Ghost Town Gunfight

 is a quest in Fallout: New Vegas. It involves the town of Goodsprings and a powder gang led by Joe Cobb. You save Ringo (and the town) and fight off the Powder Gangers through this quest. You may also side with the Powder Gangers and destroy Goodsprings in the Counter Quest Run Goodsprings Run.

Depending which quest you choose to take your Reputation will be affected with both factions involved: the people of Goodsprings and the Powder Gangers.

Quick walkthrough
In Goodsprings the Courier is confronted by a group of Powder Gangers who threaten to blow up the town. The Courier may side with the Gangers and help lead the attack against the town, or help the citizens of Goodsprings. If the Courier aims to protect the town, various citizens of Goodsprings can be enlisted in the fight and will offer several bonuses, such as the use of dynamite courtesy of Easy Pete and a supply of armor and weapons from Chet. Sunny Smiles and the other recruits will then help the Courier in ridding the town of the Gangers. Whomever the Courier chooses to help can be controlled with the companion wheel. If the Courier chooses to help Joe Cobb, they can get equipment from Doc Mitchell, Chet, and Easy Pete, even though all of them will fight against the Courier, besides Chet.

Detailed walkthrough
The quest starts after overhearing Trudy argue with Joe Cobb inside the Prospector Saloon and questioning her about the argument, or after Mitchell mentions an issue in the town of Goodsprings. (Complete or cancel the tutorial quests to trigger the argument.) This should allow you access to the Gas Station on the edge of town where Ringo is hiding.

While talking to Ringo, offer to help him with Cobb. He will request that you attempt to enlist more help from the townsfolk. You can do this by simply asking Sunny Smiles who will instantly pledge to help you. She provides you with optional objectives to rally more support.

Completing the optional objectives will require convincing the Goodsprings inhabitant in question, through skill checks in dialog. If the player lacks the necessary skills to pass skill checks, there are many magazines that can help scattered around town.

Convincing Chet to help out requires passing a barter check of 25. He'll give the player a leather armor in ~50% condition, and promises to offer his stock to the town as well (equipping the generic Goodsprings Settlers in sets of leather armor).
 * Both Chet and Trudy sell Salesman Weekly, which boosts the Barter skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension).
 * One may be located in the Goodsprings Schoolhouse, under the wooden shelves at the back.
 * Can be found randomly in mailboxes around Goodsprings and elsewhere. (Such as nearby Primm.)  Many merchants sell skillbooks on a random basis as well.

Convincing Easy Pete to help out requires passing an explosives check of 25. The player will receive 5 dynamite from Sunny Smiles after reporting back to Ringo.
 * The Duffel Bag inside the gas station contains a Patriot's Cookbook(possibly a randomly determined skill book), which boosts the Explosives skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension).
 * NCR Correctional Facility, Cell Block A, In the back cell.
 * Can be found randomly in mailboxes around Goodsprings and elsewhere. (Such as nearby Primm.)  Many merchants sell skillbooks on a random basis as well.

Convincing Trudy to join in requires passing either a speech check of 25 or a sneak check of 25. She'll cause an additional Goodsprings settler or two to join the gunfight.
 * Both Chet and Trudy sell Meeting People, which boosts the Speech skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension).
 * ¡La Fantoma! and Meeting People can be found randomly in mailboxes around Goodsprings and elsewhere. (Such as nearby Primm.)  Many merchants sell skillbooks on a random basis as well.
 * If you are really stuck on the speech checks for Trudy you can use a Stealth Boy (which I believe I found in Doc Mitchells' house at the start of the game) to raise your Sneak to 100, thus passing the check with flying colours!

Doc Mitchell will give the player 3 stimpaks when asked for help. Passing a medicine check of 30 nets 2 Doctor's Bags in addition.
 * A copy of Today's Physician, which boosts the Medicine skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension) can be found inside Mitchell's house, on a desk with a typewriter where the game begins.
 * Can be found randomly in mailboxes around Goodsprings and elsewhere. (Such as nearby Primm.)  Many merchants sell skillbooks on a random basis as well.

You can also enlist Victor to join your side in the fight but he fails to show up. When asking him about this, you will find that he was shut down by an unknown person to keep him from fighting (25 Science).
 * A Programmer's Digest, which boosts the Science skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension) can be located in Goodsprings Schoolhouse near the computer terminal and a second one is on the shelf beside the overturned desks.
 * Can be found randomly in mailboxes around Goodsprings and elsewhere. (Such as nearby Primm.)  Many merchants sell skillbooks on a random basis as well.

Once you've enlisted all the assistance you wish to, return to Ringo in the Gas Station to start the fight. Sunny Smiles will show up once you commit to being ready. Follow Sunny to the scene of the gun fight. Once all the Powder Gangers are dead, the quest is complete. It is, however, possible for any (or all) of the Goodsprings residents to die in the fight.

Notable loot

 * Assorted apparel, weapons, ammunition and miscellaneous items on the bodies of people killed in the gunfight.
 * 250 caps. (100 from Ringo in Goodsprings, 150 when you meet him again at the Crimson Caravan Camp near New Vegas.)
 * Leather armor, ~50% condition. (Optional, from Chet.)
 * 5 sticks of dynamite. (Optional, from Easy Pete.)
 * 3 stimpacks and 2 doctor's bags. (Optional, from Doc Mitchell.)

Counter Quest
The counter variant of this quest is Run Goodsprings Run.

Bugs

 * Sunny may end up dead before you talk to her, thus rendering the quest impossible to finish.


 * When returning to the gas station after talking to the townspeople, the door may be locked, requiring a key to open, which apparently cannot be obtained until the mission is over.


 * When returning to the gas station to speak with Ringo to start the fight, Sunny Smiles may appear inside (with no new dialogue), then leave and loiter outside, doing nothing. Also, Ringo will not follow you and, if spoken to again, simply repeats his inquiry regarding the player's readiness to take on the powder gangers.


 * In the midst of the fight, 2 powder gangers may appear as red marks on radar, and even stand in front of you, but cannot be interacted with. In my case, I entered a building, left again, and when I returned to the scene, the 2 immortal but immovable gangers were dead.....as was Ringo.


 * It is possible that the quest may not show up as active in the pip boy, and it will be impossible to progress in it (the NPC dialog will not show up).