Let's Play Fallout: New Vegas [The Servant]

AlternatePFG

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Jan 22, 2010
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[HEADING=1]Welcome to Vegas![/HEADING]​
This is it. We're just about to catch up with that asshole Benny and stick a boot up his ass. Or at least, be in the position to do so.

We're not going to waste any time getting to Benny. I'd rather explore Freeside and New Vegas after we deal with this nuisance.


I still don't understand why House would set the town up like this. There's only like two entrances, what if there is a fire or something of the sort? New Vegas is still very rubble-y (Well, Freeside is) but much less so than everywhere else.

Both of the entrances are pretty close to each other too, so you have to go all the way around if you came from the wrong direction.


This is Freeside, the slums outside of New Vegas. There are a lot of things to do here, but like I said, no distractions. We're going straight to Benny.


Oh hello strangers, do you mind giving me some direction-

Ow, stop that. Stop hitting me.


That isn't very polite, can't we just talk like reasonable-


...Never mind.


So sometimes you get rushed by thugs when walking through Freeside. Mole rats would be more of a threat, honestly.


"Hmmph" indeed.


Loving the kids who just ignore the freshly made corpses and continue to run around and play. I assume this is a common thing here.


Yup, still pretty brown. Though I'd still take dirt brown over puke green any day of the week, mind you.


Another location we'll want to visit in the future. We can recruit another companion there, but we actually don't have high enough speech to do so. Put it on our to do list.


This is the door that links both sections of Freeside. I don't really know what it's supposed to be... a bus or something?

I'unno, it's stupid.


That's where The Kings hang out, a gang of Elvis impersonators. Yeah.

Also another potential companion in there as well.


For some reason, this corner with only like two functioning businesses is considered Freeside.


The Silver Rush is the best energy weapons shop in the game, and the Atomic Wrangler is one of the more scummier casino's in the game.


Let's hope we can walk down the street without getting attacked by thugs.


More areas sealed off.




That would just be absolutely rude.

"Why wouldn't I want to go past the greeter?"

"These bots are programmed to vaporize anyone who enters the fenced-in area without authorization from the greeter."

That's a bit excessive, don't you think? I mean, shooting I get, but vaporizing?

"Thanks for the free advice. Who are you?"

"The name's Old Ben. I've been living in Freeside since the day I was born."

He seems like an interesting person, let's randomly ask him about his life for no reason.

"What's your story?"

"I've done a bit of everything around here - courier, butcher, crier, escort, gun for hire...."

This isn't the only other courier we're going to meet in this game.

"Some of which I'm not proud of, but I do my best to help around town when needed."

"Courier? I used to be a courier before I got shot in the head"

...

No comment.

"Exactly one of the reasons I got out of that job. Too many shifty characters looking to have someone else move their hot items."

"You said escort? Like armed guard?"

"Well, I suppose you could look at it that way, but I was packing a whole different kind of heat."

Oh, he's that kind of escort.

"No, escort just sounds better than man-whore."

"So you got paid for sex?"

"Yep. I was damn good at my job, too. But after a while I just felt like a piece of meat and had to quit."

"Gun for hire?"

"When I quit the escort job, I had enough money to buy a pistol belt and some other gear. Bodyguards make a good honest living, and I had the wits and physical build to handle most thugs."

Well, most thugs in the Mojave are made out of paper mache, so I don't doubt that.

"After saving a few tourists from trouble, I got a reputation for being a stand-up guy again, and after a decade managed to save up enough to retire."

So that's why I sit here, hanging out right in front of the gate to New Vegas chattingw with people passing through.

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

Well, let's make sure to follow his directions and not get vaporized.


And of course, this idiot disregards his advice and runs right in. I'm sure this will turn out well for him.


With Wild Wasteland, in combat the Securitrons will shout "EXTERMINATE" at random intervals.


Ouch.


Yeah, we get it. Don't try to run past the guards.

"I'll submit to the credit check."

When I first played the game, I thought it actually cost 2,000 caps to get in here, and I was pretty angry at the time.

I already had just enough caps to do the credit check. Otherwise you have a few other options to gain entrance, which I will be showing off later. Right now we want to get straight to Benny though.

"Thank you, sir. You may proceed."


Look at how shiny-

Is no one going to clean that mess up?

...

Fine, I will.




Welp, that takes care of that...

What, I'm not psychopathic at all.


No blood splatter or anything. That sure was polite of the guy not to bleed all over the pavement or anything.


This is the New Vegas Strip. I know what you're thinking, this seems awfully small right? Well, it's split up into three areas (To accomodate consoles, acording to J.E. Sawyer at least) but overall, yes, it's pretty small and disappointing considering how much they've hyped it up.


"Point me to The Tops, Victor. I've got a score to settle."

"Sorry, rambler. I know you're fixing to serve up some vengeance, but I'm gonna have to point you to the Lucky 38 first."

But he could decide to leave in the meantime! I don't want to have to chase him all the way across the country.

"Mr. House, the head honcho of New Vegas, is itching to make your acquaintance."

I suppose we can take time out of our busy schedule if he wants to see us then...

"He'll help you serve that cold dish of yours extra-chilly."

I like the sound of that.

"Why is a robot passing on his invitation?"

"Well now, it was Mr. House who made the Securitrons like me. Seems the least I could do is pass on his message. Don't dawdle. He'll be waiting."

We can hold off on killing Benny for a few more minutes, right?


The Lucky 38 is the tallest of all the buildings on the Strip. What's special about the Lucky 38 is that no one has been inside it (Other than Mr. House and the Securitrons of course) for hundreds of years.


No reason to have this big gate right here honestly.


Time for another chat with Victor.

"Thank you, victor."

"I see you brought some friends! Sorry, pardner, but they're gonna have to stay outside."

This just screams trap.

"No problem, I'll head up by myself."

"Come back soon, now!"


A bowling mini-game would be pretty fun now that you mention it...


So Veronica and ED-E wait out here for us.


That's a pretty nice design.


Oooo, pretty. There's actual color in this game, holy shit.



This place seems rather cool let's- No, we have to go talk to House.

I'll cover the Lucky 38 in detail in a side update.


Victor controls the elevator for you, for some reason.


The Penthouse is where Mr. House wants us to meet him. Let's not keep him waiting.


Another unique Securitron.


If you have Wild Wasteland, another thing the Securitrons will say is "Your move creep".


Too bad this isn't like the Elder Scrolls where the books are actually readable.


This is Mr. House, or at least a screen of him.


And then it turns out Mr. House was secrelty Andrew Ryan all along!

...

Okay, that's not entirely fair. They're both based off of Howard Hughes, so there has to be some overlap there, but even Obsidian noticed the similarities. Hell, in the GRA DLC, there's a special challenge called "A Slave Obeys" that you complete if you kill him with a 9-iron.

Yup.

"I have to ask - now that you've reached your destination, what do you make of what you see?"

Kind of disappointed, honestly.

"I've never seen anything like this place."

"Of course you haven't. Vegas always was one of a kind. What you see down on the Strip is just a fraction of the city's former glory, and yet... more than an echo. I preserved its spirit. Or perhaps you were referring to the Lucky 38? The years haven't been kind to her, but still she manages to impress."

Out of all the casinos in the game, the Lucky 38 looks the best, in my opinion.

Of course, it's the only one that you can't actually gamble in, for obvious reasons.

"Why the VIP treatment? I'm just a courier."

"Oh, don't be coy. You've been playing a high-stakes game ever since Victor dug you out of the ground. Don't be afraid to admit it."

"Let's get down to business, then."

"The business is this. One of my employees has stolen an item of extraordinary value from me, and I want it recovered. Simple enough?"

"What do you propose?"

"My only concern is the recovery of the Platinum Chip. What happens to Benny, I leave to your discretion. When you bring the Chip to me, I will pay you four times the delivery bonus stipulated in your contract. How's that?"

What was the delivery bonus?

"1000 caps? I accept your terms."

1000 caps? That's chump change.

"Well enough. Return to me when you have the Platinum Chip in your possession. Any final matters for us to discuss?"

Mr. House actually has some pretty interesting dialogue options, and even more will be available once we give him the Plantium Chip. That's why we're keeping him alive. At least for a little while longer.

"Yes, I have some questions I want to ask."

"What did you wish to know?"

"How do I get to Benny?"

"It won't be easy... Benny is always surrounded by at least four bodyguards - except when he's in his private suite on the 13th floor of the Tops..."

"The Chairmen are your employees. Don't they take orders?"

The Chairmen are the people who run The Tops Casino. I don't know how our character knows this.

"It's more complicated than that. The Chairmen share what you might call a... tribal affinity. Look for a man named Swank, Benny's second-in-command. He's always been a reliable, if unimaginative, employee. Do your best to convince him that you're working under my auspices."

So basically a speech check.

"If you have evidence of Benny's crimes, show it to him."

"Say I want to take a diplomatic approach."

"If you were to approach Benny in public, you might be able to leverage his fear of exposure to make him agree to meet with you in private."

"Tell me about Benny."

"Benny has led the Chairmen ever since I recruited his tribe seven years ago. Until his recent misbehavior, I'd planned to make him my protege. Maybe if I'd begun gromming him sooner, none of this would've happened..."

I don't really see what's so impressive about Benny. I mean, anyone could have ambushed us and shot us in the head while we were tied up. Am I supposed to believe his is some genius mastermind? Cause, from what I've seen and heard of him, he doesn't sound like one.

"What use would you have for a protege?"

"To achieve my aims, I require a capable human agent to perform certain... tasks. I knew Benny was ambitious, even ruthless. But I believed he would do the job, so long as he was incentivized appropriately. Obviously, I miscalculated his drive for supremacy."

Yes, Mr. House pretty much always comes across as the "Look how much more smarter I am than you" type and he keeps it up throughout the entire game.

"But in any case, you've come along - a more-than-suitable replacement."

"Why did Benny betray you?"

Cause Benny's a dick?

"I have to think that he found out about the Platinum Chip and mistakenly convinced himself that he could use it to his own ends. One of the problems of a tribal work force, I'm afraid. No intuitive understanding of how complex technologies can be."

"Why didn't you intervene sooner when Benny ambushed me?"

"Why didn't Victor intervene sooner, you mean? Goodsprings is a bit too far away for me to reliably control a Securitron agent by remote. I can send and receive packets of data, at best. Victor's combat algorithms determined the proper course of action. Benny and his thugs were more than a match for a lone Securitron."

Not really. A few grenade rounds and they'd all be in pieces anyway.

"When he alerted me, I instructed him to approach the site after Benny and the others had departed."

"Who exactly are you, Mr. House?"

"I am Robert Edwin House, President, CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas Strip. I oversaw the city's renovations starting from 2274 onward."

So, that was fairly recently then.

"The Three Families are my employees. Before the Great War of 2077, I was the founder, President and CEO of RobCo Industries, a vast computer and robotics corporation."

You guys remember RobCo from Fallout 3, right?

"You appear to be a computer, not a man."

"Don't let the video screens and computer terminals fool you. I'm flesh and blood, not silicon."

"How have you stayed alive all this time?"

"Let's just say it was very... costly. But I was willing to make the sacrifices longevity entailed, financial and otherwise."

"How did you establish New Vegas?"

"We can discuss this in greater detail at another time. Suffice it to say that when my Securitrons detected NCR scouts at Hoover Dam, I took action. I recruited a tribal force to supplement my Securitrons and renovated the Strip just in time to welcome the NCR as it marched into the region."

That actually sounds like an interesting story.

"Instead of war, a treaty was negotiated. And the money started to pour in."

"What is the Platinum Chip?"

"It's a very special item. There's nothing else like it in the entire world. It was lost a long time, and difficult to find. THat's all you need to know about it, for this stage of our enterprise. Fulfill your contract, and deliver the Chip, and good things will come your way."

"[Speech 50] The more I know about the Chip, the easier I can find it..."

"[SUCCEEDED] You might keep an eye out for any computers that Benny's been using. Maybe even a computer lab of some sort..."

"If the Chip's so valuable, why use a single courier to trasnport it?"

"You realize you were just one of many couriers, the rest of them dummies, so to speak?"

Yeah, we figured that all the way back at Primm.

"Add to that many thousands of caps worth of mercenary protection to screen your avenue of approach. Had I used an armed caravan to transport the Chip, I might as well have been announcing to the world "this is important. Attack this!" I didn't want to attract the attention of groups like the Great Khans or the Brotherhood of Steel. Alas, the real threat was closer to home."

"Why don't you send your robots into the Tops to arrest Benny?"

"Front assaults on casinos? Not good for business. In any case, Benny would see it coming. And all he'd have to do is hold the Chip up and point a pistol at it."

I think you're giving him too much credit.

"Our foremost advantage is that Benny doesn't know that I know he has the Chip - let's not squander it."

Alright, that's enough dialogue for a bit.

"Goodbye."

"Well enough. Be on your way."

Holy shit that conversation went long. Sorry guys.


Nice, we have another place to store our crap. It's a pretty nice suite, but the Novac house is so much more convenient.

"You can bring your friends, too! Be like a little clubhouse for the gang you put together!"

Now we can part with companions and tell them to meet us at the Lucky 38 rather than where they normally are. This makes it more convenient for us to swap between companions. Wish Skyrim had this feature.

"Just bear in mind, you're the only one gets to see the boss! Any friends you got, they can wait in the suite. Enjoy the digs, pardner! They're plenty fancy!"


We have no time to check out the suite, we have to meet Benny before he decides to take a vacation or something.



What would the NCR want to do with us?


That's Gomorrah, New Vegas's token den of iniquity... Well I suppose that applies to the whole city, but Gomorrah moreso.


This is the second segment of the Strip.


This is The Tops Casino. It's got a 50's theme going on, and this is where we're going to chat with Benny.


Don't shoot up the place, etc. All the greeter dialogue is pretty much the same.


Swank is the guy we want to talk to before talking to Benny.


Everyone in here looks very similar. It's very unsettling.

"I think you should know something about Benny."

"Really? You got something to say about the big boss, huh? Well, why don't you say it to his face instead of yapping at me?"

"[Speech 15] I don't think you're going to like it. Seems Benny's been making his own play."

Now we use a combination of the evidence we've collected and speech checks in order to convince Swank that Benny attacked us. We have more than enough Speech for it to do the job on it's own.

"[SUCCEEDED] Huh? What are you talking about?"

"[Speech 30] Benny tried to kill me and stole a platinum chip I was hired to deliver."

"[SUCCEEDED] That doesn't... why would he pull a stund like that? Got anything else to offer?"

"[Speech 45] He tried to make it look like an accident - just a traveler killed and robbed in the Wasteland."

"[SUCCEEDED] He's trying to pull a fast one on the big man? Crazy bastard. You got any more?"

"I've got more evidence that proves Benny tried to kill me."

The Speech checks were all we really need, but let's really drive it home.

"Yeah? What else you got?"

"Look, I found these cigarette butts by the grave he buried me in."

"Huh. Well, yeah, okay, these are Benny's brand, and they ain't too common. You got anything else?"

"I found this lighter in Boulder City. He dropped it when he killed his partners."

Killed? They're not dead. Well, we could have killed them, but Benny certainly didn't.

"Yeah, that looks like Benny's lighter all right. Still, not exactly a ton of proof. Got anything else, kid?"

"That's it. What do you think?"

"Jesus, kid, I think we got a real problem on our hands. Can't believe Benny's a no-good stinkin' punk. Trying to play House like that... Tell you what - I'll call Benny, keep him away from his suite. You go search the place. Here's the key, it's on the 13th floor. It's the room with the double doors, can't miss it. Maybe you'll find something we can show to Mr. House and get him arrested."

We're not going to get him arrested, obviously, but let's check out his room first anyways.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Groovy. Here's your stuff back - in case you run into company, you dig? I'll tell the boys to give you a pass to pack some heat. Go on then. Elevators are past the slot machines on your left."


That's Benny on the other side of the room over there. We're not quite ready to talk to him.


This place looks pretty nice too. The colors that aren't red are rather washed out but any colors at all are a nice change.



There are a ton of rooms on this floor, we need to find Benny's.



This is Benny's suite. It's not really impressive, considering there is a much nicer one already in the hotel.


What...? What's a Securitron doing in there?


He has a much different face than the other Securitrons.


Yes Man is one of my favorite characters in this game. He reminds me a lot of Eddie the Computer from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"What are you doing here?"

"Good question! My function is to monitor Mr. House's data network and decode his encrypted transmissions! Allow me to introduce myself! I'm a PDQ-88b Securitron, but you can call me Yes Man!"

Yup, this is the other friendly Securitron with an actual personality in this game.

"'Yes Man?' What kind of a name is that?"

"It's what Benny always called me. Probably because I'm programmed to be so helpful!"

"Have you seen Benny?"

"He was around not too longa go. He's probably down on the casino floor now."

We already know that.

"You can wait for him here, if you like. I'm incapable of asking you to leave."

"Benny reprogrammed a Securitron? All by himself?"

"Oh, he had some help - a lady friend of his! She said something about living in a Fort over in Freeside... but that's all I remember!"

"What is this place?"

"This is Benny's workshop. When the Tops got renovated, he had this half of the floor blocked off for his own use. I guess you could say it's my entire world! I don't think I've ever left this room! But that's okay - I'm not complaining!"

If you haven't already noticed, Yes Man's name pretty much describes his personality.

"Benny stole a Platinum Chip from me. Do you know what it's for?"

"Sure! Benny had me look at it a bunch of times! It's a data storage device, kind of like a holotape, but a lot more advanced! As for what's on it, well... Some of Mr. House's data transmissions made it sound like Chip could upgrade his defenses somehow! That's just a guess, though! The Chip's a proprietary format! You'd need special hardware to read the data on it! There are two locations with non-standard hardware on the network - the Lucky 38 and an underground facility at Fortification Hill. I'd look there!"

"What's Benny planning to do with the Chip?"

"Oh! He wants to kill Mr. House and use the Platinum Chip to copy my neuro-computational matrix onto the Lucky 38's mainframe. That should give me control over all of Mr. House's defenses, most prominently his Securitrons. And then I just do what Benny tells me - easy-peasy!"

"You're very... forthcoming with that information."

"I was programmed to be helpful and answer any questions I was asked. I guess nobody bothered to restrict who I answer questions for. That was probably pretty dumb, huh?"

Yup.

"What if I wanted to take over New Vegas, instead of Benny."

So now we open up the possibility of taking the Independent route through the game's main quest, in which we killed off Mr. House and take control of Vegas for ourselves. That's the route we will be choosing, but we won't be killing House right away.

"Then I'd have to help you! I mean, it seems pretty obvious Benny wouldn't want me to, but hey, not my fault I can't say no!"

"What are the details of the plan?"

"Again goal number one is to eliminate Mr. House and install my neuro-computational matrix on the Lucky 38's mainframe! Given how you're a new arrival, I also recommend that you get to know some of the region's tribes, so you can decide how you feel about them! By the time you've finished up all of that, the Legion should be close to attacking Hoover Dam and we'll execute the last phase of the plan!"

"Say Mr. House was going to suffer an accident. How would that happen?"

"It makes me feel really dumb to admit this, but I don't actually know! I've never been inside the Lucky 38. No one has! Mr. House is in there, though! It's the central node of his entire network!"

"I've been inside the Lucky 38."

"You have? Wow! That's amazing! You can murder Mr. House whenever you want!"

It's not a simple as that.

"I mean, Benny was always scheming about how he was going to get into the Lucky 38, but you already took care of that. Wow! The other thing you're going to need is the Platinum Chip. You know, the one Benny killed a courier for, over near Goodsprings."

Killed, yeah.

"What do you know about the courier Benny shot?"

"I knew he was carrying the Platinum Chip! And I knew right where Benny should wait for him! That's why Benny put me here! To monitor Mr. House's data transmissions. They're all encrypted, of course - but I'm quite a decrypter! Did you know that Mr. House spent 812,545 caps hiring salvage teams to find the Platinum Chip- just in the last year alone?"

That's a lot of caps.

"Of course you didn't! Or that there were seven couriers, but six of them were carrying junk? How about their exact routes, and the mercenary teams that screened them? I knew all that. Pretty smart, huh?"

"I'm the courier Benny shot."

"Hahaha! I know that's not true, because you still have a head!"

"I'm serious."

"Hahaha! That's not funny, you getting shot in the head. I really shouldn't have taken so much pride in how I set that up, huh? I feel really bad right now."

"Where is the Platinum Chip?"

"Benny carries it with him at all times. I think he's paranoid that someone might want to take it from him."

He would be right then.

"The Platinum Chip is the key to overriding and exploiting Mr. House's defenses! Did I just say "exploiting?" That's not a very nice word!"

"Once I get the Platinum Chip, what then?"

"I'd take it straight to Mr. House if I were you! He'll think you're helping him out! Then when he's not looking - KER-POW! The big question is whether to give him the Chip before you do him in! He's the one who'll know exactly what to do with it, after all! He might upgrade his defensive capabilities right away! Or even unlock new ones! But then those defensive upgrades might make it harder for you to finish him off! Hard to say! It's up to you!"

We're going to get the Securitrons upgraded fisrt. It's easy just to pop a Stealth Boy and sneak past the Securitrons.

"Let me know when it's done and I'll roll over to the Lucky 38. If I'm right about the Chip, I should be able to install myself on House's mainframe! This is going to be great! I'm going to help you accomplish so much, whether I want to or not!"

We can talk to him about more things, but they'll become more pertinent later on in the game.


After chatting with him we get a ton of quets in our Pip-Boy.


Back downstairs.


Lots of things.

"Benny has reprogrammed a Securitron, he's trying to take over the Strip."

"He's what? Ah jeez... jeez, this is really bad. What are you gonna do?"

"I thought maybe I'd talk to the man. See if we can work out a deal."

"Yeah? That's ballsy. Good luck with that."

Thanks for the help then, guess we're doing this by ourselves.

Now the game is really getting going. I stopped at Benny here because the update was going a bit long as it was and it would be a long time before I felt like there would be another suitable stopping point.
 

AlternatePFG

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The_Lost_King said:
Well killing Benny would have been a good stopping point -_-
That would have to go all to the way to the Legion camp then, as I wasn't going to just shoot Benny on the spot at the Tops.
 

The_Lost_King

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AlternatePFG said:
They said something along those lines, yeah. Honestly, they just go take a look at Dragon Age: Origins and make the sequel something like that. Or they could go the Mass Effect 2 route, and just turn it up into a straight up Action RPG/Hack'n'Slash with RPG elements, that'd be pretty fun.

I don't really have a lot of bile reserved up for games, honestly. Which is odd cause I can get hella pissed off at books and movies, but usually if a game is just unenjoyable, I stop playing it. My low bar for games would probably be Brotherhood of Steel, oddly enough but that's more because it does terrible things to its series more than anything of else. If you look at it other than that, at worst it's a bad/mediocre shooter.
so i shouldn't decide whether to buy fo1 or 2 by playing bos because i found a copy lying around in my house.
 

The_Lost_King

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AlternatePFG said:
The_Lost_King said:
Well killing Benny would have been a good stopping point -_-
That would have to go all to the way to the Legion camp then, as I wasn't going to just shoot Benny on the spot at the Tops.
oh. Sorry, I assumed you would kill Benny in the tops. well you know what they say assume makes an ass out of you and me.
 

AlternatePFG

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TopazFusion said:
Huh, I don't think I've ever talked to Yes Man first.
I always talked to Benny first, and then after he has fled or been killed, then I would talk to Yes Man.
AlternatePFG said:
Yup, still pretty brown. Though I'd still take dirt brown over puke green any day of the week, mind you.
Is this a dig at Fallout 3? ... [sup][sub]Not that I mind . . .[/sub][/sup]
Yeah, kind of. Color schemes in general in these two games kind of puts me off (Some of the DLC areas aside) but Fallout 3 did especially. I think without that omni-present green filter, the game would actually looked really good in some areas.

That's why I think Fellout is a pretty cool mod, too bad it makes night-pitch black as well.
 

DustyDrB

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Jan 19, 2010
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TopazFusion said:
Huh, I don't think I've ever talked to Yes Man first.
I always talked to Benny first, and then after he has fled or been killed, then I would talk to Yes Man.
Same here.

And I reeeeaallly wanted to use Benny's escape tunnel. I was curious about where it led. It would have been cool to see some cleverly hidden exit. I think I spent five minutes in that small hallway and room with Yes Man the first time just seeing if there was a way I could get through it. Alas...
 

DustyDrB

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Jan 19, 2010
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TopazFusion said:
DustyDrB said:
And I reeeeaallly wanted to use Benny's escape tunnel. I was curious about where it led. It would have been cool to see some cleverly hidden exit. I think I spent five minutes in that small hallway and room with Yes Man the first time just seeing if there was a way I could get through it. Alas...
Yeah, I wanted to see that too.
Unfortunately it doesn't lead anywhere. The escape elevator that Benny uses goes down to an area near the living quarters of Vault 21.
It's in the same interior, but not actually connected to the Vault's main accessible area.
I assume Benny gets teleported out, since it's a dead-end, and there's no other way out.
How did you find out where it led?
 

DustyDrB

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TopazFusion said:
DustyDrB said:
How did you find out where it led?
I used console commands (cheats) to unlock the elevator door in that hallway, and then used it.
The pip-boy local map showed I was in Vault 21.
But it's an isolated part of the map, so I had to no-clip through a "void" to get to the main part.
It's also mentioned here . . .
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/The_Tops#The_sub-basement
Ohhh...PC gamer voodoo. That's a cool fact, though. It makes me wonder if that has anything to do with why House wanted the vault filled with cement.

On an unrelated note: I played some New Vegas tonight and discovered something new (at least to me). You can recruit Victor for the fight in Goodsprings.
 

DustyDrB

Made of ticky tacky
Jan 19, 2010
8,365
3
43
TopazFusion said:
DustyDrB said:
On an unrelated note: I played some New Vegas tonight and discovered something new (at least to me). You can recruit Victor for the fight in Goodsprings.
Yeah, I tried that, but he doesn't show up for the fight. If you ask him about it later, he says he doesn't know why.
Obviously more of House's meddling.
Bah, you're right. What I thought I saw in the heat of battle was actually one of these [http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Mojave_Express_dropbox]. Derp. Still, I never asked Victor to join in the fight until this playthrough. I think it's because I always waited to do that quest until my skill checks were high enough to recruit everyone (which doesn't take that long, but long enough that I'll usually encounter Victor in Novac or somewhere else).

I'd so love to recruit an upgraded Securitron in that fight and then watch the bloodbath.
 

The_Lost_King

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AlternatePFG said:


OH GOD, I'M IN OBLIVION!! TURN BACK, TURN BACK, ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN THAT!


Oblivion wasn't that bad, it was actually pretty fun. You could fix pretty much all the problems with mods even the leveling system. I probably didn't run into many problems because i have Altitis.
 

AlternatePFG

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I apologize for the lack of updates recently, I should be back on track by the weekend again. Haven't had much time lately to get on actually work on the LP.
 

AlternatePFG

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[HEADING=1]On the Road... Again[/HEADING]​
Where were we?


Oh, right.

"Let's keep this in the groove, hey? Smooth moves. Smooth... Hello! The guy everyone saw go in the Lucky 38, that was you? Oh shit."

Finally catching up with Benny is so satisfying.

"Seems you need to work on your marksmanship."

"I hit what I was aiming for. Guess you had brains to spare. Or are you just thick-skulled? Either way, baby, this is good news. Maybe I can finally sleep at night, knowing you didn't die."

Uh huh. Sure.

"What say you and me cash out, go somewheres more private-like? Any questions you got, I'll answer."

"The jig's up, Benny. Me and Yes Man had a talk."

In hindsight, telling him you know about Yes Man right away isn't smart, as it's another bargaining chip but the game doesn't account for that anyways.

"Baby, this is not the place to go talking about that! Like I said, we should be talking somewheres private."

"What'd you have in mind?"

"To start, I'll comp you the Presidential - best suite in the house. You deserve a taste of the VIP lifestyle."

That sounds quite nice actually.

"I'll hang out down here for a while to make everything look business-as-usual, then come to you. Any questions you got, I'll answer - guaranteed."

"[Speech 60] Two conditions - lose the bodyguards, and we both go to the suite now."

"[SUCCEEDED] If that's what it takes to win your trust, that's what it takes. Follow me."


So Benny goes up the elevator. Let's follow him.


Uh, Benny, I don't think anyone is going to give you a drink.


It's all in the quicksaves.

"Call it luck and leave it at that."

Trying not to mention being involved with House, though that's probably obvious by now.

"Luck is for losers, baby. Someone pulled strings. Once you were vertical, how'd you track me down?"

"You left quite a trail."

"Look at me, a big-leaguer or so I claim, making all the mistakes of an original loser..."

Yup.

"I guess that's enough scratching around at first base. Tell me, which way is the wind gonna blow?"

"I've got questions - a bunch of them."

We haven't come here to just shoot him and walk away.

"You got questions, I got answers."

"What is this scheme of yours, Benny?"

"Broad strokes? Change in management. The Securitrons are where it's at. I need a way to control them, and a way to beef up their hitting power. I get those two ducks in a row, Vegas can defend itself versus all comers - NCR, Caesar's Legion, it won't matter."

I like how Benny isn't just some thug, he his own goals in mind.

"What makes you think you can succeed?"

"Baby, the odds may look long, but that's just because we ain't done rigging them. I won't toss the dice until we are. I've gleaned a lot, working with Mr. House. He was a good cat to swing with. I still got more to learn, but it's... it's coming together."

"And you're willing to commit murder to make this happen?"

"Baby, do you not understand the level of game here? What I did to you was rotten, but if you think House, the NCR or Caesar won't kill to put Vegas in their pocket, I really did blow out your brains."

"I see your point."

"It's a game, and games have winners and losers. I prefer the former, how about you?"

"Let's talk about something else."

"How else can I clue you in?"

"What are you offering?"

"You help me, and before long the Chairmen will rule all of Vegas, dig? With enough robot muscle to back it up. You'll get a sweet, juicy cut of that action. But until that day comes, I'll keep you on retainer, and pay bonuses for "special missions."

Sounds pretty good to me.

"How's that sound?"

"It's a deal."

"Jackpot, baby! I knew we'd see eye to eye!"

He gives us like 250 caps, which is nothing at all. Still, better than nothing I suppose.

"Here's a start on your retainer - don't spend it all in one place. And the Prez is yours for as long as you want it. When you're ready to saddle up, come find me down on the casino floor and we'll plan the next step of this caper. Ring-a-ding, baby! Ta-ta!"


Let's check out the room a bit before heading downstairs.


That's some pretty nice gear. Why would the developers leave that in this room?


Oh hey guys, why are you running at me with-

Oh right. It's an ambush. Grenade Rifle go!



I REGRET NOTHING



This is annoying, as I don't want to shoot at my feet because I will blow up, but I'm too lazy to switch out weapons. Cue 15 seconds of me backing away from this guy waiting for a good shot.


Well, we left quite a mess. That will be tough to get out of the carpet.'


Exploding those guards gave us enough XP to level up too. That was nice of them.


Now we can unlock hard locks, the second highest tier of locks.


"Yeah, it's a real mess here - four bodies."

"What the fuck...?"

Again, so satisfying.

We're going to kill that asshole now.


Well, no sign of Benny. Let's talk to Swank?


Where the hell did Benny go?


Let's hope we can.



No sign of Benny in the suite. Damn that guy is fast...

I know, we can ask Yes Man...


...WHERE THE FUCK IS YES MAN?


Let's check this hallway?


Nope, just a locked elevator. Completely inaccessible too - there's no key down to the Sub-Basement. It is accessible through console commands, and it supposedly links to Vault 21, which makes sense.



It's Vulpes again. You remember him, from that time in Nipton where he killed pretty much everyone in the town and put the rest on crosses. Good times...

"Any crimes you may have perpetrated against the Legion are hereby forgiven. Caesar will not extend this mercy a second time."

We could have gone on a Legion killing spree before this, but no really point in doing so.

"My Lord requires your presence at his camp, at Fortification Hill. His Mark will guarantee your safe-conduct through our lands."

We're neutral to the Legion, so this really doesn't matter, but this lets you get through what would otherwise be a difficult area unharmed if you were hostile to the Legion at this early point in the game.

"Incidentally, it will interest you to know that the man you seek has fled the Strip, and is likely making haste for Caesar's camp as we speak."

Well, so much for having no idea where Benny was. That was convenient.

"You again? How'd you find me here?"

"I am the greatest of his Caesar's Frumentarii. It was not a challenge to find you."

He could follow the trail of bodies, I imagine.

"Nor is this my first visit to the Strip."

"If this is a trap, I'm going to take a lot of you with me."

"The mighty Caesar has bestowed upon you his Mark and guaranteed safe-conduct. If he wanted you dead, you would be dead already."

That sounds like a challenge to me.

"Seek Caesar by way of Cottonwood Cove, south of Nelson. The Cursor Lucullus will be waiting."


Well, I guess we should see what House has to say-

We've left Veronica and ED-E out here the whole time. Huh.


Back up the elevator...


Yeah, no shit sherlock...

"Where do you think Benny's gone?"

"His destination is hardly a mystery. It's a near certainty that he's making his way for Caesar's camp, at Fortification Hill. It's one of just two places on Earth that have the hardware necessary to read the Platinum Chip - the Lucky 38 is the other, of course."

"What do I do next?"

"I won't lie to you. It'll be dangerous. The next step will require you to infiltrate Caesar's camp at Fortification Hill."

Well, that's actually pretty simple since we got an invitation there.

"You want me to kill Caesar?"

"Absolutely not! Caesar is of great use to me."

...What.

"I don't want you harming a hair on that man's head - assuming you can find one."

"Going to the Fort sounds insane."

"Not if you've been invited. You realize that you've made quite a splash here in New Vegas?"

One shootout (Okay, grenadeout) in The Tops and suddenly you're famous.

"I can predict with a high degree of confidence that you'll receive an official summons from Caesar. If you haven't already, that is."

Oh shut up you smug bastard.

"Caesar has already invited me to the Fort."

"I'm not surprised. The Legion has spies on the Strip."

"What will I find at Caesar's camp?"

"I want you to open a hatch in the basement of the derelict weather station atop Fortification Hill. You'll recognize it on sight. The hatch bears the logo of the Lucky 38, same as the Platinum Chip."

"What's inside the hatch?"

"Something very important. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise - so don't bother asking."

This surprise better be good.

"How do I open the hatch?"

"You can't - but the Chip can. The hatch will recognize the Platinum Chip and "open sesame.""

"All right, I'll do as you ask."

"I expect that if Benny doesn't have the Chip, Caesar will make sure you get it. More on that later. Be off."


Just think if this was Fallout 3, these books would make us rich. The game is taunting me.


Alright you guys can come with-


I guess the explosive grenade rounds were quite audible.

"Yes."

"Oh. Great! The Followers of the Apocalypse, well some of us, anyway, have been interested in Mr. House's technology, how he stays alive."

The Followers of the Apocalypse are another returning faction, a somewhat important faction from Fallout 1. In New Vegas, they basically are the doctors of the wasteland, also focusing on Pre-War tech a bit too, not quite to the extent of the Brotherhood of Steel. They're pretty much the Brotherhood's more altruistic counterpart.

"Of course, no one is allowed inside the Lucky 38, so no one knows what's going on. Well, except for you."

"And this is where I come in."

"Right. We just want to find out what sort of technology Mr. House has used to stay alive for all these years."

I'm surprised no one has inquired about this before.

"It could be of great benefit to the people we try to help, many of whom suffer from hard to diagnose illnesses."

So cases more complicated than shot in the head, right?

"All right, I'm on it."

"Really? Oh, I wasn't expecting you to agree so easily. That's great! Here, take this packet sniffer. It will allow us to intercept data on Mr. House's network. You might have to manually remove the encryption from his data network, but hopefully you won't have too much trouble. Good luck!"

Anything to spite House at this point.

Hmm, what do you think of this particular turn of events, Veronica?


Huh.

ED-E?


Roger that.


You think House would keep these important consoles close to him, so in the slight chance of someone sneaking into the Lucky 38, they won't get access to important information.



I'm sure House won't mind this at all.


"I've bugged the tower for you."

"It looks like we've started getting reports from the tower's network! I'm sure the others will be able to make some sense of this. Oh what the hell? The bug went offline! Dammit!"

Welp, that was a short sidequest.

"I swear to God that old man has thought of everything. Well, it looks like this was all for nothing, but you did your best. I appreciate the help."


We get some reputation for the Followers of the Apocalypse for doing this. That's nice I guess.


Cottonwood Cove is all the way over there.


The Legion Raid Camp is the closest location we got.


No one bothered to clean up the Powder Ganger bodies yet.


Mole rat or oddly shaped rock? You decide.


Okay, mole rat.



Oh look, another NCR camp up ahead.


Why is everything slowly turning green- Oh god, we went too far east. We're in the Capital Wasteland somehow, turn back, turn back!


Eh, a little radiation won't hurt us. This is the quickest way to Cottonwood Cove anyways.

"If it's filled with radiation, why are you still here?"

"I was stationed at Camp Searchlight before the incident. I've since taken it upon myself to keep travelers away from the area."

You could put up a big "Radiation over here, do not enter" sign.

"What happened?"

Well, obviously something involving radiation. Hmm...

Was the town built around a nuke?

"Some Legionaries snuck into the camp and set off some kind of radiation bomb. I don't know where they got it, but it was damn effective. Killed almost everyone and turned the rest into ghouls."

And they're not the fun, happy-go-lucky variety of ghouls, right?

"How did you survive?"

"I was out on patrol at the time so I wasn't in the camp when it happened. There were a few others with me after it happened, including some of my superiors. Between radiation poisoning and attacks by the Legion they all died out."

"How did the Legion get into the camp?"

"I don't know, unfortunately. There may be clues somewhere inside the camp, but I'm not about to run in there to find out."

"Goodbye."

"Stay safe."


We completely disregard his advice and go right through the town. Our magically disappearing radiation dial is going to make this interesting.


This green is like a fog.


We get attacked by NCR ghouls. They attack us with combat knifes, they're pretty slow though, so fighting them is pretty trivial.



We need to collect these for a later, small sidequest.


ED-E doesn't fuck around.



These troopers sometimes look like the normal, sane ghouls and sometimes they look like the feral kind.



We're pretty much out of the town now.


So now the green is slowly fading.


Well, hopefully we can get through Cottonwood Cove without any fighting. I mean, sure what they did at Nipton was horrible, but maybe that was just Vulpes who did and deep down, maybe the Legion isn't so bad after all-


...


Well put, Veronica. Well put.

Sorry about the delay, but I should be back on track now.
 

ChupathingyX

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Jun 8, 2010
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No question?

There's something about Benny's dialogue that I like, it just seems...fresh.

Now that you can open hard locks are you going to go get Lucky in Primm? You probably don't really need it at this point but it does look nice.
 

JamesStone

If it ain't broken, get to work
Jun 9, 2010
888
0
0
ChupathingyX said:
No question?

There's something about Benny's dialogue that I like, it just seems...fresh.

Now that you can open hard locks are you going to go get Lucky in Primm? You probably don't really need it at this point but it does look nice.
I guess he could. But it's much more easy to get Lucky in Gomorrah. Let's just say that those "locks" aren't hard at all.
 

ChupathingyX

New member
Jun 8, 2010
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JamesStone said:
ChupathingyX said:
No question?

There's something about Benny's dialogue that I like, it just seems...fresh.

Now that you can open hard locks are you going to go get Lucky in Primm? You probably don't really need it at this point but it does look nice.
I guess he could. But it's much more easy to get Lucky in Gomorrah. Let's just say that those "locks" aren't hard at all.
Haha, I probably should have been more specific.

I was referring to this [http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Lucky].
 

AlternatePFG

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Jan 22, 2010
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Another update that went on too long, so I had to split it into two different parts to deal with length limits.

[HEADING=1]Romans and Securitrons[/HEADING]​
It looks like we're finally going to get even with Benny. No more escapes, or betrayals, there is no way he is running from the Legion now. We offer to work out a deal with him, and all we get for our trouble is to have him sic his guards on us. No more of that.


Nothing says "Stay out" like people on crosses.


Cottonwood Cove must be such a happy place.


Well, at least they aren't shooting on sight...

"I was invited."

"You wear the Mark of Caesar?! You must be who Cursor Lucullus is waiting for."

We could also speech check our way past this guy, it's a pretty easy check too. We might as well use what Caesar gave us though.

"You may continue, but be warned. Mark or no, we will not tolerate aggressive action by visitors in the camp."

I figured that much.


Cottonwood Cove is a small collection of shacks and tents. The only really significant structure here is that building you can see in this screenshot. We're going to have a chat with the guy in charge here before getting on the boat.


These dogs are a nuisance. If you're disguised as a Legion soldier, if you get anywhere near these dogs, they sniff you out and every Legion NPC in the area immediately become hostile towards you.


We want to go to the pier and take the raft across the bridge to the Fort.


We're chatting with the person in command over here before taking the raft. Why? Just to show off this character, who we will probably not interact with at all over the course of this game, despite him seeming like he would be a significant character.


Yes, pretty much all the Legion NPC's you meet in this game are dicks. Including Caesar himself.

"Cursor Lucullus is waiting for you with the barge at the docks. He will take you to The Fort to speak with Caesar."

We don't have to talk with Aurelius first, but in this update I would like to show off as much Legion perspective as I can.

"Does the Legion see much action here?"

"As much as the Profligates' cowardice will allow. They haven't found the balls to attack us here, but we catch them out on patrols. With two contubernia at my command, I've killed and captured four times my numbers."

Yes, the Legion uses as much pseudo-Latin as possible, it just makes them sound pretentious.

We've killed like 100 guys alone, but we're not bragging about it.

"Goodbye."

"Vale."


The Legion keeps some of their slaves in this cage. You can free them, but right now we can't talk with the guy we have to talk to get them freed because he just tells us to go to the raft and immediately ends conversation.



"Who are you?"

"I am Cursor Lucullus, and my orders are to escort you to the Legion's camp at Fortification Hill. Are you ready to go?"

"What'll happen at the Fort?"

"You'll be meeting face-to-face with the might Caesar himself, found of the Legion, conquerer of 86 tribes."

86? That's pretty impressive I guess.

"To my knowledge, this is the first time Caesar has ever summoned one of the Dissolute to see him. Not even tribal chieftains receive this honor."

Usually because the Legion kills them, but more on that later.

"Who are you calling 'Dissolute'?"

"All who are not Legion are "Dissolute." They live in squalor, unrestrained by morality, lacking moderation, temper, and self-control. Their very existence is a blight on the common good. Even worse are the Profligates, the subtype of Dissolute one finds this side of the river."

There are particular categorized sub-types of people they hate. Can't say they aren't dedicated.

"They hold themselves to be civilized, when in fact they are corrupt and self-interested. The truth will be made clear to them soon enough."

"What have I done to earn this honor?"

"You'd know better than I would. But you must be remarkable, for Caesar to take such an interest."

"I'm ready to travel with you."

"The trip will take a few hours. Take your place on the boat."


So, they take all of our chems and weapons. I didn't expect them to let us wave around our gun all over the place, but I needed those stimpaks, damn it.


So this is the Fort, the Legion's main base in the Mojave. (Okay, it isn't really in the Mojave per se) It's a pretty dreary place, as you'd expect.



Huh, this guy seems somewhat normal, at least in comparison to everything around him.


He seems a lot different than the other people hanging around here.

"Have you ever met Caesar?"

"I haven't had the pleasure. I have crossed paths with Legate Lanius, his second-in-command, however. It was... unpleasant."

Mr. New Vegas mentions the Legate from time to time over the radio. From what little we've heard of him, he is pretty savage.

"Tell me about the Legate."

"He's the best the Legion has to offer, or so the Legionaries say. Brute of a man, wears a fancy metal mask into battle. He killed one of my pack Brahmin simply because it was in his way."

He doesn't sound like a very nice guy, hope we don't bump into him later.

"I knew better than to complain about it, though."

"I want to know more about you."

"Shoot."

"Are you part of the Legion?"

"No, sir. I'm an independent trader from Arizona."

"Is it dangerous to trade with the Legion?"

"Not at all - they're my best customers. As long as you don't try to sell 'em chems or alcohol, they treat you fair."

That's probably why they hate New Vegas, it's all about the chems and alcohol.

"Hell, I don't even need to travel with guards most of the time in Legion territory. All the bandits are dead or run off."

This is one of positives to the Legion, they have been able to keep control of their territory much more effectively than the NCR has.

"Do you ever trade with the NCR?"

"Between having to hire protection and getting slapped with taxes, it's more profitable to stick to Arizona and New Mexico. But, I do cross the river from time to time when an opportunity comes along."

"Goodbye."

"Be seeing you around."

Maybe the Legion isn't so bad. I mean, sure the crucifixion is bad, but maybe aside from that they're alright-


Nevermind. They use women as pack mules and slaves. Why? No fucking clue. It seems Obsidian wanted to make the Legion the morally ambiguous faction so much that they went a bit too far in giving them certain downsides. It's also impacted by the fact that there are very few Legion aligned NPC's that you find that aren't jerks.




Caesar's tent is all the way in the back of the Fort.


Layout wise the Fort isn't too confusing, it's still mostly just tents and such. There is an arena here, and there is kind of an arena sidequest, but it's like 3 fights with some random NPCs using melee weapons, there isn't much of note. Well, if you're a female character, you can't fight in the arena for some stupid reason.


Holy shit, a unique idle animation. Those are so rare in this game.


Nice plate armor you got there.



Healing Powder? Bleh, that stuff sucks. That's really all they have around here?

"You're a doctor?"

"I never finished my training - the Legion saw to that when they overran my town."

That seems to be a common theme.

"I do know basic first aid, but I've had to rely on tribal remedies to treat illnesses and injuries - healing powders and all that."

The basic stuff is much worse than Stimpaks and similar items, but if you have a high enough Survival skil some of the stuff you can cook up can heal quite a bit. '

"I'm always running low on xander root. Plenty of broc flowers, though."

"[Survival 18/20] Maybe you could try using different plants and herbs?"

This is the first time we've failed a skill check in the game. Unlike Fallout 3, where the option simply won't show up, there is failed skill check options that have the NPCs give a different response. Some of them can be pretty entertaining, but I won't be showing them off mostly because they some times lead to less than desirable results.

"[FAILED] I'd rather not go experimenting. Some of these wasteland plants are toxic."

Oh come on. What's the worst that could happen?

"What do you know about Legate Lanius?"

"The Legate is not a man to be crossed, especially if you're a woman. That's all I will say about it."

"Tell me about the Burned Man."

"A vengeful spirit, some of the more superstitious women claim. He was a great leader of the Legion before he failed Caesar. The story says he was set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon, but his angry spirit rose from the ashes of his corpse, looking for revenge. Nonsense, probably, but there's no doubt that many in the Legion believe he's still alive somehow."

Hrm, sounds like quite the character. I wonder if he's real or not. Oh well, more pressing matters at hand, etc.

"I have some questions about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Where are you from?"

"A small town in New Mexico. The Legion burned it a few years back - that's how I ended up here."

"How long have you been a slave?"

"Three years and counting. If I could just get across the river, I'd be free."

Good luck with that. For some reason the game wouldn't let us swim over here, so I'd like to see you do better.

"Not that I'd try it - I've seen whatt happens when you get caught."

"How are women treated around here?"

"We're property. If you're too young or too old, the men usually leave you alone. Usually."

"Goodbye."

"Okay."


This is Caesar's tent, it's unsurprisingly rather large for a tent.


Well, Veronica and ED-E have to stay outside. So we have no healing items, no weapons and now no companions. If this is a trap, we're totally boned.


I didn't realize this, but we're already on our way to starting Veronica's personal quest. We're going to wait a bit to do it, but basically she'll start it if you hear certain triggers in conversations (Like ED-E) or if you visit certain areas in the game. (Like Cottonwood Cove)

"We just don't adapt like we should. Used to be that all you needed to get your way was a suit of power armor and laser rifle. Now... people are armed and organized. They're not afraid. But we still stick to our old approach, becasue it's all we know."

"If it's worked for this long, there must be something redeemable about their beliefs. Have faith."

"Wow, you sound like Elder McNamara. I know I should. Hell, it's what I signed up for when I chose to stay into adulthood. I know there's something worth saving in there. But we're in decline. Our membership is... decimated. There's got to be something we can do."

Well, there isn't anything we can do right now.



The tent is filled with powerful guards who wield Ballistic Fists, weapons which at this point in the game are extremely powerful. (Who am I kidding, they're pretty much the best weapons in the game regardless of level)


Looks like Benny was caught. No surprise there.


Caesar's voice isn't as grand as you would think it is. Not to say the voice acting is bad, for Caesar it's quite decent, it's just that I was not expecting this particular voice.

"I mean, a man nearly kills you, and your response is to track him across the breadth of the Mojave? You arrive on the Strip and waltz into the Lucky 38 like someone left you a key under the doormat? You visit the Tops, and the next thing you know, the head of the Chairmen is fleeing the Strip like a whimpering little pup? When you set your mind to something, you get results. I like that."

I'm talented, what can I say?

"The question is... are you ready to get started?"

So now Caesar wants us to help him. The problem with Caesar, as opposed to House or the NCR, is that refusing him is probably not going to end well for us.

"How do you know so much about me?"

"I have eyes and ears eveywhere. It behooves me not to invade the west blind and deaf."

He has a lot of people like Vulpes who spy on different communties for the Legion.

"It hasn't been hard to track your progress. It's not as though you've been keeping a low profile."

Yeah, I suppose after that shootout in Goodsprings, any pretense of keeping a low profile was thrown out the window.

"The time is fast approaching when my Legion will assault the great dam and invade the west. Before that happens, I want Mr. House knocked out of the game, a quick one-two punch - with you doing the punching."

"Just let me deal with Benny and I'll be on my way."

"Benny is my prisoner. You don't "deal with him" unless you've dealt with me. Don't worry, you'll get the Platinum Chip he was carrying."

We actually care about the Platinum Chip now.

"And then you'll use it like I tell you to."

"What are you saying I have to do?"

"Down the hill, at the west edge of camp, is an old building. It was here when the Fort was taken in 2277. Inside the building is a hatch, and inside the hatch are two steel doors that bear the sigil of the Lucky 38 casino. Now that same sigil is on the Platinum Chip Benny was carrying when we captured him. Isn't that interesting? Even more interesting, there's a slot the about the same size as the Chip on the console that opens the hatch. So you know what I think? I think the Platinum Chip opens those doors - doors that can't be pried open or drilled open or blasted open. Because all that, I tried."

"And once I'm inside?"

"I want you to destroy whatever you find in there. And then I want you to come back here and tell me about it."

Uh-oh. House wants us to activate whatever is inside there, Yes-Man suggested to do that as well. Well, we'll deal with that probelm once we get to it.

"So go to the building and take this fucking Platinum Chip with you. My Legionaries will meet you there, with your weapons and equipment. Talk to Benny on your way out. He knows I'm going to let you decide how he dies. Maybe you want to remind him."

All of the dialogue with Caesar is pretty interesting, and I'll show off pretty much all of the lore related options later in the update, after we've dealt with Benny. It's probably the most lengthy conversation we've had so far in this game, but not nearly as long as a certain conversation in a certain DLC. (Seriously, I have no idea how I'm going to transcribe all the dialogue in the beginning of OWB without losing my sanity.)



The irony is staggering.

"I'll laugh later. We have business to discuss."

"That we do, baby, that we do... Down to brass tacks."

What does that even mean?

"How'd your meet and greet with Baldie go?"

"He gave me the Platinum Chip."

"Sure, Baldie wants you to go down in the bunker and destroy whatever Mr. House stashed there. You don't want to do that, baby. Whatever's down in that bunker is the key to the city called Vegas. So here's what you do..."

He is being awfully helpful now.

"You go down there and use the Chip to do whatever Mr. House woulda wanted you to do. And when you get back to the Strip, you find Yes Man. I made it so that cat can't help but be helpful, dig?"

Yes, we already met Yes Man. Still not really sure why he disappeared there, he didn't even show up at the Lucky 38 like planned either.

"I want to know more about you."

"I'm the most interesting person I know."

"How did Mr. House introduce himself?"

"We were east of Vegas when the first Securitron we ever saw rolled up on us. We junked it in a minute flat."

Why?

"The next day twenty roll up. So we listened. Said we'd been selected. Vegas needed us to defend it. In excahnge, we'd get cushy digs, full stomachs, medical treatment. Everything a nomad never gets, in other words. Most of the tribe thought we should say no. I thought it was the best idea ever."

I just can't picture the Chairmen as tribals. With their pompadour haircuts and checkered suits, it just doesn't fit.

"How long were you the head of the family?"

"Seven years. Took over three days after Mr. House introduced himself. Our chief at the time, mountain of a guy named Bingo, wanted to stay nomadic. I disagreed, so he challenged me to the knife. He looked so surprised when I stuck that knife in his neck. Thought he was so tough, but he was so slow. That's how I made chief. It's how things were back then."

There aren't any tribals in the main game (Unless you count the Great Khans) but we'll encounter few groups of tribals in Honest Hearts. In Fallout 2, you were a tribal. I honestly like the idea of tribals in the Fallout universe, but I always felt like they never did enough with the idea.

"Was your tribe always called the chairmen?"

"Nah, in the way-back we called ourselves the Boot Riders. Silly name, but that's how we rode the Mojave, dig? - on our feet. We were nomadic badasses, not to be trifled with. A gang of ruffians, though with a certain panache. When House gave us the Tops to renovate, his robots dropped off boxes full of suits and ties and wingtip shoes. Told us we were the "Chairmen" now. That caused an uproar. But I said "the name sticks." Ciao to the old ways, baby - time to swing in style. If the shoes fit, you wear them."

"What happened after you fled the Tops?"

"I prefer the term 'relocated.' It took every Stealth Boy I had to cross the river at Cottonwood Cove. That was a close shave, riding a boat full of Legion boys. Once I was across, I changed into a uniform I swiped off a dead Legionary outside Nelson. Tried to sneak into the bunker, but that didn't work out. They found the Chip. I wasn't gonna tell them what it was used for, but... let's just say they were persuasive."

"Caesar says I get to decide how you die."

"Try not to smile so wide, baby. You might break your mouth. Yeah, Baldie said you'd get to decide. So which way you leaning?"

"Do you have a preference?"

"Yeah, to die in my sleep at a ripe old age after a marathon session hey-hey with thirty sex-starved broads."

That's oddly specific.

"You'll set that up? Look, I ain't a harbor for illusions. I ain't expecting to get out of this shin-dig alive. That's why I'm trying to hand you my scheme, baby. It's called having a legacy."

"I haven't made up my mind."

"I know, so many options! How do you choose just one?"

"Tell me about the factions that want to rule Vegas."

"Which greedy overlord do you want to start with?"

I'm sure if Benny ruled Vegas he wouldn't be the greedy overlord type at all. It's not like he hasn't shown he's extremely ambitious and willing to do pretty much anything to get what he wants. Still, as far as antagonists go, he's one of the few actual likeable and not completely evil ones in this game.

"Why shouldn't Mr. House run Vegas?"

"Mr. House hides Vegas under his skirt when the bombs fall a thousand years ago, so it belongs to him? Forever? You buy that?"

Well, as we'll find out later, he did stop it from being nuked into rubble.

"Baby, every boss has a line to explain why he's special, why everyone gotta do what he says. Just figuring that out? Vegas gotta swing, baby, gotta have pizzazz. Respect where due, but that old man is square to the core."

"Tell me about the Three Families."

The Three Families are the groups that run the three main (Lucky 38 not included) casinos in New Vegas.

"The Chairmen are true blue. The Omertas are degenerates - never trust them. Or the White Gloves - just something creepy about them. Set it up right, and the families will roll with your caper. You might have to do some convincing."

"What's so bad about the NCR?"

"Ain't we covered this? The only thing not bad about them is they ain't Legion. The NCR's the biggest gang of thieves in the Mojave, only difference is they pass laws to make their crimes legal before they commit them."

A common theme that we'll learn about the NCR is that they just kind of roll over the wasteland, annexing communities whether they want to join the NCR or not.

"You think Caesar would destroy the Strip?"

"Nah, just spruce it up with a crucifixion here and there. Come closer so I can step on you. The Legion is twisted, baby - original losers worshipping the king of creeps like he's some kind of god. They're worse than roaches. My advice? Put on your stomping shoes."

"What if my choice is "none of the above?""

"Now you're talking! That is the ring-a-ding move, baby. First base is whatever Mr. House would have you do. Follow orders, rig the game to his specifications. Then, when he ain't looking, you knock him out of the running and find a way to take control of those Securitrons of his. Go See Yes Man. I made it so that cat can't help but be helpful."

"Goodbye."

"Ta-ta."

Well, enough of Benny for now. Let's go do what Caesar asked.
 

AlternatePFG

New member
Jan 22, 2010
2,858
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0
[HEADING=1]Romans and Securitrons[/HEADING]​

Sometimes the game can look rather nice, like in this screenshot with the sunset.


Oh shit, they have artillery?


It doesn't work, however. Good then, let it stay that way. There is a sidequest to fix it, but obviously we're not doing that.


More tents.



We get all our gear back. Good, because we're going to need it.


First we need to interact with this console to open the passageway.





"Why did you send me here?"

"The Platinum Chip is a data-stroage device. I need you to manually upload the data from the Chip to the facility's primary computer. There's a terminal at the other end of this facility. There's a complication. While I can broadcast to this screen, I can't control any of the facility's systems. That means I can't deactivate its security bots... most of which appear to be active, according to the status board I'm looking at."

Eh, what's a few Protectrons? As long as they aren't those stupid, annoying sentry bots, we'll be good.

"What will you do with your Securitrons?"

"My army will do what an army does best - defend territory from invaders... and maintain order."

"I'll upload the data, as you ask."

"Good. I won't hold you up any longer."

House is right and to the point with this conversation. Which is good, because this place is bathed in radiation.


Oh look, a Protectron. We haven't fought one of those in awhile.




If you have a high enough science, you can hack these terminals and make the next part easier for you. It's still a pretty easy segment regardless.


The game is kind enough to hand us some pulse and plasma grenades too.


You probably can't tell what's going on, but it worked.



We randomly picked up a .44 Magnum in here, which is pretty useful weapon.


Grenade Rifle spam go!


Even with terrible explosives it still gets the job done.


Also had a Power Fist in our inventory too, no reason not to use that as well.


When turrets explode, they just disappear. Pictured: I punched a turret so hard, it faded from existence.


This section is a lot harder solo. Usually I forget to tell my companions to follow me again after leaving Caesar's tent, so I'm stuck down here by myself fighting turrets, which are pretty annoying and can get in some good damage on you if they stay alive for too long.



Considering we're the only non-robot entity in here, that's a lot of our blood.


Still don't get why House needs the Platinum Chip to activate this, but whatever.


Hmmm. One single giant laser shooting robot at our command or hundreds of smaller laser shooting robots?


Doing the main quest nets you a lot XP pretty quickly, so naturally we level up.



I use shotguns a lot, so this perk should be of use to us.


Now we go back through the hallways and back up to the Fort.



Well, House seems happy enough. Wonder how Caesar will react.



They seem to think we actually destroyed the generators. Let's keep it that way.


It's nighttime now. We weren't down there that long...


Back in Caesar's tent. It looks significantly cooler at night.


Phew, he fell for it. I was worried we would have to fight our way out of here, which is not an easy task, by the way.

"There are rewards for doing as I command. Today, your reward is vengeance. You get to decide how Benny dies. Go to Benny, let him know what you've decided. My Praetorians will perform the execution - unless you want to perform it yourself."

"Thank you, Caesar."

"Consider it the first of many bestowments."

It would be if we were helping the Legion.


"Hundreds of Securitrons. All of them upgraded now, just like Mr. House wants."

"So all this time the old man had an entire army on lay-away? Clever player."

One of the best thing about this game is that all the factions are working against each other, with different plots to take each particular group out, and it all weaves together into this intricate political plot. I certainly understand why people didn't like it compared to the more personal plotline of Fallout 3 though.

"Just imagine the look on Baldie's face when those Securitrons come pouring out on judgement day! I'd pay to have that bronzed! So all you gotta do now is talk to Yes Man, figure out how to set things in motion. Make Vegas a town I woulda been proud of, baby. Let it swing."

I rather like Benny as a character. Sure, he doesn't have a whole lot of depth, and he is a major dick to you but it's nice to have a villian who isn't the absurd, "I'm going to kick a puppy just for the hell of it" archetype that some games go into.

"I have to decide what happens to you now."

"I see. And how's that gonna happen?"

"I've decided to kill you here and now."

This playthrough we're simply going to shoot Benny. I'm saving the "Kill everyone in the camp and rescue Benny" option for the NCR run.

"I see. Keep it simple, hey? Around here, it's one of the better options..."

"Close your eyes, if you want."

"Nah, I'd rather see it coming. Do it, baby. Make it clean."


What happens afterwards is that I try to pickpocket his gun Maria from him. It doesn't work, so I reload the game like 20 times. Nothing, he catches me every time. So I try a Stealth Boy to steal it from him, no dice. Googling shows that it's impossible to steal Maria from Benny in this area. Why? No clue.

I used console commands to get it. I don't care if it's cheating, this particular choice of game design is stupid. Why didn't they check him for weapons anyway?


Benny's pretty much in the same position we were at the beginning of the game.



That's it for Benny. (It took more than one shot in VATS, not because we suck, because he has a lot of health.)

This offically brings what many consider to be the games first Act to a close. Describing this game in a three act structure is kind of weird. I originally planned on splitting the updates for each playthrough into Acts in the OP, but the problem is that Act 3 is considered to be the Hoover Dam battle so there would only be one or two updates for that particular Act, and the DLC even complicates this further.


Just a fair warning, this is the longest conversation we've had yet in the game. It goes over pretty much all the info Caesar gives on the Legion, so it's pretty extensive.

"Let's press on, shall we? As I was telling you before, I want Mr. House out of the picture."

We're taking Mr. House out, but not because Caesar wants us to.

"You have an interest in his death, too. If he knows that you destroyed his gadgets beneath the Fort, he will strike back. You know where to find him. How he dies, I leave up to you."

"I have some questions for you."

"What did you want to know?"

"Are your bodyguards special in any way?"

"My Praetorians embody the martial ideals of my Legion. Each one of them has done enough conquering and killing to deserve the rank of Centurion."

Those guys are pretty tough, they're not to be fucked around with. Especially once they start wielding Ballistic Fists and 12.7mm Submachine Guns.

"Instead, I invited them to join my guard. So the invitee chooses whichever current guard he thinks is weakest - and challenges him. The fight is to the death. It keeps them from getting complacent."

"How long has Lucius been the head of your Praetorians?"

"Lucius has been the head of my guard for five years now. He was a subordinate guard for eight before that. No invitee has dared to challenge him yet. Maybe it's an issue of respect - he is getting on in years."

"I've heard rumors of your legate, Lanius? What's his story?"

"Lanius is the greatest of my battlefield commanders. Some might call him a great man, but I'm not sure he qualifies."

Even Caesar is somewhat scared of Lanius.

"Once, he was the greatest warrior of the Hidebarks, a tribe of the Arizona. Maniacal in battle. Sometimes he'd ambush Legion patrols by himself. When, after several months we found and surrounded the Hidebarks' camp, their Chieftain raised a banner of surrender. The warrior who was not yet Lanius went insane with rage. He struck down his Chieftain and attacked his own tribe."

"What happened when Lanius attacked his own tribe?"

"He killed fifteen before they brought him down. He didn't die, obviously. I had him tended to. He was maimed, most of his face torn off. It was days before he regained consciousness. When he did, I went to his bedside and showed him the helmet I'd had forged to cover his face. I said he could have it if he'd fight for me. He accepted... on condition that he be allowed to kill the surviving males of his tribe."

This guy is fucked up.

"I said, make it the adult males and you have a deal."

"He sounds more like a savage than a general."

"Lanius is savage. Savagely loyal, too, but only to me - he has no love for my Legion. But this has its uses. He has no attachment to his men, no compunction about battlefield losses. All he cares about is destroying the enemy. When another legatus or a Centurion fails to achieve results, I send Lanius to make things right. His first step is to beat the failed commander to death in front of his assembled troops. Then he orders the ritual of decimatio."

"What is "decimatio?"

"It means "decimation" but in ancient Rome the word had a very specific meaning - a punishment for cowardice. The Legionaries are lined up in ranks. Every tenth man steps forward and is beaten to death by his brothers."

Mr. New Vegas talked about this over the radio.

"It instills a certain... robust obedience."

"Lanius will lead the assualt on Hoover Dam?"

"Yes. This time my Legionaries will be more frightened of the commander behind them than the enemy before them. There will be no failure this time, no retreat, no years of gathering slaves and resources for another assault. With Lanius to drive the Legion forward, the dam will be taken. It will be our bridgehead across the Colorado."

"Why did the Legion lose the first battle?"

"It's not going to happen again. That's all I have to say about it."

It's a touchy subject for Caesar.

"I've heard the commander of the first battle called "The Burned Man.""

"And I've heard it's a bad idea to tempt the wrath of Caesar. Change the subject."

"Tell me about Vulpeas Inculta."

Vulpes was the guy at Nipton with the dog hat and Legion spy who talked to us on the Strip.

"Vulpes is the best of my Frumentarii. A remarkable individual from an unremarkable tribe south of the Utah. He was brought into the Legion as a boy, survived training, fought well enough as Legionary to be promoted to the rank of Decanus. Then, in battle against an unimportant tribe, he broke ranks and led his contubernium through a hole in their defenses to capture its chieftain. Well, his Centurion wanted him crucified for disobedience. So I made him a Frumentari."

All this Latin is getting annoying.

"What do the Frumentarii do?"

"Whatever I require. Infiltration, assassination, dramatic atrocities to break the spirit of the enemy - et cetera. They're mentally flexible. They operate behind enemy lines for extended periods, imitating the enemy's customs without becoming sullied. In all these things, Vulpes is a master."

"How did you capture Benny?"

"I'll hand it to that piece of shit, he was determined. He used some kind of Old-World stealth device to get across the river in a Legion boat."

Oh come on Caesar, a man so educated as yourself must have heard about stealth boys. They're all the rage in the Mojave Wasteland, especially among Nightkin. Not in the Capital Wasteland though, they have their fancy stealth suits, pfft.

"Seems the device ran out of juice once he got here, but he was dressed like a Legionary. He was caught just outside the weather station. See, thing is, he didn't change his hairstyle."

Bahahaha.

"To go through all that effort and fail because you're too vain to muss your hair..."

"What happened after Benny was caught?"

"He was brought before me, along with the Platinum Chip. That's how I knew he wasn't some kind of Profligate infiltrator. Benny tried to sell me a story, but Lucius has a way of coaxing the truth out of captives. Everything just comes spilling out."

What was his story I wonder? "I left my glasses in this mysterious bunker of yours, can I go get them?"

"What do you think of the NCR?"

"Do you want my opinion as a former citizen, or future conqueror? Actually, my opinion's the same either way. As a young man I was taught to venerate President Tandi of Shady Sands."

Tandi was an NPC you met in Fallout 1, who would get kidnapped by the Great Khans. You had to go rescue her, and from her town Shady Sands, apparently she started this huge democracy.

"'The Founding Mother of the New California Republic.' Did you know her Presidency lasted 52 years? And that her father, Aradesh, was the Republic's first President? Does that sound like a democracy to you, or a hereditary dictatorship?"

"President Tandi was voted into office each time."

"Because the council didn't dare oppose her. She was too popular. She had the people's love. So things ran smoothly, more or less. And as soon as she was gone, as soon as there really could be "democracy" - what happened then? Ever since losing its queen, the NCR has been weaker, more diffuse. Democracy has been its weakness, not its strength."

"How is the NCR weak?"

"Greed runs rampant. The government is corrupt, accepting bribes from Brahmin barons and landowners, to the detriment of citizens. The NCR is a loose conglomerate of individuals looking out for themselves. It's lost virtue. No one cares about the collective, the greater good. It's not built to last. I'm just hastening the inevitable."

What's ironic about Caesar saying this is that there are a lot of NPC's in the game that point out that after Caesar dies, the Legion will be thrown into disarray because they won't have a designated leader to control them.

"Surely, the NCR is a powerful foe?"

"Of course. The most powerful my Legion has faced. Also the first to which I am ideologically opposed. Until now, every tribe I've conquered has been so backwards and stunted, enslavement has been a gift bestowed upon them. My conquest of the Mojave will be a glorious triumph, marking the transition of the Legion from a basically nomadic tribe to a genuine empire. Just as my namesake campaigned in Gaul before he crossed the Rubicon, so have I campaigned, and will cross the Colorado."

"What do you know about Mr. House?"

"I know he's a coward, hiding behind an army of robots, ensconced in that tower of his like a wizard in one of those Grognak comic books."

Sometimes I wish the skillbooks and magazines in these games were readable.

"Some say he's a man, others a machine. I don't care. He's in the way."

"How did you rise to power?"

"Ironically, I was born a Profligate myself, a citizen of the NCR. My family lived not far from the great Boneyard. After Raiders killed my father, my mother sought the Followers' protection. I was two years old. She found work at their Library, cooking and cleaning. I learned how to read and soon I was taking courses, free of charge."

"You were a Follower of the Apocalypse?"

"Oh yes, raised in that tradition. And the teaching stuck. I was taught it was my responsibility to bring the torch of knowledge to the wastes. I may have taken the torch part more literally than they intended."

"What changed you from a Follower to dictator?"

"When I was 20, the Followers sent me East to Grand Canyon. It was my first expedition, just me and a physician named Calhoun. As an anthropologist and linguist, my assignment was to learn the dialects of the Grand Canyon tribes. What a fucking waste of time!"

"Why would learning dialects be a waste of time?"

"If you think it's worthwhile to make smart people learn how to talk like backward savages, you're a Follower of the Apocalypse... or an idiot. Anyway, we met up with a Mormon missionary who already knew a bunch of dialects - Joshua Graham. He was supposed to teach me. But before that went too far, the Blackfoot tribe captured us, to hold us for ransom. They were a backward bunch. But the real problem was, they didn't know how to fight."

Then how did they capture you?

"What was wrong with the Blackfoot?"

"The Blackfoot were at war with seven other tribes, each just as pissant as they were. But outnumbered like that, they weren't going to last long. It's one thing to be taken hostage, another to be lashed to a sinking ship. So over Calhoun's objections, I decided to take certain steps."

"What steps did you take?"

"I taught them how to use the guns they already had - how to strip and clean them, how to breathe when pulling a trigger, how to reload ammunition. They looked at me like I was some kind of a sorcerer. so I taught them how to make explosives, and started drilling them on small unit tactics. If there's anything I learned as a Follower of the Apocalypse, it's that there's a lot of good information in old books."

"What happened after you trained the Blackfoot?"

"Divide et impera - divide and conquer. I led the Blackfoot against the Ridgers, their weakest enemy. When they refused to surrender, I ordered every man, woman, and child killed. When next we surrounded the Kaibabs and they likewise refused... I took one of their envoys to the Ridgers' village and showed him the corpse piles. This was new for the tribes, you see. They played at war, raiding each other, a little rape and pillage here, a little ransoming there. I showed them total warfare. Like I said, there's a lot you can learn from old books."

"What happened to the tribes?"

"The Kaibabs joined me, and the Fredonians after that - all the pissant tribes, with names that should be forgotten. I knew from the start I'd need to eradicate this plague of tribal identities, replacing them with a monolithic culture, a uniform identity. So that's what I did, once my confederation of tribes was large enough. I crowned myself Caesar and created a single Great Tribe - my Legion. I sent Calhoun, the Follower captured with me, back West with a message that I should not be interfered with. Joshua Graham, the Mormon interpreter, stayed with me and served as my first Legatus."

"And since forming the Legion, all you've done is conquer other tribes?"

"That's right. Decades of warfare, absorbing lesser tribes, gathering power. Forging the dross into a vast, razor-sharp scythe. My Legion's expansion has never ceased. Much of the Utah and Colorado, and all of Arizona and New Mexico, are mine. We have cities of our own, but nothing compared to Vegas. Finally, my Legion will have its Rome."

Eh, Vegas isn't that impressive. It's just like 4 nice buildings and a bunch of rubble.

"Why is Caesar's Legion so... strange?"

"I used imperial Rome as the model for my Legion precisely because it was so foreign, so alien. I'd seen what had become of the NCR's attempts to emulate the culture of Pre-War America - the in-fighting, the corruption. Rome was a highly militarized autocracy that effectively integrated the foreign cultures it conquered. It dedicated its citizens to something higher than themselves - to the idea of Rome itself. In Rome I found a template for a society equal to the challenges of the post-apocalyptic world - a society that could and would survive. A society that could prevent mankind from fracturing and destroying itself in this new world, by establishing a new Pax Romana."

"What does "Pax Romana" mean?"

"It means a nationalist, imperialist, totalitarian, homogenous culture that obliterates the identity of every group it conquers. Long-term stability at all costs. The individual has no value beyond his utility to the state, whether as an instrument of war, or production."

"So you'll destroy the NCR because you hate its inefficiencies?"

"No, I'll destroy it because it's inevitable that it be destroyed. It's Hegelian Dialectics, not personal animosity."

"Hegelian Dialectics? What are those?"

I like that the game is actually discussing philosophy and such, but am I the only one who thinks that Caesar comes off as extremely pretentious here?

"How do I put this basically enough? It's a philosophical theory, the kind you might encounter if you took time to read some books.

Hey, according to the GECK, we have a higher intelligence stat than you.

"The fundamental premise is to envision history as a sequence of "dialectical" conflicts. Each dialectic begins with a proposition, a thesis... which inherently contains, or creates, its opposite - an antithesis. Thesis and antithesis. The conflict is inevitable. But the resolution of the conflict yields something new - a synthesis - eliminating the flaws in each, leaving behind common elements and ideas."

"So what's "dialectic" about you and the NCR?"

"The bombs wiped the slate clean. Human civilization descended to a level of ignorance that effectively set our cultural progress back to zero. The NCR has all of the problems of the ancient Roman Republic - extreme bureaucracy, corruption, extensive senatorial infighting. Just as with the ancient Republic, it is natural that a military force should conquer and transform the NCR into a military dictatorship. Thesis and antithesis. The Colorado River is my Rubicon. The NCR council will be eradicated, but the new synthesis will change the Legion as well..."

Hopefully into something less pointlessly misogynistic.

"From a basically nomadic army to a standing military force that protects its citizens, and the power of its dictator."

Well, that was an enlightening conversation. Okay, what he's created may do some horrible things, but Caesar himself doesn't seem nearly as bad as the people around him. Hell he seems almost reasonable-

"I'm done working for you."

"Mark my words, you piece of shit. This is the last time you will ever refuse to perform an order I've given you. If you meant what you said, you best be on your way, and at good speed. And forget all that I could have given you. If you ever - ever - disobey me again, I will order my Praetorians to hack you to death with their machetes for my entertainment."

Welp, we're outta here.


Caesar doesn't become hostile if you say this, which is good. I've never came back and defied him again just to piss him off though. We're definitely not doing anything for the Legion this playthrough - in fact, I plan on returning here very soon and putting a boot up Caesar's ass.


Might as well return to the Strip.
 

DustyDrB

Made of ticky tacky
Jan 19, 2010
8,365
3
43
If you go poking around Aurelius of Phoenix's room, you'll find some interesting items: Alcohol (banned in the Legion), a teddy bear, and some sexy sleepwear. I don't think Caesar would approve of his private life.

Caesar's voice actor almost sounds like a mob boss. It really threw me off the first time I heard it. Though he is interesting to talk to.
 

Berenzen

New member
Jul 9, 2011
905
0
0
I don't think I've ever actually done any of the Legion stuff, usually I'm hated with them by the time I get to them. The one time that I wasn't, I decided to snipe the entirety of Cottonwood Cove, but I was seen when I killed one of the last guys- so I went to hostile and cleared the Fort.