Self-Imposed Rules

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My last game was a bit of a disappointment. There is only so much fun you can have playing a green-haired, ghoul eating sociopath.

I'm a chronic restarter and I have already created 5 characters all of whom I've played for hours and hours so now I'm thinking about my 6th character and I want to make him a bit special.

I was reading about the Adventures of BarterMan on the forum at bethsoft.com and it seems like a good idea to define some rules so as to make the game more interesting and fun. Plus that would also make the game slightly more difficult and challenging which is always a good thing.

Here is what I have in mind for my next game:

I'll play on Very Hard and I will play a (rather) good aligned character, not a real goody two shoes but more of an opportunist who appears to be just another drifter or wastelander but who underneath his shady appearance has a heart of gold.

That guy will be a loner and a rebel, a free spirit in the wasteland. A somewhat sophisticated merc with a good heart but who won't advertise it. I use the term sophisticated because if you consider the education he had in the Vault he has probably read Bleak House and has at least a basic knowledge of various subjects which for a wastelander is not that common. He isn't going to stay long in the same location and he won't expect gratitude or thanks for his good deeds (he knows better than to expect gratitude from strangers after his dad left him without so much as a word and the people he grew up with kicked him out from the only place he knew).

My reason to ignore the main quest will be that left behind, my character feels betrayed by his father and somehow resents him. That would account for his cynical outlook and his mistrust of others.

Now these are the rules I'll try to follow:

1) No armour looting (to avoid the silly underwear thing).

2) Looks matter, only wear the apparel that the character would prefer or feel comfortable with (for example no roving trader outfit or business wear if those don't suit my concept).

3) Regarding Megaton: no messing with the bomb (that is not his problem).

4) Consequently no permanent home, his home was Vault 101 and he will be known as the Lone Wanderer not as the Megaton resident or the Tenpenny tenant.

5) won't initiate combat on non hostile NPCs so as to keep the Wasteland populated (that one is going to be tricky in the long run but I'm tired of playing psychos at the moment, I'll be able to save and reload if out of boredom I feel like going on a killing spree in Megaton).

6) no senseless stealing, ammo and stims are fair game but he won't steal crap and kitchenware from inhabited areas (to preserve the realistic look of houses, stalls and buildings).

7) No pickpocketing because reloading after a failed attempt is not an option. Of course it goes without saying that the same rule applies for speech, science and lockpick attempts (if a lock is jammed or a computer is locked down then it's too bad since I don't contemplate taking the Infiltrator or Computer Whiz perks).

8) Followers may be used to stash stuff in safe areas but he won't form long term relationships, he is a loner (Dogmeat will be an exception).

9) No VATS perks (vats is uber and I don't want to make the game too easy by picking these perks).

10) not more than one rank in any given perk and no intense training.

Hopefully by enforcing those rules I won't get bored with this character so I'll be able to explore every nooks and crannies in the Wasteland with him.

 

I have another idea about a new character. I'm thinking of making a would be superhero guy (or gal) so I'll have to think about how silly it can get.

My "hero" would need a moniker and a secret identity. I thought he would be delusional and slightly deranged, calling himself Captain Atomic or Atomic Man or something else (the cheesier, the better). Animal Boy would be nice if I take two levels of Animal Friend.

1) I need to find an outfit that would suit that guy. I'm thinking of a Rad armour (the one with the helmet) but that doesn't look as campy as I'd like it to be. There are some suits I can think of

Spoiler

(in Canterbury Commons)

but I want something that screams weird and heroic and that wouldn't belong to a specific NPC (preferably).

2) A perfect goody two shoes, no stealing, no lying, no interaction with anyone that could be considered to be a supervillain... I'd need some fatal flaws (doesn't have to be real, can be imaginary, like a belief that certain things are made of kryptonite) and some specific quirks (collecting a certain type of objects).

3) Weaponry is going to be tricky. Unarmed is a must but I'm thinking about using a few custom weapons as well. Possibly the Dart Gun (that would be campy enough) and the Rock-It-Launcher (what better way to emulate the Blue Raja from Mystery Men than with that weapon loaded with forks...) other weapons are not particularly heroic (perhaps a pool cue if i can get away with it). Energy weapons could be an exception but guns shouldn't be allowed. Since a superhero would more often fight mano a mano, he could use his own laser gun to destroy his opponents weapons in VATS in order to get them to fight with their bare hands.

So I'm still looking for a concept to build my character and that depends a lot on the outfit I'll end up using...

I know it's a crazy idea but any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

I must say you certainly take your characters to heart, which is how any RPG should be played IMO. Although there are way too many restrictions on your characters for my taste (I couldn't live without the home), I like your ideas. And Fallout is a game with elements strange enough to make your themes fit into the world.

I say go for it if it enhances your game.

Perhaps "Captain Atomic" should idolize comic books, namely Grognak. No reading them, but rather collecting as many as possible.

 

I've been playing without Fast Travel and it makes the game way more fun and interesting. I had doubts because I thought it might be boring but truth be told it doesn't take that long to cross the entire map.

I've been dabbling in mods as well, I will certainly post a list of my favourite mods when I'm through testing them.

I like the Captain Atomic idea, guess I'll have to find a space monkey now.