Obsidian Mining

[Rindan]

I always assumed that obsidian mining involved taking something that looked roughly like a stone pick or hammer, and whacking away at a deposit until something cracked and broke off.  I looked at a glass hacker today with a little attention to detail the other day, and now I am not entirely sure.  

A distinctly sharpened stone head has been lashed to a long bone with strips of red hide, forming the tool known as a glasshacker among southern miners.  Aptly named, the glasshacker lends itself to obsidian and glass mining where portable quantities of the stuff must be hewn out of large, fused deposits.  The head of the contraption is hooked slightly, and its edge has been chipped down into small teeth.    On the reverse side, the stone broadens into a wedge, and could be used to hack earth or soft stone.

The description mentions "teeth" on the hacker, which leads me to believe that perhaps you do some sawing to try and get stuff free?  How do people obsidian mine?

[Morrolan]

"Teeth" can also refer to a serrated chisel-point.  Not for sawing, but striking.  Thus, I agree with your initial impression.

[Bushranger]

Exactly as Morrolan says, teeth can aid in chipping away the obsidian by focusing the power of a strike into a much smaller area. Simple physics ftw!

[Dynnage]

I think the edge is serrated to help channel the force across the stricken area, as Bushranger already pointed out.

[Malken]

Obsidian mining involves three steps:

1) Glasshacking + Deposit

2)

3) 1000 'sids an hour.

[Mood]

Obsidian mining involves three steps:

1) Glasshacking + Deposit

2)

3) 1000 'sids an hour.

Decent endurance, strength, gear, and a mount help as well.

[Throttle]

You know they all just rest in the ranch anyway.

[Tuannon]

I pictured a glass hacker as some kind of mattock/rake combination for breaking off bits of super sharp glass and moving them around until you can pick them up or whatever.

Having thought about that a bit more, that is silly.. we would have fingerless grebbers all over the place. The serrations are likely for application of force and not as pronounced as I envisioned.

[Qzzrbl]

I've always thought of it more as a triangle of stone with one corner used for heavy hits to knock shit off, and the side opposing said corner holding chipped serrations for dig away at sand to reveal more material. All of that lashed to a big bone.

[brytta.leofa]

stamina=100 > use hacker deposit
stamina=90 > use hacker deposit
stamina=80 > use hacker deposit
stamina=70 > use hacker deposit
stamina=60 > use hacker deposit
stamina=50 > use hacker deposit
stamina=40 > use hacker deposit
stamina=30 > use hacker deposit
A small chunk of obsidian breaks off.
stamina=20 > rest
You sit down and rest your weary bones.
stamina=20 > drink gourd
A water gourd is empty.

[Salt Merchant]

stamina=100 > use hacker deposit
stamina=90 > use hacker deposit
stamina=80 > use hacker deposit
stamina=70 > use hacker deposit
stamina=60 > use hacker deposit
stamina=50 > use hacker deposit
stamina=40 > use hacker deposit
stamina=30 > use hacker deposit
A small chunk of obsidian breaks off.
stamina=20 > rest
You sit down and rest your weary bones.
stamina=20 > drink gourd
A water gourd is empty.

This is almost a haiku in its poignancy.

[Malken]

I use my teeth.

[brytta.leofa]

3) 1000 'sids an hour.

Oh. Okay.

The code takes all things into account, but I still feel dirty.

[LittleLostThief]

Obsidian mining is also dangerous.  Sure, you can get rich quick... but eventually, you aren't going to come back.  There is a balance to all things.

[Mood]

Obsidian mining is also dangerous.

... is it?

[Rhyden]

Obsidian mining is also dangerous.

... is it?

It's about as dangerous as breaking up tough rocks with a rock tool in an extremely hot, hostile and enormous insect inhabited desert.

[Mood]

Obsidian mining is also dangerous.

... is it?

It's about as dangerous as breaking up tough rocks with a rock tool in an extremely hot, hostile and enormous insect inhabited desert.

Perhaps on paper. I've seen it play out much differently ingame.

[jstorrie]

I can make sid mining a bit more dangerous for the next few weeks, if you guys really want.

[Tisiphone]

I can make sid mining a bit more dangerous for the next few weeks, if you guys really want.

Yes plz.

If you want real danger, come down to storm and try spice sifting. Beetles need company too.

[brytta.leofa]

Getting raided is the best. 

[Ghost]

Obsidian mining is significantly less dangerous than hunting and foraging, requires no coded skill, and brings much more profit than both combined in terms of coin.

It is also the most boring thing ever next to spending time in jail.

[LittleLostThief]

Obsidian mining lulls you into a false sense of security.

Really... how many hardcore obsidian miners have you seen last more than a month or two?

You can only get lucky so many times.

[BlackMagic0]

I will pip up and say... Obi mining is fricking dangerous!
I've had more PCs die or have an attempt against their lives mining then I have deaths or attempts at any other single work or such. At least 25% my PCs.

And.. Obi mining is a little less dangerous then Glass, though at least.

[roughneck]

I'm all for making obsidian mining more lucrative!  Obsidian miners are the easiest way to keep your raider character alive.

We just need to convince nobles that someone raiding an independent miner outside the gates is a threat to the city and to mind their own, important city business.

[Gimfalisette]

There is already a very easy, coded way to convince templars (the only nobles who matter in this kind of issue) that raiding indie 'sid miners is OK for you to do.

Code Select Expand

give 1000 coins templar