours." A dose is 12 hours of no drain and 10 back on each of the three caps, not a cure; the interruptions stay. Antibiotics is the only one that removes Outbreak: Nausea, so on a worsened outbreak it does two jobs for its price. Day 54 clears the medicine’s effect along with the outbreak, so the last dose worth taking is the one that runs out before then.
What to do
- From day 18, stay in the house long enough to catch 8 mice before day 21. Trapping and bait has what the same rats are worth as prey the rest of the run.
- Buy 6 Fever Meds Meds Life -10 500 g 1×1 cells $100 100 d shelf life Fever Reducing , Meds are suppressing your fever. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Removes High Temperature and Fever statuses. During disease outbreaks, suppresses symptoms for 12 hours. Removes 10 Life upon use. before day 51; add Antibiotics Meds Life -10 500 g 1×1 cells $250 100 d shelf life Fever Reducing , Meds are suppressing your fever. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Anti-Infection , Antibiotics are suppressing your infection. No attribute loss from the outbreak for 12 hours. Removes Vomiting, Fever, and Severely Infected statuses. During disease outbreaks, suppresses symptoms and deterioration for 12 hours and relieves nausea. Removes 10 Life upon use. only if the rats got away.
- Dose every 12 hours from day 51, and stop before day 54.
- Keep the outbreak days indoors if it worsened; the interruptions cut trips short.
- Collect the end: +20 Morale, 8 survival points, 2 Planning Points and 5 items arrive on day 54 on their own.
Quick reference
- The lever: catch 8 mice, day 18 to day 21.
- The outbreak: day 51 to day 54; worsens on day 52 only if the rats were left.
- The drain: 12 Satiety and Morale a day, or 36 worsened from 8:00 on day 52, plus caps of 10 or 20 on three stats; a dose lifts them by 10.
- The medicine: Fever Meds ($100) or Antibiotics ($250), 12 hours a dose.
- The end pays: +20 Morale, 8 survival points, 2 Planning Points, Scrap Metal, Waste Plastic, Wire, Cold Cuts, Marinated Eggs.