chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
edited December 2011
Epilogue
Additional reference material:
From an interview with Paladin Op
"And the three of us left had the Legion fucker at gunpoint. He says something like 'how can you hope to destroy us? It would be like fighting the hand of fate.'
So Bradley looks at him, and says "Ferro atque flamma.", and flips the switch on his flame pistol. It wasn't Cicero, but the Centurion seemed to take it to heart.
Brutal.
It was. But it worked. Learned the importance of intimidation tactics from my Drill Sergeant. Senior Knight Wolcott. No-one I've met, before or since, has scared half as much of the shit out of me. Apparently, he served in the whole big robot war.
War of the Steel Plague. Reginald Wolcott was part of the team that destroyed the Calculator
Yeah, that one. We didn't know that then. All we knew was that he was the asshole making our lives living hell. 97% failure rates, apparently. Nastiest of any instructor. For my training group, it eventually came down to me, some girl from a Brotherhood family, and a Deathclaw. But it worked. We're all still alive, both of us humans made Paladin, and I hear the Deathclaw is a Ranger now. Didn't like the son-of-a-bitch then, don't like him now, but I have to say, he's probably saved my life half a dozen times. Add another half dozen for weapon training with Paladin Oliver, who makes me feel like a wuss every time I remember her firing a M2, from a standing position, without power armor, with a prosthetic leg, and all that hell seems worth it. Or borderline worth it. Wolcott was fucking terrifying. No mistake.
From a Radio Chicago, broadcast date June 15th, 2267
Today we mourn the passing of one of the greatest individuals ever to call the Brotherhood of Steel their family. Shaav died in his home last night at the age of 85.
Almost everyone knows Shaav, whether from his legendary series of medical textbooks co-written with medical officer Joachim Josephs, his time as undisputed Midwestern unarmed champion (And by extension, Gammorin of the mutant alliance), or his beloved children's radio show "Science Time with Doctor Shaav." His success in dozens of fields was an inspiration to thousands. He is survived by his mate and their eighteen pups.
From A History of the Desert Rangers:
In more recent years, contact has been made with a Midwestern splinter group, apparently founded by the daughter of a survivor from the ill-fated eastern expedition. Attached to the local government, claimed by some to be a Brotherhood of Steel splinter faction (Unlikely, given the obvious acceptance of Mutants and ghouls by the aforementioned group, when the BoS won't admit outsider humans even when its survival is on the line), the Rangers perform a role similar to the modern unified NCR Rangers as a loosely attached unit of scouts, spies, and elite troops with survival training that allows them to operate independently from the bulk of the army. They even use similar combat armor to Veteran Rangers.
Given the limited contact and the skill of the known agents, countless baseless rumors have arisen. Supposedly, these Rangers have a manufacturing base to produce new Black Armor. They recruit and train Deathclaws for elite assassination squads. They aren't even the most powerful troops their army fields. Their founder vanished in the Wasteland, like the Vault Dweller before her, and hasn't been seen since. Even that they have some kind of pre-war legitimacy, despite the last of old America's government dying on the Enclave oil rig.
Even ignoring the more exaggerated stories, they are a force to be reckoned with. Any soldiers who can cross legion territory uninjured are worth paying attention to, and Chief Hanlon himself has attested to their training and skill. Whoever they really are, and whatever they protect, they represent a major potential threat. They may be pleasant and diplomatic now, and their values are certainly closer to ours than those of the Legion, but the Brotherhood of Steel was once an ally.
From Maintenance manual HR-1205:
Congratulations, Scribe. You have proven your trustworthyness and skill time and again, working on repairing the salvaged armies of the calculator for our noble goals, building the armor that keeps our Paladins the mightiest soldiers in the wasteland, and designing new weapon systems. Or perhaps you come from a more peaceful but no less important path, building irrigation systems to turn the deserts into fertile ground, designing power plants to keep our citizens in comfort, and otherwise keeping Brotherhood territory the most bountiful east of the Rockies. Either way, the new task before you is one of the greatest honors we can bestow on you.
HR 1205 has served with distinction for decades, and is now as much an icon as a soldier. Repairs and upgrades must be screened and tested extensively before being installed on him. Our seven functional behemoth class pacification units are treated with less care.
Remember, failure here can lead to imprisonment or even execution should HR 1205 be severely damaged. So be careful. We look forward to seeing you here at Vault Zero, and hope to see you excel.
From Enclave Threat Assessment files, seized by Brotherhood agents under the terms of the Chicago accord, subsection 18 (a):
Brotherhood Paladin Lord Barbara "Babs" Harris
Mutation level: Severe (Ghoulification long complete, long term FEV exposure high)
Threat level: High (Subject has over seven decades of combat training and experience, power armor and energy weapons training, increased durability from mutation, and usually is surrounded by multiple heavily armed guards. Further, subject has noted technical skill and computer ability)
The subject is... I can't maintain professionalism on this one, sir. Her very existence is an abomination. I understand this "Brotherhood of Steel" (Not that they have much in common with the other branches) allowing wastelanders to enter. I even understand treating ghouls and mutants as a resource rather than as an abomination. But this goes beyond that. They treat this ghoul as a leader. They place humans under her command, give her a title, trust her with difficult assignments... it makes me sick. Looking a fair deal closer to human than the ghoul average just makes it worse. More of a mockery.
Of course, we can't afford to break treaties at the moment, and there's no way such a death would go uninvestigated, but I would love to see her brains splattered all over a wall. But no, We need their castoff armor to deal with mutants near DC, at least until the Hellfire project gets going, and they get to keep using pure humans as a meatwall for their precious ghouls.
From the Diary of Elder John Milo.
I'm going to die soon.
Oh, most of the doctors won't say it. Only eighty! Vault dwellers have lived past 100! Life expectancy going up all the time. But Shaav, good old Shaav, just told me the facts.
"You're going to die soon. Guessing I can't eat the body?"
The old gang is going. Rage is dead. Ice is dead. Stitch is dead. Farsight went west to "Ysidro" years back, saying she was done. I hope she made it. Babs, Shaav, and HR 1205 are all busy with their various duties and there isn't much time to talk about the old days.
And the Brotherhood will go on without me. I like to think I made it better than when I arrived for everyone. I worry most about Vault 58. It's in our territory now, and the scouts say it integrated smoothly, but I wonder what they think of me. I wonder if they'll take my body back when I leave it to them.
Ah, well. Stupid old man, worrying about that. There's still things to do. So much to do.
We finally met members of the West Coast Brotherhood. An expedition to meet with us. (They assumed I was pure Brotherhood. No-one bothered to correct them.) It was a difficult meeting to manage. We couldn't let them see ghouls, mutants, or deathclaws without getting into a gunfight. We couldn't let them see how well we were doing, considering how far we've gone from Codex (might as well be using it as toilet paper). We had a handful of Paladins in T51-Bs, some scribes, and the council of Elders.
They still don't like us much, but we avoided war, and managed to avoid letting them meet the Enclave. I'd hate to be the poor bastard managing peace talks when they find out about each other.
And it confirmed something important. We aren't the old Brotherhood. And we never will be again. The man in charge, Paladin Lyons? He is, as far as I can tell, a good man. Mostly party line, with a few leanings towards helping the populace. Nothing that would have caused too much trouble when the old expedition left.
And he didn't know it, but he was being more or less exiled. Like the first expedition. The Old Brotherhood is tossing away perfectly good soldiers, ignoring their pending death from slow decay, staying in stasis.
We gave them a message for Lost Hills (Go to hell if you want our resources back, phrased more politely) and sent them on their ways with supplies and warnings to be careful.
(Ranger teams checked on them for a while after. We've 'fallen on hard times' and I'm 'old Brotherhood. Might have taken a wrong turn, but you can tell the bastard was raised on the codex.' Ha.)
Doubt if I'll make it back to Zero. Will is in order, last letters to everyone prepared, farewell address on the radio recorded.
You know, I paid a price.
But it seems too late for regrets. I'll be done with my life. Semper Concordia.
From The War of the Steel Plague: An initiate's guide:
Most of the soldiers in that war are gone now, and the Brotherhood they served with is greatly changed. We've maintained the Feudal contracts of the era, perhaps, but the democratic process of the present was completely absent. The Elders and generals were the sole power, with the advisory council an idealist's dream.
Many today wonder why their dwelling is in "the wasteland" when their homes around surrounded by greenery and life, little remembering the deserts of the past. Children go to schools in peace, learning their heritage from facts rather than half remembered myth. Robotic sentries keep the largest cities safe from harm. Deathclaw, human, ghoul, and mutant can live together in relative peace.
That is our heritage from the Steel Plague, odd as it is to see. In the wake of death, life. Unity. And, when necessary, massive application of force. As the old Brotherhood saying goes, "Always remember the fires that we were forged in."
Fire destroys. It also cleanses and strengthens. We have been honed to an edge. Do not let it dull.
And that's a wrap. Thanks for reading.
I'll admit, I had my worries about finishing. More than that, I worried about letting you all down. But here we are, end of the road, and I guess we all made it.
You've been a good audience. Great, even. And it's a pleasure to write for you all.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, there were in-jokes I'm pretty sure no-one gets.
A couple of them that come to mind quickly are below, in case anyone cares.
Nina Stills was sorta named after a Soviet sniper, but more prominently after the theme song to Terriers, Gunfight Epiphany, AKA Steel Neena. Several of the more confusing lines throughout were oblique or obvious mentions of the lyrics to the song. It amused me at the time.
The in-joke between Harris and Milo in the APC about coffins was a reference to the comic book bulletproof coffin. It's a really weird little book, but it's excellent. In it, one of the characters involved is the Coffin Fly, a retro futuristic wasteland wanderer who fights zombies in a post-nuclear wasteland, written in the style of 50s comic characters. It seemed exactly the sort of thing that would be a popular banned comic among youth in a vault, and right up Milo's alley.
And anything else you're curious about, feel free to ask. Don't have another LP ready right now (been a year straight of doing these things here, and wouldn't mind a tiny bit of a breather to work on fiction that isn't basically fanfic), but I might do another one soonish.
Science time with Doctor Shaav would be the only radio program I would EVER listen to if it were real.
That was an enjoyable read from start to finish, and I'm quite glad I got in on it early. I've always thought that LP's are more than just playing a game and showing it off for the internet. It's the conversation and discussion that occurs in the thread that helps make an LP great (Though it's a great LP just from the update alone) I'll certainly be looking forward to your next LP, if you choose to make one.
I think it's funny that probably hundreds of people worked for over a year on Fallout Tactics, then Chiasaur comes along and makes it significantly better in just a few months. About halfway through I just stopped reading the text from the actual game, because it stuck out as being comparatively so much worse. Congratulations on being an excellent writer, and putting those professionals to shame.
Also congrats on actually finishing this and TFTD, that probably took just as much skill.
Another excellent LP, Chia. You've done a fantastic job on both this and TftD, and while I think a break is more than deserved I'm eagerly waiting for your next one.
0
Options
chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
I think it's funny that probably hundreds of people worked for over a year on Fallout Tactics, then Chiasaur comes along and makes it significantly better in just a few months. About halfway through I just stopped reading the text from the actual game, because it stuck out as being comparatively so much worse. Congratulations on being an excellent writer, and putting those professionals to shame.
Thanks, but "Dicebat Bernardus Carnotensis nos esse quasi nanos, gigantium humeris insidentes, ut possimus plura eis et remotiora videre, non utique proprii visus acumine, aut eminentia corporis, sed quia in altum subvenimur et extollimur magnitudine gigantea".
Or, if Caesar tainted the language, I could take Newton's paraphrase. "If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants". I owe a lot to Thermocaw's old lp. Even ignoring general inspiration, I pretty much stole Stitch, Ice, and Rage wholesale.
And the core game did some things I admire. The ending choice is clever, the use of minor characters in base segments on missions to get the player to recognize them, the basic structure of the Barnaky arc. I mean, I agree a lot of the narrative is weak, and it often goes for a cheap joke in place of keeping the mood. But it wasn't all bad.
Another excellent LP, Chia. You've done a fantastic job on both this and TftD, and while I think a break is more than deserved I'm eagerly waiting for your next one.
I salute you, sir. You made one hell of an LP, and it has inspired me to give the whole mess another go myself in a month or two. Likely on a different forum, but still.
If you want ideas...I'm assuming you're PC-only, yeah? Guess that depends on two questions:
-One, do you want to do a narrative LP like this again, or more informative, or more wacky-shenanigans?
-Two, do you prefer to build a narrative out of a lightweight but structured environment, as you've done here, or deepen something solid that already exists, or build it out of play decisions in something much less linear?
Somehow I doubt an LP by you could be less then entertaining and interesting to read. I've never gotten very far in Fallout 2, so it would be great to see what I'm supposed to have done in that game.
Also, I can't help but imagine that a Disgaea LP would be marvelously entertaining.
Have there been any good JA2 LPs? Nevermind any which are near the quality that chiasaur produces?
Well, there's one in the LP index, but I haven't read, so I have no idea how good it is. Probably worth a quick check.
(Oh, and something I never found a good way to fit into the LP, but that seems proper: Farsight always seemed the sort of person that would sing slightly to herself when killing folks away from anyone who would talk about it later. Big Iron, God'll Cut You Down, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, something a character would take every measure possible to keep private is pretty much impossible to indicate without an omniscient narrator.)
I dunno. A low int run is good for a laugh, but the fallout 2 LP that was on something awful did one, and I thought it kinda wore dry after awhile.
So maybe for one update or so, like having a character with middling INT, and then have an update where they need to take a few INT lowering drugs or something. I don't think it would be QUITE as interesting if the entire LP was like that though.
M A G I K A Z A M
0
Options
chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
I know this is a little late, but I was bored at a mental roadblock for the Fallout 2 LP (Which is feeling a bit below my usual standards, but I hope that's just rampant self doubt. Any actual flaws noted would be greatly appreciated if anyone could point them out), and decided to tally up some numbers.
Total wordcount would take even more boredom (Which I fear will come soon enough, and be edited right in), but I did break down posts by chapter and narrator. Doubt it's of any real interest to anyone who isn't me, but here it is:
The late, lamented John-that-wasn't-Milo got one log recorded for the record. Then he was killed by robots. (roughly 2% of the total, rounded up)
Everyone's favorite doctor and commie hater, Shaav and HR-1205, got 2 apiece. (3% per non-human)
Those left behind as we went, Stitch and Jo (one to the hospital, one to the morgue) got three each. (4% a pop)
Rage and Babs may have been as far apart as night and day in most things, but they both got five of their entries recorded in the records of the war of the steel plague. (8% each)
Non-squad stuff (narrator, random paladins, and the like) got nine entries. (13%)
Our protagonist, General John Milo, got a nice, solid 14 entries to himself. (22%)
And the remaining 20 went to Farsight. Knew she had a few more than most, but I kinda thought it was less than that. (31%)
As for utility and kills, Farsight has the overall record, with over a century each of raider types and super-mutants, but Milo has the lead with robotics and the Behemoth robots. 4 compared to 3 at most for anyone else. Took him a long time to come into his own, but once he had a Gatling laser and power armor, he finally earned the combat title. Shaav had the least kills of the team overall, since he generally brought a knife to a gun fight, but he managed a nice chunk of robots, mutants, and the like on his own. Exact counts available on request.
HR was probably the worst person to give the Gauss minigun to, given his low AP and lack of bonus rate of fire. On the other hand, he's highly resistant to every kind of injury (best resistances of everyone), so that's nice.
Statwise, endgame Rage and HR were good with every kind of weapon, Milo and Babs were ace with science and energy weapons, (with Babs adding a lot of skill with lockpicking, repair, and thievery, while Milo managed barter and gamble). Shaav was a driver, grenadier, medic, and sneaker second to none, Farsight was a Ranger's Ranger (high sneak, 100 outdoorsmanship with scout and ranger, and over 200% small arms, functional 11 perception, sniper).
And, if anyone wants it, I still have a save ready for showing Springfield. Just as a completetion thing.
I'd totally love to see Springfield, as either a crazy drug trip, a "lost log", or even just mechanics and premise.
Also, Fallout 2 is definitely not disappointing so far. My only problem comes from the nature of 2 itself, compared to Tactics. Here you could give some solid resolution reasonably often and then new-shit-to-do, whereas Fallout's nature as a big huge proper RPG limits how much that can be done.
0
Options
chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
edited January 2012
In Which the players take a bow:
Radio Free Colorado, January 2278:
Alright, guys, gals, and ghouls, we have a treat for you today here at the RFC. Our loyal listeners and those of you lucky enough to hide the books when the Frumentarii come around know that a few decades back the Brotherhood rolled into this territory to save humanity.
You're all welcome. We'll even extend a polite nod to our Legion listeners out there.
Some of the toughest fighting went to a little unit called Magpie squad. Now, most of you are familiar with Paladin Harris's dynamite little drawl, John Milo's voice is doing commercial spots long after he kicked the bucket, and Shaav, well, we all know Shaav.
But recordings of the rest of the squad are rather thinner on the ground. A few choice invectives from Wolcott made a recruitment ad, but audio records of Paladin Oliver consist of a single "mission complete", and all of the known recordings of Ranger Stills were confiscated and classified shortly after she received the authority to do so. A single recording of Farsight singing "Swing low, sweet chariot" was found to be in use at Ranger New Years parties, but it was lost in a fire shortly before it could be moved into the archives. Senior Ranger Rosa Stills found no sign of foul play in the investigation.
No comment here.
That was the state of things until very recently. A Brotherhood scribe found an old magnetic reel in Missouri's Gamma University Guard armory. Assuming it was lost pre-war technology, he proudly presented it to the council of elders. It turned out to be a recording of Magpie Squad intended for public broadcast, somehow lost in transit. Again, RFC isn't much for guessing, but we have our theories.
Our man on the spot started wrangling for broadcast rights immediately, and we got it. Sure, the big HR brought up security holes, but it's nearly been a century and fifteen or twenty major security revisions since. We'll take the chance if it means you, our listeners, get a good listen.
Better, the last survivor of the original Magpie squad has agreed to introduce it live. Live from Chicago, it's the immortal Barbara Harris! Take it away.
Babs: This on? Good. First, I'd like to give a big hello to all you folks listening. Know it ain't much, and if'n we could, we'd be sendin' a lot more along to help with the Legion. Busier than a horned kangaroo in heat around here.
Gotta say, all you folks holdin' out one way or another, even smugglin' a little girl a book, that's mighty fine. Just keep hangin' in there.
Can't think of much else before...
Right, right. I know you folks have heard about this burned man, some Legion fella named Josh who went and got Caesar mad and got killed for it. Gotta say, we've tried to put the fella in the ground more times than I can count with a lot more'n some pitch and a little fall.
Weren't dead then. Ain't dead now. Don't know if to be grateful that the Legion's having the same troubles we ran into, or worried he won't be likin' us either, but there you are.
(Muffled voice)
Right, right, gettin' to it.
Back in the old days, when I was just startin' out with the Brotherhood, we were in a bit of trouble. Lot of folks dead and suchlike, top officer missin'. John Milo was a lot of people's favorite fella then, not just mine, and we were asked to pass on a little story, get everybody thinkin' that we could win.
We all got together, Farsight grumblin' about integrity, and recorded an interview about some mission in Springfield. We were hardly there, showed up for the speech is all, but havin' us would make the whole story look better, put a face on it.
Never got out. We won anyway. Think we have a shot against some folks in togas, no matter how long it takes.
So, well, here it is, hope you folks like it.
Rage: This is fucking bullshit.
Milo: Bullshit for a cause, Rage. And you're getting overtime for this.
Rage: Didn't say I wanted out. Just said it was fucking bullshit. Who reads the opening?
Milo: Babs, if I remember the plan right. Showing solidarity with our ghoulish brethren. 3. 2. 1. Go.
Babs: A-hem. Well, ah reckon there was a shin-dig in Springfield city the other day. The mayor was in a spot of trouble.
Milo: That's enough.
Farsight: No offense, Harris, but that sucked.
Babs: Figured. Never been much for the radio.
Milo: It's alright. If it ever goes out we can fix it in post. So, let's see... right. Compare the script to the Dagger squad reports, and when they disagree, go with the script.
Shaav: Shaav no have script.
Stitch: They gave us all one. It's the papers they handed us yesterday.
Shaav: Oh.
Farsight: ...You used them for TP, didn't you?
Shaav: Shaav know being sanitary important!
Farsight: Shit. Ahem, the locals greeted us with open arms and gratitude. Okay, Rage is right. This is bullshit. They were pissed with us when we came in, and Dagger just saved the whole town.
Farsight: Bingo. Official report says they pretty much ripped Dagger new assholes. Well, nicer language, but a chewing out is pretty obvious when you know the signs.
Stitch: We sent our trusty mascot... Mascot? Deathclaw?
Milo: I didn't write it. Keep going.
Shaav: Mascot good? Shaav mascot?
Stitch: Why do we have it in the same room with us again? It's a fucking deathclaw. What have you been doing without me?
Rage: Let's just get this bullshit fucking over with. We sent the fucking deathclaw to get a car and I got out my big fuckoff minigun.
Rage: It didn't leave much after.
Shaav: Shaav help! Throw grenades!
Milo: Alright, we haven't ruined things entirely. I'm sure Shaav will sell well with the whole unified front.
Shaav: Then Shaav eat raiders!
Milo: Less optimal, but these things happen. Moving on!
Milo: It was about then I followed up on Wolcott's rampage. A few other supposed raiders tried for a followup, but they were too demoralized from the aforementioned minigun attack to pose much of a problem.
Rage: What the fuck does supposed mean here? They were fucking raiding the town. Thus, fucking raiders.
Babs: Rage, did y'all even read the whole script?
Stitch: Or, well, any of the script?
Rage: Shit wasn't worth reading.
Farsight: This keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? Rage, the assholes were pretending to be Raiders so they could... shit. They died before the plan could get very far. Something about anti-ghoul sentiment.
Babs: Explains the speech. Awful nice one.
Farsight: Are we thinking... never mind.
Farsight: Do we need all this scene setting? Really? There's a description of a pre-war donut place.
Milo: And a history of the town's founder, yes. Apparently, he hated snakes and marrying your cousin, probably makes him unpopular in the more backwoods regions. Or most regions, these days.
Milo: And a nuclear power plant. Busted, but...
Farsight: Let's just keep going.
Babs: Now, uh, ah reckon the locals were all worried how the Brotherhood was goin' on and suchlike?
Babs: So, we reassured folks. Told them how the Brotherhood was standin' up f'r everyone, ghoul and smoothskin. And we'd sort things out right.
Stitch: Meanwhile, the deathclaw just tore people to ribbons and ate them. But they deserved it.
Shaav: Shaav good soldier!
Shaav: Shaav throw grenades.
Shaav: Shaav good with grenades.
Farsight: Oh, that reminds me. Did anyone else hit the church after the speech? It was pretty nice. Not perfect on some minor doctrinal issues, at least if I guessed the denomination right from the old hymnals, but they actually seemed to... oh, right. I'm the only one who gives a shit, aren't I?
Shaav: Shaav shit lots! Shaav shit all over script and wipe!
Farsight: Never mind.
Rage: So the big stupid deathclaw ran into a big stupid crossfire and I had to save his ass.
Rage: No problem.
Rage: So, with all the assholes dealing with new holes where their torsos should be, I left Stitch to patch up the pussies who couldn't take the heat and went ahead.
Farsight: Where you were, let me see, caught in a mortar explosion? Wow, miracle you're walking again, Rage. Also, odd how different this is going from a normal mission.
Milo: Now, this isn't the...
Farsight: Where I take out the opposition from a quarter mile away and you mop up a few stragglers in close quarters.
Babs: Now, y'all remember we aren't supposed to go and fight each other. This is for all them recruit kids, gettin' em to remember what we're all doin' to keep things alright on the homefront.
Farsight: Bleeding from continual 50 cal fire?
Farsight: Or watching Milo con townsfolk out of pretty much everything?
Milo: It's a mutually beneficial arrangement!
Farsight: Right.
Milo: I have a flow chart right here. Let's say, oh, Rage wants a night with a hooker. Or hookers.
Rage: I wish. Ice has been busting my fucking balls every time I ask about a threesome.
Milo: Both parties, Rage and the local, well, ladies of questionable repute, have something the other wants. I merely facilitate the exchange. But we're getting off topic.
Milo: Huge crossfire just after the market area. Dagger squad brought a suit of power armor, so that explains their success, but we "just got lucky". Honestly, we've dealt with worse. Not too unbelievable.
Stitch: Smart use of cover and focused fields of fire. Sure. Or maybe, assuming it didn't eat you, the Deathclaw?
Shaav: Shaav Deathclaw!
Farsight: And after that... sniper work.
Farsight: The leader stepped out and explained his plan. While snipers were in position! The rest of them charged a minigun. Fuck, I can see how this builds morale.
Stitch: We have better tactics than anyone else?
Babs: Somethin' inspiring about tolerance?
Rage: Everyone who fights us is a fucking retard?
Shaav: Shaav have hat!
Farsight: What Rage said.
Milo: So, they saved the mayor, and that's where we actually arrived. He gave a speech, we had a photo-op, and so on.
Farsight: Right. The speech.
Babs: It were awful nice.
Farsight: If you say so. Not going to get offended for someone else.
Babs: Shucks, things don't change overnight. It's a step in the right direction an' all.
Rage: It's fucking stupid.
Milo: So, that's it?
Babs: Reckon so. Think we went a mite off script, sorry 'bout that.
Milo: Not a problem. We're done here, take five, always more to do.
Rage: More assholes.
Farsight: More mutants.
Stitch: More demonstrations of man's inhumanity to man. And mutant's inhumanity to man.
Milo: Well, yes. The way of the world. But we can make it a little better, I like to think.
Farsight: The first step is making sure this never gets aired.
And that's it, one bonus mission. I may have babbled a bit... much at the front end setting up the whole thing, so you might want to skip to the inner spoiler box.
I'm surprised how good a time I had doing this LP, honestly. I mean, expected to entertain myself, no point in doing it if it feels more like work than fun, but this went better than I expected, robot filled endgame and all.
And man, the M2 with DU rounds and the Gauss Minigun are obscene. Make every other big gun in Fallout feel silly and inadequate.
Posts
... Could you start a new LP soonish ?
Additional reference material:
From an interview with Paladin Op
"And the three of us left had the Legion fucker at gunpoint. He says something like 'how can you hope to destroy us? It would be like fighting the hand of fate.'
So Bradley looks at him, and says "Ferro atque flamma.", and flips the switch on his flame pistol. It wasn't Cicero, but the Centurion seemed to take it to heart.
Brutal.
It was. But it worked. Learned the importance of intimidation tactics from my Drill Sergeant. Senior Knight Wolcott. No-one I've met, before or since, has scared half as much of the shit out of me. Apparently, he served in the whole big robot war.
War of the Steel Plague. Reginald Wolcott was part of the team that destroyed the Calculator
Yeah, that one. We didn't know that then. All we knew was that he was the asshole making our lives living hell. 97% failure rates, apparently. Nastiest of any instructor. For my training group, it eventually came down to me, some girl from a Brotherhood family, and a Deathclaw. But it worked. We're all still alive, both of us humans made Paladin, and I hear the Deathclaw is a Ranger now. Didn't like the son-of-a-bitch then, don't like him now, but I have to say, he's probably saved my life half a dozen times. Add another half dozen for weapon training with Paladin Oliver, who makes me feel like a wuss every time I remember her firing a M2, from a standing position, without power armor, with a prosthetic leg, and all that hell seems worth it. Or borderline worth it. Wolcott was fucking terrifying. No mistake.
From a Radio Chicago, broadcast date June 15th, 2267
Today we mourn the passing of one of the greatest individuals ever to call the Brotherhood of Steel their family. Shaav died in his home last night at the age of 85.
Almost everyone knows Shaav, whether from his legendary series of medical textbooks co-written with medical officer Joachim Josephs, his time as undisputed Midwestern unarmed champion (And by extension, Gammorin of the mutant alliance), or his beloved children's radio show "Science Time with Doctor Shaav." His success in dozens of fields was an inspiration to thousands. He is survived by his mate and their eighteen pups.
From A History of the Desert Rangers:
In more recent years, contact has been made with a Midwestern splinter group, apparently founded by the daughter of a survivor from the ill-fated eastern expedition. Attached to the local government, claimed by some to be a Brotherhood of Steel splinter faction (Unlikely, given the obvious acceptance of Mutants and ghouls by the aforementioned group, when the BoS won't admit outsider humans even when its survival is on the line), the Rangers perform a role similar to the modern unified NCR Rangers as a loosely attached unit of scouts, spies, and elite troops with survival training that allows them to operate independently from the bulk of the army. They even use similar combat armor to Veteran Rangers.
Given the limited contact and the skill of the known agents, countless baseless rumors have arisen. Supposedly, these Rangers have a manufacturing base to produce new Black Armor. They recruit and train Deathclaws for elite assassination squads. They aren't even the most powerful troops their army fields. Their founder vanished in the Wasteland, like the Vault Dweller before her, and hasn't been seen since. Even that they have some kind of pre-war legitimacy, despite the last of old America's government dying on the Enclave oil rig.
Even ignoring the more exaggerated stories, they are a force to be reckoned with. Any soldiers who can cross legion territory uninjured are worth paying attention to, and Chief Hanlon himself has attested to their training and skill. Whoever they really are, and whatever they protect, they represent a major potential threat. They may be pleasant and diplomatic now, and their values are certainly closer to ours than those of the Legion, but the Brotherhood of Steel was once an ally.
From Maintenance manual HR-1205:
Congratulations, Scribe. You have proven your trustworthyness and skill time and again, working on repairing the salvaged armies of the calculator for our noble goals, building the armor that keeps our Paladins the mightiest soldiers in the wasteland, and designing new weapon systems. Or perhaps you come from a more peaceful but no less important path, building irrigation systems to turn the deserts into fertile ground, designing power plants to keep our citizens in comfort, and otherwise keeping Brotherhood territory the most bountiful east of the Rockies. Either way, the new task before you is one of the greatest honors we can bestow on you.
HR 1205 has served with distinction for decades, and is now as much an icon as a soldier. Repairs and upgrades must be screened and tested extensively before being installed on him. Our seven functional behemoth class pacification units are treated with less care.
Remember, failure here can lead to imprisonment or even execution should HR 1205 be severely damaged. So be careful. We look forward to seeing you here at Vault Zero, and hope to see you excel.
From Enclave Threat Assessment files, seized by Brotherhood agents under the terms of the Chicago accord, subsection 18 (a):
Brotherhood Paladin Lord Barbara "Babs" Harris
Mutation level: Severe (Ghoulification long complete, long term FEV exposure high)
Threat level: High (Subject has over seven decades of combat training and experience, power armor and energy weapons training, increased durability from mutation, and usually is surrounded by multiple heavily armed guards. Further, subject has noted technical skill and computer ability)
The subject is... I can't maintain professionalism on this one, sir. Her very existence is an abomination. I understand this "Brotherhood of Steel" (Not that they have much in common with the other branches) allowing wastelanders to enter. I even understand treating ghouls and mutants as a resource rather than as an abomination. But this goes beyond that. They treat this ghoul as a leader. They place humans under her command, give her a title, trust her with difficult assignments... it makes me sick. Looking a fair deal closer to human than the ghoul average just makes it worse. More of a mockery.
Of course, we can't afford to break treaties at the moment, and there's no way such a death would go uninvestigated, but I would love to see her brains splattered all over a wall. But no, We need their castoff armor to deal with mutants near DC, at least until the Hellfire project gets going, and they get to keep using pure humans as a meatwall for their precious ghouls.
From the Diary of Elder John Milo.
I'm going to die soon.
Oh, most of the doctors won't say it. Only eighty! Vault dwellers have lived past 100! Life expectancy going up all the time. But Shaav, good old Shaav, just told me the facts.
"You're going to die soon. Guessing I can't eat the body?"
The old gang is going. Rage is dead. Ice is dead. Stitch is dead. Farsight went west to "Ysidro" years back, saying she was done. I hope she made it. Babs, Shaav, and HR 1205 are all busy with their various duties and there isn't much time to talk about the old days.
And the Brotherhood will go on without me. I like to think I made it better than when I arrived for everyone. I worry most about Vault 58. It's in our territory now, and the scouts say it integrated smoothly, but I wonder what they think of me. I wonder if they'll take my body back when I leave it to them.
Ah, well. Stupid old man, worrying about that. There's still things to do. So much to do.
We finally met members of the West Coast Brotherhood. An expedition to meet with us. (They assumed I was pure Brotherhood. No-one bothered to correct them.) It was a difficult meeting to manage. We couldn't let them see ghouls, mutants, or deathclaws without getting into a gunfight. We couldn't let them see how well we were doing, considering how far we've gone from Codex (might as well be using it as toilet paper). We had a handful of Paladins in T51-Bs, some scribes, and the council of Elders.
They still don't like us much, but we avoided war, and managed to avoid letting them meet the Enclave. I'd hate to be the poor bastard managing peace talks when they find out about each other.
And it confirmed something important. We aren't the old Brotherhood. And we never will be again. The man in charge, Paladin Lyons? He is, as far as I can tell, a good man. Mostly party line, with a few leanings towards helping the populace. Nothing that would have caused too much trouble when the old expedition left.
And he didn't know it, but he was being more or less exiled. Like the first expedition. The Old Brotherhood is tossing away perfectly good soldiers, ignoring their pending death from slow decay, staying in stasis.
We gave them a message for Lost Hills (Go to hell if you want our resources back, phrased more politely) and sent them on their ways with supplies and warnings to be careful.
(Ranger teams checked on them for a while after. We've 'fallen on hard times' and I'm 'old Brotherhood. Might have taken a wrong turn, but you can tell the bastard was raised on the codex.' Ha.)
Doubt if I'll make it back to Zero. Will is in order, last letters to everyone prepared, farewell address on the radio recorded.
You know, I paid a price.
But it seems too late for regrets. I'll be done with my life. Semper Concordia.
From The War of the Steel Plague: An initiate's guide:
Most of the soldiers in that war are gone now, and the Brotherhood they served with is greatly changed. We've maintained the Feudal contracts of the era, perhaps, but the democratic process of the present was completely absent. The Elders and generals were the sole power, with the advisory council an idealist's dream.
Many today wonder why their dwelling is in "the wasteland" when their homes around surrounded by greenery and life, little remembering the deserts of the past. Children go to schools in peace, learning their heritage from facts rather than half remembered myth. Robotic sentries keep the largest cities safe from harm. Deathclaw, human, ghoul, and mutant can live together in relative peace.
That is our heritage from the Steel Plague, odd as it is to see. In the wake of death, life. Unity. And, when necessary, massive application of force. As the old Brotherhood saying goes, "Always remember the fires that we were forged in."
Fire destroys. It also cleanses and strengthens. We have been honed to an edge. Do not let it dull.
And that's a wrap. Thanks for reading.
I'll admit, I had my worries about finishing. More than that, I worried about letting you all down. But here we are, end of the road, and I guess we all made it.
You've been a good audience. Great, even. And it's a pleasure to write for you all.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, there were in-jokes I'm pretty sure no-one gets.
A couple of them that come to mind quickly are below, in case anyone cares.
The in-joke between Harris and Milo in the APC about coffins was a reference to the comic book bulletproof coffin. It's a really weird little book, but it's excellent. In it, one of the characters involved is the Coffin Fly, a retro futuristic wasteland wanderer who fights zombies in a post-nuclear wasteland, written in the style of 50s comic characters. It seemed exactly the sort of thing that would be a popular banned comic among youth in a vault, and right up Milo's alley.
And anything else you're curious about, feel free to ask. Don't have another LP ready right now (been a year straight of doing these things here, and wouldn't mind a tiny bit of a breather to work on fiction that isn't basically fanfic), but I might do another one soonish.
And again, thanks for reading.
Why I fear the ocean.
That was an enjoyable read from start to finish, and I'm quite glad I got in on it early. I've always thought that LP's are more than just playing a game and showing it off for the internet. It's the conversation and discussion that occurs in the thread that helps make an LP great (Though it's a great LP just from the update alone) I'll certainly be looking forward to your next LP, if you choose to make one.
Also congrats on actually finishing this and TFTD, that probably took just as much skill.
I demand more fanfic!
Thanks, but "Dicebat Bernardus Carnotensis nos esse quasi nanos, gigantium humeris insidentes, ut possimus plura eis et remotiora videre, non utique proprii visus acumine, aut eminentia corporis, sed quia in altum subvenimur et extollimur magnitudine gigantea".
Or, if Caesar tainted the language, I could take Newton's paraphrase. "If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants". I owe a lot to Thermocaw's old lp. Even ignoring general inspiration, I pretty much stole Stitch, Ice, and Rage wholesale.
And the core game did some things I admire. The ending choice is clever, the use of minor characters in base segments on missions to get the player to recognize them, the basic structure of the Barnaky arc. I mean, I agree a lot of the narrative is weak, and it often goes for a cheap joke in place of keeping the mood. But it wasn't all bad.
Why I fear the ocean.
Now how do we get you a job at Bethesda? I want to make this canon
Simple. We storm their offices.
#120, 1370 Piccard Drive
Rockville, MD
Meet you there? I'll bring the abseiling gear.
Well, I'd need an idea of what to do first.
These two kind of cleared the itinerary.
Why I fear the ocean.
If you want ideas...I'm assuming you're PC-only, yeah? Guess that depends on two questions:
-One, do you want to do a narrative LP like this again, or more informative, or more wacky-shenanigans?
-Two, do you prefer to build a narrative out of a lightweight but structured environment, as you've done here, or deepen something solid that already exists, or build it out of play decisions in something much less linear?
This, and your TFTD LP, are two of the best I've ever read.
Thanks, Chiasaur, for your work.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
How does Fallout 2 sound? Have the beginnings of an idea, at least.
Why I fear the ocean.
Also, I can't help but imagine that a Disgaea LP would be marvelously entertaining.
Fantastic work Chaiasaur. I was gripped by every word.
Well, there's one in the LP index, but I haven't read, so I have no idea how good it is. Probably worth a quick check.
(Oh, and something I never found a good way to fit into the LP, but that seems proper: Farsight always seemed the sort of person that would sing slightly to herself when killing folks away from anyone who would talk about it later. Big Iron, God'll Cut You Down, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, something a character would take every measure possible to keep private is pretty much impossible to indicate without an omniscient narrator.)
Why I fear the ocean.
The JA2 LP is decent, but somewhat in my opinion chaotic. It's not nearly as good as our friend Chiasaur11 here is.
A fallout 2 Lp eh? Are you gonna create intresting characters or just show off the wackiness of the entire game(low int characters are the best here!)
So maybe for one update or so, like having a character with middling INT, and then have an update where they need to take a few INT lowering drugs or something. I don't think it would be QUITE as interesting if the entire LP was like that though.
Total wordcount would take even more boredom (Which I fear will come soon enough, and be edited right in), but I did break down posts by chapter and narrator. Doubt it's of any real interest to anyone who isn't me, but here it is:
Chapter 1: 9 entries.
Chapter 2: 11 entries
Chapter 3: 12 entries
Chapter 4: 14 entries
Chapter 5: 7 entries
Finale: 5 entries
And a breakdown by narrator:
The late, lamented John-that-wasn't-Milo got one log recorded for the record. Then he was killed by robots. (roughly 2% of the total, rounded up)
Everyone's favorite doctor and commie hater, Shaav and HR-1205, got 2 apiece. (3% per non-human)
Those left behind as we went, Stitch and Jo (one to the hospital, one to the morgue) got three each. (4% a pop)
Rage and Babs may have been as far apart as night and day in most things, but they both got five of their entries recorded in the records of the war of the steel plague. (8% each)
Non-squad stuff (narrator, random paladins, and the like) got nine entries. (13%)
Our protagonist, General John Milo, got a nice, solid 14 entries to himself. (22%)
And the remaining 20 went to Farsight. Knew she had a few more than most, but I kinda thought it was less than that. (31%)
As for utility and kills, Farsight has the overall record, with over a century each of raider types and super-mutants, but Milo has the lead with robotics and the Behemoth robots. 4 compared to 3 at most for anyone else. Took him a long time to come into his own, but once he had a Gatling laser and power armor, he finally earned the combat title. Shaav had the least kills of the team overall, since he generally brought a knife to a gun fight, but he managed a nice chunk of robots, mutants, and the like on his own. Exact counts available on request.
HR was probably the worst person to give the Gauss minigun to, given his low AP and lack of bonus rate of fire. On the other hand, he's highly resistant to every kind of injury (best resistances of everyone), so that's nice.
Statwise, endgame Rage and HR were good with every kind of weapon, Milo and Babs were ace with science and energy weapons, (with Babs adding a lot of skill with lockpicking, repair, and thievery, while Milo managed barter and gamble). Shaav was a driver, grenadier, medic, and sneaker second to none, Farsight was a Ranger's Ranger (high sneak, 100 outdoorsmanship with scout and ranger, and over 200% small arms, functional 11 perception, sniper).
And, if anyone wants it, I still have a save ready for showing Springfield. Just as a completetion thing.
Why I fear the ocean.
Also, Fallout 2 is definitely not disappointing so far. My only problem comes from the nature of 2 itself, compared to Tactics. Here you could give some solid resolution reasonably often and then new-shit-to-do, whereas Fallout's nature as a big huge proper RPG limits how much that can be done.
Alright, guys, gals, and ghouls, we have a treat for you today here at the RFC. Our loyal listeners and those of you lucky enough to hide the books when the Frumentarii come around know that a few decades back the Brotherhood rolled into this territory to save humanity.
You're all welcome. We'll even extend a polite nod to our Legion listeners out there.
Some of the toughest fighting went to a little unit called Magpie squad. Now, most of you are familiar with Paladin Harris's dynamite little drawl, John Milo's voice is doing commercial spots long after he kicked the bucket, and Shaav, well, we all know Shaav.
But recordings of the rest of the squad are rather thinner on the ground. A few choice invectives from Wolcott made a recruitment ad, but audio records of Paladin Oliver consist of a single "mission complete", and all of the known recordings of Ranger Stills were confiscated and classified shortly after she received the authority to do so. A single recording of Farsight singing "Swing low, sweet chariot" was found to be in use at Ranger New Years parties, but it was lost in a fire shortly before it could be moved into the archives. Senior Ranger Rosa Stills found no sign of foul play in the investigation.
No comment here.
That was the state of things until very recently. A Brotherhood scribe found an old magnetic reel in Missouri's Gamma University Guard armory. Assuming it was lost pre-war technology, he proudly presented it to the council of elders. It turned out to be a recording of Magpie Squad intended for public broadcast, somehow lost in transit. Again, RFC isn't much for guessing, but we have our theories.
Our man on the spot started wrangling for broadcast rights immediately, and we got it. Sure, the big HR brought up security holes, but it's nearly been a century and fifteen or twenty major security revisions since. We'll take the chance if it means you, our listeners, get a good listen.
Better, the last survivor of the original Magpie squad has agreed to introduce it live. Live from Chicago, it's the immortal Barbara Harris! Take it away.
Babs: This on? Good. First, I'd like to give a big hello to all you folks listening. Know it ain't much, and if'n we could, we'd be sendin' a lot more along to help with the Legion. Busier than a horned kangaroo in heat around here.
Gotta say, all you folks holdin' out one way or another, even smugglin' a little girl a book, that's mighty fine. Just keep hangin' in there.
Can't think of much else before...
Right, right. I know you folks have heard about this burned man, some Legion fella named Josh who went and got Caesar mad and got killed for it. Gotta say, we've tried to put the fella in the ground more times than I can count with a lot more'n some pitch and a little fall.
Weren't dead then. Ain't dead now. Don't know if to be grateful that the Legion's having the same troubles we ran into, or worried he won't be likin' us either, but there you are.
(Muffled voice)
Right, right, gettin' to it.
Back in the old days, when I was just startin' out with the Brotherhood, we were in a bit of trouble. Lot of folks dead and suchlike, top officer missin'. John Milo was a lot of people's favorite fella then, not just mine, and we were asked to pass on a little story, get everybody thinkin' that we could win.
We all got together, Farsight grumblin' about integrity, and recorded an interview about some mission in Springfield. We were hardly there, showed up for the speech is all, but havin' us would make the whole story look better, put a face on it.
Never got out. We won anyway. Think we have a shot against some folks in togas, no matter how long it takes.
So, well, here it is, hope you folks like it.
Milo: Bullshit for a cause, Rage. And you're getting overtime for this.
Rage: Didn't say I wanted out. Just said it was fucking bullshit. Who reads the opening?
Milo: Babs, if I remember the plan right. Showing solidarity with our ghoulish brethren. 3. 2. 1. Go.
Babs: A-hem. Well, ah reckon there was a shin-dig in Springfield city the other day. The mayor was in a spot of trouble.
Milo: That's enough.
Farsight: No offense, Harris, but that sucked.
Babs: Figured. Never been much for the radio.
Milo: It's alright. If it ever goes out we can fix it in post. So, let's see... right. Compare the script to the Dagger squad reports, and when they disagree, go with the script.
Shaav: Shaav no have script.
Stitch: They gave us all one. It's the papers they handed us yesterday.
Shaav: Oh.
Farsight: ...You used them for TP, didn't you?
Shaav: Shaav know being sanitary important!
Farsight: Shit. Ahem, the locals greeted us with open arms and gratitude. Okay, Rage is right. This is bullshit. They were pissed with us when we came in, and Dagger just saved the whole town.
Farsight: Bingo. Official report says they pretty much ripped Dagger new assholes. Well, nicer language, but a chewing out is pretty obvious when you know the signs.
Stitch: We sent our trusty mascot... Mascot? Deathclaw?
Milo: I didn't write it. Keep going.
Shaav: Mascot good? Shaav mascot?
Stitch: Why do we have it in the same room with us again? It's a fucking deathclaw. What have you been doing without me?
Rage: Let's just get this bullshit fucking over with. We sent the fucking deathclaw to get a car and I got out my big fuckoff minigun.
Rage: It didn't leave much after.
Shaav: Shaav help! Throw grenades!
Milo: Alright, we haven't ruined things entirely. I'm sure Shaav will sell well with the whole unified front.
Shaav: Then Shaav eat raiders!
Milo: Less optimal, but these things happen. Moving on!
Milo: It was about then I followed up on Wolcott's rampage. A few other supposed raiders tried for a followup, but they were too demoralized from the aforementioned minigun attack to pose much of a problem.
Rage: What the fuck does supposed mean here? They were fucking raiding the town. Thus, fucking raiders.
Babs: Rage, did y'all even read the whole script?
Stitch: Or, well, any of the script?
Rage: Shit wasn't worth reading.
Farsight: This keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? Rage, the assholes were pretending to be Raiders so they could... shit. They died before the plan could get very far. Something about anti-ghoul sentiment.
Babs: Explains the speech. Awful nice one.
Farsight: Are we thinking... never mind.
Farsight: Do we need all this scene setting? Really? There's a description of a pre-war donut place.
Milo: And a history of the town's founder, yes. Apparently, he hated snakes and marrying your cousin, probably makes him unpopular in the more backwoods regions. Or most regions, these days.
Milo: And a nuclear power plant. Busted, but...
Farsight: Let's just keep going.
Babs: Now, uh, ah reckon the locals were all worried how the Brotherhood was goin' on and suchlike?
Babs: So, we reassured folks. Told them how the Brotherhood was standin' up f'r everyone, ghoul and smoothskin. And we'd sort things out right.
Stitch: Meanwhile, the deathclaw just tore people to ribbons and ate them. But they deserved it.
Shaav: Shaav good soldier!
Shaav: Shaav throw grenades.
Shaav: Shaav good with grenades.
Farsight: Oh, that reminds me. Did anyone else hit the church after the speech? It was pretty nice. Not perfect on some minor doctrinal issues, at least if I guessed the denomination right from the old hymnals, but they actually seemed to... oh, right. I'm the only one who gives a shit, aren't I?
Shaav: Shaav shit lots! Shaav shit all over script and wipe!
Farsight: Never mind.
Rage: So the big stupid deathclaw ran into a big stupid crossfire and I had to save his ass.
Rage: No problem.
Rage: So, with all the assholes dealing with new holes where their torsos should be, I left Stitch to patch up the pussies who couldn't take the heat and went ahead.
Farsight: Where you were, let me see, caught in a mortar explosion? Wow, miracle you're walking again, Rage. Also, odd how different this is going from a normal mission.
Milo: Now, this isn't the...
Farsight: Where I take out the opposition from a quarter mile away and you mop up a few stragglers in close quarters.
Babs: Now, y'all remember we aren't supposed to go and fight each other. This is for all them recruit kids, gettin' em to remember what we're all doin' to keep things alright on the homefront.
Farsight: Bleeding from continual 50 cal fire?
Farsight: Or watching Milo con townsfolk out of pretty much everything?
Milo: It's a mutually beneficial arrangement!
Farsight: Right.
Milo: I have a flow chart right here. Let's say, oh, Rage wants a night with a hooker. Or hookers.
Rage: I wish. Ice has been busting my fucking balls every time I ask about a threesome.
Milo: Both parties, Rage and the local, well, ladies of questionable repute, have something the other wants. I merely facilitate the exchange. But we're getting off topic.
Milo: Huge crossfire just after the market area. Dagger squad brought a suit of power armor, so that explains their success, but we "just got lucky". Honestly, we've dealt with worse. Not too unbelievable.
Stitch: Smart use of cover and focused fields of fire. Sure. Or maybe, assuming it didn't eat you, the Deathclaw?
Shaav: Shaav Deathclaw!
Farsight: And after that... sniper work.
Farsight: The leader stepped out and explained his plan. While snipers were in position! The rest of them charged a minigun. Fuck, I can see how this builds morale.
Stitch: We have better tactics than anyone else?
Babs: Somethin' inspiring about tolerance?
Rage: Everyone who fights us is a fucking retard?
Shaav: Shaav have hat!
Farsight: What Rage said.
Milo: So, they saved the mayor, and that's where we actually arrived. He gave a speech, we had a photo-op, and so on.
Farsight: Right. The speech.
Babs: It were awful nice.
Farsight: If you say so. Not going to get offended for someone else.
Babs: Shucks, things don't change overnight. It's a step in the right direction an' all.
Rage: It's fucking stupid.
Milo: So, that's it?
Babs: Reckon so. Think we went a mite off script, sorry 'bout that.
Milo: Not a problem. We're done here, take five, always more to do.
Rage: More assholes.
Farsight: More mutants.
Stitch: More demonstrations of man's inhumanity to man. And mutant's inhumanity to man.
Milo: Well, yes. The way of the world. But we can make it a little better, I like to think.
Farsight: The first step is making sure this never gets aired.
I'm surprised how good a time I had doing this LP, honestly. I mean, expected to entertain myself, no point in doing it if it feels more like work than fun, but this went better than I expected, robot filled endgame and all.
And man, the M2 with DU rounds and the Gauss Minigun are obscene. Make every other big gun in Fallout feel silly and inadequate.
So, yeah. So long, thanks for all the fish.
Why I fear the ocean.