Mesa Verde design document/3

This is part 3 of the Mesa Verde design document for Van Buren, the cancelled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.

General
If the PC poisons the Viper food supply, most of them will be dead a day later. The leader and a couple of other guys will survive.

If there is a Brotherhood-Cipher alliance, then a few Brotherhood soldiers will show up and hang around the Cipher village. They're not necessarily Power Armor guys – just regular soldiers.

There will need to be a script where the Viper leader becomes aware that not all is right when the PC kills a certain number of Vipers without being caught.

Once the PC completes the "Restock the Molerat Caves" quest, there should be a bunch of molerats running around in the caves.

Cool Epithets
Personal Number

The Nemonik, using some obscure formula and any number of factors, has determined that the number 13 is your personal number - what a coincidence. In any case, you can have your face and body painted accordingly for luck and protection. PC gets a new, Cipher skin-texture for his avatar if he chooses.

Cool Hooks
New Electronics

If the PC isn't skilled in Mechanics, he can bring Trig uncommon parts he finds in the wasteland to see if she can do anything with it. With the parts (and Isaac's help), Trig can put together some rare stuff which she'll trade to the PC once she's done building it.

Brotherhood Equipment

If an alliance is forged between the Ciphers and Brotherhood, Trig will eventually have a lot of Brotherhood equipment lying around her shop. A larcenous PC could swipe some of the stuff, or a persuasive PC could convince Trig to declare some of the fixed items "irreparable".

Room for Improvement
Prosperity: The Ciphers are pretty poor in general. Nobody has more than a few caps on them, and most of their equipment is cheap, primitive stuff. The electronics are the most valuable items in the village, but there's currently only a few of those available.

Quests: None?

Store: Trig – in addition to electronic goodies, she's got things like stimpaks or other basic adventuring supplies acquired from passing traders.

Store Frequency: No restocking occurs while the Vipers are still around. Minimal restocking if the PC clears out the molerat caves (small items get smuggled in). Good restocking every few weeks if the Vipers are gone.

Morale: High morale. The Ciphers will defend their home to the death.

Armament: Mostly melee – spears, knives, and pipes. A few zip guns. Leather armor.

General Health: Poor, and growing worse. Not only have the Ciphers been subsisting on a dwindling supply of fruits and vegetables, but they're becoming more and more radiated from those same vegetables. 

Community: Strong defense. There's only one way into the village, and that way lies up a narrow path and long ladder. It's very easy for the Ciphers to repel attacks on the village.

Services: Trig has several electronic items to trade, and her workshop functions as a Mechanics Lab.

Communication: None. No radios.

Technology Level: Low-Medium. The Ciphers have lots of low-tech gear like knives, zip guns, and leather armor, but they also have the occasional tech device, like infrared goggles.

End Movies
WHERE TO GO CONDITIONS

1. Vipers not dealt with (WTG)

2. Alliance with BoS, CoS in charge (WTG)

3. Alliance with BoS, CoS not in charge (WTG)

4. Ciphers defeated/all dead (WTG)

5. Mesa Verde got nuked (WTG)

6. Vipers gone, Ciphers alive with no allies (WTG)

Random Notes
Possible schematics:


 * 1) Ultrasonic Generator: Great against animals. Really great against dogs.
 * 2) Laser Pistol ("Light Gun")
 * 3) Geiger Counter ("Invisible Fire Detector")
 * 4) Infrared Goggles ("Night Helmets")
 * 5) Motion Sensor
 * 6) SEC-Powered Lamps
 * 7) Rail Gun
 * 8) Cattle Prod ("Lightning Rod")
 * 9) Gauss Guns

BECOME A CIPHER ... SOMETHING

Cipher Language Idiosyncracies

"His numbers are not sound. [He's wrong.]

"Convincing Azkee that he is wrong is quantifying infinity." [It's impossible/It can't be done.]

"We cannot leave this place. The sum of all numbers is here; to move away is to wither and die."

"There is invisible fire in that place. There, men have the flesh cooked from their bones without seeing why."

"We trust in the numbers because they do not lie."

Meditation Ritual: Mathematical formulas are chanted, mathematical problems are posed.

Refer to NCR as the "Bear Soldiers" and the Brotherhood as the "Metal Soldiers"