San Fran has been the best place for me to swap encounter crap for caps. It is out the way enough that few people are there to check the traders, and it is a guarded town.
I have been to New Reno three times and been killed three times within about two minutes. Thankfully the last two times I went there after having died already, so I had nothing to lose.
...The Q&A thread seems to belong to me right now
I'll see if I can't get the train stations so I can get caps in San Fran. Walking there on foot is out of the question for now, I think. I might still try New Reno, just to see how it is up there if nothing else.
And yes, that Q&A thread is excellent. It's the Bible of this game. Thanks to it, I've got a gigantic pile of brahmin hides (even after making a new tent) and will probably try selling some.
If you would like, i can help you find the Train Stations. Those are a real big help in getting across the map. I usually make runs to san fransico to sell for caps and believe me at my lvl (9) it would've been impossible or take a long time.
One word of advise if you want to avoid pk'ers i've learned not to travel b/w squares of cities. As in the shortest route is the route most people will take.
I'm pretty sure I can get the Train Stations myself, since there's a map on the Wiki and I know how the quest works. I definitely appreciate your offer of help, but may not need it (unless you're high Outdoorsman or something and can lead my slower character).
Yeah, I didn't understand how player-player encounters worked before, but I do now. Very important advice. When I'm carrying a load of precious cargo, I try to avoid direct routes if possible.
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Thanks to everyone for the advice and offers to show me the ropes in-game. I'll probably take you up on it, but for now I'm "tinkering" with the game, so it may be a few days before I proactively seek you out in-game to say hello. (I might show up where you hang out, send you a PM on the forum, look you up on IRC, etc.).
Oh, one more question (from here on out, I'll keep individual questions in the Q&A thread): With that "go to world map to trade" thing, how should I meet the buyer? Stand on the very edge of town naked, with the stuff I'm selling held in my hands, have the buyer follow me, then just leave town, stand still, and trade?
I'm not asking because I'm scared to try it, I'm asking because I don't want to piss buyers off by doing it wrong.