Fallout Tactics special encounters

Amelia Earhart
A reference to Amelia Earhart who attempted to circumnavigate the world in a Lockheed Model 10 Electra aircraft in 1937. Unfortunately Earhart's plane disappeared mysteriously while she attempted to fly over the Pacific Ocean. In this encounter it appears that you have discovered the long lost ship and pilot's remains.

B1000 Terminator Brahmin
A silver-colored Brahmin with sparks flying off of it. This is a reference to The Terminator movie. The B1000 floating text is a play on quotes from the Terminator movie. For example: "Hasta la vista, calfy."

Additionally this NPC has 999hp and an Uzi.

Bazaar Day
This encounter contains a number of NPC traders who sell various items and a gag item called the 'Devilthorn Jacket.' The jacket itself is unusable by the player due to stat requirements in the 90s, and is a reference to the game Diablo. The floating text here contains references to phrases commonly used by players from the MMORPG Everquest.

Brahmin Armor
A Brahmin guarded by four turrets. By defeating the turrets and the Brahmin you will find the 'Brahmin Armor' which turns the wearer into a Brahmin.

Brahmin Poker
This is a parody on Dogs Playing Poker a painting by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. The original painting contains dogs dressed in suits, smoking cigars, and playing poker. Prior to walking towards the group of Brahmin the floating text is humorous allusion to what would normally be said during a poker game. If the player gets too close the Brahmin run from the scene: "Holy Cow! Its the feds!" implying that their poker game is illegal.

The money left on the table about 10,000 ring pulls.

Brahmin tipping
During this encounter a sign posted nearby reads: "Do NOT tip the Brahmin." By interacting with the Brahmin the player can tip them over. This is reference to the more rural past-time of cow tipping.

Brother Grimm
This encounter contains two super mutants named Jim and Joe Grimm. Joe stands over his injured brother, Jim- who has had the misfortune to step on a landmine. If the player helps heal Jim both Joe and Jim will later be available in the recruitment pool.

Joe and Jim Grimm are a reference to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm who are popularly known for publishing a number of German folktales during the early 19th century (Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, etc. to name a few).

Canadian Invasion
A group of people defending the America-Canadian border. Comically these individuals believe that Canada intends to invade and thus they stand ever vigilant against the threat. Maybe a reference to Michael Moore's movie 'Canadian Bacon'.

Coppertops
This is a play on the The Matrix movie, in which humans were essentially batteries that fueled a robot empire. Ironically several humans (called 'Human Battery') are running on treadmills while a task-master robot oversees the entire operation. On the far side of each pair of treadmills is a locker that you can lockpick and obtain 200 Small Energy Cells (each).

CPF vs. PFC
This is a joke from Monty Python´s film, "The life Of Brian". In the film, there are two groups fighting the Romans, the People's Front of Judea (PFJ) and the Judean People's Front (JPF). In the game, CPF (Canadian People's Front) and PFC (People's Front of Canada).

Deathclaw liberation
A Greenpeace-woman thinks deathclaws are cute. They are not. This encounter doesn't means that much danger as there are grids to prevent the monsters reaching you.

Eveready bunny
This encounter doesn't really have a name. This is a remark on Duracel-bunnies. It is said you can kill them with splash damage, and each leave behind a small energy cell, but costs a lot of karma.

Farmer
You can trade with him for 1 .50 DU ammo.

Four Horsemen (of the Post-Apocalypse)
The four horsemen from the Bible. If you manage to kill them it seems that no-one cares (i.e. no karma penalty), but they have 10,000hp each, and worse only 250exp or so, so don't bother. You can heal them with some doctors bags, meaning your doctor get tons of exp. This encounter will forced upon you after finding a certain number of other encounters. The Horseman War will eventually comment twice on the famous Tagline of all the Fallout Games, "War. War never changes." One of his random speech bubbles is "War never changes? Fuck you! You don't know me!" and the other is "I can change. I wish they would stop saying that."

Gas station
Grandma will need around 6000 ring pulls for endurance potion, which as long as I understand add permanently +1 to Endurance. I found her around first BOS bunker. You can also buy some stuff from her like booze and food. There is also a shelf which contains Instrumental kit. You guessed it, it comes for free.

Hermit
A hermit with 5 wolves as "pets". If you attack him, the wolves will defend him. He carries some good things like metal armor, but also five syringes of poison. Killing with poison will not trigger the aggro setting, so the wolves will not attack, and you will not lose rank or reputation.

Invasion recreationists
This one is fun. Some American people take a few steps over the Canadian border, and so they claim that Canada has been overrun (but they come back after a second, being really excited)

Komodo Man
A crocodile farm, but now with komodo dragons. Parody of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.

L33Tists
The title means "elitist". It is spelled using the letter replacement language popular on the internet. The name of the two men here are "Littleboy" and "Fatman" which are the same names as the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during WWII. You can steal some afterburner gum from one of them.

Merchant
He carries some nice stuff, notably an FN FAL, a Gauss Pistol, and a Browning M2.

Mir
Yes, this is the actual space-station. Sadly, you can not enter...

Morte
You can talk with it, but has no other meaning. This skull came from Sigil, the Cage, from the game Planescape: Torment.

Phil, the Nuka Cola guy
Killing him is a bad thing. You can steal his items: 100 classic nuka-colas, a unique fusion nuka-cola, and 20-30 molotov coctails.

According to Guiler's Fallout Tactics Walkthrough, the "Jet Bike Key" can only be stolen from the mechanic in bunker epsilon. If you then kill Phil you can use the key to start the bike and ride. This has not been verified, as no-one seems to have found a way to make it work. Some suggest that the "Jet Bike Key" is actually a referance to the SNES game Chrono Trigger.

PipBoy
If you come here with a full squad you can't recruit him. If your team has 5 men he wanders away if you talk to him. If you have less than that, he joins you. Abilities: ST 7, PE 6, EN 6, CH 5, IN 6, AG 6, LK 10, level: 8, Bloody Mess, Tag!, Stunt Man, Flexible (useless as he can not change stance), small guns (100), big guns (33), energy weapons (75), sneak (80), can wear any armor.

Pitch Black
A reference to the movie Pitch Black. This encounter is buggy, as no matter what you do you will HAVE TO fight many deathclaws. There is absolutely no light, so carry small-range weaponry with hollowpoint bullets. If you manage to save Riddick (i.e. reach the exit grid with him) he should be appear in the recruit pool. This is the perfect situation to use drugs and valuable healing-equipment (on Riddick too). His stats are: 8,5,7,4,5,7,4, unarmed/melee weapons/sneak, night person, bonus HtH damage, faster healing, silent running. Becomes recruitable in the Gamma bunker (no quest needed). His rank is knight, or 1 rank below (what you should have that time). Personally, I don't think he's worth the effort.

It seems he never leaves the encounter, just stands on the exit grid. Don't worry abut that, just leave, and do not return until you can recruit him.

Reaver Dance
See anyone can Riverdance! Other than that no point to this. Can't be killed.

Sixth sense
Again a brahmin farm filled with ghost-brahmins and a living one that says "I see dead brahmins". Remarkable. Spoof of the movie "The Sixth Sense".

Titanic
You found Jack Dawson. He has the "Heart of the Ocean" and an 'artistic' drawing of a girl.

Trader
You can trade with him for ring pulls. He carries various guns, ammo, and drugs. The two raiders with him carry AK-47's, and the two civilians have a 9mm Beretta and a Neostead combat shotgun, respectively.

Uprising
A Brotherhood of Steel bunker, reminiscent of the one in the first Fallout. You can not go in. There are about 12 dead civilians, one of which carries afterburner gum. The two BoS guards who have apparently killed the civilians, carry vindicator miniguns. If you attack and kill them, it will reduce both your reputation and rank within the brotherhood. You can, however, overdose them with drugs with no ill effects.