Search the Community

After much ado, here is my 7th challenge For any new folks following along: Hi! I'm Ruthix (Ruth, Ruthie, etc), and this is part 2 of what will probably be a 6 part challenge series themed after Tom Clancy's The Division. For those of you back for round 2, this one is going to run a little differently: -Every week there will be a new Mission. These Missions are made up of continuing goals, similar to those from last challenge, and unique Bounties. -EXP earned from completing the 4 main goals will determine whether I level up or not. Special Drops will also be included this challenge. -For each Mission, I need to complete at least one Bounty. -Bounty points will be added to EXP points to determine whether or not the weekly mission was successfully completed. Hopefully this isn't too confusing. I will have a tracker sheet again this round, which I will link it here once it is finalized. Tracker sheet GOALS 1. Sleeper Agent, pt 2 | CON 2, WIS 2 | Continuation of my goal from last challenge, hence the pt 2. 2. Retrieve Food Supplies | CON 1, CHA 2 | I've found that I'm doing quite a bit of unnecessary spending on (also unnecessary) food during the week. It's not necessarily bad food choices, but it's caused me to fall off of the prepping and meal planning wagon. I also have plenty of good food at home that should be eaten and not wasted. For this reason, I'm limiting my food intake to what's available in my own kitchen. If I bought it at the grocery store or farmers market as part of weekly shopping, I can eat it. My secondary reason for this is to cut down on my spending a bit. With the new car coming in and the payment for that, I need to be super diligent with my money. From past experiences, I know that if I go completely cold turkey with something like this, it tends to backfire. For that reason, I will allow myself 3 variances each week to make it more of a gradual process. 3. Gear Bag | DEX 2, STA 2 | Guys, I finally got a Ruck, a 5.11 Ruck24 in TAC OD *squee* ALL ABOARD THE RUCK TRAIN! I'll post pictures soon... 4. Assault the Stronghold | STR 2, STA 2 | I'm so glad to have both eye surgeries over and done with. The second was as much of a success as the one last month. It went so much smoother too - I didn't have any kind of weird nauseous reaction like I did last time, and I'd even say it was the best procedure of the 4. There are fewer halos and glares than I was previously experiencing as well. Anyway, now that this is behind me, I can finally get back into working out regularly. I have seriously been dying to get up and going again - Crossfit, here I come! 5. Bounties The wild card of the goals. I have a short list right now of activities I can pick and choose from. These are all one offs (at least for points), and I'm sure I'll come up with other ideas to add to the list as time goes on. At least one has to be completed every week. Mission 1: Establish Base of Operations (Lvl 4 difficulty, week 1) Poole and his group of Rioters are attacking the Base of Operations , located at the Post Office. The JTF wont be able to hold off the assault much longer. Finish off the Rioters and regain control of the Base. 1. Sleeper Agent, pt 2 1 EXP per criteria (up to 4) - Sun-Thurs by 11p - cool showers (lower body temp) - no caffeine after 5p - minimize screen time 30 min prior 2. Retrieve Food Supplies 2 EXP per meal - only food from home - 3 variances - preplan weekly meals - meal prep for work 3. Gear Bag 5 EXP per Ruck - Ruck 3x @ 2mi 4. Bounties Complete at least one goal from the list: Ruck in Wompatuck (10 EXP) Complete an additional WOD (5 EXP) Try a new recipe (5 EXP) Get back into skates (10 EXP) Spend part of a day Geocaching (15 EXP) - COMPLETE Spend time working on a project I've put off (2 EXP/hr) Clean/wash the car (5 EXP) Walk at lunch 3x this week (15 EXP) Mission 2: Medical Wing (Lvl 5 difficulty, week 2) Rioters have taken over the Madison Square Garden field hospital, holding CERA staff hostage inside. Find and rescue Dr. Jessica Kandel and the other medical staff, and restore the medical wing. 1. Sleeper Agent, pt 2 1 EXP per criteria (up to 4) - Sun-Thurs by 11p - cool showers (lower body temp) - no caffeine after 5p - minimize screen time 30 min prior 2. Retrieve Food Supplies 2 EXP per meal - only food from home - 3 variances - preplan weekly meals - meal prep for work 3. Gear Bag 5 EXP per Ruck - Ruck 3x @ 2mi 4. Assault the Stronghold 5 EXP per WOD - Crossfit 4x during the week 5. Bounties Complete at least one goal from the list: Ruck in Wompatuck (10 EXP) Complete an additional WOD (5 EXP) Try a new recipe (5 EXP) - COMPLETE Get back into skates (10 EXP) Spend part of a day Geocaching (15 EXP) Spend time working on a project I've put off (2 EXP/hr) Clean/wash the car (5 EXP) - COMPLETE Walk at lunch 3x this week (15 EXP) Reorganize/deep clean bathroom 10 EXP Mission 3: Security Wing (Lvl 6 difficulty, week 3) The Lincoln Tunnel Checkpoint is under attack by rioters. Secure the checkpoint and get the commander of the Joint Task Force, Captain Roy Benitez, back to the Base of Operations 1. Sleeper Agent, pt 2 1 EXP per criteria (up to 4) - Sun-Thurs by 11p - cool showers (lower body temp) - no caffeine after 5p - minimize screen time 30 min prior 2. Retrieve Food Supplies 2 EXP per meal - only food from home - 3 variances - preplan weekly meals - meal prep for work 3. Gear Bag 5 EXP per Ruck - Ruck 3x @ 2.5mi 4. Assault the Stronghold 5 EXP per WOD - Crossfit 3x during the week 5. Bounties Complete at least one goal from the list: Ruck in Wompatuck (10 EXP) Complete an additional WOD (5 EXP) Try a new recipe (5 EXP) Get back into skates (10 EXP) Spend part of a day Geocaching (15 EXP) Spend time working on a project I've put off (2 EXP/hr) Clean/wash the car (5 EXP) Walk at lunch 3x this week (15 EXP) Reorganize/deep clean bathroom 10 EXP Mission 4: Tech Wing (Lvl 7 difficulty, week 4) The local power outage has been traced to the Subway Morgue generators. Locate missing JTF engineer Paul Rhodes, assist him in restoring power, and allow him to return to the Base of Operations to open up the Tech Wing. 1. Sleeper Agent, pt 2 1 EXP per criteria (up to 4) - Sun-Thurs by 11p - cool showers (lower body temp) - no caffeine after 5p - minimize screen time 30 min prior 2. Retrieve Food Supplies 2 EXP per meal - only food from home - 3 variances - preplan weekly meals - meal prep for work 3. Gear Bag 5 EXP per Ruck - Ruck 3x @ 2.5mi 4. Assault the Stronghold 5 EXP per WOD - Crossfit 3x during the week 5. Bounties Complete at least one goal from the list: Ruck in Wompatuck (10 EXP) Complete an additional WOD (5 EXP) Try a new recipe (5 EXP) Get back into skates (10 EXP) Spend part of a day Geocaching (15 EXP) Spend time working on a project I've put off (2 EXP/hr) Clean/wash the car (5 EXP) Walk at lunch 3x this week (15 EXP) Reorganize/deep clean bathroom 10 EXP

"In an area this size....this many bad guys. I just don't like the idea of throwing you to the wolves." "Captain...we are the wolves." I bought The Division when it came out March 8th and have been hooked since day one! It's a really fun game despite some repetitiveness and I enjoy the challenge of the upper levels. I still daydream about playing it and getting some legendary SOCOM M1A marksman rifle one day... And, if you've been following me a while, you know this is my second run at a Division themed challenge. This time is going to be better because I'm involving YOU guys! On my last challenge thread, I asked everyone to "sign up" to participate in my challenge and here's how things are going to work: RULES OF THE CHALLENGE: Each day, I will be tasked to gain points throughout the day by performing my usual daily activities, but now, I’m keeping myself accountable for them all. Each activity or task will be worth 5 points with a potential of 75 points each day. The challenge will take place M-F where I have to accumulate at least 300 points by Friday evening. If I do not have a total of 300 total points then the fireteam for that week will help decide how I make up those missed points. This can basically be a little mini-challenge within the challenge. Or a PvP or something that can get me and my team the necessary points to take on that week's’ Boss/Rogue Agent. An example of this would be going for a 2 mile hike/walk/ruck in order to make up the lost points. Once 300 points is achieved, then I can write up the boss battle- I’m looking to have it posted by Sunday evening. Watch out though, throughout the week I may ask the team to participate with me on my own personal “team building” exercises. I will challenge my team to get in 5 total minutes spent in the squat or try hanging from a pull-up bar for more than :15 seconds. Little stuff like that to add towards points. Think bonus stuff but I need the fireteam in order to get those points. I know I said that you guys didn’t have to participate except create an Agent….yeah, well I lied. So, sue me ;). This is not mandatory, of course, but I’m going to encourage the team for that week to get involved and have some fun! THE PERFECT AGENT: Here is the cumulative list of “skills and abilities” My goal is to complete each of these daily. These will count towards my weekly point total and each goal is worth FIVE points. Clean eating-not paleo, but clean. Lots of veggies. Limit sweets to 2x a week. 100+ oz of water daily. No Soda’s Shoulder PT Conditioning-Gaelic practice, jump rope, sprints, speed drills, taking the stairs instead of elevator Cold showers-start with every other day-work up to daily. Rucking/Walking-shoot for 1 hour a day Squatting-aim for 30 min of accumulative squatting/ Move around and be active in my squat Urban Survival/Foraging study/mini-adventures Nail biting (you get 2 fuck ups a day-after that, third time's a charm and you get ZERO points) Reading/Listening/Writing Sleeping- minimum of 7 hours Hanging-aim for 5 min a day (accumulative) Crawling Meal Prep/bring lunch leftovers to save money Domestic Rangering CHALLENGE GOALS: Become the Perfect Agent- follow my daily routine as RX'd as possible. +3 WIS Start 21-day Cold Shower Routine-5 min cold shower each morning. +3 CON Continue aggressive shoulder rehab and strengthening-mobilze daily. +3 STR Learn to live Uncaged-find my wild-become primal in your daily movements and philosophies. +3 DEX Gather from the Land- learn the basics of foraging and find some stuff to eat (if possible). +3 CHA The story so far… Back when the First Wave of Division Agents and law enforcement were tasked in saving a pandemic ridden New York, the riots had just begun and the terror was spreading like wildfire. Agent Wild Wolf, an ex-Military marksman turned teacher and his task force of specialized agents were sent in with the rest of the First Wave to stop the outbreak and maintain government order. On a routine clean-up mission, Wild Wolf and his team were sent into the underbelly of New York, into the Subway stations to search for a man named Charles Bliss. Charles was responsible for the creation of the Last Man Battalion or LMB, a group of fascists elites bent on taking New York for themselves and establishing a new world order. It was up to Wild Wolf and his team of elite Division Agents to stop him… ...However, Wild Wolf was betrayed by his team. All four agents turned on their fireteam leader and friend and shot him in the back, leaving him to die down there. But, Agent Wild Wolf didn’t die. His strength and determination to live allowed him to hang on for almost a day before he was rescued. Now, as the Second Wave was preparing to be deployed, he was back to full health and sporting a new scar near his spine that had it been a fraction of a centimeter to the left..he would never be able to walk again. It now serves as a reminder of why he is still fighting. Wild Wolf was then tasked with his first assignment since the betrayal. He was to hunt down each one of his old teammates and stop them by any means necessary. They had not only betrayed Wild Wolf, but the Division itself, taking intel and knowledge that could be powerful in the wrong hands. They joined up with Charles Bliss and The Last Man Battalion. This is the story of Wild Wolf’s bloody revenge and how he achieved it. Along the way, his trust will be tested as he would lead 4 separate group of Second Wave Agents to battle his former squad of elites. Each group has their own unique strengths and Wild Wolf planned to exploit every ounce of it. Welcome to the fireteam, soldier… Wolf

The Green Poison. That’s what they’re calling it. No one knows where it came from, who made it, or why. It swept across the city, devouring block after block. Life as we know it broken down, most of the population dead or dying. For those of us left, it’s a fight to survive, to keep from being exposed. Some went at it alone, while others had friends or family left to help scavenge. There’s only one rule: You get sick, you die. You don’t get sick, you live. At least until the Rikers get you. Or you get caught in the burst of a Cleaner’s flame. Sure, there was the JFT, but they were becoming fewer and fewer, losing ground to the more vicious groups. They didn’t have the firepower, or the skill, to hold them off forever. They needed help. There was a buzz, the smallest of vibrations against delicate skin. A faint glow through fabric. The end of the sleeve was pulled up to reveal a much brighter glow. An orange circle encased in cool black metal. Activation. ______________________________________ "When we were activated, we knew the situation was bad, worse than anyone knew. We are an elite, highly skilled group of embedded agents. They only call us when everything else has failed. We have no rules, we have no limits. Our job is to protect what remains. We are your co-workers. We are your neighbours. We might even be your friends, but when we get the call, we leave everything behind. We are The Division." It was a signal...that the normal lives we led...were gone. As you may know, I am not the only one doing a Division themed challenge this time around. I probably am the only one doing a Division theme across 6 challenges, though. Yup, you read that right - 6. Is this crazy? Yeah, probably. I can only hope that I don't get sick of it before it's all said and done. If that does happen (or I just really want to do something else), I have a way of combining and shortening my current plans. Easy peasy. These next two months are going to be quite laid back compared to what I have been doing, at least so far as fitness. On April 4 and May 2 I am going in for surgery to have my ICLs replaced, one at a time. For those unaware, these are permanent contact lenses I had inserted in my eyes last fall to correct my vision. The problem is that the current lenses are not sitting properly, and there’s a chance that this could cause cataracts down the road. With cataracts would also come a loss of some of my vision. To avoid that whole lovely situation, I’m having them replaced now with a smaller set. What this means for the challenge: Week 1 - zero activity, except walking. No bending over, no getting water near my face. Driving will be pretty much impossible the first 3-ish days post-op. I will also be away from the boards up to a full week while my pupil contracts back to normal. Screens are not so much fun to use during the first week due to lingering light sensitivity. Week 2 through 4 - I will be pretty limited as to what I can do. I won’t be able to lift weights or overexert myself (boo, no crossfit), but I should be good to do bodyweight exercises, some light cardio, and yoga type activities. I will move forward with this plan so long as I get the ‘OK’ from my doctor during my 1 week follow up. Goal #4 will be tentative until that time, and possibly adjusted. Over the course of these 4 weeks, I will be racking up experience points; these will help me level up in anticipation of the next challenge. As with all games, I will be starting at level 1. Each goal has it’s own rules and point system. At the end of each week, I will also have the chance to collect various item drops (supplies, ammo, etc.) - a tally of these will be kept in this spreadsheet for future use. I may or may not update/adjust this system as I go. Depends on how it all ends up working out. Here is the current Leveling system: Lvl 2 50 EXP Lvl 3 70 EXP Lvl 4 90 EXP Lvl 5 110 EXP You guys should check out The Division: Origins videos Mission 1: Sleeper Agent Hack my sleep | CON 3 | WIS 3 | Complete at least 5 days per week (Sun - Thurs) I will be following the short-term recovery tips/advice I found in this Lifehacker article. EXP (per night) Wk 1 - No caffeine after 5pm Week 1 = 2 pts Wk 2 - No alcohol less than 2hrs before bed (plus all above) Week 2 = 3 pts Wk 3 - Minimize/eliminate screen use 30 min prior to bedtime (plus all above) Week 3 = 4 pts Wk 4 - Adjust body temp, AKA: hot/cold showers (plus all above) Week 4 = 5 pts Other: Go to bed 15min earlier each week until I find the best time for me to go to bed and be well rested. Week 1 will start at 11:30pm. Mission 2: Consumables Hack my diet | CON 2 | CHA 2 | More Veggies/plant life (1 meal per day) EXP More Protein (100-116g/day) - 2pt per category (protein, veggies, water) per day. 6pt per day combined total. More Water (>60oz/day) - Can gain 1 extra EXP point per day when I eat veggies at a more than one meal. - EXP points determine drop chance Special Drops: Drop Chance: Canned food (veggies) - increases healing effect 6 pts - 20% chance Energy Bar (protein) - instantly removes negative status effects 8 pts - 40% chance Water (water) - increases damage dealt to elite enemies 10 pts - 60% chance Soda (water) - reduces cool down on skills 12 pts - 80% chance 14 pts - 100% chance 50/50 chance of getting water or soda when collecting a Water drop. Goal 3: Encounters Walk for at least 30 min | DEX 2 | STA 1 | Week 1 - 3x walking EXP Week 2 - 4x walking 5pts per walk completed Week 3 - 5x walking Week 4 - 5x walking Special Bullet Drop (random): Explosive Bullets Incendiary Bullets Drop Chance: Wk 1: Wk 3 & 4: 5 pts - 30% chance 5 pts - 20% chance 10 pts - 70% chance 10 pts - 40% chance 15 pts - 100% chance 15 pts - 60% chance 20 pts - 80% chance Wk 2: 25 pts - 100% chance 5 pts - 25% chance 10 pts - 50% chance 15 pts - 75% chance 20 pts - 100% chance Goal 4: Skills Follow exercise plan | STR 1 | STA 1 | TENTATIVE UNTIL CHECKED WITH DOCTOR Week 1 - OFF due to surgery EXP Week 2 - minimal to no activity (check with Dr.) 5pts per workout Week 3 - 4x exercise Week 4 - 4x exercise Grenade drop (random): Drop Chance: EMP 5 pts - 25% chance Flashbang 10 pts - 50% chance Fragmentation 15 pts - 75% chance Incendiary 20 pts - 100% chance Shock Tear Gas

http://youtu.be/yPq_NVi-TC4 -What will it take to save what remains? Hello Everyone! Wolfie here! It’s time for another challenge and I couldn’t be more excited for my 2nd take over here with the Rangers. Bred as an Assassin, I have become the Ultimate Hybrid now after having defeated the Indomnius Rex and all her glory! I have taken my skills with bodyweight and parkour and decided to finally work towards being good at ALL THE THINGS and Ranger Up for good. I want to extend a HUGE thanks to everyone whom supported me last challenge, it was one helluva “welcome party†to the guild! A little bio about me- I joined NF back in September of 2012 and have loved every minute of being here. The people here are amazing and it’s become a second home for me-something you couldn’t ask more from a community of likeminded nerdtastic badasses. I left NF and came back two separate times. The first time was rough because my wife and I had separated for a year and was on the verge of divorce. Thankfully we were able to work things out and become a better couple for it all. Plus, we ended up having a reunion baby-my 3rd son, Orin (named after Aquaman). I have 3 handsome boys whom I have dubbed “the wolf pupsâ€. They are the loves of my life and I’m thankful every day for them! Then there’s my beautiful wife-where I would be without her, I would NEVER want to find out again. She is a terrific support and wonderful wife/mother. After Heather and I got back together I joined NF again-but this was short lived because we had a new baby on the way and just tons of stuff to work on in order to get our lives back on track. I left again..then came back, with more fire, more knowledge and more NF rebel in me than ever before. And then I joined you guys-the Rangers. What a move I made. I love it over here. Back when I first joined NF, I REALLY contemplated Ranger or Assassin…and ended up going with the latter, but realized mid-way through the last challenge that this is where I was supposed to be! I want to be an OCR athlete. I want to get sponsored one day and be able to provide for my family doing what I love. This will happen soon, very soon. This may seem crazy considering I haven’t even ran my 1st OCR race, but it’s coming up...on ALL HALLOW’S EVE! October 31st I’ll pit my will and grit against the Spartan Beast! I’ve been training extensively for it since the beginning of June and have turned myself into quite the trail running monster. I’ve even dropped a little weight in that time frame. I’m just as strong-but now I’m faster. I still have a lot of work to do, but the challenge is there for the taking! Being this is the last leg of my training before I take on the Beast, I will also be entering the world of The Division. The Division is a next gen game coming out sometime in the middle of next year. It looks absolutely AMAZING. In the game, you will play as an agent of the Security Homeland Division aka “The Divisionâ€, when a deadly outbreak hits on Black Friday, shutting the government down within 5-days! It is up to you and the other SHD agents to save New York City and stop this deadly pandemic. Here’s a little description I pulled from the source: We live in a complex world. The more complex it gets the more vulnerable it becomes. We’ve created a house of cards: remove just one, and everything falls apart. Black Friday-a devastating pandemic sweeps through New York City, and one by one, basic services fail in only days. Without food or water, society collapses into chaos. The Division, an autonomous unit of sleeper agents, is activated. Leading seemingly ordinary lives among us, these agents are trained to operate independently in order to save society. When society falls, we rise. As a solo operative able to work off the grid, I will need to be prepared for the unknown. My mind and body must be stronger than steel. I need to be as flexible and nimble as a cat and my endurance will need to match that of my namesake, the Wolf. A SHD agent does not fear what is ahead, but instead, runs towards the danger. They are willing to risk their lives to save someone at a moment’s notice. However, they do not throw their lives away recklessly-they are intelligent, cunning, and relentless. I will start out as a Recruit and will work my way through the grinder, ultimately preparing me for my first mission-taking on the Glen Rose Beast. A ruthless, 13+ mile course with over 30 obstacles. I have prepared multiple trophies I can earn during this challenge and reaching each milestone will bring me closer and closer to the Beast. With a steady aim and unbreakable spirit, I KNOW I CAN DO THIS. Wolf "Let the Boomstick do the talking."