My Mormon Trail Adventure

My Mormon Trail Adventure

Being an account of Michael Layne Weston's experience while playing Oregon Trail 5th edition.

A few weeks ago, I checked out a copy of Oregon Trail from the Valley Library (reason #1138 why library's rock). As (I hope) you know, one of the first things you must do in Oregon Trail is pick the names of your party members. Naturally, I chose my FHW "family", Ashley, Ann Marie, Joette and Randy. Unlike the original, this version has several trails, including the Mormon Trail! I tired of reading the trail guide after about ten pages, and decided to go into town (Nauvoo) and start buying stuff. After spending almost all my money, I felt I had gotten everything I needed. Then I remembered I hadn't bought a gun! I didn't have the money for a shot gun or rifle, so I bought a pistol ( I wouldn't be bagging any Buffalo this trip. Or anything larger than a goose for that matter). OK, so I have everything now, right? Wagon? Check! Clothes? Check! Little 19th century peashooter? Check! Oxen? .... BLEEP! I forgot the oxen! So I head down to the Oxen Store ( It's right between Starbucks and Coco's). Turns out oxen cost more than 3 bucks. None of the stores have a return policy, so I can't get my money back. So I trade some of our supply's for oxen with other people in town and we're on our way.

Road Trip!

Our moral was high for quite a while (despite the mistakes made in town and Ashley and Ann Marie singing "Teenage Dirtbag" 10 times before we even crossed the Mississippi). Soon it began to dip however, with Randy getting a bad cold and me learning that my gun is just powerful enough to scare deer away when I shoot at them. Also Ashley died.

Soon it got cold; real cold. Randy got a cold again and Joette got Dyslexia... Wait.. no, she got Dysentery. I'm the one with Dyslexia. Long story short; they died.

Ann Marie and I were both sick and tired. Her, from the trek, and me because I had been playing a long time and couldn't figure out how to save.* So I set our travel pace to high so I could hurry up and quit playing. The strategy worked. I died. Leaving poor Ann Marie out on the trail alone.

Restart!

I corrected the mistakes I made the previous journey ( such as not making the "Party" a walking death camp).

I bought the Oxen and Guns first, then a lot more dry food. I wanted to be as accurate as possible this time, so I looked up the date** that the Temple had it's general dedication (That is, the public services after the previous day's private dedication) and set the day after as our departure date. Unfortunately, you can only choose the month. Oh well, close enough. Well, apparently, since the Saints were not settled at Salt Lake yet in 1846, you cannot start on the Mormon Trail that year. So I start in January of 1847 (the developers seemingly oblivious to the fact that Nauvoo was all but decimated at this time.). Despite the cold, all is well. I'm getting lots of food on the trail now that I have a gun that says Smith & Wesson instead of Nerf on the side. We are quite happy. I'm also getting quite good at remembering what plants are edible now, so I hardly have to use the field guide anymore. We come to Winter Quarters. Since i'm being authentic, I chose to stop and wait till spring. What the game doesn't tell you is that you can't hunt or forage while waiting, so I'm forced to watch as our food supplies and moral get low.

Spring Is Here!

I immediately go hunting and gathering and come back with lots of food. Am I a great provider or what? The next day Joette has food poisoning. I later learned that I had gathered nightshade by mistake. I administer medicine and choose to stop for a few days so she can rest. I then see a screen informing me that I have died due to a gun shot wound. The game claims it's "accidental", but I think otherwise. I'm on to you Joette!

Michael enjoyed Dating, Boating, Rafting and Making Movies. He was 21 years old and less than a month away from his next birthday. When asked what he wanted on his Tombstone he said "Pepperoni and Cheese"


*Turns out you can't Save in towns.

** May 1 1846