A list of locations planned for Van Buren.
Ballistic Orbital Missile Base
Abbreviated B.O.M.B.-001 is a large space station capable of firing twenty-four nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. While it is currently staffed with eight individuals, it is capable of housing six people long term. The layout for B.O.M.B.-001 shows areas designated for living, recreation, medical treatment, and a separate area for the station's true purpose; a nuclear missile control and launch center.
| B.O.M.B.-001 | ||
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The sister station, B.O.M.B.-002, existed alongside B.O.M.B.-001 until some point after the Great War. Another station, B.O.M.B.-003, was the third base being made to launch nuclear missiles on enemy nations. However, when the Great War struck, the station could not receive further construction, and its parts were left in the rocket assembly building of Bloomfield Space Center.
Over the course of its two-hundred-year wait, B.O.M.B.-001 sustained a bit of damage. Its circular outer hull remained intact, except for damage to the northern section. A stray communications satellite impacted this part of the hull, resulting in severe damage to the interior door mechanism that linked the living quarters to the command center. Because of this, the living section and the command section are completely shut off from each other - not that anyone is currently living on the satellite. Should anyone visit B.O.M.B.-001, they would have to perform a space walk with magnetic boots in order to gain access from one section to the other. However, magnetic boots are not needed inside the station since its rotation creates enough artificial gravity for normal, Earth-like movement. Inside, in the living quarters section, the environment is very sterile, with plenty of silver and white paneling all around. Beds fold out from the rounded halls when needed, and fold back into the wall when not in use. The kitchen is small and utilitarian, providing the bare essentials for two people to maneuver and fix meals. There is one bathroom facility, able to accommodate two to three people at a time, complete with suction tubes and wash towels. Entertainment is provided by a now static-filled monitor which was originally designed to show movies and television shows. From the looks of the dimly lit, rounded corridors, a half a dozen or so people could have lived on the satellite for an extended period of time. However, the only thing in the frigid living section that vaguely resembles life are the three little brain bots that scurry about. Their only contact with the Earth below is the array of thick windows that adorn the curved walls along the equally curved corridors. On the other end of B.O.M.B.-001 is the command center. Here lies all the computers and technology necessary to maintain, target, and launch the nuclear missiles. There are several dormant computer stations and a cut-away map of the earth on the central wall. From this point, someone could calculate targeting solutions and launch the missiles, provided they had the proper launch codes. When the Prisoner arrives at B.O.M.B.-001, they will dock on the living quarter's side of the station. Upon entering, they will find that power has been fully activated on the station. Some of the fold-away beds look like they have been used recently and there is evidence of use in the kitchen and bathrooms as well, not to mention the loud, audible computer voice announcing the current time until missile launch – "T-minus 120 minutes until missiles launch." If one accesses a nearby computer terminal, they will discover that Dr. Victor Presper and some of his cronies have come aboard the station and taken control. Several information systems have been unlocked by Presper and anyone may freely navigate through some of the information. Some higher-level information may need some hacking to obtain. While in the living quarters, the Prisoner will meet S.O.R.-1000 Alpha, the brain-bot in charge of the living quarters, provided it is reactivated by them. Since Alpha is not hostile, the Prisoner may freely converse with it. Once the robots lock onto them, they will indeed detach and pursue. Once past the robots and into the command center, the Prisoner might be greeted by Coleridge and some NCR guards (this all depends on whether they fought against the security bots, or snuck past). On this side of the station, the Prisoner will interact with Presper and his merry band of bad-guys (if they encountered and killed Pierce, Briggs, and Davidson at the Grand Canyon, they will not be on B.O.M.B.-001), as well as the computer systems that set targeting solutions and launch the missiles. Several possibilities may arise in this area, including the possibility to use nuclear weapons to destroy basically any populated area they have visited in a flurry of steel and fire. At least one of the missile systems is under remote control by Diana Stone, the Nursery AI. She will prevent anyone, be it the Prisoner or Presper, from launching anything in the general direction of the Nursery.
Nuclear proliferation reached an all-time high. As a reaction to possible nuclear threats, the U.S. government completed a space station/satellite that was supposed to house two-dozen nuclear missiles. Named the Ballistic Orbital Missile Base, or the B.O.M.B., it was considered the ultimate offensive weapon. From orbit, B.O.M.B.-001 could launch missiles to reach any target in the world within minutes. However, as a safety net from accidentally launching nuclear missiles, B.O.M.B.-001 required an onboard crew to launch the missiles. The station was capable of housing eight crew members but only required one on-board individual to effectively calculate targeting solutions and launch the missiles, as long as that individual had the proper launch codes. Without the proper codes manually entered, the missiles could not be launched, even by accident. The first two B.O.M.B. missile stations were nearly completed in 2073. Orbiting high above the Earth, all the two B.O.M.B. stations needed were main power reactors to replace the temporary generators that were put in place to maintain the bare, on-board necessities. Unfortunately, the reactors never came. The vessels that were commissioned to take the reactors to the B.O.M.B. stations never left the launch pad at Bloomfield Space Center. By the time the Hermes rockets were complete and loaded with the reactors, a nuclear war broke out across the globe. The B.O.M.B. satellites became deadly, yet dormant artifacts of a paranoid age long past. Over the course of two hundred years or so, B.O.M.B.-001 remained in Earth's orbit relatively unscathed, except for some minor hull damage at the north end of the station, a result of a communications satellite collision and micro-meteorite impacts. The only thing this affected was the hatch in the missile silo room that linked the living quarters to the command center. The impacts permanently damaged the opening mechanism, and any attempt at repairing the door could result in a failure in the structural integrity of the station. Other than this minor foible, B.O.M.B.-001 was still fully functional; well, as functional as can be with just a temporary generator. B.O.M.B.-002 was created to hold nuclear missiles and launch them on targets. US Army personnel were stationed there, as well as robots. It fell from orbit and bits of the wreckage can be seen at the crash site in the Grand Canyon. The crash site is now entirely occupied by scavengers.
The living quarters is the first place the Prisoner will enter upon arrival at the space station. After leaving airlock 1, they will proceed into the main medical facility of the station. It is a large room compared to the others, with four hospital beds, a few medical cabinets, and an Auto-Doc. The Auto-Doc can be used at any time. There is also a storage room that can be accessed in the medical facility. Inside, the Prisoner will find all kinds of medical supplies; including various drugs and stimpaks.
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B.O.M.B. Command Center
The orbital command sector of B.O.M.B.-001.
| B.O.M.B. Command | ||
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This airlock looks exactly like the previous airlock 2, but this airlock is a transition from map 2 to map 3 and back again. There are no spacesuits in this airlock.
Directly east of airlock 3 is the station's meeting room. A large cut-away map of the world is hung on the east wall with red thumbtacks precariously placed on Midwestern locales. An observant person (INT > 5) will notice that the thumbtacks are on the same points that the missile targeting solutions are assigned. In the center of the room is a large meeting table and eight chairs all around.
Directly south is engineering. This room has several computer terminals attached to large computer storage banks, similar to the spinning tape storage banks from the fifties. There are also four generators evenly spaced on the floor. Here, the Prisoner will also find an NCR engineer. They will then be presented with several choices; successfully sneaking into the command center, choosing to kill or knock out the engineer, take his armor and helmet (essentially his uniform), or use the Deception skill to try and infiltrate the command control room. Another option is to try and speak to the engineer using Speech skills, thus trying to convince the engineer that Presper has not been entirely honest with them. Another choice is to blow the snot out of the guy and not worry about him.
In this medium-sized room is a large nuclear reactor with four smaller power nodes at each corner of the room. The reactor is very well insulated, but can be sabotaged using more than two dynamites or two C4 explosives (using more will not do any more damage). Using these explosives will breach the plutonium containment and will result in radiation all over the command center. A reactor meltdown will commence, which gives exactly five minutes before a total meltdown. Lastly, causing this type of catastrophe will initiate the emergency missile launch protocol, giving four minutes to set new targeting solutions and one minute to get the hell out of Dodge. The one consolation about the emergency launch protocol is that six out of the eight missiles have a 50% chance of missing their assigned target, so if the Prisoner can only reprogram half the missiles in the four minutes, there is still a chance that all the missiles will miss their targets. It's a gamble, but it's the price one pays for using meathead tactics. The same rules apply if the Prisoner uses Science on the reactor and programs it to overload.
This is the ultimate room where the Prisoner can save the world or help destroy it. There is a large monitor on the east wall that shows a close-up section of the Mid-West as seen from B.O.M.B.-001. Several red targeting reticules highlight different designated targets; Hoover Dam, New Canaan, Shady Sands, New Reno, Vault City, Denver, Brotherhood Main Bunker, and Maxson's Bunker (although the targeting computer uses old, pre-War names for the locations). Directly underneath the large monitor is the targeting computer. This is where one may reprogram the targeting solutions. If the Prisoner chooses to disarm the missiles, they will be able to disarm all but two missiles. Since the computer was programmed to "cleanse" the areas that had been exposed to the New Plague, it will refuse to halt all launches and insist that two missiles be launched. They must choose two targets to hit – empty, uninhabited areas are not an option. If chosen not to choose, then the computer will choose the two largest populations. Also, reprogramming targeting solutions takes a fairly long time. Since both the station and the Earth are moving, the computer must calculate for optimal launch trajectory, atmosphere re-entry, target positioning dependent on the Earth's current facing relative to the station, distance, fuel, and weather. All these factors could take some serious calculating time, especially since none of these variables are constant; the core information must be extracted on the fly and then worked into a target solution. It is quite possible that the Prisoner will not have time to reprogram all the missiles, so they would have to choose carefully which ones to change first. Dr. Presper can be found fiddling around another computer that is in the lefthand corner of the room. If the Prisoner decides to muck around this computer, it will be found out that Presper was using it to calculate explosion scenarios, radioactive fallout disbursement patterns and half-life, and other brainiac calculations. The center of the room holds the computer processing core, a large, metallic object that is shaped like a smaller ZAX computer.
Directly north of the command center is the hallway for the escape pods. These are accessible at any time and hold two people each. There are five pods total. All one needs to do is access the control panel over one of the escape pod doors and accept the emergency escape request. One of the ideas I was toying with to keep the ending of the game "Fallouty," was that the escape pod does not have a designated landing site. Because of its limitations, the pod will land like a '60's space capsule, parachutes and all, in an unknown, remote area. This way the player will get an end movie CG of having his PC leaving the pod and wandering into the sunset of an unknown land – play sad music and shed a tear. Then roll the " and what happened to..." stills and narratives.
This is where three of the eight missiles that are going to be launched are stored. The ten foot thick, red silos come out of the floor and extend into the ceiling and form two rows of six silos each. The Prisoner can access the mini-computers that are attached to each silo and see which silo has a missile in it and which do not. Some of the silos show empty because the U.S. government never got the chance to fully stock B.O.M.B.-001 before the war started. However, for those silos that have a missile in them, one can try to sabotage the missile launch system on a per silo basis. Unfortunately, this type of Science Boy tactic takes quite a bit of time, and the likelihood of sabotaging more than five silos in less than two hours is highly unlikely. But, sabotaging the silos would cause a systems overload, which in turn would cause the station to eventually blow up – a couple of minutes after the non-sabotaged missiles launched.
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Blackfoot Village
A location in the Grand Canyon, owned by the Blackfoot Tribe. The gate flanks are guarded from the inside. There are spots along the fence where it's possible to shoot through but not walk through (the hole is too small for a character to pass, but not so small that it blocks line of sight), and these spots are manned by tribes folk with some of their limited number of pipe rifles.
| Blackfoot Village | ||
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This is a simple fence made of earth, tough metal (too tough for them to meltdown in their smelter) and junk (old tires, etc.). It marks the outer perimeter of their village and runs part way up into the hillside. The asphalt road leads up to a small gate-opening, which is blocked by an armored Greyhound bus (like the armored school bus used as a gate by the refinery tribe in The Road Warrior, except this one doesn't have a working engine, they just push it).
Standard wood and brick buildings. This was once a tourist town, and the locals lived in these simple homes. Most homes have barrels under the drainage points of the roofs to catch rainwater.
Typical small wooden cabin on the hillside. Rented or bought by visitors who wanted to be closer to the caves or slops, or who just didn't like being in the "city" when on vacation.
Formerly the sheriff's station. Those on guard duty report in here and can come here on short breaks for food and lavatory.
Formerly a house with a small carpentry business attached. Now it's the home and workshop of Garun, an older guy who knows how to make and repair spears, knives, and bows. He sells them and can do the old spear-sharpening trick. Possible quest stuff involves him repairing stuff, finding people he wants, finding stuff he wants, getting on his good side to get him to upgrade your weapons.
A superstore like Target. It would be cool if it had a large sign with a Pip Boy in a Native American feathered headdress, shooting at a target. The name of the place could be "Bullseye," with the main point of the logo to look similar to a Target logo. Ha ha. Anyway, this place is where they keep their slaves (those who haven't been adopted into the tribe, or recent acquisitions or surly ones destined to be sold elsewhere). Inside there are many rows of shelves, barricaded with sections of fencing, patio tables, and other materials you'd find in such a store, all used to keep slaves in place (chains, padlocks, and bike locks are pretty common, too). This place still holds many durable items from the pre-War days, and an engineer could have a field day looting or buying tools and bits to use for things. This place has a more gloomy feel than the other parts of the village. During the day the place is looked after by Dominic, the slavemaster. Children from the village are usually not allowed into this building for their own safety.
Similar to the slave pen, this holds a few brahmin which the tribe plans to slaughter soon to provide food. They're given grain (or other food) to fatten them up a little more before the slaughter. Most of the tribe's other brahmin range outside the village fence.
Your standard low-tech slaughterhouse: a small pen for the waiting animals, a place to tie up the animal you're going to thwack, and a bunch of hooks for you to hang carcasses on.
Each of these is a small plot of land carefully tended by the villagers and blessed by the Daughter of Hecate. Anywhere from 10 to thirty feet long, usually about ten feet wide.
This is the home of Merrin, the tribal shaman, and medicine woman. She's also a Daughter of Hecate. Her home is right next to Kurisu's because she wants to keep an eye on the village leader. (Uses one of the variant house maps, with customized props).
The leader's house was once a winter home of an older gentleman who still liked to ski but couldn't handle the tougher slopes. Several large rooms, a big dining room, and living room for entertaining. Many trophies from Kurisu's raids, and her several house-husbands wandering about (all of them impressive in some way, most of them physically).
This is a collection of small bungalows, mainly one-room places with a kitchenette, often used by medium-income families or groups of college students away for a long weekend. Now they're used by the Hangdogs as their homes, as the dogs like running around the buildings and under the crawlspaces (which humans can't get into). These places are sorta run down, mainly from abuse at the hands of drunken fratboys but also somewhat from neglect. They keep the snow out in winter, but they're not pretty.[1] | ||
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Take Over the Blackfoots: To lead the tribe, the PC must defeat Kurisu in three different challenges: strength, agility, and combat (unpowered weapons only). They occur right after each other, so any damage you've suffered during the first two trials is still in effect for the last trial. Once you defeat her (it's not to the death) you're in charge, though it will take some time for the tribe to adjust (you lose some status for challenging an existing strong and well-liked leader, but can make up for it with your actions).
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Bloomfield Space Center
An old Air Force base with two working space shuttles and houses a gang called the Rusty Hooks, whose hideout is in the shuttle launch pad. By the time the Prisoner arrives at Bloomfield, Dr. Victor Presper and members of the NCR have already taken the other space rocket to B.O.M.B.-001.
| Bloomfield | ||
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The leader, Kyle "The Hook," knew they found a special location and decreed among his faithful that this facility would be their permanent residence and base of operations. The raiders then took up occupancy in the building that was once used for flight operations and communications. From there they managed to get the sub-reactor working with barely enough power to send to the building and the rest of the grounds. However, the Rusty Hooks found out the hard way that the five high powered turrets surrounding the launch pad and the space rockets were active and had no connection to the sub-reactor they worked on. Suffice it to say that the members of the Rusty Hooks kept a respectful distance from the launch pad and the well preserved, twin space rockets, but that situation didn’t bother them. All they needed was located right in the building they called home; a healthy weapon and ammunition cache stored in the security block of the operations and communications building. The Rusty Hooks are known to make regular raids on caravans from the tribes in the area – the area being pretty much all of Arizona. Raids have been known to last upwards of a month or so. Just about anything is fair game to them, and they are willing to trade with anyone who does not have a problem with where they get their merchandise – though very few people in the wasteland know about the Bloomfield Space Center or how to get there.[2][3] | ||
Boulder Dome
A massive scientific research facility overshadowing the city of Boulder. It was built as a structure specifically designed to withstand a direct nuclear attack. Surrounding the structure are the blasted remains of the city of Boulder, with what's left of it being hazardously contaminated with radiation and toxic waste.
| Boulder Dome | ||
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Boulder was long a place where advanced scientific research took place. Supported by money from Denver's industry and an active military presence, Boulder scientists made advances in medicine (bio med gel was invented here), alternate energy sources, robotics, and even developed a power armor prototype. Construction of the research dome was not considered until the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal had leakage of toxic waste, creating a poisonous cloud that swept through Denver, killing many. In reaction, the military-funded a program to create a self-sustaining research dome, making it resistant to a nuclear attack and having the primary research inside be dedicated to the New Plague. This "city of the future" was to be a prototype for settlements on the moon and other planets. Then the war with China began. Boulder became a hotbed of political activity, as most of the scientists were naturally suspicious of the military. When reports of plague outbreaks in Denver surfaced, many in Boulder feared that an exodus from that city would come here and infect them; they fled north, the scientists staying in a cold sleep stasis deep within the dome. When the war started, and bombs were flying, Cheyenne Mountain (a military facility, home of NORAD) was a primary target. A huge section of the mountains became a great radioactive smoking crater. Coupled with attacks on Denver and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Boulder was involuntarily included in a triangle of hellish death; yet 170 years later, the dome still stands.
Inside the dome lives a desperate team of scientists that have been infected by a strange disease known as the New Plague. In addition to fighting the disease, they have been trying to keep their ZAX unit from cannibalizing its memory—which contains very important research data on the New Plague—to such an extent that it stops working. Beset by glowing ghouls and a large pack of cannibal primitives, the dome faces extinction. 170 years later, an NCR scientist named Goddard and his military escort travels through the region, establishing power generators and noting the locations of old-world power facilities. His report to NCR is noticed by Victor Presper, who sends him out again to investigate certain areas in the old America's southwest. After Goddard returns, Presper and a small team of soldiers investigate Boulder dome, finding it in need of repair but containing excellent labs and a fully-functioning ZAX unit. Over the next few years, Presper invites or sends scientists and students to the Boulder Dome, where he explains his idea to remake civilization. Those who refuse are put in cold sleep, using technology the original Dome scientists developed to aid space travel. Presper knows he can harness the CODE (Challenge, Opportunity, Discipline, Ethics) technology developed there to convince them to cooperate anyway, but not until he needs to. Not yet known by most people, Presper was one of the scientists who woke up in the Dome after his cold sleep, nearly 70 years after the war. Four years ago, when things start to fall apart out in NCR, Presper sent out his last team of scientists and grad students. Agnes, a fellow NCR scientist and frequent diplomat from the scientific community to the government, is the leader of the expedition. Using her skills and a "diplomatic immunity" pass she carried, she makes her way to Hoover Dam. Two days later, the NCR Congress building is destroyed, presumably in conflict with the Brotherhood of Steel. The destruction of the congressional building is a severe upset to NCR and travel becomes difficult. Only by circuitous routes and careful display of her pass is Agnes' expedition able to reach Hoover Dam a year later. She runs into Goddard, a former colleague (they were both scientific advisers to NCR at one point). Goddard knows Eddie Galenski, a long-haul trucker with an armored vehicle, and together the large group makes its way to Boulder Dome. The group includes Agnes and the grad students, Goddard and his military escort, Galenski, his wife Helen, and their children. Though they lose a few students along the way, they eventually reach Boulder Dome and enter using the passcodes Presper gave them. In a strange accident, the scientists and grad students are infected with a form of the New Plague and are forced to quarantine themselves from Goddard's soldiers and the trucker family; after two months trying to fight the disease, the scientists realize that they're stuck with it for now and have to live in protective suits whenever they want to interact with the rest of the Dome population. As of two years ago, things had stabilized. Everyone had a routine, mainly around constantly repairing problems with the dome (mainly from wear and neglect). There's enough to do that it keeps everyone from going crazy. The scientists worry that the soldiers and truckers might leave them, and if that happens, they're probably doomed. One of the grad students (Paul) discovers the Sleepers in a deep level of the facility – the scientists Presper sent here and put to sleep to help with his new world order. Xian starts her "hikes" and discovers ZAX. A year ago, the first glowing ghoul showed up on the north end of town, collapsed, and died. The scientists mark the body with radioactive warnings, debate how to dispose of it (like dumping cement on it). Paul finds that ZAX is almost out of storage space at the rate he's going. With no storage space, ZAX won't be able to run the dome and will start doing damage. They need to get other storage media to hold info. (Holodisks/holotapes/holodisk tapes, all the same thing). If no solution, ZAX will have to start cannibalizing his own memory storage, eating Boulder research as he does so. They start hearing some broadcasts from Denver, but don't answer because they fear being attacked (esp. from diseased people). 8 months before the PC arrives: Two glowing ghouls show up within a three-day period. The soldiers start getting paranoid, thinking they're in ghoul territory. Sgt Larsen, going stir-crazy, wants to take some Rad-Away, find the ghoul colony, and kill them all. Goddard says no, but Agnes suggests he consider it to let them "let off some steam." 6 months ago: Galenski is told they need storage (by now they basically need a "datacan", though holodisks will help stave it off). He makes a run west to find some but fails. While out he runs into a pack of Jackals, kills all but one, and heads home. The lone Jackal runs to his tribe and tells them about the truck, the man, and where he went. The Jackals stop fighting among their own tribes and move out in search of this new food source. Jimmy T the super mutant (found later at Denver) is with them. Another glowbug shows up. Larsen's team is given RadAway and start doing patrols. Agnes says taking RadAway for too long is dangerous. Larsen realizes that means they won't be giving it to them any more, so he starts exaggerating how many ghouls they find so they can justify getting more RadAway to deal with them. Jimmy T leaves the Jackals because he knows the Daughter of Hecate probably doesn't want him around and he doesn't want to be a sacrifice. 5 months ago: Jimmy T goes to Helen and Galenski and asks them to ship him south. The soldiers say no, but Helen and Galenski allow it because Jimmy once healed one of their kids when he was sick. Wagner (the ghoul from Denver) shows up in Boulder, scouting around the outskirts, but is driven off by shots from the soldiers who assume he's a glowbug. Wagner realizes things are hostile toward ghouls here. He scouts further south (and checks out Rocky Mountain Arsenal on the way to Boulder). A few more Jackals start showing up. 4 months ago: Galenski makes a run to Denver in response to the radio transmissions. Surprised, he finds the salvagers have a lot of good stuff. He trades them ammunition, minor tools, and medical supplies in exchange for dog meat, computer chips, and holodisks. On the way back he faces some Jackals but fails to kill any of them. Problems continue between the scientists and the soldiers. Larsen and his men succumb to addiction and their addiction is apparent. 3 months ago: Jackals organize in strength in this region. Though they originally try attacking the dome, they quickly realize the truck is an easier target. 2 months ago: Problems with the soldiers get worse. Patrols become erratic. Larsen becomes paranoid. When another ghoul wanders in, the scientists accuse the soldiers of not doing enough or anything at all. Larsen pulls a gun on a scientist and tells them to surrender their med supplies for "one last patrol." Goddard agrees and secretly decides to close them outside to starve and die. He only tells Agnes about this "exile" ... the others just think they haven't returned. 1 month ago: The soldiers return to find the dome sealed up. At first, they think it's a mistake, then they realize it's not. They pull out of Boulder to avoid the Jackals, and end up in a guerrilla state in the nearby mountains, looking for tunnels into the Dome. After two weeks the soldiers are starving. One of them freaks out, and Larsen shoots him, then offers the body to the Jackals. The soldiers and the tribes became allies, both wanting to get into the dome. Soon after, the soldiers use the last of their RadAway, and by the time the PC shows up, they're in their 7th day of withdrawal. 5 days ago: Presper and his men arrive, shoot some jackals, hide in the truck, slip into the Quarantine Center, and seize Helen, Galenski, and the kids. There's a big fight with Pierce and Helen, as they recognize each other (they used to be lovers, and he's the father of at least one of her kids.) 4 days ago: Presper realizes his datacan is of the wrong type, or can't be used to save ZAX without destroying all the data on it, which he's not ready to do yet. He starts to run some other calculations and waits around for those to finish. It's during this time (in Part 1) that the PC would arrive; if the PC doesn't arrive until Part 2, Presper & Co. are gone and things are a little back to normal, at least normal for here. When the inner dome got shut down, Xian was trapped outside. The scientists are angry because they don't know how to get her back in. When the PCs meet her, she's almost out of oxygen but she won't open her suit. Why? Because she doesn't want to contaminate the PC. Coleridge agreed to come here (1) because Presper told him it was a safehouse just in case NCR & BoS went to war, and (2) he needed the satellite if he wanted to wage war on NCR. The NCR guys spotted Galenski's truck, used it as a Trojan Horse, used it to enter the quarantine center and capture Galenski. Helen thought they were going to kill Galenski so she pretended to throw in with them. Once inside they took control of the outer perimeter, and Presper was able to talk everyone into a conference via video monitor. Presper finds out that some scientists didn't make it to Boulder and realizes he's short on the number of people he needs. Goddard is keeping stuff secret from Presper: the research, the presence of Larsen outside. He knows Presper wants the PC dead. He doesn't trust Presper and suspects that Coleridge may have been responsible for the attack on NCR congress. | ||
| CODE | ||
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CODE (Challenge, Opportunity, Discipline, Ethics) tech was a pre-War behavioral modification technology developed in the United States. Originally developed at Boulder Dome for Robobrain manufacture, CODE tech is a white flash of light used for behavioral augmentation. It uses Visual Standard, a machine language used to relay data using optical sensors and was adapted for use in Humans. However, when used on non-robotic subjects, long-term exposure to CODE may cause hallucinations, memory lapses and even seizures. In order to send CODE commands in the field, special cameras were developed to create a powerful flash that transmitted the signals to live feed helmets. Victor Presper had one such device, with HALT commands printed on flashcards. He had planned to use it to round up prisoners, infect them with the New Plague, and spur ODYSSEUS into action. As part of his plan relied on Boulder's frozen staff, he also planned to turn their invention on them, should they disagree with his plans. | ||
Boulder Dome
Backside of Boulder Dome
Boulder Dome concept art
Boulder Dome concept art
Boulder scientist
Boulder Dome suit
Boulder Dome Tunnels
The 4th sub-level of the Boulder Dome. This area of the dome is not accessible to the Prisoner until they are at least to part 2 of the game. This level is toxic and irradiated. The only way to survive here is by wearing an environmental suit like the members of the infected scientist team are wearing.
| Dome tunnels | ||
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The layout description is in accordance with the numbered picture to the right:
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Burham Springs
In 2039, Prometheus Coal, a division of Poseidon Energy, opened the Eagle's Rock mine complex in central Utah. A small mining town named Eagle Rock would open sometime later. The mine would prove to be quite dangerous and inefficient, eventually leading to the company selling the site to the United States government almost three decades later. The government turns the mine into a radioactive-waste dumping ground, manned by AGRICOLA mining robots. The Enclave also promoted the construction of a small bunker in the mine, for personal use in the event of a war.
| Burham Springs | ||
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Recognizing the value of the coal, a small community was built in the remains of Eagle Rock by the wealthy NCR mine merchant, Trent Burham. The community was given a charter by Lt. Gov. Dodge to excavate the existing mines in the region for the production of valuable coal resources. Burham's men and women struck black gold. A small community quickly grew up around the mines in the shells of the old mining town. With the NCR railroad project moving through the area, everything was safe and secure. The NCR ignored the lower caves, as pre-war toxic waste had been dumped here by the government. Everything went well at Burham Springs until the NCR presence pulled out. The railways were completed, and civil discontent was brewing back west. NCR recommended that the citizens of Burham Springs pack up their things and return with them. Many of the stubborn miners refused to give up what had become a very profitable and familiar way of life. Several were ex-criminals or "integrated" tribals with no future in the rest of NCR. With no one to protect the community, it became vulnerable to attack by the powder gangs of the wasteland. After a powder gang attack between Burham Springs and Hoover Dam left several important NCR political figures dead, the 5th Engineering Company was deployed to track down the responsible gang. The gang, finally afraid of NCR's focused might, retreated to Burham Springs. The NCR's firepower forced the gang to retreat into the mines. The commanding NCR officer, Maj. Robert "Border" Briggs, hastily ordered his men to plant explosives around the mine and detonate them. The massive explosions reached all the way down the mineshafts and hit the powder stockpiles of the gang. A chain reaction occurred. Flames erupted from every mineshaft that didn't collapse. The oil and coal dust on top of the local creek and pond were lit ablaze. A number of partially-tapped veins of coal also ignited, starting an unstoppable blaze that burns and smolders to this day. To make matters worse, the explosion didn't kill everyone. At least a few dozen townsfolk and power gang members were horribly burned and exposed to the radiation leaking from the ruptured containment barrels in the lower caverns. Through mysterious 50s sci-fi-esque pseudo-science, the anthracite coal, fire, and radioactive elements combined to create a bizarre mutated monstrosity that the nearby Canaanites call "Gehennas." Though a few extraordinarily hardy miners continued to gather small amounts of coal and technology from the caverns, everyone else abandoned the area out of fear. The NCR didn't even bother posting warnings or trying to keep people out. As far as they were concerned, if someone walks into a city that's been burning for over a decade, they're on their own. The three remaining residents of the town's surface, Phil, Sparky, and Frank, trade their finds with various merchants and roving packs of tribals, typically in exchange for food, weapons, and ammunition to defend themselves. The two men and one ghoul are tough bastards, and clever enough to see trouble coming. They have successfully defended against attacks from three different tribal groups.[4] The AGRICOLA mining robots can be found there, as well as horribly mutated creatures, called the gehennas and the molechs.[5] | ||
Circle Junction
Where the Iron Rivers tribe lives, who are said to have come from someplace to the west many years ago, and to have once been part of another tribe but have become ostracized. They survived many hardships before finally coming to the "Great Circle," known as Circle Junction to outsiders, where they have lived ever since. The Iron Rivers tribe was led to Circle Junction, following the path of a great roaring machine that had disappeared.
Circle Junction
Denver
Dog City or Dog Town is what is left of Denver, Colorado after the Great War, named for packs of dog that roam the streets. Salvager camps are the only civilization present. One camp is located in the skyscraper ruins, above the threat of dogs below.
| Denver | ||
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A rich city known for its industry, Denver was a place of prominence in the pre-War United States. Its factories supported the development of Boulder, a city on its outskirts, and a major center of scientific research, developing technologies in medicine, energy, robotics, and even power armor. However, the prominence of Denver was marred by incidents, such as a disastrous leakage from the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which created a poisonous cloud that hit Denver, killing a lot of people. Although the military apologized and invested money into the creation of the Boulder Dome as compensation, the damage was done.[6] The incident heralded the city's dark future. For a time, everything seemed in order and the city entered a building boom shortly before the war, as many new jobs were opening there the city was swollen to bursting. Most of the construction was housing for these immigrants. But when the war with China did start in 2066, resource rationing occurred and suddenly the construction workers didn't have anything to build with and weren't getting paid. Union riots and strikes occurred because the city couldn't pay and the federal government wouldn't step in to help. When Mexico and the midwestern U.S. started to suffer food shortages, Denver was hit hard because of its high population. Food rationing began. Food riots started because of the rationing, and some buildings were set on fire. The National Guard was called in to contain the rioting, using InstaPens (aka "bullpens") to contain and imprison rioters. Some people deliberately attacked police and National Guard troops so they would be imprisoned and fed. Rioters, National Guard personnel who disobeyed orders and other military folk who refused to help contain the riots were sent west and east.[7] Then, an outbreak of the New Plague hit the city. Rioters burned down large parts of the city in their fear of contamination and anger at their treatment. Many panicked and fled the city by car, clogging the freeways when they ran out of gas and trapping everyone behind them. And then the bombs fell, destroying some of what was left and killing everyone who had managed to live through everything else.[7]
Post-War, civilization in Denver has collapsed and huge packs of wild dogs have taken over the city. Small groups of scavengers have tried to loot some of the buildings, but there had never been a coordinated effort until 2251. In 2251, a group of work-release NCR prisoners from Porter's gang arrived to salvage items to buy off the rest of their sentences. They were to scavenge as many building supplies as possible, establish a track outpost, and pave the way for the NCR occupation. In 2253, glowing ghouls started arriving from Boulder. Some slavers from Caesar's Legion are waiting out the Midwest's radioactive duststorms keeping them from getting home, and a rival gang of salvagers have moved in and started raiding claims from the NCR salvagers. | ||
Fort Abandon
Trig would have asked the player character to acquire capacitors from the location.[8]
Grand Canyon
A location in the former United States. Santiago describes the location as, "hot and radioactive" but containing valuable old equipment that can be salvaged.[9] He offers information about the canyon and surroundings, including the fact that he and his crew had heard stories of a large object crashing into the western part of the canyon.[10][11]
| Grand Canyon | ||
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A quest involved finding replacement parts and fixing the tram that transports individuals across the canyon for Santiago.[12][13] The tram could be utilized by Santiago to make money by way of charging tolls to caravans.[14] The player character may come in contact with a group of thugs from the Crimson Caravan who begin threatening Santiago for control of the tram business.[15][16] Other individuals in the canyon include a group in Presper's employ led by Pierce who the player character must persuade or fight,[17] and a man named Ike who needs assistance disarming a landmine.[18][19] | ||
Hangdog Village
These guys are all about dogs, utilizing them as pets, food, and guards. The Hangdogs are slavers and scavengers and are often in league with Hecate. They have a mixed reputation across the wasteland. Neither known for being particularly brutal or kind, the Hangdogs mostly keep to themselves, living in northeastern Colorado, near Denver – or, as NCR calls it, “Dog Town.” The Hangdogs run with packs of dogs that have been taken from the hordes that reportedly infest the area.
Hoover Dam
A concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the former US states of Arizona and Nevada.
| Hoover Dam | ||
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In the days before the war, Hoover Dam was a source of great power, and NCR wanted to have control of that power. The technology used at Hoover Dam could rival, if not surpass, anything the Brotherhood of Steel had, and that was a temptation NCR did not want to refute, especially during the growing tensions between the two organizations.
Once Dodge's caravans and troops arrived at Hoover Dam, they found scattered packs of settlers barely eking out an existence on and around the great structure. Frequented by attacks from hostile raiders, it took little convincing on Dodge's part that it would be in the settlers' best interests that he and his NCR troops provide protection and an organized structure to the Hoover Dam region, with Hoover Dam itself being the central hub. With exuberant cooperation from the Hoover settlers, structures and fortifications were set up along the dam's rim. With each completed structure, the settlers of Hoover Dam felt more secure and safe, especially after Dodge's men made short work of attacking raiders in the early years. Everyone started to feel as if they had a purpose in the Hoover Dam community, and the Dam started to separate into a class system, with government and high-end business people occupying the area known as the Rim, and the working class, such as construction workers and farmers, occupying the area known as Downtown. Dodge and his NCR troops stayed in the Rim, where Councilman Dodge became known as Governor Dodge by the people of Hoover Dam, and was regarded as a fair, honest leader who brought the settlers of Hoover Dam into a time of enlightenment and self-worth. The only real trouble came when a group known as Caesar's Legion tried to invade Hoover Dam. The fighting was fierce, and Governor Dodge still to this day does not understand the motive for the attack, but suffice it to say that Dodge, the NCR troops, and the formidable wall with high powered gun turrets thwarted Caesar's invasion plans. However, the battles did take their toll and made the east side of the Rim wrecked and uninhabitable. In fact, there is so much debris at the center of the rim, it actually blocks passage to the east side. However, thanks to the big victory over Caesar's Legions, it was obvious that both the Rim and Downtown were well taken care of and protected, that is until the war between NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel began.
The first few attacks by the BoS were deflected thanks to the strong, iron gates along the rim and the accompanying high-powered turrets. However, over the course of several months, supply runs that used to come regularly from the NCR base in the west started to become less frequent. Several times it got to the point where Dodge thought his men would run out of ammunition for their guns and turrets, leaving them exposed and helpless to the BoS' superior firepower. Dodge knew that he needed to find an alternative source of weaponry if Hoover Dam was to survive against the BoS. One of Hoover Dam's caravan groups rose to the occasion. The Crimson Caravan, a caravan group that originated out of NCR itself and helped to establish the great community of Hoover Dam along with Dodge, set out to find an alternative to NCR supply runs. Dodge was more than happy to let Ailis McLafferty, the Crimson Caravan's leader, take the reigns of acquiring a new source of weapons and supplies. However, this contract with the Crimson Caravan did not sit well with their rival, the 3-Some Caravan. But that did not concern Dodge. He never really trusted the 3-Some Caravan company, especially since it was run by former NCR prisoners (incarcerated at one time for petty theft), and therefore did not want them involved in finding a weapon and ammunition source outside of the NCR home base supply runs. It was almost six months later, and Dodge and his men were in dire straights, but the Crimson Caravan came through. Just as Dodge's men were about to fire off the last of their ammunition, Ailis McLafferty came through the main gates with a truckload of finely crafted firearms and ammunition. Ailis told dodge she got a great trading deal with a faraway tribal community dedicated to mechanical technologies, but would not elaborate as to where, exactly, the tribe was and would not go into detail on what they were like. This was fine with Dodge since, with the new weapons and ammunition, he and his men could fend off future attacks by the BoS. This tickled Dodge even more since he got the impression that the BoS were starting to feel the pinch of extended battle and could not afford frequent attacks with depleted ammunition and supplies – a theory of Dodge's was that the BoS was starting to suffer the same fate as the NCR with few, if not all-together stopped, supply runs from BoS headquarters. Perhaps Dodge and his men would take the offensive one day and overtake the crippled BoS, he thought to himself. Unfortunately for Dodge, the BoS seemed to have a new lease on the war and resumed assaults on Hoover Dam's gates. It was if as soon as the Crimson Caravan returned with weapons and ammunition for his troops, the BoS got re-supplied as well. He did not know. What he did know, however, was that the battle between the two organizations was going to turn into a war of attrition, with no clear winner and no advancement on either side. He may have been a mere councilman when he was at NCR, but he was smart enough to recognize futility.
Over the course of several years, contact with the NCR disappeared completely. The supply train that would make infrequent visits to fund the war effort ceased. Dodge began to rely more and more on what the two internal caravan companies could bring in, and realized even more that in order to maintain good trading relations with the outlaying communities, internal resources must be found and mined. For a few years after NCR stopped their shipments, Dodge used a construction site that was along the center of the Rim to gather building materials not only to build structures in Hoover Dam but also to use as trade materials. The construction site offered plenty of rebars, stone, hardened wood, and steel beams. The demand for such materials was high, so trading these resources became profitable for both the Crimson Caravan and the 3-Some Caravan companies. However, over time it became apparent that the area around the construction site was becoming weak and unstable, and any further cannibalizing of the materials there might lead to the destruction of the dam itself. Dodge ordered all access to the construction site off-limits under penalty of death.
Dodge and his community once again were in dire straits. The Crimson Caravan's mysterious trading source would not deal with them if they had nothing of value to trade. Dodge needed to think of something, and quickly. Luck was on Dodge's side one day when a resident ghoul, named Otto Steed, came to him and revealed something very interesting. Otto Steed, as it turned out, was in charge of the water purification system in the Downtown area. The water that got purified was not quite drinkable but was suitable for agriculture. The interesting part is that the byproducts of the filtration process turned out to be potassium nitrate and sulfur – two of the primary components of black powder. Another byproduct is nitric acid, one of the ingredients to gunpowder, though not quite in the quantities of the other two. These chemicals would be very valuable to a community that had access to coal, and as luck would have it, the community that the Crimson Caravan dealt with for ammunition and weapons had its own coal source, but not a reliable potassium nitrate and sulfur source. Trade with the ammunition and weapons supplier once again resumed, and the Crimson Caravan was flying high as top-dog with Governor Dodge. With the weapons and ammunition problem pretty much solved, Governor Dodge had another, possibly even bigger problem to contend with – battle fatigue. Even though attacks from the BoS were not as frequent as they were during the onset, the constant state of alert was wearing thin on the troops and the citizenry. Several soldiers and some of the citizens abandoned Hoover Dam in the hopes of finding a community not buried in the throes of a war of attrition. Among those who stayed, there was a longing for escape either through natural or chemical means. Apathy almost become the watchword and resulted in many key systems starting to malfunction or shut down altogether. Otto, who has a knack for those things mechanical, tried to keep up with everything, but the breakdowns were becoming too much for Otto to handle alone. Governor Dodge knew he must find a way to stop the war once and for all, or Hoover Dam was doomed – if not by being overrun by the BoS, then by entropy and abandonment. All the while, the Crimson Caravan Company flourished and seemed very happy the way things were.
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Jericho
A town located near the shore of the Great Salt Lake. It was once the Jericho water plant and part of New Canaan, but it was destroyed seven years ago by rioting refugees from the war in the west. Jericho is a rough frontier town, but Sheriff O'Connor keeps a firm grasp on the town.
| Jericho | ||
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The Jericho water plant is all that remains of New Canaan. The Mormons had struggled to be a moral center for the wasteland, outlawing drugs, alcohol, and slavery, as well as offering their own limited resources to refugees from the war in the west. The Mormons' charity proved to be their downfall. Due to constant incidents of "immoral" behavior, the Mormons kept all non-Mormons outside the town walls. The refugees grew in number, and the Mormons could not give away as much food and water as they once did. Hothead refugees spread the false belief that the Mormons were living like kings inside their walls while everyone else suffered, and a large number of refugees battered down New Canaan's gates and overran the small Mormon militia. The Jericho plant itself survived only because a number of refugees who wanted nothing to do with the slaughter in New Canaan barricaded themselves inside it, keeping everyone else outside, even terrified Mormons who were screaming to them for help. Nowadays, the water plant is the centerpiece of a small community, and not surprisingly, the community's chief export is fresh water. The scarcity of water in the wasteland has proven to be quite profitable to Jericho, and the town is thriving.
The desalination plant is the largest and oldest building in town. It's loud, hot, and noisy inside when the plant is in operation during the day. Large pipes run around everywhere on the inside, and on the eastern exterior wall is a filling station where the water caravans fill up their barrels. The plant is currently being run by Jake Caulwell. He doesn't actually do any work within the plant, usually just keeping an eye on the convicts doing all of the actual labor.
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MacArthur Army Base
In a random encounter around New Canaan, the player character will find a squad of troopers that will approach them, asking for directions to the MacArthur Army Base. If the player character is hostile or "weird" the troopers will open fire on them.[20]
Maxson Bunker
A pre-War fallout shelter built by a senator for his family and himself. The war caught him unaware, and the bunker was never actually used for its intended purpose. All but forgotten, the bunker location was passed down as a family secret from one generation to the next. Eventually, a family member passed the secret on to Roger Maxson, who claimed it for the Brotherhood of Steel.
| Maxson Bunker | ||
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In the year 2067, Senator Todd Peterson decided to build a secret bunker to house himself and his family should war break out. Senator Peterson was a wealthy man in his own right but lacked the funds necessary for such a project. Through secret dealings with Poseidon Energy and a covert branch of the government known as the Enclave, the final funding for the project was attained. A construction site was chosen and work began. Ten years after the construction was completed, the war did indeed break out. Senator Peterson was in Washington, D.C. at the time, and, much to his chagrin, was taken completely by surprise. The senator made a desperate attempt to gather his family and reach the bunker, but his small plane never arrived. The bunker might have remained lost were it not for a surviving member of the senator's family, Ben Schilling. The bunker was intended to be used as a staging area for exploration teams scouting the east. However, once the war broke out with the New California Republic, the bunker became a forward base of operations against Hoover Dam, an NCR outpost. The war effort has gone poorly for both sides, with the Brotherhood of Steel having superior technology, yet the NCR having superior numbers of troops. As a result, the war has been at a stalemate for years, with morale on both sides having plummeted, and with the Brotherhood of Steel most severely affected. The Brotherhood of Steel has always believed itself to be an elite organization comprised of the best that mankind has to offer in terms of soldiers and technology. The fact that a large group of under-trained and under-equipped troops could hold their own against such superior forces was an eye-opener for the Brotherhood of Steel. The war, in their eyes, has now become a senseless waste of lives and resources, and many of the Brotherhood of Steel troops have deserted and fled into the wastelands to find new lives; leaving the bunker occupied by a select few diehards. In the wake of these troubles, a covert group of former Brotherhood of Steel operatives has come into existence, calling themselves the Circle of Steel. This group raids caravans and villages, confiscating any advanced technology they may have. This is done in the name of saving mankind from itself. In the year 2077, Captain Roger Maxson left the Mariposa Military Base and traveled to the secret Lost Hills bunker for the purpose of establishing a new military order. He brought with him a loyal group of followers, consisting of both military personnel and scientists. Among these was Corporal Ben Shilling. It was at this time that Maxson established the Brotherhood of Steel. As the Brotherhood grew, they began to look into the possibility of expanding their operations. It was then that Ben Schilling revealed the location of Senator Peterson's bunker, and the location was filed away for future use. In the year 2231, Jeremy Maxson was leading a thriving Brotherhood of Steel. Jeremy decided that it was time to expand the Brotherhood of Steel operations into the east, and he sent an expeditionary force composed of five paladins to confirm the location of Peterson's bunker. The expedition leader, Andrea Brixley, discovered the bunker, disabled its security, and opened it for habitation. For over a decade, she and her fellow paladins explored the east and forged relationships with many of the local tribes that inhabited the area. In the year 2242, Jeremy Maxson renamed the bunker after his famous ancestor, Roger Maxson, and later sent a full complement of troops for occupation there. Andrea Brixley was promoted to elder, given the rank of general, and was placed in charge of the bunker. The remainder of her exploratory team was given the title of Elder as well. It was not long afterward that the war with the New California Republic was announced, and the bunker was re-suited for war. For years, the war waged on and was considered a victory for the Brotherhood of Steel. However, no matter how many troops fell to the Brotherhood's superior technology, the NCR always seemed to have more replacements available. The Brotherhood, however, was not so fortunate. Being an elitist group, replacements were short in arriving. It soon became obvious that the Brotherhood was doomed to lose the war to the NCR's greater numbers. Morale at the bunker began to falter as the war seemed more and more hopeless. Eventually, the inevitable happened, and many lower-ranking members of the Brotherhood began to desert their posts. In an effort to end the war once and for all, the Brotherhood began to use newly discovered subversive technology known as Stealth Boys. These devices could create a field of energy that would bend light around the user, thus making him virtually invisible to sight. This allowed Brotherhood operatives to penetrate deep into NCR territory for the gathering of intelligence. However, it was soon discovered that the devices had severe side effects: paranoia, delusions, and eventual schizophrenia were the major ones. The Brotherhood disallowed the use of Stealth Boys, and once again fell behind in their war effort. Now the Brotherhood of Steel is facing yet another problem: the side effects of the Stealth Boys were not discovered until the team using them had already begun to feel their effect. When the team was disbanded, paranoia over the reason began to set in, and the team plotted against their own leaders. They stole the remaining Stealth Boys, fled the bunker as deserters, and formed a covert group known as the Circle of Steel. The goal of the CoS is to recover lost technology and rebuild the glory of the Brotherhood at any cost.
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Mesa Verde
Rocky canyons surrounding the base of the mesa. At a junction of several canyons, including the one which leads to the village, is a Viper encampment. They stop anyone who's trying to go to or come from the Cipher village.
| Mesa Verde | ||
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In the weeks following the Great War, a group of scientists and soldiers based at the atomic laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico, wandered north with a band of other survivors, searching for a place of relative safety. They assumed that they were the only "civilized" people left, since everyone else they encountered attacked them, trying to take their food, water, and clothes. When they discovered one of the ancient pueblos at Mesa Verde, they decided to set up camp there.
Hidden away in the shadows of a large cliff, near the top of a mesa rising from the desert floor, is the village of Mesa Verde. It is the home of the Ciphers, also known as the Painted People, due to their extensive use of body paint. They're one of the smallest tribes in the area, but their hard-to-reach village on the mesa enables them to hold out against superior numbers of aggressors. The Ciphers are unusual tribals because they're skilled in mathematics and electronics, as illustrated by the extensive schematics on the walls of their village. They don't realize it, but they have the schematic for a chip necessary to release the remaining rocket at Bloomfield from its docking clamps. If the clamps aren't released, the rocket goes nowhere and will most likely explode on the launchpad. The group carried only a limited amount of technology with them. The soldiers had pistols and rifles, and the scientists carried one barely working computer, enough parts to build several water makers and a crude wind turbine to power them, several lead-lined boxes containing enriched uranium, and a small supply of medicine. The rest of the band had a variety of miscellaneous gear which most contributed to group use. A decade later, the computer began to fail. Fearing that the technology of the Old World would be forever lost, the scientists began painting and carving electronic schematics into the walls of the pit (called a kiva by the builders of the pueblo). At the same time, they insisted that mathematics be emphasized when educating the village children so that their descendants would understand how to use the schematics. Because they were steeped in math from a very early age, the villagers tend to use a lot of math terms to express themselves. This occasionally confusing, cryptic way of speaking caused them to be dubbed "Ciphers" by educated wasteland dwellers who thought they might be speaking in some type of code. The Ciphers merely shrugged and accepted the name. As the years passed, the Ciphers forgot their disciplined, scientific roots and became more concerned with everyday survival rather than scientific theories. When it comes to electronic devices and weapons, the Ciphers know more about how to use it than how it works: "The symbols say put this and this together, and then this happens. Why? Who knows? As long as the numbers are right, who cares?" The emphasis on mathematics in their culture has led to Ciphers to assign an almost mystical significance to specific numbers. It's the closest thing to a religion they have. Each Cipher is believed to have a personal number, determined by the Nemonik at their birth. Ciphers will take their personal number into consideration when doing almost anything, from heading out to hunt on the sixth day of the month to choosing whom to marry. It's all very confusing to outsiders. The village at Mesa Verde was tiny to begin with, having barely enough room to house all the scientists, soldiers, and other survivors. Nearly a century later, the descendants of the original settlers had outgrown the space and resources available. Many families chose to adopt a nomadic lifestyle to avoid perpetual thirst and hunger. Only those families with very young children or those Ciphers too old and feeble to travel remain full-time in the village. Both Cipher men and women are capable fighters, and even the children are taught how to fight as soon as they're able as a matter of practicality. A typical Cipher nomad band consists of two to three families traveling together. They usually have at least one type of electronic device like a cattle prod or an ultrasonic generator to ward off wild animals. At the top of the mesa, the Ciphers have an array of water makers that condense moisture from the air and produce drinkable water. They have a wind turbine that generates a small amount of electricity, enough to power the water makers. However, it's not a very quick operation, and barely enough water is produced each day to serve the village's needs.
A small adobe pueblo built along the underside of an overhanging cliff. A chasm splits the village into three sections, requiring the Ciphers to use rope suspension bridges to span the gap. The two most apparent features of the village are a large covered pit near the village entrance and a partially complete laser cannon aimed at the Viper camp down on the canyon floor.
A small abode pueblo built along the underside of an overhanging cliff. A chasm splits the village in two, requiring the Ciphers to use rope suspension bridges to span the gap. The two most apparent features of the village are a large covered pit near the village entrance and a partially complete laser cannon aimed at the Viper camp down on the canyon floor.
Rocky canyons surrounding the base of the mesa. At a junction of several canyons, including the one which leads to the village, is a Viper encampment. They stop anyone who's trying to go to or come from the Cipher village.
These short series of caves run underneath the Mesa Verde canyon. They were once home to a rather hefty population of molerats, but that population has since been decimated by the Vipers' pet two-headed rattlesnakes. The player character can use these caves to bypass the Viper blockade, but they will probably have to deal with the snakes.
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Moletown
A small town outside of the Tibbets Facility where a crazy survivalist had trapped all of the buildings and dug out a series of tunnels beneath the town to try and wipe out anyone or anything that tries to crawl in there.
New Canaan
The town was founded by Prophet Judah Black in 2235, among the ruins of the once great city of Ogden. The settlers were survivors from New Jerusalem, a previous Mormon settlement established in Salt Lake City, the destroyed pre-War capital. Refugees of the Brotherhood War had stormed the town after false rumors that the inhabitants were hoarding food circulated. Out of the shattered glass and broken steel of SLC, Black led his people north, to Ogden. The community suffered as they rebuilt, but prevailed, despite numbering barely a hundred. After Judah Black's death in 2245, the community's leadership passed to Jeremiah Rigdon, who claimed to have experienced visions from God in 2247. Though many believed in him, some distrusted him and left.[21][22]
| New Canaan | ||
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The outskirts border on the Great Salt Lake, Utah, and consist primarily of ruined buildings occupied by squatters and drifters. The main problem in this area is the presence of NCR refugees. Some of them are bad seeds and dislike the strict rules and regulations of the town. A few of them even stay outside of the crude town walls themselves, having been exiled from the community for immoral behavior. This is actually very troublesome, as Jeremiah Maxwell only distributes free water to people living inside the town itself. The primary features of this map are the eastern wall and gate, the squatter houses, the guardhouse, the general store, and the slaughterhouse.[23][24] Every day, Jeremiah and several brave Mormons journey out to have supper with the refugees on the exterior. Once a person has been expelled, the only way they are allowed back into Canaan is by submitting to the Mormon baptismal rite. The town borders on the Great Salt Lake. It is surrounded by concrete and makeshift walls. The Canaanites keep most of their houses and businesses here. The town section is cleaner than the outskirts section, and relatively intact, considering an atomic firestorm once swept through the area. In addition to the modest homes and farms of the Canaanites, the main features of the town are the church, the New Canaan sheriff's office/jail, and the pump house. Jeremiah Rigdon and two priests are generally found at the church, though all three have homes of their own. One of the most important aspects of the New Canaan community is its racial tolerance. Four Ghouls (one glowing) and one Super Mutant mark the extremes of a very mixed community. Ogden's Union Station sits unused. If the player gets the trains up and working, he or she can take the train here. A few people live near the train tracks, including most of the super mutant and ghoul members of the Mormon faith. It's a little messier than the town itself but not as bad as the outskirts.
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New Jerusalem
Most of Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, was destroyed during the Great War in 2077. When Vault 70 opened in 2190, the residents used their three Garden of Eden Creation Kits to found the city.
| New Jerusalem | ||
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New Jerusalem's prophet and apostles repeatedly voted to have no commerce with outsiders from other, failed communities, refugees, or tribals. In 2233, a number of angry tribals, Raiders, and disassociated attackers ganged up on New Jerusalem's defenders, sacked the settlement in the process, and killing most of the Mormons that did not flee, or attempted to flee. According to the New Canaan design document, the new living prophet, Judah Black, led most of the surviving remnants of the Mormon community north to Ogden, Utah, where they established the town of New Canaan. The Burham Springs design document notes that Salt Lake City is unsuitable for the NCR outpost, as is Burham Springs, which is affected by a constant fire. | ||
Nursery
The Nursery is located southwest of Denver, Colorado near the Black Canyon National Park. The rim of the canyon is approximately a mile above sea level and the canyon itself is approximately half a mile deep. This area was chosen as the home for the Nursery because of its isolated location.
| Nursery | ||
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The valley floor of the canyon is rife with the flora and fauna of times past. At the head of the valley is a lake of crystal blue water that feeds a river. The river flows from one end of the valley to the other, disappearing into the canyon wall. Bordering the lake are several buildings that house the maintenance equipment that keeps the Nursery functioning. In the early days before the bombs dropped, scientists around the country were pondering how to save mankind from the ravages of war. Eventually, their musings gave birth to a company named Vault-Tec, and the vaults. Over the next decade, some of the most ambitious underground construction took place throughout the United States as hundreds of vaults were built. Into these shelters, the people and the hopes of a nation could retreat in times of war. The Environmental Protection Agency viewed the vaults as only half the solution. Their concern was not only the salvation of mankind but nature as well. With this in mind, they proposed yet another type of vault, but on a much grander scale. This vault would be used by Mother Nature herself, where she would patiently await the re-emergence of man. When the survivors of the war came forth to reclaim the earth, the Garden of Eden would await them. Thus the Nursery was conceived. The construction of the Nursery posed quite a problem, however. It was agreed that it could not be built underground like the vaults. Nature needed the sun, the wind, and the rain to flourish. And yet, if exposed and open, how could it possibly survive? The only conceivable answer was that it must be located in an isolated area, free from the influence of man, and the ravages of war. A search for such a location began. Computers were fed massive amounts of data detailing the effects of war, where the bombs were likely to strike, and how the devastation would spread. Information about air currents, weather patterns, and the conditions that the Nursery would need to survive was then added to the equation. Finally, topographical maps of the nation's input and the machines were asked to choose. It took years, but a choice was made. A single canyon was found to house the Nursery, deep in the mountains, shielded from the influence of both man and war. Soon afterward the most ambitious project conceived by the minds of men was devised: a self-contained, self-sustaining ecological system, with the capacity to reproduce itself. Of course, the expense of such an enterprise could not be footed by the government alone. The project was put up for bid in the private sector. Derek Greenway was a scientist working under the employ of Poseidon Energy. When it became apparent that Poseidon was more interested in the development of weapons of destruction, and less in the saving of mankind, Derek resigned and started his own company. Greenway Hydroponics, with its turnip headed stick man logo Mr. Green, was the result. Over the years Derek's company prospered due to its state of the art innovations in farming technology. When the Nursery project was put up for bid it was only natural that Greenway Hydroponics won and construction began.
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Ouroboros
A village in Western Utah. It is where Hecate, the mad tribal goddess resides, as well as the Vipers, a group of Raiders from the west who serve her. Jordan Dae, the captain of Ouroboros' elite city guard, also resides here.
Reservation
The Reservation was a top secret military and nuclear research facility before the bombs dropped.[25] It was tasked with developing and building the nuclear missiles that went into the B.O.M.B. satellites. The Reservation was nestled deep in the rocky hills of northern New Mexico where the U.S. government felt that no enemy satellites or spies would ever think to look.
| Reservation | ||
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However, even though the area around the Reservation was destroyed and rendered radioactive, the Reservation itself remained relatively intact thanks to most of the facility being underground. In fact, many people who worked at the Reservation survived the attacks, but over time many succumbed to radiation poisoning and died. Out of fifteen-hundred people who were at the underground facility when the bombs fell, only forty "survived," and eventually became ghouls. Due to fear, these "survivors" did not venture out of their impromptu bomb shelter for nearly ten years. After about a decade of wandering about within the maze-like corridors of The Reservation's sub-levels, the surviving ghouls eventually ventured topside. It was then that about a dozen ghouls were tasked with braving the radioactive wasteland and seek out other "survivors." Among these brave ghouls was Dr. Willem Clark, a lead Reservation scientist and part-time thrill seeker. Willem eagerly hit the wastes not only to seek out other survivors but also to see what could be salvaged. Of the twelve ghouls who went into the wastes, Willem was the only one to return after almost a year. Willem was accompanied by fifty or so other ghouls that he found in his travels; ghouls who wanted a safe place to live, away from not only the hardships of the wasteland but also away from the persecution ghouls experienced from smooth skin humans. Willem's return was celebrated among the ghouls, but Willem himself was unable to celebrate. He witnessed first hand the prejudice and reprehensible treatment ghouls received in the wastes, and he vowed to make a difference. With near-religious fervor, he proclaimed the Reservation a sanctuary for what he called the Children of the Wastelands; the ghouls. He preached his version of the truth about ghouls and their rightful place as rulers of the Promised Earth. Willem became the unchallenged leader of the growing ghoul community and mandated that all the knowledge and research that was archived and stored in the Reservation's libraries and laboratories should further the ghouls' cause. Research once again blossomed in the Reservation, and over the course of nearly two centuries, weapons and war materials were hacked together to one day not only beat back what they thought would be an inevitable invasion by smooth-skins, but eventually to overtake and conquer the "chosen peoples" lands. The Reservation ghouls are not planning an immediate invasion, at least not yet, but are actually a very paranoid group that believes it is inevitable that either the smooth-skins or the mutants will invade their precious facility and try to wipe out the ghouls. This paranoia feeds the ghouls' desire to scavenge, create, and build new weapons with whatever they can find in the "gold-mine" of a research facility. In addition, the labyrinth of underground tunnels makes hiding the ghouls' accomplishments and numbers from prying eyes easy. In fact, the casual passer-by on the surface of the Reservation would only see one ruined one-story office buildings, two dilapidated aircraft hangers with decaying aircraft, and roughly two dozen ghouls meandering about. Surrounding this decaying mess is a large stretch of barbed wire and sheet metal (probably from destroyed planes in the hangers) that keeps trespassers away and the ghouls on the surface feeling more secure. No other organization or faction is aware that deep underground this ruined community there is a multitude of ghouls living and working. One of Willem Clark's immediate plans is to find a way to disable a potential threat to the Reservation. On the third level of the Reservation, there is a powerful gun called a Nuclear Nellie, capable of firing a nuclear shell some thirty miles away. However, Willem lacked sufficient uranium to make a complete nuclear weapon, so he used what was left to make a dirty bomb. He figures that a dirty bomb delivered in the heart of an enemy's town will be enough to devastate their growth. This type of bomb, Willem felt, would buy enough time for him and his ghouls to increase their combat prowess, and, more importantly, find a source of uranium so he can build actual nuclear weapons to complete the process of turning the Earth into his Promised Earth. Since the area surrounding the Reservation is highly radioactive, the only safe way to approach the makeshift surface community by a human is with a lot of Rad-X, or a radiation suit. Since there is trade on the surface, the player would be able to come across traders who sell radiation suits, or the player could mug a group of traders for their suits. When the makeshift gate guards are approached by someone wearing a radiation suit, the ghouls will be civil, but not necessarily friendly. Mention that you're here for trade and they will let you into a holding area just big enough for perhaps two-dozen people. Here the player will find a couple of old husks of Army trucks posing as trade tents, an actual tent used for slave trading, and about three ghouls to communicate with and trade.
The Trading Post is pretty much the only locale non-ghouls will ever see of the Reservation; that is, any free non-ghoul. The ten-foot outer wall is comprised of steel paneling from automobiles, tanks, helicopters, and whatever other metal sidings the ghouls could find, and meshes into the surrounding jagged, rocky hills. It literally looks like a junkyard exploded to form this wall, but it is effective in keeping out undesirables, especially when the two Gatling gun towers are taken into consideration. Another natural (depends on how you look at it, really) safeguard against intruders is the high level of radiation in the area. During the Great War, several nuclear bombs fell within five miles of the Reservation, but never actually hit it. Because of this, the region still glows with radioactivity even after two-hundred years. Also, since this region is still highly radioactive, all non-ghouls visiting the Trading Post must either wear a radiation suit or be stocked to the gills with Rad-X and Rad-Away. Failure to do so will result in high doses of radiation, sickness, and death within a week. If the gate guards deem the player worthy of trading (and most likely they will since they always seem to be interested in new folks who might have something interesting to offer, especially services), they will allow the player entrance into the Trading Post, but nowhere else. Upon entering, the player will see two beat-to-hell husks of what used to be Army supply trucks. Mended with spit and gum (some places literally), the cargo beds and tarps now serve as makeshift stores. The store to the north is run by a ghoul named Hank. Hank is a friendly enough ghoul who seems to be in complete social contrast to the surly ghoul guards at the gates and looming inside the Trading Post. Hank's little shop specializes in weapons and ammo and seems to have a very good supply of both. As it turns out, Hank is the master weapons smith of the Reservation and oversees all scavenging of materials, and manufacturing and forging. If Hank doesn't have the conventional weapon the player wants, it might not exist anywhere else in the wasteland. Hank is also accompanied by a human female dressed in a radiation suit who seems to be doing the brunt of the physical work. As it turns out, this female is Jillian McKinley, one of the escaped prisoners and current slave for Hank. It seems that Jillian was an exceptional mechanic and had a gift when dealing with guns and ammo. The ghouls were impressed with her abilities in this capacity and gave her to Hank. Hank eagerly accepted the help and quickly grew fond of Jillian. Over the course of a few months, this fondness turned into a crush, though he never made any advances on Jillian knowing that a beautiful, smooth skin woman would never shack up with a drippy, smelly ghoul (and he'd be right, in this case). However, Jillian does not mind working for Hank, as slavery goes, especially since the alternative was too horrible to imagine. This horrible alternative is something the player can investigate further if they so choose. The store to the south is run by Betty, a female ghoul who has a way with armor, if not congeniality. She does not like humans and likes even less that she must deal with them in order to trade. In addition, her surly attitude is coupled with the fact that she has a crush on Hank. She might actually act on the crush, but his affection towards Jillian is so obvious that she just does not see the worth in trying. Normally she would just kill the human, but Jillian is Hank's property and Betty would be kicked out of the Reservation if she did. On the east side of the Trading Post is a large Army tent. This tent is used specifically for slave trading and is run by a very intimidating ghoul named Horatio. Before becoming a ghoul, it looks like Horatio must have been a very large athlete of some sort, something akin to a football interior lineman or professional wrestler. In either case, it looks like a lot of the size carried over to his present ghoul form. Horatio mainly stays inside the Army tent where he can watch over his newest slave acquisitions and bargain with the members of Caesar's Legion, the main suppliers of the slaves. A large bargaining table rests on the south side of the tent, and along the eastern wall are two cabinets filled with Rad-X and Rad-Away, which will be used on the purchased slaves before taking them into the Reservation proper. At different times during the day, the north end of the tent is occupied by sickly slaves suffering from radiation exposure. Also at different times in the day, the slaves are taken through the heavily guarded Town Gate in the north, never to be seen again.
Some things get better with time; the Reservation Town is not one of those things. Upon entering through the homemade steel gate, it becomes apparent that the Reservation, though it missed most of the Big War and the after-effects, it did not miss all of it. The player is immediately walking through chunks of debris that looks every bit the two-hundred years it is. The asphalt road that goes north and west is cracked, bleached from sand and sun, and full of potholes, some of them as big as a car. On this road can be found several abandoned husks of what were once fine quality jeeps, cars (with 50' wings, no less), and a couple of tanks here and there. With a bit of close examination, the player can find that a lot of parts have been salvaged from these abandoned vehicles, but for what use, that's a mystery – for now. Going west, the player will run into two helicopter hangers that are pretty much destroyed. There's not much to look at here, except the careful scavenger might find some useful parts from the helicopter wreckage there. There are some ghouls living in the less exposed sections of the hangers, but for the most part, these are just big ruins. To the east, after entering the town proper is a dilapidated office building. Several sections have caved in from either an old bomb blast or time – or both. However, in the offices that have not collapsed, several ghouls have taken up residence. All the ghouls here are very standoffish and will try to avoid conversation. All, that is, except for Florence, a very old ghoul who was old even when she was human before the bombs dropped. Florence was the disgruntled janitor for the office building, but the day the bombs fell she was in sub-level 1 cleaning a particularly stubborn commode. "Luckily" for her, she survived the war but became even more cantankerous over the last couple of centuries. However, even though she is a fungus-grump, she is more than willing to chat the player's ear off (if she isn't tempted to eat it). If the player gained access to the town proper through sneaking, Florence is a good primary source for the player to discover how to get into Sub-level 1. Down the dusty road and further into the Reservation Town, the player will come across a true shanty town, complete with holey, rank tents and holey, rank ghouls living in them. In the center of this shantytown is a large Army tent occupied by the commander of the Reservation guards, Colonel Green. The Colonel is another ghoul who was around when the bombs first dropped. He was assigned security duty at the Reservation and was in Sub-level 2 when the war started. He will not give away any information about the sub-levels, but he will speak to the player to find out his/her intent. However, if the player sneaks into the town proper, he and his men will immediately try to capture the player to find out how he/she got in, and how the ghouls could make good use of the player. It's up to the player to decide if he/she wants to go along with being captured. The last stop for the player is at the railroad cars, Main Access Elevator, and Equipment Lift. This area is heavily guarded by the ghouls and would represent quite the challenge for the sneaky player type. In fact, sneaking into the elevator and using it is pretty much impossible without the guards noticing. If the player gets captured, he will be brought before Measles and questioned, in which case, depending on how cooperative the player is being, Measles will contact Dr. Willem Clark, via direct comm. link, and consult. Negotiations can start from this point. Based on either the negotiations or the player's actions within the Trading Post, there are several ways the player can get authorized access to the sub-levels - which will be explored in more detail in the Quests section. But as a primer, a couple of ways is to foil a scam being placed on Horatio by Caesar's Legion slave traders. Another way is to turn in Hank for being a dissenter. And another way is to seek out and kill a caravaner who managed to steal some shotguns, ammo, and a couple of human slaves. Bringing back his head and the loot will make Measles very pleased, who will, in turn, contact Willem Clark about the deed. Willem Clark finds it interesting that a human would care so much as to help ghouls, so he decides to meet with the player. Measles will then escort the player to Sub-Level 1 and introduce the player to Willem Clark through the General Computer. Only a mouth appears in the computer monitor (obviously Willem's), and the owner of the chewed up mouth will ask some questions of the player. It is here that Willem will offer Measles as a companion and will give the player access to Sub-Level 2, the level where all the ammo and arms are manufactured.
If the player gains access to the sub-levels, this is more than likely his first stop. Built pretty much like a typical vault, this level is the main sleeping area for the sub-level ghouls. This level is clean, crisp, and very well taken care of, unlike the Reservation Town. The contrast between the two should be somewhat shocking. The floors of the level are sparkling, the walls show no sign of wear, and the sleeping quarters are very well maintained, with two beds each and toilets in pristine condition. Depending on the time of day, half the beds and/or rooms will be occupied by ghouls in clean white lab coats, and the other half of the rooms will not. In addition, each room will have two chests for the ghouls to store stuff. The conversation is pretty limited here to just floats and such, except for Marty. Marty is a disillusioned ghoul who has the same type of thinking that Hank has; all is not right in paradise. If Marty feels like he can trust the player, he will divulge some of the things he's working on. One of those things is the assembly of dirty bombs on sub-level 3. The player will get the opportunity to eventually help or hinder Willem Clark and his diabolical plans based on info from Hank and Marty. Of course, one of the best ways to earn trust from Measles is to snitch on Marty about his rebellious thoughts, but I'll get into more detail in the quests section. In addition to speaking to Marty, the player can hack into the General Computer on this level and find out little tidbits about the Nuclear Nellie, the dirty bombs, and just the very slightest hint at the ghoul procreation experimentation.
Once the player has access to Sub-Level 2, he will have access to mechanics labs engineered for weapon, armor, and ammo-smithing. However, the player may be in for a bit of shell shock once he enters Sub-Level 2. This level is very dirty, akin to an early 19th century English machine factory. The floors and walls are covered with soot and the air is a thick fog of mixed fumes generated by large boilers and burners. Evidently there is not a good air filtration system on Sub-Level 2, not that the ghouls would really need one. The player would be wise to use a gas mask down here (radiation is not as big a factor as on the surface. The sub-levels were well enough insulated during the Big War to keep out most of the radiation from above, but obviously not all). However, the people who do need protection from the fumes are the human slaves working in the large, but smog congested smithing rooms. All of them have scarf-like materials wrapped around their faces as a weak form of protection, though every one of them frequently coughs. Though one might expect to see a few large slaves handling the brunt of the shoveling, the opposite is true. All the slaves lurking about are quite frail. At first assumption, one might think that their frailness is a result of long term exposure to the level's fumes and poor treatment of the slaves. However, a bit of investigation will reveal that all the working slaves are usually the weakest of the crop purchased. Evidently, the strongest human slaves are carted off to a room that emits a strange green glow through the door cracks on Sub-Level 3A slave or two may mention that at night, when they are resting in their holding cell, that they can hear screams coming down the hall where the "Green Room" is. The first room the player will run into is the firing range directly north. It looks like a standard indoor firing range, except for the filth, comes complete with three ranges and, at any given time, a couple of ghoul guards trying out a new conventional firearm. Since the guards have a bit of an ego, they are anxious to challenge the player to a contest of skills. Best of ten shots at the maximum distance in the range wins the contest (prize is TBD). To the northeast of the level is a large room used for armor manufacturing. Inside, there are two large furnaces next to makeshift anvils and tables. A couple of ghouls bang away at stretching leather and forming metal to make suits of armor. Several slaves toil away at moving around the scrap materials and shoveling coal into the furnaces from large piles of coal along the northern wall. Just south of the armor-smithing room is the weapon and ammo-smithing room. It looks very similar to the armor smithing room, except that there a lot of medium-sized crates filled with ammo and guns (a lot for the FO3 world, anyways). One side is filled with crates of non-functioning weapons, and another, guarded by four ghoul guards, is filled with functioning guns and ammo, though this side is much smaller than the non-functioning side. The two weapon smith ghouls toil away at dismantling the non-working guns to either piece together the different parts into a functioning weapon or melt down the metal to forge new components. The slaves cart coal from the stockpile in the armorsmith and shovel it into the furnaces in the weaponsmith facility. Again, these slaves are frail and look like they are going to keel over at any moment. Even though the slaves are frail, the floating toxins do not help their health conditions. The slaves rarely live longer than a couple of years before the toxins kill them. The player will have the opportunity to either find proper gas masks or devise a makeshift air filtration system. Running the whole show on Sub-Level 2 is Milt the Foreman. He can be found walking from room to room, making sure things are running smoothly. He's a no-nonsense ghoul who tells it like it is, and he'll waste no time telling the player what he thinks of human scum. In any event, Milt will serve as a focal point to augment current weapons and armor for the player to make them more deadly, provided the player has the blessing of Dr. Willem Clark. If not, he'll call the guards and they will lay the smack down! There's also a Chem Lab on this level where the player can use the chem.-mechanic's table to concoct stim packs, Rad-Away, and other such things. There is a science techy in here every once in a while, but he only comes in to get supplies and such – nothing to buy here. But if the player follows said techy, he will see that he takes a different elevator than the one the player came. This elevator is the only way to Sub-Level 3 and its big mysteries. There's also the requisite sleeping chambers for the ghoul workers, as well as a bathroom/locker-room complete with lockers for the player to pick. The last place of note on this level is the Incinerator Room. Periodically during a given day, a techy will come up from Sub-Level 3 with a large, covered trash can. He will head into the Incinerator room and dump the contents into the very large incinerator. The player may try to investigate the ashes and such around the incinerator to determine what was thrown in there. A good Perception will uncover human bone in the ash.
Sub-Level 3 used to be the meat and potatoes of the Reservation back in the day. Little has changed in that regard. While Sub-Level 2 maintains the manufacturing of armor and arms for trade on the surface, the true research and development, and the means by which Willem Clark fulfills his dream, occurs on Sub-Level 3. The only way for the player to access this level is through the southern elevator on Sub-Level 2. The use of this elevator requires the visual approval of Willem Clark himself. The player's options to gain entry are to earn the trust of Willem Clark through completing quests, going Rambo and killing everyone topside and the first two sub-levels – this brings Willem and his cronies to the player for a final showdown, and by doing this Willem forgets to reset the security on the elevator, or the final way is to sneak down the elevator using deception. However, since Willem visually checks everyone in and out of the elevator through a heavily protected camera over the elevator, and he is personally familiar with all who works for him, the player would need a very high Deceive skill to pull off the scam. As Sub-Level 1 is sharply contrasted in appearance and feel to Sub-Level 2, so is Sub-Level 3 to both previous levels. Not only is Sub-Level 3 very clean and tidy, but it is also eerily dark and cold, both figuratively and literally. The halls are permanently lit by red power back-up lights, and the purple glow of the force field at the end of the hall accentuates the dark mood. During the daylight hours, the entire level is deathly silent, save for the hum of the force fields. During the night, inconsistent screams of terror and pain can be heard coming from within a room; a room known to the slaves only as the "Green Room." The first room to the right from the elevator in Sub-Level 3 is a long room consisting of three smaller rooms. The rooms are regular, square rooms each with a single bed and a cabinet against the wall. If the player has entered this area during the day, the rooms will be empty. However, at night the rooms will be occupied by their respective owners getting ready for a good night's rest. These rooms, as it turns out, belong to the successful results of the ghoul procreation experiments. Like Measles, these three ghouls are born ghouls. However, only Belle will give the player the time of day, the other two will brush the player off.
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Robot City
A mysterious place to the east of Denver, governed by machine intelligence. The robots are attempting to find ODYSSEUS, the Tibbets AI. They are hoping to use ODYSSEUS to correct the divide that has occurred within its system - and return the AI to its imprisonment, the intended place as their slave.
Tibbets Prison
United States Penitentiary Tibbets, nicknamed the "Big Top" due to its distinctive rotunda dome, is a cold, sterile, steel-walled automated prison facility in what used to be known as Arizona, constructed before the Great War. It was designed to hold and protect some of the world's most dangerous criminals before the war. The facility is governed by the split-personality machine intelligence within the prison, ODYSSEUS.
| Tibbets Prison | ||
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Tibbets was always a military prison, holding some of the United States' most dangerous criminals. Over time, the prison became more advanced, utilizing robotic wardens and utility robots to maintain the structure, especially as the war with China in the 2070s and the annexation of Canada began to drain personnel from the United States. It was designed to hold 636 prisoners at full capacity. The prison would be reprogrammed to serve as a quarantine prison, capturing those infected with New Plague, which it would continue to carry out after the bombs fell. When a new outbreak of the virus cropped up, the prisons' robotic wardens fulfilled their programming. By 2253, Tibbets was far beyond capacity. A catastrophic attack at the prison released the infected prisoners, posing a serious threat to the wasteland. In 2040, Tibbets was commandeered by the United States government in association with Vault-Tec and Poseidon Energy to tie into their Safehouse Project. The prison was used for primitive isolation studies before the vaults were established, except the subjects were prisoners, especially conditioned to see if they could withstand the rigors of isolation for protracted periods of time. It was here where the recycling systems and water purification systems were tested before their implementation in Project Safehouse. Prisoners harmed during the procedure were humanely tended to.
Inmates from the military prison at Fort Tibbets were used in the early construction of the Tibbets Prison, marching three and a half miles to the site daily and returning to the prison at the Fort at night. This continued until February 1903, when the first 418 inmates to occupy the prison site were moved into what later would become the prison's laundry building. By 1906, all federal prisoners from Fort Tibbets were housed in the new institution, and the prison at Fort Tibbets was returned to the War Department.[26] On April 5, 2040, the Secretary of the Army made the decision to build a new Disciplinary Barracks, with a capacity for 456 inmates. A cost ceiling of $363 million in allocated construction dollars was set. The target budget year for funding this project was the fiscal year 2041. Construction began in the Fall of 2042, with completion projected for the fall of 2045. In July 2042, discussions began with Vault-Tec to determine space and functional requirements for the new facility. On 6 September 2042, the Combined Arms Center Commander was given a decision brief of the disciplinary barracks project and selected one of three design options for further development. He also requested the Corps of Engineers to research an alternate location for the placement of this facility, since the geological evaluation of the site adjacent to the Trustee Unit revealed unsuitable subsurface conditions. Discussions involving the possible movement of the prison and relocation projects were also discussed, leading to the three-rail system that would come. The planning process reached the 10 percent stage on 4 Oct 2042; the 35 percent stage on 27 March 2043; 65 percent stage on 19 January 2044; 90 percent stage on 3 May 2045; and 100 percent stage on 15 August 2046. The 100 percent Design Meeting was conducted on 16 October 2046. During the Resource Wars, Tibbets housed war criminals and deserters from the Yangtze Campaign. After the events of the Hoover Sabotage and the release of the Limit-115 samples in Denver, Tibbets became a quartine prison, programmed to capture anyone who had been infected. Even though ODYSSEUS was retrofitted for maintaining the prison and monitoring the prisoners, he still retained an inordinate amount of security clearance. Other than prisoners, no humans were present at Tibbets. ODYSSEUS commanded the all-robot staff, including the seldom-roused ARGOS, who served as the tireless defender of the prison. The government wanted ODYSSEUS to be able to "advise" on the spread of plague vectors in the case of a prison break. This included warming up launch sites like B.O.M.B.-001.
Victor Presper and his followers released the New Plague virus in the remote areas near Boulder and Denver. It was close enough to the quarantine prison to spur ODYSSEUS into action, but not near enough to huge populations to start a general panic. Due to its pre-War programming, ODYSSEUS would track and arrest all infected people. ODYSSEUS was far too secure for Presper to hack, so the only way he could get the artificial intelligence to send the launch codes to the B.O.M.B. was to lead ODYSSEUS to calculate that too much of the region had been infected for conventional containment. In order to achieve that, Presper's men would attack the prison, allowing everyone to escape. This event would start a countdown for the missile launches from B.O.M.B.-001. ODYSSEUS would assess the viral spread, try to gather up the escaped prisoners, and once 90% of the prisoners had been retrieved, launch nuclear missiles to kill any other carriers and prevent any further spread. ODYSSEUS' plan is to continue to send out robots after the prisoners until they all have been brought back to the prison. The eye-bots and ARGOS rounded up most of the escapees pretty quickly - other than the Prisoner and six others (Blackjack, Daniel, Chagas, Mallet McBride, Ginger Flowers, and Jillian McKinley). ODYSSEUS seems unconcerned with prisoners that stream back out again after being captured. The presumption of the Prisoner was that once all of the prisoners returned, ODYSSEUS would just settle down and leave everyone alone. However, after all of the prisoners were returned it did some massive calculations of where everyone had traveled and showed that the prisoners have spread the Limit-115 to a variety of places. At that point, ODYSSEUS made the determination that the plague was spreading too far, and so armed the B.O.M.B. satellite and melted itself down to try killing all of the prisoners.[27] | ||
Tibbets
Tibbets
Train Stations
The stations are where the Prisoner will arrive if they have used a train to travel to the respective location.
| Station | Image | Description |
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| Boulder Train Station | 
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A wrecked train station with an intact line of tracks leading to the south.[28] During the Prisoner's first visit to Boulder an NCR train will be here dropping off people as close to Bloomfield as they dare go. The train can be found on an unused spur on the track on a second visit, but only with a high Luck, otherwise it has moved on. Presper's train, "the General," can also be found here on the Prisoner's first visit. The train station is infested with Jackals who are trying to figure out what the trains are, and how they got there. If the player character enters Boulder with their own personal train, they will become hostile and attack. Although, the station itself is pretty big, most of the lines leading in and out of the station are unusable because of debris blockage. From here, the player character can access the Jackal camp, the secret tunnel entrance, or the west quarantine center of the dome. The preferable way to go is the trail leading directly to the dome, as the Jackals will attack the player character if they enter their camp, and the secret entrance is initially hard to find. It has a radio detonator rigged up to explosives on the train, it is difficult to diffuse[29] and an unsuccessful attempt results in the train exploding, causing damage to nearby creatures and people (the trains world object would become a wreck and pieces scattered across the station).[29][30] |
| Denver Union Station | 
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It needs some repairs but there is nothing too serious stopping it becoming operational. One can fix Union Station for civilian use,[31] and may even be able to salvage enough parts to restore a train to working condition, if unable to do that a hand car can be made instead. Once open to civilian use, there will need to be security here to protect them from nearby dogs and raiders. If the rail connection is fixed all the way to NCR and trade is established with them, they'll post a small military squad at the station.[32] |
| Jericho Union Station | 
|
A large, decaying multi-room train station which has fallen into disrepair. It has a large dry fountain and a parking lot. The tracks are stable enough to support a train and if the Prisoner has managed to get his own train it will be found here upon using it to travel to Jericho.[33][34][35][36] |
| New Canaan Union Station | 
|
This station is unused, but in a usable state, so the Prisoner can use it to travel to New Canaan quickly. The tracks skirt the edge of New Canaan and it is the main visual feature of the local map, the station entrance is also where the Prisoner's car will be parked if they used it to travel to New Canaan.[37] |
| Nursery Factory automated trains | 
|
Central to the distribution center is a small train station with a side rail. Currently the side rail holds a flatbed car with a semi-truck upon it. The main rail holds a locomotive with a boxcar attached. The distribution center also acts as a warehouse for finished products and the parts required for their manufacture. From the lower level the Prisoner can get the train system functional. Once power is restored to the factory the trains will start to recharge their power sources. However, the sealed doors will not open due to damage. The Prisoner will need to patch power to the door locks to get them to open.[38] This station also has a functioning rotating train platform.[39] When the train is fixed there would have been a short movie showing the train powering up, the secure door to the tunnel opening, and the train pulling out of the station through it.[40] To get production up to maximum efficiency, the rail system needs to be up and running.[41] |
Twin Mothers Village
The Twin Mothers are very friendly and trusting people. Upon meeting the player character they will ask them if they come in peace. If the player character agrees that they have, they will accept them and allow them free run of the village. The tribe is run by two chiefs. A woman is chosen to govern the tribe in its daily affairs.[42]
| Twin Mothers Village | ||
|---|---|---|
The Twin Mothers village is built into the side of a cliff much like the pueblo dwellings of old. The buildings are constructed from a combination of stone and adobe. The village is well laid out, spacious, and clean. Access to the village is via a wood ladder built into a shaft. The ladder can be removed in times of emergency. A similar shaft holds a lift that is used to transport grain and such to the storage areas in the village. The village is laid out in sections. To the far left is the home of the shaman and the infirmary.[42]
This is where the player character will initially meet with the Twin Mothers tribe. The city will be on alert from the field guard's warning. Both chieftains will be waiting to greet the player character at the base of the ladder that leads to the city. At any sign of trouble, the chieftains will flee up the ladder and bring it up after them. The player character will then be ignored.
Anyone who is ill is separated quickly from the rest of the tribe to prevent the spread of disease. In such matters, the shaman has the final word on whether or not someone can be released back into the tribe. To the right and below the infirmary are the warehouses. Here food and grain are prepared and stored. The communal ovens are here as well as a common eating area.
Next is the village square. This circular area sports a fire pit where people can gather at night and talk, sing, or eat a meal outdoors. The home of the two chiefs and a shrine to the goddess is here as well. Above and to the right of the village square are the living quarters. At various places throughout the village are inert robot sentries.
These are the crop fields of the Twin Mothers. They consist of a variety of fruits, vegetables, wheat, and corn. At the outskirts of the fields are the cattle farms that provide meat for the tribe and fertilizer for the fields.
There is a large satellite dish and a control room. The dish is old and shows signs of wear but appears working. The interior has been decorated to honor the Goddess and the God of the people. However, none of the apparatus has been damaged. The dish is powered by banks of solar cells.
These caves are home to some new arrivals in the area. A group of monsters (type to be determined) has moved in. The creatures were attracted by the nearby crops, cattle, or the presence of water in the area.
The forbidden lands are a stretch of land at the rear of the box canyon that holds the Twin Mothers village. It is an unsettled territory that eventually leads to the entrance to Vault 29. It is held in superstitious awe. The area is currently being used as a camp by a group of raiders.
Vault 29 is located on the outskirts of the village. It is the vault that the Twin Mothers tribe originally descended from.
If the player character has a high enough outdoorsman skill they can recognize the tracks here with ease. The wasteland critters appear to be giant ants and slugs. The booted footprints are most likely raiders. The woven sandal footprints belong to the natives. The remaining tracks are obviously those of the security robots since they begin and end beneath the robot's motivators. If the player character chooses to follow the tracks they lead to the following areas. The wasteland critters lead to the mystery caves. The booted footprints lead to the forbidden lands. The woven sandal footprints lead to the village. The security robot tracks lead to the forbidden lands and then continue to the vault entrance.
| ||
Twin Mothers
Dish
Fields
Caves
Forbidden Lands
Behind the scenes
- The Denver design document was written by Sean K. Reynolds.[43]
- The design of the Big Empty is largely taken from the development dedicated to Boulder Dome.[44]
- Circle Junction was part of Chris Avellone's role-playing campaign.[45]
- According to the location's design document for Van Buren, the design for this town was inspired by The Mission and The Last Temptation of Christ, as well as the opening of The Gunslinger.
Gallery
Phone booth
Highway
Denver
References
- ↑ Blackfoot Tribe design document
- ↑ Bloomfield Space Center design document
- ↑ Van Buren leaks at the No Mutants Allowed forum
- ↑ Burham Springs design documents, page 5: "2039
Prometheus Coal, a division of Poseidon Energy, opens a coal mine in central Utah. A small village opens up nearby. It is called Eagle Rock." - ↑ A comment on molechs and gehennas by Sean K. Reynolds at No Mutants Allowed
- ↑ Boulder design document: "Boulder was long a place where advanced scientific research took place. The University of Colorado, IBM, and Ball Aerospace were located here. Supported by money from Denver's industry and an active military presence, Boulder scientists made advances in medicine (bio-med gel was invented here), alternate energy sources, robotics, and even developed a power armor prototype. Unfortunately, leakage from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (a nearby toxic waste dump/weapons storage location) caused a poisonous cloud that killed a lot of people in Denver. As an apology, the military-funded a program to create a self-sustaining research dome, capable of withstanding a nuclear attack. This "city of the future" was to be a prototype for settlements on the moon and other planets."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Denver design document
- ↑ Trig: "Damn. I'm out of capacitors. However, there's a place a little west of here called Fort Abandon where I trade for parts once in awhile. Maybe you can find those there."
(Trig's dialogue) - ↑ Santiago: "It's hot and it's radioactive, but it's got a lot of old equipment which is extremely valuable to salvagers like us."
(Santiago dialogue file) - ↑ Grand Canyon PIPBoy entries: "Santiago told me that he heard stories about a large object which crashed somewhere in the western part of the Grand Canyon."
- ↑ Santiago: "Hmmm... some of the other guys say a big fireball smacked the canyon a good one a few years back. They said it landed somewhere to the west. Could be this thing you're looking for."
(Santiago dialogue file) - ↑ Grand Canyon PIPBoy entries: "The tram at the Grand Canyon is lacking several unique parts required for it to work. Santiago told me that one of the other salvager groups in the area my still have them."
- ↑ Santiago: "You got it working! And, you had the guts to ride this thing across the canyon? Must've been a hell of a view."
(Santiago dialogue file) - ↑ Santiago: "The Grand Canyon's location probably interferes with trade routes. Caravans could use the tram as a shortcut... after paying a toll, of course."
(Santiago dialogue file) - ↑ Grand Canyon PIPBoy entries: "A group of thugs from the Crimson Caravan have muscled Santiago and his guys out of the tram operation at the Grand Canyon."
- ↑ Grand Canyon PIPBoy entries: " I killed the thugs who took over the tram operation at the Grand Canyon."
- ↑ Grand Canyon PIPBoy entries: "I met a squad of soldiers led by a man named Captain Pierce in the Grand Canyon. He said his employer, one Doctor Presper, has ordered my death because I've somehow become a threat to him."
- ↑ Grand Canyon PIPBoy entries: "I met a ghoul explorer named Ike in the Grand Canyon. He's trapped at the moment by a landmine underneath his feet. If he moves, he's dead."
- ↑ Ike: "Um, I've got a little problem with this landmine I'm standing on. If I move, boom! So, do you think you could help me out?"
(Ike dialogue file) - ↑ New Canaan design documents; Page 15: "Encounter 3: Lost Enclave Patrol (Unique/LK 8/Outdoorsman 100+) - Six Enclavers humorously lost in northern Utah. One wears a suit of Enclave Combat Armor similar to Arcade Gannon's (CNPC). The others wear bits and pieces of leather armor or metal armor. They are carrying mixed and matched weapons and a lot of broken tech. The leader (in ECA) will approach the PC and ask him or her if he or she knows the way to the MacArthur Army Base. If the PC is at all hostile or 'weird' to the Enclavers, they will become defensive and will fight back. If the PC is helpful, the Enclaver will give the PC some "junk" (broken down weapon parts), and head out. Insert comedic banter between confused team members about whether they are in Utah, Colorado, or Kansas, and you have comedy gold!"
- ↑ New Canaan design document
- ↑ Jericho design document
- ↑ No Mutants Allowed View topic - At something awful, new VB screenshot
- ↑ No Mutants Allowed View topic - Sean K. Reynolds interview at DAC
- ↑ Reservation design documents, page 2: "The Reservation, formerly known as the Los Alamos Nuclear Testing Facility, was a top secret military & nuclear research facility before the bombs dropped."
- ↑ Tibbets Prison design documents, page 7: "The USP Tibbets came into existence through an act of Congress in 1895. Inmates from the military prison at Fort Tibbets were used in the early construction and were marched 3 ½ miles to the site daily, returning to the prison at the Fort at night. This continued until February 1903 when the first 418 inmates to occupy the prison site were moved into what now serves as a laundry building. Prisoners and supplies for the prison were handled via a rail line that passed through the prison to unload and load cargo. In 1906, all federal prisoners from Fort Tibbets were housed in the new institution and the prison at Fort Tibbets was returned to the War Department. A milestone in the new penitentiaries' construction was reached in 1926 with the final placement of the dome overhead the rotunda - from which the penitentiary derives its famous nickname - 'The Big Top.'"
- ↑ Tibbets design document
- ↑ Boulder design document - Monsters In This Area
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Boulder design document - Boulder Train Station
- ↑ Boulder design document - General scripting
- ↑ Denver design document - Prepare/Fix Union Station
- ↑ Denver design document - Room for Improvement
- ↑ Jericho design document - Union Station
- ↑ Hoover Dam design document - Overview & History
- ↑ Burham Springs design document - Area Background
- ↑ Denver design document - Bombay Jack
- ↑ New Canaan design document - NC Union Station Key
- ↑ Nursery design document - The Factory
- ↑ Nursery design document - Dynamic Scenery Objects
- ↑ Nursery design document - Scripted Scenes Or Movies
- ↑ Nursery design document - Main Quests
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Twin Mothers design document
- ↑ Van Buren leaks at the No Mutants Allowed forum
- ↑ PRACTICE 2015: Chris Avellone: "... So a lot of the work I had done for Boulder, Colorado in Van Buren had actually ended up mutating and actually becoming a part of the work that ended up being in Old World Blues, which was the Big Empty Research Facility, had a lot to do with the Boulder Dome that was in Van Buren.
- ↑ Chris Avellone's tweet: "@Francis1605 In my world, it's [Circle Junction] been Legionized recently, although not conquered by them - it's more like going shopping for slaves." in reply to "@ChrisAvellone thats cool-dont suppose you care to guess whats happened to the Iron Lines: consumed by caesar's legion, part of the ncr etc?".