 | For an overview of the topic, see Ian. |
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“I was a guard for the merchants of the Hub. However, I was shot during a raid by bandits. I've been staying here, since the people have helped me recover. Still, my knowledge of the outside world and my experience make me useful here.”
Ian is a Shady Sands guard and a possible companion in Fallout.
Background
Formerly a Crimson Caravan guard, Ian remained in Shady Sands to recuperate after he was shot by raiders while escorting a merchant for the Crimson Caravan.[1][2] The Shady Sands townsfolk helped him recover and ultimately Ian decided to stay with them. His experience and skills helped him contribute, as very few of the townsfolk ever left its safe walls. He occasionally makes a run to Junktown and the Hub to do trading. He is strong, confident, and independent. A perfect wastelander.[3]
Publications
“With their knowledge, and the help of a man called Ian, I continued on my way to Vault 15. The ruins of Vault 15, to be more specific. Ravaged by the elements, scavengers, and time itself, Vault 15 was no help for my people. The control room that contained their water-chip was buried under tons of fallen rock, and I had to move on.”— Fallout 2 manual
“The Hub was a larger city than both Junktown and Shady Sands combined. You could drop the Vault in there, and you probably would not notice. But the people of the Hub had no life, and it was a desolate place just the same. It eased my mind, however, to hire some merchants to bring water to the Vault. Looking back, it was probably a mistake to do so, but I was still innocent of the evils that lurked through the ruins of civilization. A small clue led me to the city of the ghouls, the place they called Necropolis. It was there that I encountered large mutants, armed with weapons of an unknown origin. It is with heavy sadness that I say that Ian lost his life in the city of the dead. A super mutant burned him to death with a flamethrower. The passage of time is no proof against the memory of burning flesh. His sacrifice was not in vain, as I did find the water-chip buried beneath the city. It was with easier steps that I returned to Vault 13.”— Fallout 2 manual
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
| This character is a permanent companion. | ||
| This character starts quests. |
| |
| This character is allied with the following faction(s). | ||
Comments
| Location | Comment |
|---|---|
| Darkwaters | This is Killian's, a general store. Killian's a good man, and they have plenty of stock. |
| Gizmo's Casino | Gizmo's casino. A hive of gambling and underworld activity. Careful; they say the games are rigged. |
| Beth's Weapon Shop | This is the Weapon Shop. It's run by Beth. She's good for guns, but better for gossip. |
| Jake's gun shop | Jake's weapons. High prices, but really good guns. |
| Water Merchants | Office of the Water Merchants. They're the big movers and shakers of the Hub, since they supply the water that keeps everything going. |
| Crimson Caravan | This is the Crimson Caravan. I did some work for them. They do a lot of high-risk jobs. |
| Far Go Traders | Far Go Traders, run by Butch Harris. He's ot-nay oo-tay ight-bray, if you catch my meaning. |
| Maltese Falcon | Ah, now the Maltese Falcon is the place to be. Good music, good drinks, and good company. |
| Vault 13 | Heard about some of these places before, but never been in one. Seems nice and clean . . . a little too clean for my taste. |
| West Tek research facility | What the hell happened here? |
| Mariposa Military Base | This is gonna be a tough nut to crack. |
| Necropolis | This place gives me the creeps. |
Tell Me About
| Query | Response |
|---|---|
| Named NPCs | Sorry, bud. Don't know much. |
| War | Happened a few decades back. Basically, a bunch of countries got kind of antsy, and everything went BOOM! |
| Junktown | A medium-sized town made of junk, overseen by a sherrif named Killian. It's just a few days southwest of Shady Sands.
|
| Hub | The Hub is the biggest trading center in the New West. It's run primarily by a group called the Water Merchants, but there are some other traders there, too. It's a booming town, but there's a lot of political fighting between the traders. |
| Raiders | There are several different groups of raiders out there. The most organized group is called the Khans; they seem to think they can conquer the world or something. |
| Caravans | Most caravans come from the Hub. They travel all over the place. I worked for a group called the Crimson Caravan before my untimely injury. |
| Chip, Water | No idea what a water chip is. Sorry, friend. |
| Sands, Shady | A small and peaceful village. Probably the most promising community in the wastes. |
| Garl | Garl's some dumb-ass who thinks he can take over the world with his crummy raiders. Yeah, whatever. |
| Necropolis | Isn't that the mythical city of the dead? |
| Medic | Razlo's a great doctor. You should see him if you're hurt. |
| Healing | Razlo does a good job of fixing people up, and his junja juice is well worth it! |
| Killian | Killian's mayor of Junktown. He also runs a store there. He's a decent fellow. Never did any work for him, but he seems okay. |
| Gizmo | Gizmo runs a casino in Junktown. I hear that it's rigged, though. |
| Casino | The casino is Gizmo's big project in Junktown. Brings in a lot of tourists and money, but problems come with it. |
| Store | Killian runs a good general store in Junktown. |
| Children | Yeah, there's some kids in Shady Sands. So? None of 'em are mine. |
| Apocalypse | You know, we'll always have war. Just the next one's gonna be fought with sticks. |
| Mutants | I saw some weird things when I was guarding caravans for the Hub. Mutated coyotes and mantises and scorpions and such. |
| Khans | They're a sorry group of raiders who attack Shady Sands and think that they're gonna take over the world or some such crap. |
| Tandi | She's Aradesh's daughter. She's pretty sweet, but I've got someone waiting for me back home. |
| Booze | Got any beer? |
| Chems | I used some Psycho once on a caravan raid. It made me twitchy. Odd. |
| Seth | Seth is the captain of the guards. Between you and me, he couldn't guard a fruit if it was nailed to his leg. |
| Aradesh | Aradesh is the leader of Shady Sands. A kind and patient man, although he's kinda looney. |
| Razlo | Hey, if you need help, Razlo's the man to see. He's a great doctor. |
| Psychics | I dunno. I think there's something to it, yeah, but there's just not enough evidence. |
| Merchants | Some merchants come from the Hub to trade with Junktown. That's all I know. |
Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Leather jacket | 10mm pistol | 10mm JHP x72 Bottle cap x63 Stimpak x2 |
Notes
- When he is not an active companion, Ian will turn hostile if the people in Shady Sands are attacked.
- He can use knives, power fists, pistols, and SMGs due to a lack of sprite animations for two-handed weapons.
- The companion AI in Fallout does not properly consider the placement of the Vault Dweller and other non-hostiles when using burst fire, making Ian very dangerous to allies if armed with a 10mm SMG.
- In Fallout 2, this AI behavior was fixed, with two characters referencing the original issue.[4][5]
- This is again referenced in Magic: The Gathering: Universes Beyond x Fallout where the card Ian the Reckless, if given Equipment, has an effect to damage both its controller and a target of their choice.
- Ian would have changed his name to Old Joe and moved to Vault City in Fallout 2, but the character ended up being unused.[6]
Appearances
Ian appears in Fallout and the Fallout: The Board Game expansion Fallout: New California. He is mentioned in Fallout 2.
Behind the scenes
- Jesse Heinig, a designer on Fallout, mentions that he pushed for a few things during the game's design, including the ability to have companions, such as Ian.[Dev 1]
- Ian's line when asked to Tell Me About "Apocalypse" is a reference to a quote by Albert Einstein: "I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
- Chris Avellone first mentioned in the Fallout Bible that Ian was to appear in the Den after the Abbey was cut, but was later changed when his dialogue file indicated he would be in Vault City.[Dev 2][Dev 3]
References
- ↑ Ian: "{1106}{}{Most caravans come from the Hub. They travel all over the place. I worked for a group called the Crimson Caravan before my untimely injury.}"
(IAN.MSG) - ↑ Katrina: "{136}{}{I know very little of the outside world. I escaped from a Vault when it was attacked. Unfortunately, I was very hurt and do not remember much of what happened. But Dharma was watching over me, and I was found by the people of Shady Sands. I live here now. Have you spoken with Ian, yet? He is a merchant guard who was hurt. He is recovering in the guardhouse over there. [She points to the east] He is more widely travelled than I.}"
(SSGUIDE.MSG) - ↑ Ian: "{112}{}{I was a guard for the merchants of the Hub. However, I was shot during a raid by bandits. I've been staying here, since the people have helped me recover. Still, my knowledge of the outside world and my experience make me useful here. Shady Sands is my home now. Occasionally, I even get to visit Junktown or the Hub to do some trading, since I'm the only person here who has ever really left town.}"
(IAN.MSG) - ↑ Angela Bishop: "Haven't seen YOU around before. What's your name, stranger? Actually, never mind, I don't want to know. You as bored as I am?"
Chosen One: "[Intelligence < 4] Me board too Used to travel with someone named Iam kept shooting me in back with burst fire"
(Angela Bishop's dialogue) - ↑ White hero model: "Ian was more dangerous to *me* than the enemies we were fighting. I hope he's dead, wherever he is."
(White hero model's dialogue) - ↑
Vcoldjoe.msg
- ↑ Jesse Heinig: "I also lobbied hard for a couple of things that did make it into the game ...... companions who could join the Vault Dweller (since they were in the initial design doc but got cut, but I figured out a way to "fake" Ian into the game and the programmers decided to make it stick)"
(Jesse Heinig; Fallout Developers Profile - Jesse Heinig) - ↑ Fallout Bible 6: "In FO2, the random encounter Café of Broken Dreams Tandi says Ian is some ware in FO2 is this true and if so, where?"
- ↑ Fallout Bible 8
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Shady Sands 
