Hobopolis Strategy

There are many possible goals for Hobopolis: Helping Richard make items in order to build stats for leveling, collecting nickels and gaining Dungeon Loot are the most common. Those are fairly simple so this guide shall focus on the three items that require efficient strategies: Hodgman's whackin' stick, Hodgman's disgusting technicolor overcoat and Hodgman's imaginary hamster.

Each of these special loot drops require Hobopolis to be completed in a single day. That means that after you open the sewers you'll need to kill Hodgman before rollover. Once rollover happens, if Hodgman is still alive you will not get one of the special items. To gain Hodgman's whackin' stick you will need to complete Hobopolis in less than 3700 turns, to gain Hodgman's disgusting technicolor overcoat you'll need to complete Hobopolis in less than 2300 turns and to gain Hodgman's imaginary hamster it will need to be completed in less than 1100 turns.

Maximizing Non-combat Frequency

You need to know how to maximize your noncombat frequency to complete Hobopolis quickly. It is amazing how many people are unaware of how to reach the full potential of -29% Combat Frequency. While it requires a certain skill to reach that potential, even an unascended character can have a -24% Combat Frequency. When you are in a zone that requires you to maximize non-combat, make sure you are doing all of the following:

• Before you ever enter Hobopolis, go to the Ballroom and tell the Strung-Up Quartet to play Sono Un Amanten Non Un Combattente.
• Wear the full outfit of Yendorian Finery.
• Equip a ring of conflict.
• Make sure you have the effect Fresh Scent.
• Use the The Sonata of Sneakiness. If you don't have the skill, then ask someone else to cast this on you.
• If you have the skill, then use Smooth Movements. This is the only thing that some characters might be incapable of.
• Turn off everything that can increase Monster Level. Since the ring of aggravate monster is part of the Yendorian finery you must have it equipped, but that should be the only Monster Level increaser effecting your character.

A Maze of Sewer Tunnels

For a Hamster run turns are so tight that an additional technique will be necessary, but that is discussed in the Hamster section.

First of all, maximize your Non-combats as discussed above. Then equip your hobo binder in your off-hand. This means you will not be able to wield a goatskin umbrella, but bear with it since non-combat frequency is more important. If you don't have many glyphs in your hobo binder, then you'll need to make sure that your inventory contains a supply of sewer wad, bottle of Ooze-O, oil of oiliness and unfortunate dumplings.

Secondly, it is helpful to have cage bait. This means that the first person into the sewer is expected to adventure until he reaches The C.H.U.M. Cage. Once he is caged, he is expected to stay in the cage until every other member of the clan has gotten through the sewer. This will prevent any other member of the clan from being caged since there is only one cage and he is its occupant. One of the other members of the clan passing through the sewer is expected to free him on their journey by heading down the ladder when they reach The Former or the Ladder. Even after this is done, the cage bait will still be in the cage and nobody else can be caged until he voluntarily leaves the cage. The cage bait can log out if he wishes and log back in later when he's ready to play once more.

The first people through the sewer are responsible for turning valves and opening grates. Whenever they have the option to do so, they are expected to do this so that other clan members can pass the sewer with minimal turns. There are a total of 20 grates and 20 valves. It is recommended that players use DrEvi1's Raid Log Manager to keep count of how many have been done. Once all grates and valves are complete sewer passage will be much faster.

Hobopolis Town Square

For Coat and Stick run, people will want as many turns as possible. This means eating and possibly drinking in the marketplace. To do this, keep running non-combat and make sure your hobo binder is still equipped. When the marketplace noncombat appears, enter and head to the food court.

Each person can eat and drink in the hobo marketplace for 20 nickels each). You will gain insane number of adventures from this. Note that you can eat only once and drink only once, but you can do both. Going to market will add to the runs turncount, but there should be plenty of leeway unless you're trying to get a hamster

• Marketplace Food: 5 Fullness for 60-80 aventures (ave of 14 adventures/fullness)
• Marketplace Booze: 5 Drunkeness for 40-60 adventures (ave of 10 adventures/drunk)

Every single kill should create a scarehobo part. It costs notable amounts of turns if people farm nickels in the Town Square, so do not do this. You need to create a total of 214 of each part, so divide the work up amongst the group. Cordinate in chat and check Richard to see what parts need creating and make sure that each element doesn't go over 214. It will possibly require some more hobo killing at the end due to the randomness of scarebos, but don't worry about that yet.

Do not tell Richard to make scarebos! There are two reasons for this. First of all, it is easy to lose count of how many scarebos were made. Second and more important, when Hobopolis Town Square is complete, nobody will be able to enter the marketplace.

Once the tent shows up people can mosh if there are a bunch of willing clannies with class instruments equipped, but it isn't necessary unless you are trying to get a hamster. More will be said about this in the hamster section.

Side Zones

To minimize turn count in the sidezones you will need to pay some attention to the order that you complete them. You must not complete Burnbarrel Blvd. before Exposure Esplanade. You must not enter the PLD until after you've prepared it in Exposure Esplanade and finally you must not enter The Ancient Hobo Burial Ground until it has been prepared in the PLD. More detail will follow in their own sections. Also, the sidezones that you choose to do are determined by the special loot drop that you are aiming for. More will be said about that in their own section at the end.

Exposure Esplanade

The key thing here is to note that each player only gets to yodel their heart out out only once, so it is optimal to maximize the number of people in the zone. Make sure you maximize non-combat here.

Once Burnbarrel Blvd. is complete, going CLUE will no longer produce icicles, so this must be completed first.

• Piping Cold: Go all CLUE on the pipe at the beginning of the run to maximize icicle production. Towards the end of the Esplande once there are plenty of icicles you need to turn the second valve 13 times to open the club in the PLD.

• The Frigid Air: Always open the freezer. This is necessary because the adventure won't go away until you do this five times and this choice won't harm you.

• There Goes Fritz!: At the beginning of the Esplande when people have gone all CLUE less than 10 times, choose "Yodel a little" because there just aren't enough icicles to make it worthwhile. Once there are a number of icicles alway choose "Yodel your heart out" and then you're done with this zone.

• • If you've only just started making icicles and you get this adventure, but someone else is in the dungeon you can request that he makes icicles for a while while you sit still without making a choice. Once he's made enough icicles, then "Yodel your heart out."

If someone is alone here, do the freezer, divert the water then break about 30 pipes. Yodel your heart out whenever it comes up. After 30 pipes, leave. Everyone else should do some turns here up until they can yodel their heart out. Then leave.

Burnbarrel Blvd.

Key thing here is to keep count of the number of tires. Use DrEvi1's Raid Log Manager to note the total number of tires on the pile and if you know how many are on the tire before the previous person made a tirevalanch, then it should be trivial to keep score. However, I would recommend that only a few people do Burnbarrel do help reduce confusion of tire count. Only one person should be in the zone at a time. Make sure you maximize non-combat here.

This zone must not be completed until after Exposure Esplanade is done. Otherwise you're screwed because it will stop icicle production.

• Hot Dog! I Mean... Door!: Leave the damn door alone. Never open it.

• Piping Hot: Leave the valve alone.

• Getting Tired: Pile up a stack of exactly 34 tires. Then knock it down. Do this twice. Next pile up about 29 tires and knock it down. You should be reasonably close now so kill hobos and don't pile up more tires. The final leg of this depends a lot on how many hobos you killed Running massive +noncombat means needing a larger 3rd tirevalanche since less hobos get killed directly.

• • 34 tires is optimal because the combat frequency is decreased in proportion to the number of tires on the pile. After this point the noncombat aventures occur rarely enough that it isn't worth doing even with -29% noncombats.

The Heap

Simple zone, any number can play. Little organization required. Do at any time. Maximize non-combat as usual.

• The Compostal Service: Begone

• You vs. The Volcano: Kick the stuff into the hole

• I Refuse!: Explore the junkpile. Feel free to organize mass junkpile exploration if you desire, but I'm not going to detail this here. Mass junkpile exploration does not affect optimization, so feel free.

The Purple Light District

The key to this zone is getting into the club. Contrary to common sense and the rest of the game, this requires boosting combat frequency. You then need to flimflam and divert cold water from the Esplanade a total of 21 times. If you've previously diverted water 13 times, you now need to flimflam 8 times. These flimflams also serve the purpose of opening up a very important encounter in the Burial Ground. Remember to increase Combat Frequency!

Do this before the Burial Ground. Even if cold water was diverted more than 13 times you need to make sure that you flimflam 8 times or else the Burial Ground will be screwed. Any number of people can do this zone as long as they keep track of total flimflams. After that its easy.

• Getting Clubbed: "Try to flimflam the crowd" 8 times. Then the club should be open, so after that choose "Try to get inside" and then "Pick several fights" to kill large numbers of sleazy hobos.

The Ancient Hobo Burial Ground

To kill this zone efficiently requires dancing. This adventure has a certain amount of over head. It requires three turns of watching the dance which kill no hobos at all. Then the effectiveness of the dance will slowly increase the more it is done. Optimally you will want only two people in this zone, no more. A single person could do it, but that would require more adventures than you want a single person to have to expend. The Flimflams earlier allow you to encounter a chiller night (8x5) 40 times. This is enough for 2 people to study dance moves 3 times and dance 17 times each. It's not enough for more than 2 people.

Two people only! Do this after 8 flimflams in the PLD. Maximize non-combat as usual.

• Returning to the Tomb: Disturb not ye these bones

• Ah, So That's Where They've All Gone: Tiptoe through the tulips and leave.

• A Chiller Night: "Study the hobos' dance moves" three times! Then "Dance with them"

Whackin' Sticks, Overcoats and Hamsters

Hodgman's whackin' stick, Hodgman's disgusting technicolor overcoat and Hodgman's imaginary hamster all need the entire run to be completed under 3700, 2300, and 1100 turns respectively, between two rollovers. This makes them very hard to get, but if you follow some basic and very expensive rules, and a little RNG luck, you can achieve any of them.

A Maze of Sewer Tunnels

In the sewers, do everything suggested above but equip the gatorskin umbrella instead of the Yendorian Finery outfit. Instead of killing the creatures in the sewer, either tattered scrap of paper or divine champagne popper them away, saving adventures from the Hobopolis run. Cleesh also works, but it takes adventures and saves meat. A cagesitter should be used to stay in the The C.H.U.M. Cage, and not participate in the rest of the run, to save the adventures of the other players. All grates should be opened, but not any valves, unless you think you have adventures to spare. After all grates are opened, always head down the sewer tunnel, with a full hobo binder equipped, and your gatorskin umbrella. All of the adventures in the sewer, at minimum, is 20+x(7+1), where the 20 is the number of grates opened, x is the number of players in the sewer, 7 is the number of tunnel explorations to complete the sewer, and 1 for At Last!.