Allistair Tenpenny

Allistair Tenpenny (Born 2197) is the owner of Tenpenny Tower and the employer of a certain Mister Burke. Though he is nominally in charge of place the Chief of Security Gustavo seems to take care of all security and administration matters, and Mister Burke seems to be more in charge of the place than either of them.

Tenpenny was born in 2197 in what used to be known as England. He somehow managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean and came to the Capital Wasteland to seek his fortune. Eventually he became quite rich, took over a pre-War hotel and named it after himself.

He carries a shiny Sniper Rifle which he uses to randomly shoot at things in the wastes during what he calls "Wasteland Safari". You get good Karma from killing him no matter what. It is quite strange however that despite having an entire establishment full of security guards, killing Tenpenny does not cause any sort of panic or chaos. In fact, the only change is that Chief Gustavo may declare that he has taken charge of the Tenpenny Tower. Panic may not ensue because many people disliked him and that he had a tendency to be evil, such as when he actively tried to blow up Megaton. However less so than Gustavo as you can actually talk him into letting the ghouls into the tower in Tenpenny Tower.

Trivia
In a nod to Howard Hughes, a noted eccentric who spent his final days in seclusion in a penthouse suite and would urinate in bottles (because of his severe O.C.D.) which he would line up next to his door, the programmers have placed a row of empty Nuka-Cola bottles next to Tenpenny's door. Also, his bedroom is full of milk bottles, just like Hughes' did in his last days.

A theoretical, though unlikely, reference to Howard Hughes claims that "Allistair Tenpenny" gets his first name from Alistair MacLean who wrote the 1963 novel Ice Station Zebra which was made into a 1968 action film starring Rock Hudson. Rumor has it Howard Hughes became obsessed with the film and had it running on a continuous loop in his home. According to his aides, he watched it exactly 150 times.

Tenpenny's first name "Allistair" is also reminiscent of "Aleister", another name of British origins donned by Aleister Crowley in real life, who is alluded in-game with Tenpenny's opposite number in Underworld, Mister Crowley in the likeness of their scheming, hinting to some sort of chirality in their personalities, as one is the owner of Tenpenny Tower, the pedestal of luxury in the Wasteland, being some sort of "paradise", whereas the other ostensibly being an important figure in Underworld. If you check him on the GECK, he has his own radio and even his own recordings for it. The only way to hear the radio is to enable it on the GECK.

Tenpenny seems suspiciously similar in his actions to Amon Goeth, the concentration camp leader in the film Schindler's List. Goeth spends parts of his day sitting on the balcony of his large house looking out over his work camp and occasionally shooting workers. It is interesting that Tenpenny can also often be found shooting his Sniper Rifle out into the Wasteland.

Allistair Tenpenny is revealed to be a lover of scotch at the conclusion of The Power of the Atom quest, as he requests one after the bombs explosion. Also he is a ghoul hater.

Tenpenny's last name may be a nod to Bethesda's Elder Scrolls universe. A book can be found in Oblivion named Ruins of Kemel-Ze. In it, the explorers hire a translator named Tuen Panai, which they shorten to "Ten Penny."

When Tenpenny mentions shooting anything and everything in the wasteland, this may refer to the short story "The Most Dangerous Game,"where a man hunts humans in a secluded mantion on an island. You can usually see him shooting things with his sniper rifle on the balcony.

Corpse Loot

 * Tenpenny's Suit
 * (occasionally) Lying, Congressional Style
 * Allistair Tenpenny's Suite Key
 * Sniper Rifle
 * .308 Caliber Round (10)

Appearances
Tenpenny appears only in Fallout 3.