An 80-year-old Englishman[1] turned American entrepreneur, this man rediscovered the tower and saw it as an opportunity to provide residents with a standard of living enjoyed by the affluent in the days before the nuclear Armageddon. A rich eccentric who's bored with life and looking for new challenges, he enjoys sniping at Wastelandcreatures, ghouls, and the occasional visitor from his suite atop Tenpenny Tower in what calls "Wasteland Safari."[2]
Tenpenny spends most of his days alone, save for the company of his assistant, Mister Burke, along with occasional "visits" from Susan Lancaster. The view of the horizon from his balcony is ruined by Megaton, which he believes is a blight on the wasteland. He sent Mr. Burke to Megaton to find a traveler who would be willing to destroy the town.
Daily schedule
Tenpenny is a recluse, never leaving his penthouse suite, although it is mentioned he has a seat in Margaret Primrose's cafe.
He sits on his balcony, enjoying the view from his tower, bothered only by a certain "eyesore" on the horizon. He also seems to enjoy drinking whiskey, smoking tobacco and playing chess.[3]
He orders his daily meals from Margaret Primrose, ordering an "Iguana bit sandwich, no salt, with a peeled pear on the side". Allistair also has a private seat in the corner of Margaret's cafe, as explained when you first meet Margaret.
The Power of the Atom: The Lone Wanderer can stand on Tenpenny's balcony with Allistair and Mister Burke and together witness the destruction of Megaton in a nuclear explosion. If you choose to blow up Megaton for Tenpenny and Burke, Tenpenny will give you a suite in the tower.
You Gotta Shoot 'Em In The Head: Mister Crowley wants to hire the Lone Wanderer to kill Tenpenny. If confronted, Tenpenny will make a counter-offer, hiring the Lone Wanderer to kill Crowley.
Tenpenny Tower: The Lone Wanderer can convince Tenpenny to give his permission for the ghouls to move in. If you allow ghouls to move in, Roy Phillips and Tenpenny will have a "disagreement" and Tenpenny will have an "accident", which results in Tenpenny's body being stuffed in a storage closet.
Slave Hunt : Tenpenny is the former owner of Mei Wong and is mentioned in this unmarked quest.
Tenpenny brings Howard Hughes to mind. Both men are wealthy recluses. Tenpenny's suite is littered with milk bottles; Hughes also amassed milk bottles in his rooms. There is a row of empty Nuka-Cola bottles next to Tenpenny's door; Hughes urinated in his emptied milk bottles and lined them up near the door. Howard Hughes was also a hotelier.
Allistair's and his nemesis, Mr. Crowley's last names are most likely a reference to the famed British occultist, Aleister Crowley.
Allistair Tenpenny came to the Capital Wasteland from Great Britain to seek his fortune, so that alone tells you that the U.K. was also hit in the war. And if he came to U.S. to succeed, that says a lot about how screwed up Europe must be. So we just allude, a little bit, to the state of the rest of the world. We like to leave a lot to the players' imaginations, and somebody like Tenpenny serves as a catalyst for those thoughts.
↑Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.60: "Allistair Tenpenny An 80-year-old Englishman turned American entrepreneur, the man who discovered the tower saw it as an opportunity to provide residents with a standard of living enjoyed by the affluent in the days before the nuclear Armageddon. A rich eccentric who's bored with life and looking for new challenges, he enjoys sniping at Wasteland creatures, Ghouls, and the occasional visitor from his suite atop Tenpenny Tower." (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
