Festus (Fallout: New Vegas)

Festus is a robotic character "living" in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Background
Festus is a robot type character who you first meet inside the Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters.

Quests
If the player speaks with him he will start the quest The Legend of the Star where the player will have to search for Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Caps which you will need 51 of to complete the quest The Legend of the Star.

"Lucky Horseshoes"
You may also play a game called Lucky Horseshoes which is a variant of Blackjack. Number cards count as face value, Aces count for 1; there are no face cards. Whoever draws to the highest number without going over 21 wins*. You may draw, hold or quit. Once you hold, you're done drawing for that hand. If a player draws to equal the opponent's total, it's called a "Lucky Horseshoe" whereby the opponent's total is bumped up (increased) by one.


 * BUG: It is possible to win the hand if your total lands at 22 or 23, just as long as you don't get bumped off with a "Lucky Horseshoe."
 * It's not a bug, the closer player to 21 wins the game. If you hold on 16 and he gets 24, he will win.

Prizes include differing handfuls of caps, the occasional Sunset Sarsaparilla cap, and -- of most benefit to the Courier -- cards for your Caravan deck. This game can be played repeatedly to garner more and more Caravan cards; they seem to be offered as the prize if you're able to string together multiple wins. Just keep playing and you'll keep getting cards.


 * NOTE: You will not be able to play Lucky Horseshoes after turning in 50 Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Caps, as you will no longer be able to speak with Festus, so make sure to milk him for Caravan cards to your satisfaction before turning in those Star caps.

Appearances
Festus appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * After redeeming 50 Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Caps for the quest, Festus will tell you the story of The Legend of the Star. He'll make mention of Nuka-cola, the rival soft drink of Sunset Sarsaparilla. After this, he'll mention that to avoid legal action from Nuka-Cola, he must inform you that Nuka-cola is a "Swell" drink, but sometimes people just want something different. This is probably reference to the Cola Wars between Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
 * Festus was likely modeled after a character on the western show Gunsmoke, also named Festus. The two look alike, sound alike, and both have a tendency to "jaw awhile."