Freelancing Guide

Freelancing: A Guide

So rather than just monologing for hours at a time with no real kick off or challenge to it, I figured I would write this up to help people better "acquire" the freelancing items and thus have relevant logs to turn in. You don't HAVE to use this technique, but it's encouraged for play and for gain.

So firstly let's start on obtaining the goods, whether it be materials or consumables.

CONSUMABLES

HUNTING
Let's go with hunting first! Hunting is a huge commodity. The hunting skill will help you figure out what you can hunt, and how you can do it.
Here it is:
Hunting/Trapping (Any Class)
Novice - able to set a simple snare
Apprentice - able to set simple snares and traps and hunt down smaller prey.
Journeyman - Able to set most snares and trap and able to hunt down medium sized prey.
Expert - able to set intricate traps and work hunt down larger prey, nearly bear sized.
Master - knows the way prey thinks and can hunt and trap nearly any form of creature given the right circumstance.

SNARES/TRAPS
So you set some snares.. For this, you want rope. You can either have the unranked skill of weaving to make rope, or easier, you can go to the GS and purchase rope. You can set about 6 snares in an hour feasibly, as the setting and traveling the distance would take about 10mins each.

So you play out setting the snares. The next day, or in a few hours, you check them.
!r 1d6
Des will roll a six-sided dice. The die will tell you how many of your snares have caught something.
!choose Small Small Small Small Small Medium Medium Medium Medium Large
That will determine the size/type of critter. Roll that after each post of checking the snares that caught something.

Then you have your game! From there, you can collect your capture. Keep in mind that snares and traps themselves are not meant for "Huge" game like bears. The largest thing you'd be able to get with a snare is a deer or coyote or fox, on the smaller size.

You can sell your game, or get a Butcher to cut it for you, or a Leatherworker to make the hide. You can possibly do all of the above by having the game tended to by different workers then selling off what you want to either a person or a shop.

HUNTING DOWN PREY
Having the Tracking skill or even Hunting Dogs from the GS can help with this, especially for roleplay wise. If you have hunting dogs or tracking, then if you get "ItGetsAway" re-roll to see if the trail can be picked up again.
Apprentice:
!r 1d3 (Odd number, you can track something in that area)
!choose Small Small ItGetsAway
Journeyman:
!r 1d5 (Odd number, you can track something in that area)
!choose Small Small ItGetsAway Small Medium
Expert:
!r 1d7 (Odd number, you can track something in that area)
!choose Small Small ItGetsAway Small Medium Medium Large
Master:
!r 1d9 (Odd number, you can track something in that area)
!choose Small Small Small Small Medium Medium Medium Large Large Huge

When you tracked your prey and want to kill it:
!qdice
If you miss, you miss. If you hit it, yay.
Small: One hit
Medium: Two hits
Large: Three hits
Huge: Four hits

Prey:
Small: Rabbit, squirrel, quail, duck, goose, small "mediums" etc..
Medium: Large Rabbit, skunk, raccoon, fawn, fox, porcupine, owl etc..
Large: Doe, Buck, wolf, coyote, bear cub etc..
Huge: Big Wolf, Bear, Moose, Elk etc..

If you can't track something in that area, move to a new area. Make sure you have a means of carrying your prey and be sure to play out hunting it down, and of course, actually killing it. The more detail, the better. Below is a rough, quick example.

EXAMPLE:
* Lumio wanders through the forest in search of prey.
<+Lumio-Bazaar> !r 1d3
<@Desdaemona> Lumio-Bazaar rolls for 1 dice at 3 sides per die: 1 Result: 1
* Lumio finds some tracks in the thicket and decides to follow them, stalking along silently.
<+Lumio-Bazaar> !choose Small Small ItGetsAway
<@Desdaemona> I choose "Small" from the 3 options supplied by Lumio-Bazaar
* Lumio perks his ears as he comes across a rabbit away from its burrow. He readies his spear, then throws it at the rabbit.
<+Lumio-Bazaar> !qdice
<@Desdaemona> Lumio-Bazaar (Lumio) uses Quest Dice against a target of 6 and gets a 7, hitting for 9 damage
* Lumio smiles as the spear hits its target, skewering the rabbit in the side. He moves to collect his prize.


FISHING

While fishing is an Unranked skill (currently) it allows you to gain fish for sale and other uses. As a fisherman, actual fishing can take hours to maybe get a bite. But good thing this is a fantasy game!
!r 1d6
Des will roll a six-sided dice. The die will tell you how many dice to roll to decide your catch. For this sake, let's say you roll a six..
!r 1d6
1: Nothing
2: Not a Fish! (Frog, Turtle, Muskrat)
3: Tiny (1/2lb)
4: Small (1lb)
5: Medium (5lb)
6: Large (10lb)

2
!choose Frog Turtle Muskrat

3-6
!r 1d5
1: Panfish
2: Cod
3: Trout
4: Catfish
5: Salmon


Prices
Catfish {Chunked, Filleted, Whole or Nuggets}
2mhl/lb -id 1311
Trout
2mhl/lb -id 1312
Panfish
1mhl/lb -id 1313
Cod
2mhl/lb -id 1314
Salmon
3mhl/lb -id 1315
Muskrat 3mhl -id 1306
Frog 1mhl -id 1309
Turtle 1mhl -id 1310

One and Two equal no fish. This makes it a bit more realistic when it comes to the odds. While the second roll will decide the size of your catch, the type of fish will depend on your location. If not at the sea, you won't catch salt water fish or crabs. No lobster unless at salt water.

If using a net:
!r 1d10
Des will roll a ten-sided dice. The number rolled will determine how many times you roll !r 1d6 to check that size of your catches. This allows you to potentially get more catches with a net than a pole. !r 1d5 To check fish type.

PRODUCE/FARMING

This is a little easier. You need to own a plot of land for this, or be farming another person's with permission. You can get one from the REB for a range of prices depending on the acreage. When you do the planting IC, start a freelance worklog and reply to it when you plant things, so you have the date. You may also want to include the date of when your crops will be ready. Post time to time watering the plants and weeding them, and record that in your log. I suggest watering and weeding once every week.

Growing Rates:
Root Crops; 5 weeks RL time or 2 weeks Game time played.
Perennial Vegetables (Asparagus, onions, rhubarb, etc); From flowering to being edible 3 Months RL or 4 weeks Game time played
Grain Crops (Corn, Wheat, Amaranth): 5 months RL or 8 weeks Game time played.
Fruit Trees: from seed to fruit bearing - 2 yrs RL or 24 weeks Game time played, from flowering to fruit, 6 weeks game time played.
Grapes or Vine Crops (Grapes, etc): 6 months RL or 12 weeks Game time played.

So now your plants have been cared for, and they're ready for harvest. Make sure you post harvesting, and your total produce from the harvest. From that date, you can count on your produce being ready again next.

1 acre yield 183 bushels of corn, 56lbs of corn in a bushel.
1 acre yields 100 bushels of wheat, 60lbs of wheat in a bushel.
1 acre yields 300 bushels of apples, pears and citrus, 56lbs of fruit in a bushel.
1 acre yields 400 vines in a vineyard
1 mature grape vine yields 10lbs of fruit.
1 bushel of fruit yields 7 quarts preserves
1 bushel of wheat yields 60 lbs of whole-wheat flour
1 bushel of shelled corn yields 40 lbs of corn flour
1 bottle of wine equates to 2.75lbs of grapes
1/2 Ton of grapes equates to 1 Barrel of Wine.
1 acre of grapes equates to 800 gallons of wine.
1 Barrel equates to 360 bottles
1 Barrel equates to 30 cases
1 bushel of fruit equates to 56lbs of fruit
1 tree can produce up to 20 bushels
1 bushel equates to 7 quarts cooked fruit

So by using the above, you can figure exactly how much you've harvested and even what you can do with your produce through other skills.. and how much you can sell them to other people for.

RANCHING

Ranching deals with raising livestock for sale, meat and profit from what they produce. Just remember to post your daily collection when you want to do the sales. Having the animals doesn't automatically guarantee eggs or items from them.. except for breeding. Please do not post detailed logs of that.

Cows
1 Cow produces 8 Gallons of Milk a day
1 gallon of milk makes 1lb of cheese

Sheep/Lambs/Goats
1 medium sized sheep produces up to 30lbs of wool annually.

Chickens and Ducks
1 adult chicken or duck lays 1 egg a day
1 egg takes 2 weeks to hatch
Roll: !choose Medium Large ExtraLarge Jumbo

Prices
Chicken Eggs {Brown or White}
Medium Dozen: 3mhl -id 1348
Large Dozen: 5mhl -id 1349
Ex Large Dozen: 7mhl -id 1350
Jumbo Dozen: 9mhl -id 1351

Meats
Whole Turkey 3mhl -id 1297
Whole Chicken 2mhl -id 1298
Whole Duck 4mhl -id 1299
Whole Goose 4mhl -id 1300
Whole Pheasant 4mhl -id 1301

Live (GS for payout [getting the animal via breeding] or sell them 1/2 of what they sell them for)
Chicken (#903) Sales: 10mhl
Duck (#904) Sales: 10mhl


Breeding

Maturing Rates:
Large Mammals 2 Years RL or 6 Months Game time played.
Medium and Small Mammals 1 Year RL or 3 Months Game time played.
Birds (chickens, ducks) 20 weeks or 1 month game time played

Gestation Rates:
Large Mammals (Horses, Cows, Oxen) 10 months RL or 3 Months Game time played.
Medium Mammals (sheep, goats, etc) 5-6 Months RL or 2 months Game time played.
Small Mammals (cats, dogs, etc) 2-3 months RL or 3 weeks Game time played.
Birds have an egg gestational rate of 21-30 days RL or 2 weeks Game time played.

If you don't have a stud animal, you can either find another player with one and use their's, or pay a stud fee from the General Store. The stud fee gets your animal pregnant, but does not give you the stud.

Stud fees for breed-stock farm animals. This price is per animal bred.
Horse - 20 mhl
Chicken - 1 mhl
Cow - 10 mhl
Goat - 7 mhl
Ox - 20 mhl
Pig - 7 mhl
Sheep - 7 mhl

Payout
Live (GS for payout [getting the animal via breeding] or sell them 1/2 of what they sell them for)


MATERIALS

Now before crafting, materials are needed. Getting materials comes pretty easily, but make sure you have a few things first. if gathering herbs, rocks, small sticks, you'll want a bag or basket. If gathering logs, you'll want a sled for pulling them, or a horse, and an axe for cutting. These are the relevant skills for such a task:

Foraging (Know where things grow: Algae, herbs, mushrooms, moss etc..)
Gathering (Know where to get shells, bone for carving, rocks for carving, wood for carving etc..)
Mining (For Ingots and Clay, and the occasional Gem)
Spelunking (For Rocks, Crystals and the occasional Gem)

Now since these are unranked skills, the system for them will be similar to the fish.
!r 1d6
The above roll will determine if you are successful in a find. 1-3 No, 4-6 Yes
!r 1d6
The above roll will then determine what you've found.
1: One Common item
2: Three Common items
3: Three Common items and an Uncommon item
4: Two Uncommon items and an Unique Item
5: Three Uncommon items and two Unique Items
6: One Rare item or Four Uncommon items and three Unique items

Common items: Rock, Wood, Clay, Moss, Metal Flake
Uncommon items: Copper or Tin Ingots, Quality Wood, Quality Rock, Minor Gem
Unique items: Gem, Unique Wood, Unique Rock, Quartz Crystal, Silver or Gold Ingots
Rare: Exceptional Gem, Mithril Ingot, Fossilized Wood, Mushroom/Plant

Other materials are gotten by either other skills or buying base-items. You'll need the skills to transform it into something though.
Leather Item: Leather Strip or Square from Animal Hide, Dyes, must have Leatherworking Skill (Can hunt or buy the animal, or the leather)
Metal Item: Ingots, may be bought or mined.
Clay Item: Clay, Powder, Sand and/or Gravel.. Glaze, Metal Flake (Can be bought or gathered or mined)
Glass Item: Er... working on that based off another suggestion of mine...
Bone Item: Bone from animal, must have carving/whittling skill. (example: Bone comb)
Wooden Item: Wood.. bought or gathered.
Dye: Plants, herbs, berries, powders, water for liquid.. Need a mortar and pestle, dye-making skill. Can buy or gather materials.
Twine/Rope/Yarn: Buy it or make it with the Weaving Skill and some bark strip/grass or animal hair.


THE PAYOUT
Now, you're probably wondering what sort of mhl you're going to make here. Truth is, you'll probably be better off selling your items to other characters rather than she shops. You can haggle of course, and that skill should be taken into account by anyone buying from you so long as you have it. You should also take into account if others have it. In freelancing, you generally set your own price for things. There are guidelines to follow, namely so people don't get ripped off on either side, and so no one sells a bottle of air for 1,000,000 mhl or something else ridiculous. If you don't want the OPs toying with the freelancing system, don't abuse it.

To get a "shopitem" either from your crafting, animal breeding, or otherwise, present your logs and proof to the manager of the shop that would normally sell that item. They should be able to OOCly sell you the item for either 1mhl or 0mhl. Then you have the item to do with what you please.

Artisans/Crafters will often be tipped for their work beyond just selling the item itself. If you want more mhl for the item, come up with a fanciful description that the other player can use. There's a difference between "a beautiful swan statue" and "a beautiful swan carved of marble, sanded smooth with intricate detail to every feather. The sweeping neck would look fragile but due to the quality of material and work, it would be quite sturdy and not a weakness to the piece" and the more effort YOU show, the more likely you are to be rewarded for it. This is especially common with custom items. Most often, the character is getting paid for the player's creativity. For those who want to cheat-sheet this, I suggest looking at the item's worth on the MB, and adding a percentage to it based on your Craft rank, so 1 rank is 10%, and the percentage is your labor. Please note that this only works for selling to other characters. Selling to a shop reduces the worth by half of what they sell the item for.
You can get the "shopitem" only by in log destroying materials used to make the item. And in front of the manager you need to destroy the materials and show the snip of it as proof. As an example, a sculpted statue will use clay. To get the "shopitem" statue, you'd have to destroy your "clay shopitem" in Des and c/p it to show the manager before they will give the "shopitem". If you've gotten the clay from gathering or mining, you need only show the log that proves you have the material.
Items and Materials (remember, there are tools and kits you need too)
Leather Item: Leather Strip or Square from Animal Hide, Dyes (Can hunt or buy the animal, or the leather)
Metal Item: Ingots, may be bought or mined.
Clay Item: Clay, Powder, Sand and/or Gravel.. Glaze, Metal Flake (Can be bought or gathered or mined)
Glass Item: Er... working on that based off another suggestion of mine...
Crystal Item: Quartz, crystal, mined or bought.. (example: Chandelier)
Bone Item: Bone from animal, must have carving/whittling skill. (example: Bone comb)
Wooden Item: Wood.. bought or gathered.
Dye: Plants, herbs, berries, powders, water for liquid.. Need a mortar and pestle, dye-making skill. Can buy or gather materials.

Entertainers are another sort... If freelancing this, you get paid only by other players. Your best bet is to set an hourly rate or performance rate based on your skills and ranks, like 10mhl per hour for a Novice or Unranked, and have it go up per skill used in your act. You can get hired that way from the Message Board or just IC. You can also entertain for tips at the Inn or Town. If hired by a shop, you may get away with entertaining for tips while working. You get what other characters feel you deserve. This can be anything from one copper and a rape, to 500mhl for an outstanding performance. (It's happened!) So make sure you actually roleplay out what you do. Don't just post links from youtube. If there's lyrics, have your character SING them by typing them out in soooong format and throw some hip action into it. You'll be paid based on your creativity most likely. When in doubt, announce in OOC that you're going to play your character in the Inn/Town for tips and a show. Then play. But don't do repetitive posts. Two or three will work throughout your playtime. You can also freelance by being hired for events! Pay is up to who hires you, but it's lots of fun!

Cooks can freelance by buying raw foods and well.. cooking them! They can sell them in the market or give out samples of their dishes to try and get a more stable job and income. The best way to price it is to go by the Inn's Menu and Bazaar's Prices for raw foods. You can also freelance by being hired for events! That works wonderfully, since you need only RP cooking and being there to watch your meals be served usually.

Ranchers/Breeders can sell their live animals to other players and make a good profit. They can even charge a little more if the breed stock is good or if the animal is special, such as by winning IC tournaments and competitions. If selling a live animal to a shop, it will have to be the General Store, and you'll get HALF of what they sell that animal for.
But, let's say you're not into that. Let's say you're a hunter. You want to get the most of your catch. Rather than sell to an individual, let's say you sell to a store. You'll need a person who can handle it, usually a manager or assistant manager. If you're selling to the Inn, they may only pay for the meat. If you sell to the Bazaar, they'll buy hides and meat. If you sell to the MMR, they may only want the hides. Keep your client in mind.

So, you have a deer. Check the site for prices and materials.. and if need be, look online for help.

How about the meat? Keep in mind, the Shop Meat Prices are based off of being masterfully butchered and pay rate for the employees as well as convenience.
Here's a little cheat-sheet to help:
Small - 2mhl (Whole, including hide)
Medium - 3mhl (Whole, including hide)
Large - 50mhl (Whole, including hide)
Huge - 100mhl (Whole, including hide)

You can get more by breaking this down.
* Figure out what animal you caught in the right size category by using !choose (and put here the animal options) Then IF large or huge research the AVERAGE amount of meat from it. Then you can see approximately how many pounds of meat are on the animal. You'll get 1mhl per lb from the Bazaar.
* Get the hides removed and cured to maximize the value (Leatherworking) and you can sell cured hides to the Bazaar for 1/2 the cost they sell them for.
* If a Butcher, you will get 10% more coin for butchered meat per skill rank.

Breakdown example:
So, you have a deer.
How about the meat? I had to look online for the average weight.
Meat Yields (In Pounds)
Animal          Weight  Meat    Waste   %Meat
Lamb             50      40      10      80%
Hog              240     189     51      79%
Black Angus      600     438     162     73%
Holstein Steer   900     513     387     57%
Mature Buck      180     72      108     40%
We'll go with "Meat" for the weight. A mature buck has on average 72lbs of meat. Now, you won't get multiple roasts or a dozen steaks. Instead, we'll go with "stew meat" as it encompasses all of the meat area and is the average price of the meat parts. Unless you're a butcher, this is what you'll get. Butchers will get more for their fine cuts and time and effort put into refining the meat. Remember, you need logs.
MB's price: Venison Stew Meat 1mhl/lb
So that's 72mhl for the deer, not including what you may get for the hide.
For the Large Hide at the Bazaar it's 10mhl, so you'll get 5mhl for the cured hide, 2mhl for uncured hide.
In short, if you put the extra work in, you'll get the extra mhl for it.