Below are two selections of planned Twine scripted interactions. Chapter 0 highlights player monologue/reactions to the changes in reality. Chapter 2 shows the first introduction to player companion NPC “Calamity,” including a potential hostile conversation path.
This material is a work-in-progress. Content is not final.
Chapter 0 – Prologue – “The Watcher” – Game Opening Concept:
/* 1A */
“…And that was the astounding Countess Coloratura with her smash-hit single, ‘We Stand Above.’ And now, it’s time for the news!”
You step over a small ridge of sand blown over from the side of the I-15 out of New Vegas and scratch your head. The radio host, a “DJ-PON3,” is acting like you should know whoever Coloratura was. Oh well, maybe someone finally found a new record somewhere.
“A friend in the town of Goodsprings has reported strange activity in the hills to the north of town. Considering that poor place has been already assaulted by a Powder Ganger ambush a few weeks back, I, for one, would like for nothing else to happen to the little town.”
Your head cocks to the side as you adjust your hat and peer down the Long 15. Another problem in Goodsprings? That’s the last thing you want to hear about right now.
“I’m asking for anyone in the area–maybe that Courier who seems determined to give Death the finger at every turn–to investigate and look for anything out of the ordinary. Look for a young lady named Gail and–most of all–be polite.
“Be polite?” you mutter. “Seriously?”
DJ-PON3 returned to another unfamiliar song. You look down and your PipBoy as if you could glare at the DJ through the arm-mounted tool. And that’s when you first see it.
The familiar radiation detector in the upper left of the device is… different. Where once there had been only a red line, now the entire dial is the color of a rainbow.
[[“What the hell…”]] -> /* 2A */
[[“Okay, that wasn’t there last night…”]] -> /* 2B */
[[“Huh, neat.”]] -> /* 2C */
[Rainbow Reactions]
/* 2A */
[“What the hell…”]
Okay, obviously, you should had way too many bottles of Olde Royale before bed last night. Best explanation. You’ve heard of people downing too much… and they see all sorts of things.
After all, that has to be the way some of the hookers you’ve seen in New Vegas make any caps.
At least you hope that’s the case. Otherwise…
You shake your head, forcing yourself not to think any more about that. Sadly, it doesn’t work. Seems like another sip of that whiskey might be just what you need to knock that image out of your head. You decide to check your inventory and [[you flip through your PipBoy settings when something catches your eye…|you take a moment to study your PipBoy more in depth…|you study your PipBoy closer…]]
/* Nav to 3A */
/* 2B */
[“Okay, that wasn’t there last night…”]
You take a deep breath and force yourself not to freak. After all, maybe this was some prank by one of your Companions. Veronica only recently started trying out practical jokes. Maybe this had been there all week and you simply hadn’t noticed.
That makes a lot more sense. Right. Still, [[you take a moment to study your PipBoy more in depth…|you study your PipBoy closer…]]
/* Nav to 3A */
/* 2C */
[“Huh, neat.”]
You have to admit that the rainbow look gives the thing a much needed splash of color. Considering how many times this thing had been hit, shot, chewed on, lit on fire and more, it was in a pretty sorry state.
It doesn’t hurt that you’ve always had a thing for rainbows, even if you never talked about it. Couriers who like such things don’t get far in this business.
Still, the random–and unnoticed–change is a little unsettling. With a frown, [[you study your PipBoy closer…]]
/* Nav to 3A */
[You Study Your PipBoy Closer…]
/* 3A */
…and immediately freeze. Despite the baking sun of the Mojave, a cold chill runs down your spine and you slowly reach out and trace a finger along the model-name of the device.
PipBuck
“Okay, this… isn’t funny.”
But no one was laughing. Hell, there wasn’t anything except coyotes for a mile in every direction.
The metal is real. This isn’t a prank. In fact, the logo looks like it had always been there, including a dent in the “B” where a Legion bullet had narrowly avoided taking you in the chest.
You quickly dive into the operating system of your PipBoy, only to find that every single reference to “PipBoy” has been changed to “PipBuck.” What’s worse, there are other small oddities, such as the name “Robco” now reading as “Robronco.” Half of your supplies have new names, too! You grit your teeth and take a breath.
Something bizarre is going on here. Something insane. Something impossible. Considering this is the Mojave, the first thing you do is check your weapons. You’re just glad you grabbed your full kit before heading out before dawn this morning.
The first thing you check is your sidearm.
–WEAPON SELECT: WIP–
Chapter 2 – “Stranger in a Strange Land” – Primm Basement – Calamity Introduction
/* 1A */
Calamity eyes you up and down as you try not to slip on the spent bullet casings. He lowers his rifle, but doesn’t drop it all the way. He squints at you and you’re absolutely positive he’s deciding if he should shoot you or not. Considering how he took down the last two of the Powder Gangers, you have no doubt he could gun you down before you even blink.
“Thanks fer the help. I’m guessin’ ya ain’t wi’ them?”
Eyeing the still smoking rifle, you steel yourself before responding.
[[“I found your note and decided to come lend a hand.”]] -> /* 2A */
[[“What gave me away? Was it the shoot them in the head part? Or the lack of TNT in my hand part?”]] -> /* 2B */
/* 2A */
[“I found your note and decided to come lend a hand.”]
Calamity pauses and adjusts his hat. He then leans back against the old metal wall with a raised eyebrow.
“So yer the one, eh?”
He lowers his rifle a little more. You can’t help but watch the barrel of the weapon.
“Ya’d have to be. Wouldn’t be here otherwise. Wouldn’t be here an’ not shootin’ at me, at least.”
He eyes the door you just charged out of and seems to make a decision. “Look, we ain’t got time fer small talk. We got bigger problems to worry about.”
[[“Okay, so what’s going on here, anyway?”]] /* Nav to 4A */
/* 2B */
[“What gave me away? Was it the shoot them in the head part? Or the lack of TNT in my hand part?”]
His tanned face breaks into a grin filled with perfect white teeth.
“Well, that and ya ain’t shooting at me.”
[[“Yeah, I’d think that was a dead give away.”|”I found your note and decided to come lend a hand.”]] /* Nav to 2A */
[“Okay, so what’s going on here, anyway?”]
/* 4A */
“These raiders hit Primm last night after them Powder Gangers went in,” he spat. “I was going to take out the damn fools who attacked the Bison Steve… but when I heard them talking about hostages…”
The man gets a dark look in his eye and you can see his hands tighten around his rifle.
“Primm folks ain’t much for fighting… the way they were holed up in that building… obvious they’d written them folks off.”
He smirks, but it’s not exactly a comforting sight.
“That ain’t my style.”
[[“So you come down here alone, guns blazing?”]] -> /* 5A */
[[“You gotta be some sort of crazy.”]] -> /* 5B */
[[“You’ve got guts trying to do this solo.”]] -> /* 5C */
[“That ain’t my style” Responses]
/* 5A */
[[“So you come down here alone, guns blazing?”]]
“When I see a problem, I don’t just trot in place. I aim to fix it. If that ends with a whole mess o’ Raider bodies, it’s a good day in my book.”
You raise your eyebrow at him. It’s been a while since you’ve come across someone who’s actively seeking to take out entire Raider gangs. Those types don’t last long in the Mojave.
“Anyway, ain’t like anyone gonna miss a bunch o’ Raiders.”
[[“Guessing you have a thing against Raiders.”]]
/* Nav to 6A */
/* 5B */
[“You gotta be some sort of crazy.“]
He chuckles and tips his hat again.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing or something.”
[[You’re not quite sure how to respond to that…|”So you come down here alone, guns blazing?”]]
/* Nav to 5A */
/* 5C */
[“You’ve got guts trying to do this solo.”]
“What was I supposed to do?” he snaps. “Just sit there and let them haul them folks off to Goddesses-knows-where?”
He shakes his head, as if the thought were completely unthinkable.
[[“Still, you could have asked someone for help.”]] /* Nav to 6B */
[Calamity’s Approach Responses]
/* 6A */
[“Guessing you have a thing against Raiders.”]
“Only thing I have against ‘em is them breathin’. It’s mah policy to make sure that stops right quick.”
The sheer earnestness of his declaration makes you pause. So, he’s the vigilante-type. You’ve seen enough of those in your time. They don’t usually last any longer than the Raider-hunting type. Yet this one seems to have some notches in his belt. What the hell had Watcher just sent you into?
[[“I try to ignore them, unless they’re stupid enough to take a shot at me.”]]
-> /* 7A */
[[“That’s a pretty good policy. It’s mine too.”|”Not really. I came here looking for… well, I think I’m supposed to be looking for you.”]] -> /* 8B */
/* 6B */
[“Still, you could have asked someone for help.”]
He shrugs as if storming a Raider stronghold was no worse than waltzing into the nearest supply store.
“Didn’t have the time.”
[[“So, what now?”]] -> /* 8B */
[Courier Raider Reactions]
/* 7A */
[“I try to ignore them, unless they’re stupid enough to take a shot at me.”]
His eyes narrow.
“Well, I got a policy. And if ya came down here, I’m pretty sure it weren’t to help these bastards.”
Suddenly, the smell of gun smoke seems a lot stronger than it was just a few seconds ago.
[[“And what if I did come down here just for that purpose?” (Armor Check)]] -> /* 8A */
[[“Not really. I came here looking for… well, I think I’m supposed to be looking for you.”]]
-> /* 8B */
[Calamity Next Steps]
/* 8A */
[“And what if I did come down here just for that purpose?” (Armor Check)]
—WIP—
/* Goal: Do an armor check against the Courier’s currently equipped gear. Legion, Visionary or Raider gear will require a roll to convince Calamity not to attack you. If combat is triggered, If Calamity wins, Calamity won’t kill you, but his attack will lower HP for the rest of Primm Basement encounter. Special conversation will occur on combat end no matter who wins */
/* 8B */
[“Not really. I came here looking for… well, I think I’m supposed to be looking for you.”]
“Now ain’t that a thing.”
[[“So, what now?”]]
-> /* 8C */
/* 8C */
[“So, what now?”]
He laughs as he finally stops aiming his rifle in your direction. You breathe out a sigh of relief as he checks an ammo pouch on his belt, then glances at the chamber of the rifle.
“Now? That’s easy. We shoot ’em until they don’t move no more.”
You blink. Not exactly what you were expecting. While you aren’t thrilled to see Raiders get their hands on anyone, if everything Watcher said was true, you’ve got bigger problems. Still…
[[“You know what? That works for me. Let’s go.”]]
-> /* 9A */
[[“But what’s this all about?”]] -> /* 9B */
[Calamity Opening Finale]
/* 9A */
[“You know what? That works for me. Let’s go.”]
“Now that’s my kind o’ thinking.” He tips his hat to you again as he saunters by, rifle on his shoulder. You can’t help but grin as you check your own weapons before following after the odd stranger.
/* 9B */
[“But what’s this all about?”]
“Plenty of time fer yapping later. I don’t intend t’ let them get away with them folk.”
With that, the man strides past you and out into the hallway. You can’t help but wonder what you just signed up for. Still, you can’t shake the feeling that this the man Watcher sent you after. And if that’s true, you’d better be sure he doesn’t get into trouble.
You check your weapons and follow him deeper into Primm Basement.
/* {Status Update: Calamity becomes companion, door to next section unlocks} */
“CALAMITY INTRODUCTION” – Twine ACTION TREE
Penny J. Stansifer 