Guess who just got promoted to the God damn dam God?: A Fallout: New Vegas LP

[greed]

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7599/screenshot11fs.png


Welcome to the Fallout New Vegas LP, my second and hopefully far more successful attempt at making an LP. I’ve chosen New Vegas to LP for several reasons. The smaller amount of text compared to Dragon Age, the availability of text dumps online due to Fallout’s fanbase and the fact that almost every quest you do has two if not many more paths to take allowing for a great deal of user participation. This extends to the endings with four major endings and dozens of minor variations on them.

Anyway some foundation stuff for the LP. I know this game like the back of my hand having beaten it around 6 times and had several near completion playthroughs outside of that. Because of this I’m going to leave almost everything up to a vote, from character creation, what we should do in quests, to which factions we should favour. Oh also anyone who has played this game, please don’t talk about stuff we haven’t reached yet without spoiler tags.
This LP is being played in a mostly vanilla game, the only mods installed are some fix mods (the most notable for the readers being that we can get the happy ending for the Followers/NCR, which is glitched in unmodded games) a convenience mod for one of the hubs and a UI mod. Also no DLC, I have it for the 360 not the PC.

Last thing, quotes from the game will be in italics, me talking will be in plain text and requests for a vote will be in BOLD AND ALL CAPS.

Anyway for those not in the know Fallout New Vegas is an RPG set in a post apocalyptic world rooted in 50s scifi ideals of the future. In New Vegas it has been centuries since the bombs dropped and here on the West Coast civilisation has begun to get back onto it's feet albeit in very different forms. New Vegas' storyline is rooted in the clash of these rival powers in the battelfield of the Mojave Wasteland. The major players are the three shown in the opening cinematic.

-The New California Republic a democracy rooted in old world values and methods and by far the largest civilisation in the new world. Unfortunately for them they have pretty much all the problems of modern civilisations and on top of that are fighting wars on several fronts making their presence in the Mojave somewhat lacking.

-The Legion a army of slavers based on a somewhat skewed idea of Ancient Rome and lead by man calling himself Caesar who rules his people as god and king. They are throwing everything they have at taking control of the Mojave and are making leeway as the game begins.

- Mr House, a reclusive figure who commands an army of robots and is a power unto himself. Based in the city of New Vegas, Mr House's goals, motivations and methods are not entirely apparent yet.


To begin with as I can’t take a screenshot of the opening cut scene we'll skip right to the start of the game, if you want to see it, I'd look it up. I'd link it but I'm not sure what the rules are for linking some random video to my own LP so I won't.

Anyway long story short we get shot in the head by some goon in a checkered suit backed up by some guys in biker looking gear and then buried in a shallow grave. We're then hauled out by some strange cowboy faced robot and everything goes white.

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5374/screenshot13v.png
Still white.
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5457/screenshot14qu.png


Kinda less white is that a fan?


http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7215/screenshot16e.png

Some old guy, still pretty blurry here.

http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/3748/screenshot19au.png

Yeah that's right I don't remember a thing, WHAT IS OUR NAME?

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9822/screenshot24h.png

Ugh still don't feel too good, is everything where it should be?

NOT ASKING FOR REAL SPECIFICS HERE, BUT WHAT SEX ARE WE, AND IN A GENERAL SORT OF WAY WHAT DO WE LOOK LIKE. ARE WE OLD? YOUNG? WHITE? BLACK? ASIAN? HISPANIC? RACE ISN'T GONNA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THE LP, AGE MIGHT EFFECT THE NARRATION A LITTLE BIT, SEX HAS AN ACTUAL GAMEPLAY EFFECT THOUGH.

The doc walks me over to this strange carnival looking machine in the corner and tells me it will measure my vitals. I look at it.



http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/1481/screenshot12j.png

Okay this is just one of those hokey carnival love testers, what the fuck it tests intelligence? And luck. Ugh he better not be trying to fuck with me.

NOT GONNA ASK FOR A VOTE HERE, I'LL DECIDE SPECIAL STATS BASED ON THE NEXT PART WHICH WILL BE DETERMINED BY VOTES.

After the sideshow alley medicine he leads me to a couch and asks me to sit down.


http://img862.imageshack.us/img862/3084/screenshot27q.png

Now I'm gonna say some words and I want you to tell me the first word that pops into your mind.


TIME FOR VOTES, THIS WILL DETERMINE OUR SKILLS, VOTE BASED ON THE OPTIONS PRESENTED IN THE SCREENSHOTS.

Dog

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/4658/screenshot28s.png

House


http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5092/screenshot29.png


Night


http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3686/screenshot30d.png


Enemy/Bandit


http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9739/screenshot32pl.png


Light


http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5194/screenshot33b.png

Mother


http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6084/screenshot34r.png

Now I want you tell me whether you agree, strongly agree, disagree, strongly disagree or have no opinion about the following statements.”

"Conflict just ain't in my nature.


"I ain't given to relying on others for support."

"I'm always fixing to be the center of attention."

"I'm slow to embrace new ideas."

"I charge in to deal with my problems head-on."

Almost done here. What do you say you have a look at this? Tell me what you see.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/641/screenshot41ya.png


http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/2803/screenshot42u.png


http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4186/screenshot43p.png


Finally, not expecting you to have a history of bullets in your noggin, but if you could fill out this form about any pre-existing conditions you can remember?
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7774/screenshot44y.png

VOTE FOR ANY ONE, TWO OR NONE OF THE ABOVE TRAITS.


So yeah LP proper should start next time as I wander around our surroundings and then we get our first proper vote for the update after that.

Here's a recap of all the votes other than the word associations and ink blots BTW. WHICH I DO WANT PEOPLE TO VOTE ON, IF I DON'T GET ENOUGH VOTES I'LL RANDOMLY PICK ANSWERS USING SOME DICE

NAME

AGE/SEX/RACE

Whether you agree, strongly agree, disagree, strongly disagree or have no opinion about the following statements.

"Conflict just ain't in my nature.

"I ain't given to relying on others for support."

"I'm always fixing to be the center of attention."

"I'm slow to embrace new ideas."

"I charge in to deal with my problems head-on."

THE ABOVE TRAITS


Anyway hope people enjoy this and participation is high.I really don't care how you vote, I've played very bad builds before and made the worst choices deliberately, so have fun.

[Marc v4.0]

blarg I wanted to do this but after all the DLC came out. Tricksie greed!

Punch Rockgroin

26/Male/Whitey

S. Disagree
Agree
No Opinion
S. Disagree
S. Agree

Wild Wasteland and Trigger Discipline

[greed]

Heh well I did leave the post saying I was doing this up for a day or two in case of objections, but yeah this is a game that could probably do with two LPs.

And crap I was kinda worried about that not being clear enough, I'd like people to vote on the ink blots and word association sections too. Ugh sorry. I'll edit the OP to make that clearer.

[Aerozord]

considering one myself, but yea I'm all for this, I think we should think more about the kind of character we want cause lets be honest we can BS all those questions then just manually alter the tagged skills.

I say we go with a Magnificent Bastard, socially cunning and able to take you in a fight if need be.

On the perks, really not huge on any, wild wasteland I never even saw any change

[Marc v4.0]

Really, WW changes only a small handful of things and you almost have to go looking for them.


And no objections at all, really. I wasn't going to go the standard "Pick everything!" format of LP, leaning myself more towards the "Watch the story!" type

[Kerensky287]

That default picture makes me vote that whatever kind of character he is, he needs as huge of a double-chin as possible. Make it so.

Alternatively just make him Captain Malcolm Reynolds in every possible way, starting with max charisma and minimum luck.

EDIT: Also, in your word associations, the screenshot accompanying "Night" just says "Night."

[Aldurin]

The guy needs to be fat, also he should have the good natured trait (if you only specialize in one or two combat skills then this serves as extra skill points overall). Also let's consider that not having the WW trait will allow him to get to one of the best energy weapons in the game.

Also it'd be nice to see unarmed and then either explosives or guns for the combat skills.

I don't have votes for anything else.

[Marc v4.0]

Melee and Unarmed are pretty badass weapon skills in NV, for sure. I second a hand-to-face fighter as well

[Osterbaum]

Guns, guns, guns! Also Survival and Speech.

e: Also I second Wild Wasteland and Trigger Dicipline.

[greed]

Alright so everyone's just voting skills then? Fair enough guess it was a bit much to ask to do all that. Thought it might make a hilariously fucked up skill set though.

But okay everyone keep voting this way I guess, it would just be confusing to do the psych test now. Also fuck on the night thing.

Oh and voting will close, let's say Wednesday.

[Overcast]

Melee and unarmed are the strongest on just about anything short of a family of deathclaws, and even a family of deathclaws with the right drugs. For that reason I say, fuck that shit go energy weapons.

I've played through this game enough times to know that they have become mediocre since the old days when they were the endgame murderfest but I still want to force you to the good old days when you invested heavily in energy weapons and at the end of the day picked up the turbo plasma rifle and bum rushed the Master.

So Energy Weapons and a STR of at least 6 if you feel like getting weapon handling later on or 8(might say 8 since the plasma caster is kinda heavy). One door opener, lockpick or computers as you figure, and one more that I don't care about, but I'd suggest repair if only for jury rig later on.

[Marc v4.0]

Are you using any mods at all? I could suggest a few good ones, and some of them are even ones I didn't make

[Aerozord]

that reminds me, is this hardcore mode or will you just role play it as if it is hardcore mode?

[PyrosNine]

I don't know about any of the other options, but I'd like to request a gunslinger character path. Pistols and Revolvers ONLY. They can be lasers, they can shoot darts or whathave you, but only those guns. It's the wild wild west after all, and there can only be one lawman/rustler in these here parts!

[Overcast]

Played a energy gunslinger once. That recharger pistol will hold you for just about anything that isn't wearing good armor/won't kill you in under 10 seconds. Your other mainstay will be the plasma defender. Those will be your weapons for the whole game once you have the good fortune of getting them, unless you get pew pew but I always hated collecting bottlecaps.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

You have to be bisexual, and no matter what kinda armor you wear, you always have to wear a cowboy hat. You don't need that DT from some helm, you're a harder man/woman than any of the others out there.

On second thought, we might not have much fun with the cowboy hat since we're not gonna see you from a third person view that often or ever.

[Overcast]

Depends how often we are going to see his fat grinning face during a VATS blast.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

As far as I remember greed doesn't use VATS. I might remember wrong.

[Overcast]

Energy weapons as a whole have awful iron sights, the recharger pistol is pretty dependent on headshots, plasma isn't fast, and the defender has some pretty noticable spread compared to other guns. So if he doesn't use VATS we may as well drop the gunslinger approach for energy weapons.

[Marc v4.0]

Yeah, plasma is slow, but everything bee-lines directly at you at top speed so I never noticed any difference

[greed]

Trying to snipe Cazadors with plasma weapons is an interesting trick though.

So anyway we're a young white male. Called Punch Rockgroin because only Marc voted for a name and we'll be running unarmed because that got about as many votes as gunslinging and well it fits our name (I'll probably dabble in explosives as well to back it up, and because bombs are just fun).

We should have an update detailing our exploration of Goodsprings and the immediate surrounds before the end of the week.

[Overcast]

I tried to go full explosives once. It got less wonderful over time.

[greed]

Oh yeah pure explosives sucks. Explosive and unarmed or melee on the other hand is great. I mainly picked it though so I could show off more weapons during the playthrough (there aren't that many unarmed ones).

[Aldurin]

Explosives work good with WW, since there are those special grenades that can kill a Legendary Deathclaw in one hit. Also, anything that doesn't shoot (minus nightstalkers, deathclaws and cazadors) will fear your unarmed attacks.

[Aerozord]

Explosives are better if you have the mercenary pack thanks to a starting grenade launcher.

I say we resolve the Goodsprings v powder ganger side quest first. Good to get friendly with someone so we have a decent place to fall back to for help

[Aldurin]

Side with the powder gangers for the quest, that way it will be easy to screw them over and loot their base when we betray them in favor of the NCR.

[Overcast]

Also free dynamite until you have more than you will ever need. Which will be pretty quick honestly.

[Aldurin]

Dynamite totally qualifies as a holdout weapon so we have to have a good supply of that.

[greed]

Update should be up Friday evening, Saturday morning US time. The update will be running around Goodsprings and it's immediate surrounds and showing off the main choices for the town quest.

But for people who've played it and want to start voting early these are our choices

- Help Goodsprings
- Help the Powder Gangers
- Fuck off and leave them to their own devices and head south.
- Try and go straight to New Vegas (note this seriously balls up the story progression but doesn't lock you out of anything, and I will show off the skipped towns and quests later).

[Marc v4.0]

Help the Goodies, cause fuck the powder gangers. Bunch of annoying shits.

[Aerozord]

hmm Punch Rockgroin, white male, unarmed specialist, ok I think I figured out what the character will be like


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/aerozord/sb40-punchmaster.jpg

[Aldurin]

Goodsprings provides minimal benefits, and besides, we should help the powder gangers so that we can permanently drive them out.

Or alternate option, fuck off and kill a powder ganger patrol, use the disguise to get in then start the quest where you betray the powder gangers. Once they're gone, we can just head back to goodsprings and the townsfolk, destroying the last remnants of the powder gangers in the area.

EDIT: Or idea number three . . .

http://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/halolz-dot-com-fallout-advicepipboy-ilikeyourgun.jpg

[greed]

Okay everyone sorry, the local power company fucked up and cut the internet lines round here so I've been without internet and cable TV since Friday morning. And because I was dumb I couldn't access offline mode in Steam so I couldn't even work on the update.

Update should be up tomorrow.

Again sorry.

[Krylo]

Goodsprings provides minimal benefits, and besides, we should help the powder gangers so that we can permanently drive them out.

Or alternate option, fuck off and kill a powder ganger patrol, use the disguise to get in then start the quest where you betray the powder gangers. Once they're gone, we can just head back to goodsprings and the townsfolk, destroying the last remnants of the powder gangers in the area.

EDIT: Or idea number three . . .

http://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/halolz-dot-com-fallout-advicepipboy-ilikeyourgun.jpg
ORRRR you can drive out the powder gangers entirely by just hunting them down and murdering them all.

CRAZY I KNOW

[Aldurin]

ORRRR you can drive out the powder gangers entirely by just hunting them down and murdering them all.

CRAZY I KNOW

Yeah, but the people in Goodsprings stop being important almost immediately so they must die (best execution: Drive out Powder Gangers and then quickly kill the tough townsfolk before they can properly mobilize against you.)

This gives you maximum experience and cash. Although it may work in our favor to keep the shopkeeper alive to sell loot to until we get to a proper trader (Gun Runners FTW).

EDIT: When genociding Goodsprings, it's best to go after single targets alone inside buildings (preferably with Unarmed or the silenced pistol), that way nobody knows what's going on until you only have the guys at the bar to kill. Oh yeah, dragging the bodies to hidden places keeps people from seeing them and using their years of study at the Fallout Forensic University to immediately know it was you who killed them.

[Overcast]

This is assuming we are planning to be TOTAL EVIL FUCKS. I mean I know we often are, but this is excessive. If we are doing a properly roleplayed lets play then this will shape us as this kind of evil all the way to the end.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/02/340x_view_320200_1_1267208272.jpg

[Marc v4.0]

Excessive and Indiscriminate killing has never been a very lucrative practice, in the long run, and it is horribly unoriginal and uninspired. I think we can do a little bit better.

[EVILNess]

Excessive and Indiscriminate killing has never been a very lucrative practice, in the long run, and it is horribly unoriginal and uninspired. I think we can do a little bit better.

We could maybe eat everyone we meet.

I think that would be balls hilarious.

[Premmy]

When I made Gunslinger Premmy. He tended to only act in the interest of vengeful justice for extreme atrocities or selfishness. Gunslinger Premmy is awesome, going around, righting wrongs and robbing everyone.
Edit: more on topic. Gunslinger Premmy saved Goodsprings because they saved him then robbed everybody blind

[Aerozord]

come on lets not be chaotic evil. Being an amoral dick gets kind of old fast, it makes all interactions predictable and uninteresting.

We could maybe eat everyone we meet.

I think that would be balls hilarious.

however I will support this if, and only if, we get the Meat of Champions perk

[Premmy]

Lawful Neutral is the way to go, baby.

[Aldurin]

I'll go with the "eat our victims path". Also support random murder as long as we can do it without pissing off the whole faction (sneak plus unarmed would be great for this).

[Overcast]

Look, if we are going to be cannibals we need to be the kind that do it because we are pragmatists not because we are animals. That way when we get to the clan we can act like we are better than them. No killing Goodsprings. BUT lets punch Joe Cobb's face off when we see him threatening people to establish that is how we handle troublemakers.

[Aldurin]

I agree with killing Joe Cobb before he becomes a problem. Also cannibalism ASAP. Although I'm not so sure about the perk that lets you eat ghouls and super mutants later on.

[EVILNess]

I agree with killing Joe Cobb before he becomes a problem. Also cannibalism ASAP. Although I'm not so sure about the perk that lets you eat ghouls and super mutants later on.

Why not? That would be wasting.

[Aldurin]

Why not? That would be wasting.

Well it would be cool to be known as the guy that devoured ALL of the super mutants, ALL OF THEM.

Clearly we are not going for a utilitarian character here. All perks and life-or-death decisions will be dictated by our own desire for amusement. Basically take the perks that would be cool but that we would NEVER take because they're useless in comparison to the other perks (we need both Confirmed Bachelor and Lady Killer just so we get all the sex dialogue options).

[Aerozord]

ok guys lets think of this from a narrative standpoint. As I said my condition for supporting cannibalism is the Meat of Champions perk, probably the best and hardest to get perk in the game.

We can support this by having his eating people not be about food but because he is devouring their strength. And for that reason he always does it in secrete, and only people of (intellectual/political/physical/ect) power . Not just random no name NPCs

[Aldurin]

Just looked up the perk and it's totally something we should get. Ans as for the narrative standpoint, how about if cannibalism is a case-by-case issue (Fiends have a slight drug effect to them, people in the Thorn are too dirty to eat (except the chick you can get laid with after the egg quest), Black Mountain mutants taste like chicken, etc.)?

[greed]

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to update 2. Wherein I introduce the people of Goodpsrings and the moral dilemma of what we should do here.

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/5741/screenshot45u.png

This great big chin of a man is Punch Rockgroin



http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/4204/screenshot47n.png

Seriously look at that chin, you could cut apple pie with it.




http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8179/screenshot50g.png

He also has the mental ability that he may actually try to cut apple pie with his chin. Sadly the low int run isn’t as amazing as it was in Fallouts 1 and 2, but there is some great dialogue from it anyway (those who have played, no spoiling this, seriously). He also looking at that luck has probably broke some mirrors on his chin too. On the upside every other statistic is pretty substantial. He’s basically a dumb, unlucky physical powerhouse, punching his way across the wastes.


http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2811/screenshot51c.png


The Doc confirms this.


http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9923/screenshot52b.png


These are our stats. Explosives, Unarmed and Speech are tagged. It’s a nice combo, break everything we can and talk our way past anything we can’t. Main reason I tagged speech though is that some of the best and funniest things in the game require speech checks and I wanted to show them off.


http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9206/screenshot54i.png


We picked Heavy Handed (our luck is so low criticals are not gonna be a real issue anyway, so the bonus to damage will help) and Wild Wasteland because why not?
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4219/screenshot55n.png

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2126/screenshot56rf.png

The Doc tells us he rifled through our stuff trying to find anything about who we are and tells us he found that we were supposed to deliver some sort of platinum poker chip to New Vegas. No chip though. He thinks that whoever shot us stole it.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/821/screenshot59e.png
So this here is the game directing us to go do the tutorial. After that he gives us some gear including a suit from the vault he was born in, Vault 21 and a pipboy for handy dandy menu, inventory and journal use.

One interesting thing to note is that nothing in the Doc’s house is marked as owned, so…….

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/8778/screenshot61u.png
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/7343/screenshot63j.png
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6017/screenshot64lq.png

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/5227/screenshot65z.png

There’s a stylish motherfucker right here.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3172/screenshot66oo.png
Our first look at Goodsprings and the outside world in general. Kind of a hole. Oooh robot.

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/145/screenshot67v.png

It’s the robot that saved us, thinks he’s a cowboy. Well not entirely, he knows he’s a robot. He just thinks he’s also a cowboy. A cowboy robot. He unfortunately lacks much information about what happened and who attacked us so I let him mosey on away
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/9255/screenshot77t.png

Time to salve our massive brain damage with some heavy drinking.

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4706/screenshot78.png

Sunny here sets up the tutorial and gives me the lay of the land. Tells me that south of here is a prison and another town called Primm. And north of here is New Vegas. She also says the north road to Vegas is crazy dangerous for various reasons and that most people heading to Vegas from here head south and loop around the central mountain range before heading north on the safer eastern highway north.


http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1235/screenshot80.png

After shooting bottles off a fence which I didn’t screen cap, because it was shooting bottles off a fence she invites me to have some live fire practice by helping her cull some geckos. How big could they be?

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2182/screenshot81gv.png

Surprisingly big for geckos. Fucking FEV.

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3777/screenshot83t.png
We find a lady being attacked by them, unfortunately trying to deal with the geckos with my fists takes too long and she dies.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8158/screenshot85.png
Sunny seems more annoyed than actually sad, suppose that’s frontier life for you, hardens you up. Yup, been a while since anything shook anyone round these hereWHAT THE FUCK IS THAT.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8271/screenshot87d.png

Ah just a dog levitating it’s eyeballs vertically to one side of its head. Yup totally expected there (goddamnit Gamebryo).


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1887/screenshot90.png
On my way back I murdered some coyotes and found a cave.

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8667/screenshot92c.png

Inside the cave was a ghoul inside a weird religious looking robe. With some sort of weird energy rifle with limitless ammo.

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9049/screenshot93.png

Also more people to loot.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2108/screenshot96.png


Found a hole not much inside except coyotes and ammo.


http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/8703/screenshot97l.png


Might head over there later.


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4786/screenshot103jk.png


Oh something even people who’ve played a lot might not know, these act as delivery boxes, allowing you to send shit between towns, not really useful except in very specific circumstances but it’s a nice touch.


http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7295/screenshot105k.png


The shopkeep here has some actually useful info on the goons who attacked me. One was a smooth talking New Vegas type (the guy in the checkered suit presumably) and the others were part of a gang called the Great Khans. According to him they’re bad news, but not crazy kill you on sight bad news like most gangs around the wasteland. Just cold and rational drug pushing, killers for hire bad news. Great.


http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/9201/screenshot106gg.png

Sold a bunch of stuff, mostly ammo because I don’t need it. And bought a shovel.

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6333/screenshot107d.png

Hmm, shovel meet graveyard.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3158/screenshot108b.png

There wasn’t much in the graveyard so I headed north sneaking through the hills avoiding alerting the dangerous Cazadors below, because they will utterly kill me at this point. Leading to me eventually reaching Chance’s Grave. Why? For Chance’s Knife, a powerful mid game melee weapon. It’s skill req is way beyond what I had but my strength score and the weapons power mean even with the damage reduction insufficient skill gives, it’s the best weapon I have by a wide margin, until I get my spike knuckles at least. Also got some armour that apparently belongs to these great khans. Might let me trick some people with it as a costume.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1461/screenshot110s.png


Back to the saloon for celebratory drinks with my new knife.


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6021/screenshot111m.png



And the proprietor is in a argument with a very angry looking man in some armour. Wants some dude named Ringo.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1024/screenshot114bp.png


Trudy gives me the story. Cobb wants the town to hand over this guy Ringo to him and his gang cause Ringo apparently defended himself against them Cobb however is too chickenshit to try and grab Ringo from the town himself. She also tells me that if I want to help Ringo he’s up in the gas station on the hill.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3738/screenshot123a.png



Cobb corroborates Trudy’s story, glossing over his chicken like shittiness. He tells me the full story of his gang, basically they're prison laborers who rioted and took over their prison a ways to the south. Also he's kind of an assshole.

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8467/screenshot126l.png



Also wow. Seems like I didn’t sneak up to Chance as well as I thought I did, a Cazador followed me down. And the town killed it. Damn that’s pretty awesome, last time something like this happened to me a giant scorpion killed the whole damn town. Also I got two venom sacs as loot, good for some caps or to make poisons later.


http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6631/screenshot129hd.png

Ringo seems a little justifiably jumpy but gets friendly pretty quickly when he realises I'm not a Powder Ganger. He doesn't see Cobb as anymore of a threat than Trudy does but tells me he's part of a gang with some pretty substantial numbers.


http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6460/screenshot130e.png

Oh also the only stuff marked as owned in here is the ammo under the counter so I looted several tonnes of sarsaparilla.


So people here's the vote once again.

1. Help Goodsprings.
2. Help the Powder Gangers.
3. Head south to the NCRCF prison and Primm.
4. Head north directly to New Vegas to try and find out about our delivery.

[Aldurin]

Steal everything that isn't nailed down in the shop (there's a few useful items in there), also go raid the schoolhouse for the few useful items in there.

Then go ahead make friends at the prison (may need disguise, but I think you turn vilified on the third kill, so be careful), raid any explosive crates they aren't looking at and continue to make friends with them up until the part that you're sent to Primm. At this point we'll need to choose whether or not we side with the NCR (good idea, but not necessary) or with the powder gangers (bad idea, but possible).

Once all is well and done as far as the powder gangers are concerned, we can go back to help Goodsprings.

I personally wouldn't mind if you made the NCR angry at you, since that would make it interesting for an boom and punch guy to go up against the most prominent militia on this side of the Mojave.

[Aerozord]

I say we dont get a reputation as ungrateful to those that save our lives and help goodsprings

[greed]

So remember what I said about no DLC? Well the Steam sale said otherwise. So if the LP is still alive and we reach a level that they're not a chore, we'll probably do Dead Money and Honest Hearts, maybe the other two if it's still going.

[Bard The 5th LW]

I'd say we definitely do Dead Money because Dead Money was amazing. Or both, if that becomes an option.

[Marc v4.0]

I say we dont get a reputation as ungrateful to those that save our lives and help goodsprings

Ditto. Also vote we don't turn this in to a "lets do everything all over the place" cause you will seriously burn the hell out. Natural progression is much better

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Help Goodsprings, yeah. Didn't do that in my first and so far only playthrough.

I'd also say you should get Veronica, but seeing as you went Melee she probably isn't the best choice.

[Premmy]

There are NO companions beside Boone and Rex.
(Maybe Raul cause... you know... Danny Trejo)

[Aerozord]

I liked cass, what other companion lets you play as an alcohol fueled dynamo

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Wait? Danny Trejo?

There are NO companions beside Danny Trejo. Everyone else is just a daydream. How did I not know of this?

[Premmy]

Ghoul Vaquero mechanic Danny Trejo.
Also his mustache is so awesome it survived ghoulification
http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/e/ef/Raul_Tejada.jpg
the reason you didn't know is Raul's all the way on the other side of an army of Nightkin in a irradiated mountain radio station which is a pain in the ass to get to and requires a high science skill to clear out completely

On an unrelated note, are we going to be doing the Pheonix Aurelius(?) cheat to have the character more fleshed out when we start or do it naturally? I liked having my concept more clearly defined before getting into the meat of the game but I hated cheating so far ahead like that.

[Overcast]

Raul is pretty good when you work to his strengths, which is old fashioned weapons. Lever action anything, revolvers, and all .45-70 Govt. stuff. I couldn't keep up with the last group, but with a .44 in his hand he was just fine. Had him with my machete and legion character since he was the only one who wouldn't call me the Devil for suggesting it.

I have no idea what Phoenix Awhatyacallit is. But in order to test out if my build was viable, whenever I saved Goodsprings I consolidated their safety by becoming the Powder Ganger grim reaper and clearing out the penitentiary. Was more than enough fleshing out for me.

Dead Money should be no problem for Lord Punches since a lot of the harder parts of the game live on punch weapons.

Also if you want to try to cut north it is worth a thought much like cutting toward San Diego in the second Fallout. If you have the drugs, the reflexes, and the force of will to make it out of the more dangerous parts you end up with combat armor and the best non-powered fist weapons in the game. I was able to pull it off with my dumb and punchy character, but it took a minute.

For the sake of plot though I figure we should just mosey on our common path.

[Aldurin]

(Companion debates)

You guys are forgetting ED-E, the little flying robot that allows you to throw out Perception at character creation, and get an effective (if occasionally glitchy) detection range that heavily favors the sniper build (having him is one of those things where you can find enemies at an insane range and shoot them without moving forward, also good for group-sniping since you can take out a group of 5 before any of the guys that catch on get into their firing range).

Getting ED-E may not be that useful for someone who's effective range is as far as they can throw (or punch), and Rex would be that bite to the punch.

Also a character like Boone would be cool to have (although his ability to take out enemies so quickly can get in the way of certain perks like Lord of Death).

[Krylo]

Boone + ED-E = Best Companion Team. Statistically, anyway. Between Boone's long range damage and spotter perk and ED-E's long range scanners your team can kill everything before they even get close. ED-E's scanners are great for picking up invisible shit too.

Generally, I like ED-E more than Rex anyway. ED-E is more interesting to me as a companion, and doesn't get in my way with a big stupid dog body when I am trying to shoot/stab/punch a dude.

My personal favored human companion is Veronica, with Arcade as a close second. I'd like Cass a lot more if she weren't so squishy, as her personality is fantastic. Probably ranks about equal to Boone there, who is also great:

"Hope that's not going to be a problem."
"That's not a problem. That's a solution."

Raul is pretty amusing as well, but he loses points because actually getting to him in time to let him visit all the old people to open up his unmarked companion quest is fucking ridiculous. Though his constant complaining about his age is amusing, considering Ghouls are basically immortal.

My closest run to this guy (Melee bumper sword with unarmed near the beginning where you can get spiked knuckles early and they are fantastic) rolled Veronica/ED-E, with Arcade having a heavy presence in mid-late game (while getting him to open up about his quest) and all was good and right in the world. Boone isn't as fun with a melee build because you rarely get to actually fight anything before he blows its head off.

Edit: As for what we do now, I say we help Goodsprings (they helped you), and then go wipe out the penitentiary, but do it by walking in disguised and talking to people so you find out that some went to the vault, then go to the vault and wipe those ones out.

[Overcast]

I found Cass ruined lives with a hunting shotgun. Her and shotguns are just good together. But she is my favorite companion as long as we aren't evil. From the looks of it we won't be.

[Krylo]

Yeah, she had good damage, but the problem is that I liked her default outfit a lot so I hated putting her in any kind of actual armor or whatever as none of it looked as good.*

And she has low hp naturally.

Which led to me having to reload after she got killed by giant mantises. That's just embarrassing.

*Of course a few seconds in the G.E.C.K. to edit her outfit to have an armor value equal to reinforced leather fixed that, but that's cheating.

[Overcast]

How does she look in Joshua's armor? As far as style goes it is my favorite in the game.

[Krylo]

You know, I haven't tried it on her. I know it looks a little frumpy on my female PC, though. So I'd assume the same. It's an unfortunate business that a lot of the stuff that looks super good on dudes in FO3/NV looks terrible on chicks.

Though you have reminded me that Veronica looks great in the dress from Dead Money. Well, so long as you use a mod to let you take off that silly hood. I gave it to her specifically because she loves dresses so much.

[Overcast]

The punchmistress returns. Alright so we probably don't want Rex simply because he'll get in the way of being the punchmaster, Veronica may do the same. This doubles a bit since you won't be using VATS and as such you will be doing a lot of blind punchery. So pet-companion will be ED-E who will let you know where the enemy is a mile away, and one more person which we shall continue to debate. But not Boone since he makes being the punchmaster unfun.

[Krylo]

I find Veronica is usually fine when you're punching shit. She's usually good about either running way ahead of you or punching shit in another direction from wherever you are going entirely.

I'd suggest Arcade, Cass, or Raul if not Veronica, though. Any of those three are good mid-range killers.

[Aerozord]

The punchmistress returns.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/aerozord/sb54-punchmaster2.jpg

[Aldurin]

Veronica is a freakin' powerhouse, especially if you throw a spare doomsday-level glove in her inventory, also the ability for her to wear brotherhood faction armor is nice (though anything that she chooses over her hood looks awful.

I vote for Cass as our human companion until we can get Lily (who doesn't want a senile nightkin on their team?). At the very least settle with Cass since she is the best companion in terms of character (if all Fallout companions were available I'd even choose her over Fawkes just because of how well they did her personality.)

And when we go Lily we need to get the option to make her throw away her medicine, because clearly Punch Rockgroin would be friends with Leo.

[greed]

I'll probably show off a few of the companions at least.

Cass and Veronica are likely too because they have easy to do quests unlike Raul and Boone and not boring ones like Lily's. Also we have like 7 perception so ED-E is probably not gonna be too useful.

Also Aldurin Veronica's a powerhouse normally, but with Honest Hearts and Salt Upon Wounds Powerfist? Mother of god.

[greed]

Alright double-posting to say voting is over, we're gonna side with Goodsprings. Update should be up in a day or two.

[Aldurin]

Wait, you went north for Chance's knife but didn't try for Love and Hate (admittedly you should get the grenade rifle before trying this)? Love and Hate is the most powerful spiked knuckles in the game and is excellent for stealth-killing friendlies when necessary (did it to Manny Vargas so I could get the 1st Recon Beret without doing Boone's quest.)

[greed]

Wait, you went north for Chance's knife but didn't try for Love and Hate (admittedly you should get the grenade rifle before trying this)? Love and Hate is the most powerful spiked knuckles in the game and is excellent for stealth-killing friendlies when necessary (did it to Manny Vargas so I could get the 1st Recon Beret without doing Boone's quest.)

Love and Hate is too much of a pain at this level, Chance's Knife is pretty quick and easy so I got that, also Love and Hate is kinda broken this early, Chance's not so much with my melee skill.

Also why wouldn't you do Boone's quest?

[Premmy]

Boone's quest was awesome and hilarious, the hell?

[Aerozord]

oh I never tried this, but can you complete his quest by just grabbing some random person?

[Premmy]

oh I want to, in fact I wonder if you can grab EVERYBODY at once....

[Overcast]

The entire town sold your wife Boone. Their story didn't add up.

[Aerozord]

The entire town sold your wife Boone. Their story didn't add up.

I just imagined the player as Boone's delusion, holding his sniper rifle as you whisper "they are all guilty, you know what you have to do". then you put on the beret and walk into new vegas

[Krylo]

Love and hate isn't that hard. I've gone north and gotten it with the 9mm pistol as my weapon of choice, switching off to the rifle for ranged sneak attacks, plenty of times.

[Aldurin]

Love and hate isn't that hard. I've gone north and gotten it with the 9mm pistol as my weapon of choice, switching off to the rifle for ranged sneak attacks, plenty of times.

And according to the wiki, cazadores can naturally overrun Bonnie Springs at a certain point, which means you can't afford to put off getting that weapon for a long time.

[Krylo]

Trick to killing cazadores, even with shitty weapons (though this only works with ranged ones): Vats their wings. Only takes one or two shots from most weapons to cripple a wing and they are then laughably harmless.

[Overcast]

But Kry, greed doesn't use VATS.

[Krylo]

Well you can do it without VATS too, it's just harder once they get close.

[Aldurin]

You can also do kinda-VATS, where you enter VATS, look at what you want to shoot, exit VATS and fire immediately. It's a good way to snipe with weapons like the Varmint Rifle and Trail Carbine.

[Premmy]

The entire town sold your wife Boone. Their story didn't add up.

Except Nobark.... Nobark's cool. He knows about the chupacabras

[greed]

Yeah that is one ground rule, we won't kill No Bark, he's too awesome, pretty sure when we get to Novac I'm gonna end p posting his whole damn conversation tree.


Anyway small update for you people.


http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1764/screenshot133q.png


I offered to help Ringo here with the Powder Gangers, he promises future payment but says he can't do much at the moment. Oh well.


http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6122/screenshot134g.png


He also says that the two of us versus a small army of convicts would probably end about as well as any situation involving two men and an army of convicts. He suggests that I try to recruit help from the village starting with Sunny Smiles.


http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1796/screenshot136.png

Sunny is remarkably easy to persuade.


http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5531/screenshot137ia.png

She tells me that to make my chances better I should try and talk some of the village's other important people into supporting me. Namely Trudy the barkeep at the saloon and sorta defacto mayor apparently, Chet the trader, Easy Pete the prospector and ol Doc Mitchell.


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7237/screenshot139a.png

I try my hand at persuading Trudy first. Determining that my knowledge of subterfuge is pretty lacking I try to outright bullshit her into fighting with promises of glory and explosive hijinks.

BTW skill checks here are a new thing for New Vegas that returns from the original Fallouts. Unlike in FO3 where most conversations relied on your speech skill and had a %chance of succeeding, in New Vegas the game checks one of your SPECIAL stats, skills or the presence of perks. If you meet the requirements you always pass the check, if you don't you always fail but often with pretty hilarious conversation options.


http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/6919/screenshot140.png



Surprisingly this works and she says she'll round up a posse for us.



http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/2586/screenshot143x.png

I move onto Chet, who stonewalls me with a lack of motivation. I try to appeal to his mercantile sense.


http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4323/screenshot144.png


Apparently I'm a car salesman's dream and my attempt to bargain floundered miserably. No supplies for the town. So I ransacked the fuckers store while he was asleep.


http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/7691/screenshot146k.png

Doc Mitchell was a little sad that this kind of trouble always happens but agrees to help with no skill check required.


http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/2899/screenshot147n.png

Easy Pete is the requisite old coot of a prospector. Worth noting that in New Vegas prospectors don't hunt of gold and gems, they search old world ruins for stuff. It's basically the polite term for scavenger. You'll occasionally run into them wandering the wastes near collapsed old world buildings, tunnels and the like.


http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/1558/screenshot150a.png

Easy Pete is worried about our safety handling explosives.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/6812/screenshot151n.png


Our mentally disabled hero persuades him it's perfectly safe to give him a box of dynamite.


http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/589/screenshot154p.png

I tell Ringo we are as ready as we'll ever be and he gives me a chance to wait.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/1640/screenshot155n.png

Then Sunny tells us that the Gangers are here and that Easy Pete got me my bombs.


http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/4295/screenshot158.png

Unfortunately fighting is a little tricky with the screen shot button and I fucked up a little I got a work around for later fights, but anyway they're not really that interesting to see.


http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/2400/screenshot159.png

A whole bunch of decapitated Powder Gangers later and we are ready to move on.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3802/screenshot160x.png

We're now villified by the Powder Gangers which means they hate our guts and will always attack us unless disguised.


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6200/screenshot161z.png

Ringo closes his eyes and thinks of England as he hands over some reward money he said he didn't have. Probably the sight of me running into a group of seven armed people an dismembering them with a combat knife appealed to his sense of charity.


http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/5364/screenshot163a.png


So that's Goodsprings done, on to Primm. The next update will involve me dealing with some issues in Primm as well as me going and grabbing Love and Hate for you guys.

[Aldurin]

Well done, once you grab Love and Hate might as well go all murder-face on the NCR prison (unless you don't care for the exp and will wait for NCR help). Also are we going to talk about who should be sheriff now or will we wait?

[Krylo]

Robot sheriffs are the best sheriffs.

[greed]

I don't mind people talking about or even voting on (I don't really tally votes so much as gauge the thread anyway) future update stuff but in spoilers would be better. Also one thing Punch has like 2int with the result that his science score is like 7. So it will be a while before we can reprogram Primm Slim if ever, we might want to consider the NCR or Meyers, all three will be introduced next update though.

[Krylo]

So it will be a while before we can reprogram Primm Slim if ever, we might want to consider the NCR or Meyers, all three will be introduced next update though.

Robot sheriffs are the best sheriffs.
.

[Aldurin]

You guys are forgetting option #4, we decide that Primm is full of whiny wimps who can't take care of themselves. Thus we use Love and Hate to sneak-murder every one of them (it also leaves the casino bank as an easy target). Actually, might as well get Meyers in so Punch gets the quest xp and then murder the town. We can pick up ED-E later when we get enough repair to teach him to fly.

[Krylo]

There's already too much experience in this game if you do most of the side quests. Why do you want to kill everyone?

[Overcast]

Aldurin how many times do we have to say this isn't a murderous sociopath. But we don't need science, if we have parts.

[Aldurin]

Aldurin how many times do we have to say this isn't a murderous sociopath.

Fine, only kill those that interfere with our kleptomania.

[Aerozord]

lets do Primm up to when we decide sherif for two reasons

1. we shouldn't assume everyone has played, some may have absolutely no idea what we are talking about let alone our options. I know I'm not the only one aware of this since you guys used spoilers.

2. how thing play out can change things. For example if we go the normal route and save an ungrateful deputy I doubt he'd be inclined to help the town at all and just be on his way as soon as possible

[Aldurin]

The Deputy has no real influence on the result for the sheriff thing since he's a total pansy. It doesn't make any difference if you let him go, shoot him on sight or talk him into getting shot by powder gangers (worst temporary companion ever). He'll refuse to be sheriff and should we get Meyers then he'll be fired.

[greed]

Aldurin I think what Aero was saying is that going by the character people might not want to help Primm due to being annoyed by that jackass of a deputy. Which is why abandoning Primm and moving further south will be a voting option once the Bison Steve is cleared

Aldurin how many times do we have to say this isn't a murderous sociopath. But we don't need science, if we have parts.

We need science for Krylo's suggestion. But yeah not for getting the companion in Primm in fact we're good to go with that already due to some stuff I did off camera due to it being boring.

[Aerozord]

as for the powder gangers, i think this will be important as to how we represent the character. Whether he is the type to be vengeful for those that are his enemy, tries to avoid them, or tries to find peace. I do think in this case we could justify him being genocidal and just wiping out everyone inside. But truth is thats a very cowardly move and would mean our character is so scared of death he'd wipe out anyone that poses even a slight threat.

Personally I say we go there and confidently act like nothing has happened, but the moment they turn on us we kill anyone that attacks

[Aldurin]

as for the powder gangers, i think this will be important as to how we represent the character. Whether he is the type to be vengeful for those that are his enemy, tries to avoid them, or tries to find peace. I do think in this case we could justify him being genocidal and just wiping out everyone inside. But truth is thats a very cowardly move and would mean our character is so scared of death he'd wipe out anyone that poses even a slight threat.

Personally I say we go there and confidently act like nothing has happened, but the moment they turn on us we kill anyone that attacks

You forget that Mr. Rockgroin possesses and intelligence level that lacks room for that level of cunning. Basically, Rock get angry, Rock smash face with fist and/or explosions. It may be more of a kill-on-sight matter for him, which may seem genocidal when he gets around to exploring every powder-ganger place.

[Aerozord]

You forget that Mr. Rockgroin possesses and intelligence level that lacks room for that level of cunning. Basically, Rock get angry, Rock smash face with fist and/or explosions. It may be more of a kill-on-sight matter for him, which may seem genocidal when he gets around to exploring every powder-ganger place.

just because you are stupid doesn't mean you are a serial killer, nor does it mean you are irrational and emotional. Remember we also have fairly high charisma, you dont get that by hitting behaving like a sociopath

[Premmy]

We're basically running into the problem of people who played/want to play this game as Roleplayers and people who played/want to play this game as min-maxers/an FPS

[Aldurin]

You can be a charismatic psychopath, just like in the movies. Oh yeah, can you post of a screencap of the skill list on level up? That way we get our bearings with our current force of destruction.

[Aerozord]

We're basically running into the problem of people who played/want to play this game as Roleplayers and people who played/want to play this game as min-maxers/an FPS

I agree, we should first agree which one to do then stick with it, if this removes the fun of one group they can just stop following, but I dont think we'd get much enjoyment if the two sides rile against one another the entire LP.

Though first lets agree if my idea is even a good one. If most dont think its an issue we can just continue as we have been

I also agree we should see our characters skill and perk list at each level. regardless of which way we play this is a good idea

[Marc v4.0]

You can be a charismatic psychopath, just like in the movies.

That requires a fair degree of intelligence.

I echo the need to figure out if this is gonna be an RP run or a min/maxer type run

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Depends on how greed wants to write it. Personally, I'd like a RP run. Though, seeing as greed doesn't narrate as the character it might not be what he's going for. Of course, it doesn't mean that it's not possible to still do a RP run that way. It's everything but impossible. We'll just see the character from a little farther away, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since it probably prevents Flanderization of the character. I think it's more about showing off one way to play the game and some interesting bits so far.

[Premmy]

Oh, and I also don't mean to imply that those two extremes are our only options here, there's lots of ways to play these kinds of games, that's what makes them so fun!

[Krylo]

as for the powder gangers, i think this will be important as to how we represent the character. Whether he is the type to be vengeful for those that are his enemy, tries to avoid them, or tries to find peace. I do think in this case we could justify him being genocidal and just wiping out everyone inside. But truth is thats a very cowardly move and would mean our character is so scared of death he'd wipe out anyone that poses even a slight threat.

Not really.

I tend to play 'avenging angel' type characters. They roll in and wipe out the powder gangers not out of fear for themselves, but in the knowledge that if the powder gangers are not stopped they will continue to prey on passing caravans and poorly defended cities with their large caches of weapons, armor, and dynamite.

These characters also have a tendency to wipe out the Silver Rush and anyone else/any other organization that shows themselves willing to murder innocent people for their own gain.

[Aerozord]

Not really.

I tend to play 'avenging angel' type characters. They roll in and wipe out the powder gangers not out of fear for themselves, but in the knowledge that if the powder gangers are not stopped they will continue to prey on passing caravans and poorly defended cities with their large caches of weapons, armor, and dynamite.

These characters also have a tendency to wipe out the Silver Rush and anyone else/any other organization that shows themselves willing to murder innocent people for their own gain.

yes if that was our characters motivation, but he suggested wiping them out to remove a personal threat. Meaning to simply protect himself from harm

[Marc v4.0]

I can't see how it is cowardly to single-handedly wipe out an entire group of criminal scum that now have it out for you. That is pretty much the MO of every major early 90s Action movie. Strike first, strike hard.

[Krylo]

Yeah, but I suggest we ignore everything Aldurin says in this thread.

[Premmy]

Is this thread every thread?

[greed]

Depends on how greed wants to write it. Personally, I'd like a RP run. Though, seeing as greed doesn't narrate as the character it might not be what he's going for. Of course, it doesn't mean that it's not possible to still do a RP run that way. It's everything but impossible. We'll just see the character from a little farther away, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since it probably prevents Flanderization of the character. I think it's more about showing off one way to play the game and some interesting bits so far.

I think my goal is to sort of establish a character and run with that while telling things from a sort of narrator perspective. The issue is we haven't really established who or what Punch supports and there hasn't been much opportunity to showcase his stupidity yet.

I don't want to RP from in character because I tried that last time and well honestly I don't think it's a skill I have, so I'm trying a more conventional snark and showcase LP model. I want Punch to develop an actual character though. Also I'm pleased that we seem to be leaning toward a good character. New Vegas is one of those rare RPGs where good is a lot more interesting and fun than evil.

[Bard The 5th LW]

In my playthrough with a similar character, I attacked those who attacked first. The aggressor goes down, no matter who they may be.

[Aldurin]

Oh yeah, since you're going for the Love and Hate, there is an opportunity for easy success.

Go past the brotherhood bunker and punch your way through the pass of scorpions.
Enter Black Rock Cave (I think that's the name) and nab the Paladin Toaster.
Proceed to crashed Vertibird, beat the hardened robots to death with fancy new glove.
Grab Tesla Beaton Prototype.
Weapon repair kits.
????
Extremely ludicrous profit levels.

It'd be a good idea since 2 luck may make it hard to get banned from each casino in New Vegas, a good source of profit early on.

[greed]

Oh yeah, since you're going for the Love and Hate, there is an opportunity for easy success.

Go past the brotherhood bunker and punch your way through the pass of scorpions.
Enter Black Rock Cave (I think that's the name) and nab the Paladin Toaster.
Proceed to crashed Vertibird, beat the hardened robots to death with fancy new glove.
Grab Tesla Beaton Prototype.
Weapon repair kits.
????
Extremely ludicrous profit levels.

It'd be a good idea since 2 luck may make it hard to get banned from each casino in New Vegas, a good source of profit early on.

Aldurin, I've beaten this game a lot. I appreciate the sentiment but we really don't need to try and cheese our way through the game. In fact it would probably be more interesting if we didn't. I only went and got Love and Hate because it was getting kinda tedious having no unarmed weapons other than boxing gloves. One of the benefits of running unarmed is that money is rarely an issue as you can sell all the ammunition you run across anyway.

[Aerozord]

dont forget that unarmed has some sweet unlockable moves scattered around in this game. Though isn't one only attainable if you side with Legion?

[Overcast]

As I said before I got dumb and punchy to love and hate with only extreme aggravation down the cazador path. And no you don't have to side with legion, just chill with them once and they don't think you are a punk bitch(if our character is fine with fighting prisoners as a means of testing his skill that won't be hard). Talk about the wonders of fistfighting with a particular prae and you got a superman punch.

[Aldurin]

Aldurin, I've beaten this game a lot. I appreciate the sentiment but we really don't need to try and cheese our way through the game. In fact it would probably be more interesting if we didn't. I only went and got Love and Hate because it was getting kinda tedious having no unarmed weapons other than boxing gloves. One of the benefits of running unarmed is that money is rarely an issue as you can sell all the ammunition you run across anyway.

Explosive stuff is expensive though, specifically the GM, ML and FM. Add their mods and ammo and you run up with a really big bill. That's probably how I would have funded my own explosives/unarmed guy if I didn't have high enough luck to make it easier to just clean out each casino.

[Marc v4.0]

Explosive stuff is expensive though, specifically the GM, ML and FM. Add their mods and ammo and you run up with a really big bill. That's probably how I would have funded my own explosives/unarmed guy if I didn't have high enough luck to make it easier to just clean out each casino.

The explosions radius coupled with the limited availability/expense of related ammunition do not make any of those a primary weapon at all, and you can easily get by using them as special-backup weapons with what little ammo you find for them in your travels. This guy clearly isn't going to do much ranged fighting, and setting off missiles and nukes next to your face is a really stupid idea.

Thrown explosives and Launchers/Rifles are much more practical explosive back-ups for Melee-ranged fighters.

[Krylo]

setting off missiles and nukes next to your face is a really stupid idea.

True.

Too bad he has 2 int.

[Marc v4.0]

That is where his skill with them would take over in determining how much he knows about the proper usage and handling of explosives.

[Overcast]

I figure he gets some power armor and he'll think he can do all kinds of things he couldn't do before. Kinda like giving a guy in real life a grenade launcher and one of those funny bomb suits that bomb squad defusers wear, "This armor should save me from most of the damage. Probably. Maybe."

[greed]

Next update hits tomorrow. Would have been today, but well it ended up being pretty big. Also got an idea about how to write Punch, which I'm trying out, still not going to be in character but he should start to show a personality.


Also just a friendly reminder, people who've played this please don't post the results of the different options without spoiler tags. It seems most readers have, but I'm sure there's some who haven't so yeah. People have been good so far, just thought I'd remind you as another vote's coming up.

[greed]

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/9262/screenshot165q.png
Wandered to an area north of Goodsprings, a small valley with a bunch of ruins in it. The trip was strangely uneventful (the ruined tribal village which is usually swarming with Cazadors had none so the trip was completely safe).

Why am I here? Well.....
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2003/screenshot166.png[/URL]

Fucking motherfuck forgot about the damn plasma grenades.


http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/6722/screenshot168.png

Alright here's our target get her Punch. The fight that followed was pretty frenetic, she only uses unarmed attacks after using up her plasma grenades so all I had to do was keep my distance which I made easier by crippling her legs with this 10mm machinegun. Anyway after a drawn out and annoying fight.


http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/659/screenshot169m.png


We get Love and Hate, with great DPS, high base damage and well just cool looks. Also we got ourselves some combat armour, which basically lets us ignore small arms fire for a while.

Now to head back to Goodsprings.


http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4576/screenshot170p.png

Alright you try out the new toys on some bugs Punch.



http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/9463/screenshot171l.png

Back to Goodsprings Punch, not the pretty canyon.


http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/1641/screenshot172n.png

Okay seen enough Punch? Back to Goodsprings before the nice Mongolian inspired Bikers get annoyed. BTW these are the Great Khans as she says, so we'll see more of them later.


http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/3752/screenshot174b.png

Alright back in Goodsprings, good Punch.


http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/2646/screenshot175g.png

On the way south out of Goodsprings we meet this guy whose girl is trapped on the ridge by some geckos. Before we can decide what to do Punch runs off to the West yelling something about "notpuppies".

Punch clears out the geckos but no girl, there is something on the ridge though. But before we can check it out

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/964/screenshot177nr.png

This slimy son of a bitch tricked us.

And man people think Punch is dumb, but this guy. Trying to cheat some guy who just killed a half dozen doberman sized carnivorous lizards with his (nearly) bare hands. Great plan there chief!


http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7498/screenshot179s.png

Well..... this is certainly odd. This is one of the events modified by the wild wasteland perk. Without it this scene is somewhat more normal. With it, it becomes a reference to a Something Awful project, Zybourne Clock. There's a few references to SA in this game, apparently a lot of goons work for Obsidian.



http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4198/screenshot182s.png

Continuing south we get hit by some more Powder Gangers on our way south. Somebody should do something about them. Then Punch decides to explore some rickety old shack we find some good loot in a locker with a key badly hidden on the desk.



http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4368/screenshot183.png

Punch also decides to pick up a bottle cap with a star on it. Damn, this guy and shiny things. No don't eat it Punch!

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4305/screenshot186r.png

Hey remember what I said about somebody doing something? Let's be heroes Punch!


http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2666/screenshot188h.png


Go boy! Get im!

This one didn't attack so let's try diplomacy. If that doesn't work might need to try some. *puts on sunglasses* tough love.




I'm sorry.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1189/screenshot189k.png


Anyway seems this guy is a convict but doesn't want to involve himself in the raiding and whatnot.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7748/screenshot191s.png


And he used to be a sheriff. He ended up here due to a habit of executing people without a lot of evidence. Great, but hey I'm running around killing bandits so suppose I can't...... judge.





Sorry.

Anyway he says the breakout was organised by some guy called Cooke who's an anti-NCR rebel and professional terrorist. Cooke's left the prison though. The Powder Gangers around here are lead a by a guy named Eddie who's more of a common thug.


http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9360/screenshot198b.png


Anyway killed the few Powder Gangers running around the yard then headed into the main building. Killed this asshole in the infirmary. Then sorry things got a little crazy so no good screens came out.


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2879/screenshot199v.png


Here's a photo of Eddie the leader's corpse though. Yeah Punch ripped both his arms out of his sockets. I like to think he then beat the other gangers to death with them.

Checking the Warden's office for loot but almost everything is locked too tight for me to grab much other than some explosive from the store room. The gangers had done some redecorating of the NCR imagery around the place too.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7509/screenshot200y.png

Yeah that's mature.

Anyway decided to split the update, Primm will be up tomorrow or Monday. BTW from now on I will post level up screens as requested. We're already at level 4 though sorry. Our Perks are Lady Killer and Confirmed Bachelor. Punch Rockgroin plays for both teams even if he's probably too dumb to understand the rules.

So do people like my reading of Punch as being really really ADD? Came up with it after reading a thing criticising NV for having a main quest that felt too urgent making it seem odd to go off and do so many side quests. Figured having Punch be like this would explain the hell out of him wandering goddamn everywhere.

[Overcast]

Good choice greed this LP now feels much more engaging and not giving my input on choices feels much more suiting because I figure Punch would tell me to stuff it and go eat a whole Yao Guai.

[Aldurin]

I like this new turn of events. Now Rock can go off to Pri-hey what's that sandstorm over to the northeast?

[greed]

Good choice greed this LP now feels much more engaging and not giving my input on choices feels much more suiting because I figure Punch would tell me to stuff it and go eat a whole Yao Guai.

Thanks, nice to hear. To clarify, there will still be votes. Usually for stuff that will majorly impact our standing with a faction/town. When I run the fuck off to explore isn't gonna be up to a vote though.

[greed]

After finishing off the Powder Gangers at their stronghold in the NCRCF we head south entering the ruins of a town we are halted by a soldier.


http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1421/screenshot201s.png

He tells us that Primm is under siege by a group of escaped criminals. After looking at the crusted blood of the dead Powder Gangers still clinging to his spiked knuckles, even Punch is able to realise this isn't really anything for him to worry about.


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2791/screenshot203q.png

The soldier tells us it's our funeral and warns us that there is also two gangs of raiders in the area.


http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7761/screenshot206n.png

Punch then spends several minutes staring at the pretty flag waving in the wind.

So yeah this is our proper introduction to one of the game's major factions, the New California Republic. We'll learn a lot more about them in coming updates, particularly the next two or three, so I'm not gonna get into a big explanation of them here.


http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1963/screenshot209t.png

Next we go and annoy the commanding officer about why the army despite being camped like 2 minutes away, didn't do anything to deal with a rabble of poorly armed and poorly trained prisoners that one guy was able to clear out.


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/3117/screenshot211h.png

Yeah. This is the start of one of the running threads with the NCR, they are crippled by red tape and supply lines. We also find out the convicts in Primm have split from the Powder Gangers. Which makes it even more bizarre the NCR hasn't gone in and sorted them out.


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/855/screenshot215g.png

We cross over to Primm and Punch decides to pick up the shiny things on the ground as he goes as per his usual operating procedure. It is a good thing he's so good with explosives.


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/7539/screenshot216.png

We meet one of the escaped convicts.


http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/4561/screenshot217f.png


The convict meets Punch's elbow.


http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/578/screenshot219m.png

We find the house that seemingly belongs to the old sheriff of the town. How do we know it's the sheriff?


http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8214/screenshot220.png

Because Punch decides a bit of particularly tasteless cosplay is in order.


http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/9139/screenshot221.png

Inside the casino we find the survivors of the town. We get the welcome wagon from a guy called Johnson Nash.

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/4389/screenshot222.png

Mojave Express? Even Punch is smart enough to remember that's who he worked for. He begins grilling Nash on the chip he was told to deliver. We show him the note we got from Doc Mitchell back in Goodsprings.


http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3363/screenshot226i.png




http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/6793/screenshot227.png

Cowboy Robot?


http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/5580/screenshot229s.png

Huh wonder why?

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/261/screenshot230.png




http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8706/screenshot232o.png
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6462/screenshot233z.png

Well this certainly isn't foreshadowing.

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/2843/screenshot237d.png



After asking him if he'd seen anyone matching the description of my attackers, he said I'd have to talk to the town's Deputy.



Who is currently being held hostage by the convicts. Fuck. Well time to rescue him Punch.

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9075/screenshot241b.png



Don't be distracted by the robot Punch.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/5333/screenshot244p.png



Should have realised tourist traps would be effective against this idiot.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9536/screenshot245ri.png



Stop being distracted by the robots! Huh looks like we might be able to fix this guy.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7435/screenshot246e.png


....and now Punch has found a playground. Welp. We'll be lucky if the main quest happens at all now.

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/8541/screenshot247.png


An odd old man approaches Punch while he's on the slide and starts talking to him. Stranger danger Punch!

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/9616/screenshot249.png


He tells us the real reason he's talking to us is that he saw us pick up that bottle cap with the blue star.




........I thought I was alone in that building.:ohdear:

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/8235/screenshot259m.png



Just..... just stop talking to me old man.:crying:

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1433/screenshot262s.png

After finding some coyotes (Punch calls them bad puppies), we find a dead NCR soldier. We get ourselves a nice rifle and some armour that we can use to disguise ourselves as NCR. If we didn't have the combat armour this would also be the best armour we can find in this area too.


Punch wanders a bit to the east and finds.....


http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8695/screenshot266.png

:raise:


http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/5215/screenshot264n.png



http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/787/screenshot265s.png




http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/350/screenshot263o.png


:crying:



http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1562/screenshot269q.png


Punch understandably creeped the fuck out runs off aimlessly. We end up at some old trailer with a ton of radio equipment. Which we steal salvage.


http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3305/screenshot270n.png


We ask Nash about the robot we found in his house.


http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/233/screenshot272h.png


He says it's ours if we can get it running.


http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8841/screenshot273.png

Outside his house we also notice this poor bastard. Our comrade in arms, according to a note we found on him he also got a weird delivery to New Vegas.




http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/4812/screenshot276y.png

After randomly and skilllessly jamming in the parts we salvaged from the radio shack, Punch manages to get the little robot to work. Somehow. Honestly it was like a brute force Rainman. Punhc apparently went to the Fonz' school of Repair.




http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/8291/screenshot277c.png

Hmm. Well time to rescue a deputy and find out more about our checker coated nemesis.




http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6066/screenshot278.png

We kill the guard pretty quickly.




http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/9800/screenshot279.png

Our attempt to sneak around the main force of the convicts is stymied by a simple lock.




http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1544/screenshot281s.png

That. Is a big gun. I wonder if he can wield it.....

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/5871/screenshot282c.png




http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1199/screenshot283b.png

One handed? :cool:

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2212/screenshot286.png

He's our target. He refuses to tell us what we need unti we get him out of he hotel.


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1858/screenshot289kd.png


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8098/screenshot290p.png

Intimidation fails, pretty badly. Seems Punch's bark is much weaker than his bite. He's a mute rottweiler.


http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/7800/screenshot292k.png




http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2803/screenshot293j.png

Okay maybe not that bad. Good Punch. Scare the coward for no reason (The convicts are all already dead).

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8843/screenshot294.png

:dance:Punch is dancing around like it's Christmas morning. :dance:


http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7983/screenshot295p.png


You taught them as much as Punch's teachers ever did.


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8954/screenshot296h.png

....ohhh fuck you. Anyway he tells us the checkered suit guy and the Khans head south to Novac via Nipton. He also suggests the town needs a sheriff and refuses to become it himself.


http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2739/screenshot307.png

On the other hand Nash has been pretty helpful, so maybe we should help the town. Nash suggests the NCR he heard about incarcerated at the NCRCF.





http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/9456/screenshot309h.png

Punch's frantic and gleeful pointing at Primm Slim the robot leads to him acknowledging that the robot could be programmed to be a sheriff.


So anyway people vote time!

Our options for sheriff are

1. The NCR
2. Meyers the vigilante sheriff.
3. Primm Slim, worth noting that if we vote Primm Slim I will have to come back later as the check requires 30 science and we're at least two levels away from that.


So our next update will maybe be recruiting the sheriff, and will definitely include the Mojave outpost and maybe (more likely if we vote for Slim) Nipton.

[Aldurin]

Well, two fission batteries and the three conductors are actually pretty easy to find in the starting area (I definitely remember one battery in Goodsprings store, and I somehow had everything else due to my grabbin' random equipment since I couldn't remember exactly what parts ED-E needed.) So yeah, Slim if we can just shove a bunch of parts in him (thus reprogramming him?) and if not we should go with Meyers.

[Aerozord]

I say we go back to NCRCF, robot might be shiny but I thinking getting the only person in that prison that wasn't a dick makes more sense then the moron trying to jury-rig a robot

[greed]

Been crazy busy this week, update should be up Sunday, maybe Monday. sorry all. Going by the votes we're gonna go recruit Primm Slim.

[greed]

When we last left Punch Rockgroin, The Courier Savant, he was inside the Vicki and Vance Casino. He talks to Primm Slimm about the missing gun.

Oh BTW, sometimes when I don't feel like posting screenshots, I'll post dialogue, it will be differentiated from my narration by being in italics and having a Smiley in front of it. Punch will pretty much always be represented by this :), because it looks kind of, well really dumb. Those of you with emoticons disabled, may want to enable them for this thread.

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/8136/screenshot311u.png
Slim doesn't seem to understand what Punch was trying to say.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5971/screenshot313.png

Slim gets annoyed at Punch's continued declarations about a missing gun (also I didn't have the materials to hack him to be Sheriff yet. Next update).


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3726/screenshot314.png

Well time to head on south to greener pastures.


http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/2386/screenshot315.png

Aww that's adorable, some Powder Gangers survived and they think they're even a threat to Punch at this point. It was over so fast I didn't really have time to screenshots.


http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3540/screenshot316o.png

We find an old building, Punch decides to explore it. We find a gang called the Jackals. Must be one of the raider groups the NCR trooper mentioned.






http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/111/screenshot318.png


:knowledge:The Jackals are one of the old gangs in the Fallout world, they were mentioned in Fallout 1 but never showed up. Interestingly they, the Khans, another raider gang called the Vipers and the NCR all originate from Vault 15. The vault was filled with a variety of ethnic and religious groups. This resulted in a lot of internal strife and eventually the fighting rendered the Vault uninhabitable, the population of the Vault fled into the wastes splitting into 4 groups. 3 of them became Raiders, and one group settled the farming town of Shady Sands, which is now the capitol of the NCR.:knowledge:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5645/screenshot319.png

They were apparently going to play a large role in the cancelled Black Isle version of Fallout 3, and be developed more. But the NV version is basically just these guys.


http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8929/screenshot320.png

The cool thing about these tiny mantises? You can kill them by walking into them. And it gives you points toward the Bug Stomper perk. Punch loves it.:dance:


http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/3641/screenshot323.png

Punch runs off towards a service station where we proceed to fight some radscorpions.


http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/6681/screenshot324s.png

ED-E proves his worth. Also embarrassing admission, I'd figured it's name was meant to be Edie E for ages. It's apparently Eddie though.


http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/2958/screenshot325.png
Inside the gas station we find some loot, including a book.


http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/7726/screenshot326.png

And some booze, well Punch is happy.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/5847/screenshot327l.png

Okay to sum it up, this guy was the mayor of a town called Nipton, and apparently he was double crossing the NCR to the Powder Gangers, by letting the Gangers take some NCR troopers in his town hostage, and double crossing the Gangers to some guy named Mr Fox, representing the oft heard of but so far never seen Caesar's Legion.


http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9849/screenshot328.png

Punch sees some bigass statues in the distance and runs off full pelt at them.



http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8223/screenshot329.png


Another NCR soldier, this one looking pretty glum greets us at the camp.


http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3621/screenshot332i.png

The statues represent unification somehow, he's not very forthcoming about what that means. Also dude seem pretty pessimistic about this Legion.


http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1359/screenshot335a.png

This guy greets us at the main building, asks us whether we're citizen, caravan or traveler. Punch tells him Courier.


http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4413/screenshot338.png

;)

Haha first seduction perk dialogue option. Punch gets right to the point, to going after the "point".

Apparently a number of people took the "Confirmed Bachelor" perk without realising what it entailed and got very distressed when they met Major Knight.:rolleyes:

I mean really who gets confused by this perk picture. (http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/5/58/Confirmedbachelor.png)


http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2167/screenshot339.png

And Knight's in the closet.


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2875/screenshot340.png




http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/6589/screenshot341.png

Apparently the Mojave's got a bit of don't ask don't tell going (as we find out later, it seems to be more aimed at dudes).




http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/8993/screenshot342.png

Ah, poor Knight.




http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2446/screenshot343.png

Punch is persistent. ADD as he is, he can be pretty single minded when he wants to be.




http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/513/screenshot344.png


And persistence pays off. What this shot doesn't show is that Knight will now do VERY cheap repairs of our gear. Unfortunately the free repairs he used to do has been patched out, as they basically made the repair skill useless for gay male players....... huh was that a very subtle joke? He also directs us to the camp's commander, a Ranger Jackson if we want work.

:knowledge: Rangers are the NCR's elite forces. They're split into two groups, patrol rangers who are the NCR's federal police, intelligence agency and also have a military bent, often being given command of military operations and facilities. The other group is the combat rangers who we won't see for a LONG while, they're the NCR's commandos and the toughest human NPC group in the game. If you're curious, look at the first update, that complete badass looking dude on the title screen? That's a combat ranger.






http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7374/screenshot348.png

That. That is some mustache. And Knight's worried about staying the closet? This guy's wandering around like the cowboy from the Village People. Punch is hypnotised by it.


http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/1250/screenshot349j.png

Punch driven by the handlebars asks if there is any way to help out around here.



http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1850/screenshot355c.png

Punch is reluctant to leave the stache, but after several minutes of uncomfortable staring I manage to get him to move.




http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/6641/screenshot356.png


Up on the roof we meet another ranger.



http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6010/screenshot358u.png

Upon determining I'm a courier (I don't tell her, she just guessed somehow, we aren't even carrying a satchel or anything) She offers me some work. Check out the town to the east. Nipton. The place that diary mentioned.


http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/2556/screenshot361.png

She also says she doesn't expect me to risk my neck, so if it looks hairy she's fine with me booking it. Seems like a pretty breezy job, may as well accept.

We head downstaris into the saloon.


http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8662/screenshot362t.png

Damn she looks like she sat on something and never bothered to stop clenching and pull it out.


http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/39/screenshot363.png




http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7201/screenshot364q.png

It's pretty funny how hypocritical she is here. She is one of the rudest fucking merchants in the game. The only ones worse than her are an openly murderous and damned creepy sociopath and a guy who actually is just supposed to move stuff around, not sell it and you have to talk into selling anything so he gets a bit of leeway on the whole being a sucky salesman thing.


http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/3180/screenshot365.png

Yes to anyone who played Fallout 2 and didn't pay much attention to this game's release, she IS related to Cassidy. She's his daughter.


:) No only looking around.



:crossarms:Well keep those eyes up and turning, or I'll set them spinning.


:crossarms:Got no time for gawkers.... or anyone looking for something I ain't selling.


:) How about a drink instead?




:crossarms:"How about a drink?" how about a couple is what you mean.


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5728/screenshot370.png


http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2594/screenshot371.png

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/3245/screenshot372.png

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8595/screenshot373x.png

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9408/screenshot374.png

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/7521/screenshot375k.png

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/9056/screenshot376u.png



http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4803/screenshot377x.png





http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4503/screenshot379v.png

Punch gets bored of the angry lady and wanders off, but not before she tells him, if he's looking for work he should check out the Crimson Caravan up in New Vegas.


http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/4246/screenshot387p.png

Punch is easily distracted by propaganda posters.


http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7413/screenshot388.png


The reasoning for this poster? The Legion is CRAZY misogynist. They think women are pretty much only to be used for breeding. Yeah.


http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/2420/screenshot389.png

The poster on the end seems a little redundant here, I think everyone round this camp is a NCR native.


http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/7448/screenshot390.png

Punch takes one more look at the statues and then runs off towards some cliffs to the sound of barking yelling something about "PUPPIES"


http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2817/screenshot394.png

They are some ugly puppies Punch. One opens up it's mouth, revealing snake like fangs, and tries to bite Punch.


http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/4613/screenshot391f.png


It goes about as well as expected.


http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/9052/screenshot400.png

Punch angry now tracks them back to their nest and empties it. Killing a boat load of tiny hissing snake dog puppies.


http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/5684/screenshot401r.png

He finds some loot for his trouble. Awfully anticlimactic threat and payoff for a cave with the name Morning Star Cavern.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3452/screenshot402q.png

More Jackals.
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/449/screenshot403c.png

The boss had a grenade rifle, so that was a surprise. Punch has it now, cooing over it like proud papa to his baby son.


http://img64.imageshack.us/img6/541/screenshot404gunsots.png

Gunshots in the distance.


http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/442/screenshot405.png

We're greeted by this colourful lady.

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/3696/screenshot406.png

8 perception people, crazy fucking eyesight on this guy.


http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/6483/screenshot407.png

Faint stirrings of suspicion begin to build in Punch's brain.


http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/2007/screenshot409.png


Unfortunately his brain then gets distracted trying to spell suspicion and it doesn't really lead anywhere.


http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/607/screenshot410z.png

Punch remembers the old man from the playground.... he doesn't want to.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5151/screenshot411w.png

And forgets his warning.


http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8875/screenshot412.png

The girl goes on her way


http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7747/screenshot416.png

A few seconds later we hear her yell "idiot" and start firing. Before we can even turn around Ed-E has set her on fire. The best little robot. Punch gives it a hug.

We take a cool 9 blue star caps off her corpse.


http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/7319/screenshot417.png


Hoo boy, Nipton looks like it's seen better days. Probably. Maybe it always looks like this. Hard to tell in a post-apocalyptic setting.


http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4187/screenshot418.png


:)Powder Ganger!


http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3593/screenshot420w.png



http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/2402/screenshot423.png

We ask him about this lottery. He runs off, I guess as he's not a Powder Ganger anymore we don't have to kill him.





http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9443/screenshot427m.png

His friend here seems less joyous.

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/9960/screenshot428.png




http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8281/screenshot429t.png

He's heard of Punch it seems.:cool:

Dude's a bit thick not to know why people would want to wreck the Powder Gangers though. I mean they're bandits.



http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/6928/screenshot430.png

And then he hits me up for morphine Med-X.



http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7268/screenshot447.png

We ask him what happened here. Seems the lottery basically involved rounding up everyone in town, after killing the NCR hostages, then giving them all tickets. The lucky losers get executed, the unlucky losers got crucified. The unlucky winners got shipped off to the east as slaves, the runner up got his legs broken, that's Box Cars here (heh "runner" up) and the winner was our happy friend out there.

We ask about the mayor we read about.




http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3430/screenshot449.png


Our treacherous mayor didn't have a good end it seems. Looks like the Legion can't be trusted. Should remember that.




http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/2714/screenshot451.png

I go around the corner, and well..... fuck.




http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/414/screenshot452.png

Oh balls they're still here and they've seen me.



http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5135/screenshot453.png

One's running at me, no point fleeing now, it's a long haul back to the Outpost.




http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3253/screenshot454.png

Well.... um thanks?


http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3140/screenshot455o.png



http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3936/screenshot456.png

So what do I get for being your personal propaganda dispenser?

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7936/screenshot457o.png


Sorry for the delay, been crazy busy, should settle into a one update a week schedule for a while after this. When things settle down we can go back to two.

So here's today's vote, what should we do here?

1.Be polite?

2.Be insulting but not outright aggressive.

3,Or fuck shit up.

Personally I like option 3. The Legion is much more fun as a target than as quest giver.



....also I like Vulpes' hat.



Edit: Checked up on some lore for the game, seems I was off about the two types of Rangers, the ones in the armour are Rangers who have been serving actively for over 20 years. They're still the NCR's go to commandos though.

[Krylo]

Terrifying Presence options are the best options.

[Overcast]

Between the wholesale murder, Punch's good nature, and his love of cool hats I can't imagine our dumb fistfighter doing anything other than wrecking shit.

[Aldurin]

The legion basically exists for you to fuck up their shit. Besides, if we ever change our mind I'm sure they'll forgive punch.

[Bard The 5th LW]

The Mark of Caesar will fix it all if we want a Legion quest, so wreck his shit.

[greed]

A couple of things.

- Some comments and critiques on the LP would be nice, I kinda feel like I'm flying a little blind here.

- It's going to be a while before I do them, but discuss among yourselves what DLCs I should play and what order I should do them in.

-Votes for what to do with Vulpes will finish, Sunday my time, sometime Saturday American time and some time between those two European time.

[Aerozord]

I also vote terrorfying presence, his reaction should be barely contained rage, not fear

[Bard The 5th LW]

As for a DLC, I'd vote either Dead Money or Old World Blues first, but I still need to get Old World Blues for myself, so my vote goes to Dead Money.

[greed]

You want to spread terror through the Mojave using horrifying object lessons?


Can't let you do that Desert Fox!


http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/97/screenshot457.png

The threat of offensive haberdashery causes some concern for the Legionnaire.


http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/5783/screenshot461r.png


He calls for help.


http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/6209/screenshot462dh.png


He should've called more.:cool:

Infamy gained? No duh.


http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/8398/screenshot464.png

And now......


http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/8326/screenshot466g.png

Punch looks on the bright side of life.


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2051/screenshot468.png

Exploring Nipton finds that some of the townspeople put up some resistance.


http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/818/screenshot470.png

Another Wild Wasteland event. The other skeleton is named Owen. I did not get this reference at all when I first played NV. Probably because I haven't watched Star Wars since about 1996.


http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/655/screenshot472w.png

Punch strolls into the town hall and finds some attack dogs. They die pretty quickly.


http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/849/screenshot476.png

We find the mayor's diary on his computer.


http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/5458/screenshot477t.png

It explains what the situation in Nipton was before the Legion rolled in.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/4135/screenshot478.png

We head back to the Outpost and report to Ghost. Punch actually seems to be maintaining some degree of concentration at the moment.


http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/8335/screenshot481.png

Now what else did we have to do..........
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/7131/screenshot484.png


Oh right, actually ask about the guys who attacked us. How can you forget something that gave you a goddamn bullet in your brain?


http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/6160/screenshot485.png

Novac huh?


http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/4324/screenshot486.png


Punch gets distracted and explore the top floor of the Bison Steve, kills some more convicts. And finds someone who went out with a bang. That is a lot of morphine Med-X. Not sure what drug Psycho's meant to be. The Vault wiki says it's loosely based on combat drugs such as D-IX that was prototyped by Nazi Germany.

Oh well it's ours now. And both of these are very useful for an unarmed character.


http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/9108/screenshot488j.png

Punch's concentration seems to have disappeared again, we head for an EXTREMELY radioactive dump site. Great idea Punch.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6271/screenshot492.png

....great idea Punch. Crazy blob monster.


http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/6701/screenshot494.png


Great idea Punch! Homicidal green giants (there's another one outside the screenshot, with a heavy incinerator, which is why this dude is on fire).


http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9277/screenshot496o.png


....okay that was a great idea Punch, that is a lot of caps.


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9672/screenshot499.png

..... we beat some super mutants Punch, but uh maybe we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves?


http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6568/screenshot500.png

Listen to this man Punch.


http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7568/screenshot501.png


Punch defers to the man with the even sillier first name than him and the kickass beard.


http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/815/screenshot539.png


We finally head down to Nipton and swing east. We carve a path through some fairly boring fights with Vipers.


http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7683/screenshot541.png

Find a shack.


http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6071/screenshot542f.png

And meet up with some caravanners.


http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3581/screenshot543.png

We didn't do this. Looks like an ambush failed badly. Love the spawns sometimes.


http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9477/screenshot550.png

We find a small camp and decide to pop our head in.


http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3659/screenshot551.png



http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/9688/screenshot552f.png


Not too friendly.

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/7271/screenshot557.png

Just thought I'd point this out, it's easy to miss and has pretty good loot.


http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/8476/screenshot558.png


:aaa: Punch sees something in the distance.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7990/screenshot559.png

He sees his destiny.


http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/1037/screenshot560.png



He runs, he runs past everyone, he doesn't stop.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/6123/screenshot561.png


He clears this wall without even thinking.

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/5227/screenshot566.png



http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/1183/screenshot567.png


"KING OF THE WORLD MA!"


Next few updates should be up in relatively quick succession. I did all of Novac in a hit, so I've got all the screens ready and waiting just need to write them up.

The vote will be on which direction we should go next after dealing with Novac. North, West, East or South. The following updates will provide more information on these choices but you can start talking and voting, if you are going to talk about the reason behind certain directions, use spoilers for anything that hasn't been talked about in the LP.

Oh also Boone will be recruited.

[Premmy]

I am outraged and dissapointed that Punch didn't do the Trap-house in Nipton for the grenade rifle. Seriously

[Aldurin]

You seriously went through Nipton as an explosives character without going for the "vital essence"?

For my vote head North, but only a little bit. In a cave directly west of Helios One is Black Rock Cave (I think) which has a couple of nightkin and the Paladin Toaster. This will be necessary if we decide to overcome certain technological factions with sheer force. Also that thing is bitchin' against anything robotic, so we can end up just as easily going south for the Tesla Beaton Prototype (maybe as a showpiece because I don't remember who has enough cash to buy it).

After the mild northern shenanigans go southeast until the sky turns green, then murder the creepy people there.

[greed]

I kinda forgot about that house. On the other hand I already have a grenade rifle (two Vipers spawned with them, I repaired one with the other and got it to good condition). You can see it in some screens.


I'll count yours as vote for South Earl, I'll grab the Toaster if I need to fill out an update. The choice you alluded to won't happen for quite sometime though, and we won't have the skill req for the Toaster for a while anyway, skill points are RARE with 2 INT.

[Aldurin]

You don't necessarily need the skill requirements for it, since even without the requirements it does wonders.

[Aerozord]

when it comes time you must get old world blues. Been playing it and seeing Punch run around it would be hilarious. "We removed your brain, not like you were using it"

[greed]

Just thought I'd post that this is not dead, just been crazy busy. Sorry people.

[Aldurin]

So no random deathclaw assault on Punch? Good.

[greed]

After some time staring out at the desert vista from the mouth of an ancient tourist trap, Punch belatedly notices the rather perplexed man sharing his view.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/3770/screenshot568.png

Punch in an unusual display of focus gets right to the point.


http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1631/screenshot571f.png

And luckily enough the guy is actually knowledgeable.


http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/9028/screenshot573.png


But not helpful.


http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1599/screenshot574.png


Punch.... tries playing it smooth.


http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5293/screenshot575.png


And the sniper opens up. Punch is like if Rainman and James Bond had a baby.


http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/3405/screenshot576.png

Dr Punch, savant psychoanalyst.



http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/1368/screenshot579.png

He tells us that they were heading to the ruins of a place called Boulder City, and it's just up the road. It's amazing what being a friendly ear can do.


http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/8984/screenshot580n.png


Punch agrees, it's only fair.


http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/7375/screenshot583x.png

Sounds like there's a story there, might have to ask up about it later.


http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/5528/screenshot587x.png


He tells us that the town's economy is largely built on scavenging, particularly a rocket test site in the mountains to the West. Problem is it's full of ghouls, and not the friendly kind apparently. So an old prewar ruin filled with loot and monsters? Sounds like ADVENTURE.


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7924/screenshot589.png

We walk back into the dinosaur and say hello to the local shopkeeper. Who promptly tries to sell us some prewar tourist trash.


http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8614/screenshot590.png

He's pretty persistent.


http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8175/screenshot591q.png

No not guns, weapons. Punch would repeat how this all started solo if he ever tried using a pistol.


http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/617/screenshot592.png

Punch promptly buys all 1000 of them when I'm not looking.


http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/9733/screenshot593.png

We meet an old retired Ranger


http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8136/screenshot595.png


http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/5074/screenshot597.png

He's a little worried about his friends at the nearby ranger station, we tell him they were fine when we went past, but we could check on them for him next time we go that way. He says they're rangers and probably fine.

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/4488/screenshot600.png


We ask him why he's retired.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/7412/screenshot602.png


http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/329/screenshot603.png


http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/5374/screenshot604.png


http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2743/screenshot605.png


Punch is a lot happier about murdering so many legionaries now.


http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1703/screenshot606.png

Punch is pretty much Forrest Gump at this point, pulling uplifting speeches and emotional support out of a brain unable to count above what he can do with his fingers.


http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/1756/screenshot608.png


http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/5922/screenshot610t.png

Punch now knows kung fu. He is kung fu Gump.


http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/5048/screenshot611m.png

We meet a very friendly lady who gives us a warm welcome.


http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/3389/screenshot614k.png

Lot of civic pride. Punch agrees, though he wonders why she doesn't bring up the dinosaur, the best thing about the town.


http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5453/screenshot618.png

Slavers? Interesting. Punch's fists seem to be getting itchy.


http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9826/screenshot648.png

We finally get the radiation we picked up near those mutants dealt with. She doesn't seem to have the best idea of what radiation does admittedly.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5909/screenshot649.png

Still, gotta do it.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5192/screenshot650.png

That is some worrying advice. Maybe we should go back to Doc Mitchell to make sure she hasn't done something to make it worse.


http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7156/screenshot652.png

This poor fellow seems to be losing his cattle.


http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/8016/screenshot654.png


Punch notices something muttering to itself about cows and voices.


http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/294/screenshot655.png

Punch takes some proactive steps to putting the poor thing out of it's misery.


http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/17/screenshot656x.png

We find a recording on the things body. Wow, feel kinda bad about killing it now. Then again I suppose it's not like there are any institutions in the wasteland.


http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/449/screenshot659.png

We still have our shovel right Punch?

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7661/screenshot660.png

Fly? No Punch she's probably not a superhero.


http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9083/screenshot661.png

See vertibirds(helicopters, sort of). Still pretty impressive.

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/8117/screenshot662h.png

She works as a scavenger now like most of the town. Punch asks if she flew for the NCR.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8263/screenshot663.png

What an interesting response, I don't think anyone else other than the NCR has vertibird technology.


http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/471/screenshot664.png

Punch has this reaction more often than you'd think, it's probably the combination of enormous muscle, vacant stare and preternatural speed with uncanny stealth. Seems to worry people.

Fallout 2 players probably remember that name too.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1900/screenshot666.png

Punch remembers him from New Reno.

One of several things in game that make it clear that the PC has a past and remembers it. No cheap amnesia plot here folks.


http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/1504/screenshot667.png

A regular celebrity huh?


http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1871/screenshot668.png


Wanders the Wasteland, and is a terrifiyng hunter? That doesn't sound FO2's Bishop.

That's cause it's not. Due to the time involved (this game is set in 2281, Fallout 2 is set between 2241 and 2256) this is based on the description almost certainly the Chosen One's son after he had sex with Mrs Bishop or Bishop's daughter. Neat bit of continuity that made me laugh when I first played.


http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9237/screenshot670y.png

Oh really?

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/9885/screenshot671.png

:) You ROBBED a mob boss?


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/9754/screenshot672.png


http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/8314/screenshot673.png

.... wow, do you have any sense of self preservation at all?


http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/4697/screenshot674d.png


Fair enough.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/715/screenshot675b.png

Punch tells him if he hears about any work for a singer he'll pass word along.


http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1694/screenshot676o.png

We break into the dino at night and find something cool.




http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/3125/screenshot677h.png

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.




http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/2389/screenshot678.png

Umm I think Punch just wants to say hello? He's not from around here and he's a pretty friendly dude. Most of the time. Punch says so.




http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/3530/screenshot681.png

Yeah as he said he's not from around here. Uh why do you care aobut that now?




http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/671/screenshot682.png

:)You only trust strangers?


http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6175/screenshot685.png

Oh wow, sorry dude.



http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/381/screenshot686.png

Wait you don't mean?



http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/1962/screenshot687.png

Yup, one of the people in this town is a slaver. It's time for a mystery gang.


http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/1699/screenshot689.png

Boone gives us his cool hat and tells us stand in front of the dino wearing it next to the culprit. He'll sort things out from there.





Anyway sorry about the long break, hopefully will be faster on the next update. Anyway same stuff as last time, discuss amongst yourselves where to go next, keeping in mind the revelation that north means Boulder City and the men who shot Punch, east means a slaver controlled town, west means a ghoul filled rocket facility and south means random adventure.


Also people may have noticed someone important from Novac was missing, don't worry he gets centre stage later.