I decided recently to create a new Fallout 3 character from scratch since I am a bit overdosed on FNV. Anyway I got up to level 7 and was near the Jury Street metro station and had finished going down and wiping out the raiders and getting their goodies.

I come out of the metro station and see 3 red dots behind the diner...I have played hundreds of hours of this game so I am thinking "cool...some Talon chumps I can wipe out and fix my combat armor". I go into sneak mode and lay a bottlecap mine to run past and take one of them out after I get their attention. They respond and one comes around the corner. Boom he is taken out. I go around to work on the other two but no one is there anymore and the red dots on the compass are gone. I figured they fled which isn't their usual way.

I circle around and start walking west toward the appliance store and I see seven NPC coming my way. I think oh maybe settlers or something....nope....seven Talon Company mercs who quickly turn hostile. I was able to kill them all but it was a fight very very bloody for me.

A few days later I fast travel back and 5 Talon Mercs attack.

Is this typical. In all my play thrus at the jury station I am used to the Talon party being 3.

Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining but I will make damm sure I am well fortified before fast traveling back to that area in the future with this character.

I think its because Ft. Bannister (Talon Comp. HQ) is so close to that place.

Never seen that many Talon mercs at once before. Not for a hit squad anyways. I see three Regulators behidn that diner now and then. My karma is rarely good though, so I don't encounter the talon comp. all that often. Thats really weird that there would be that many. One of those good, fun battle problems, right? I do enjoy the randomness of this game.

You had 2 groups of Talon co mercs. One group of 3 behind the diner (they're there every time, either that or regulators depending on karma). The others were generated by the random encounter trigger that is centered on the street intersection.

Sweet.... the most I've ever had there is 6. They attacked from both sides... behind the diner and down the street. Glorious. I don't pre-mine anymore, but I make an exception for this one spot. I use that Metro station regularly.

I've often run in to Talon dorks at Jury Street Metro.

And sometimes more than 3, I'm not sure about 7 but it is possible. I'm pretty sure I've run into at least 5.

But I am playing with some mods like FWE and MMM.

There are only supposed to be 3, but your lucky you got 8 of them. Fallout 3 is a little glitchy sometimes when it comes to random encounters, which makes the game even more random and fun Random encounters is something that made fallout 3 a little better the New Vegas in some ways, although New Vegas overall is better in my opinion. Like i said, glitchy random events, making the random even more random and fun

I have to apologize to all...I reloaded and found that the total was 6 Talon Mercs not 8...I killed one then when I come around the diner another 5 are walking in a single file procession. If I use the stealth boy they walk east past the electronics store then turn south and start walking toward the manhole that leads to that underground area that you pick up the radio beacon (oscar Tango) signal.

For some reason all the bodies are not disappearing. I went back to jury st metro station at level 9 or 10 and the five Talon company mercs respawn but three bodies I lined up right outside the diner are still there dead as driftwood. Perhaps they will disappear when I have a random Talon encounter elsewhere on the map...I need to harass the Republic of Dave and usually run into Talons at this power relay station a little bit south of that area.

I'm pretty sure I've run into 6 mercs at a time on patrol. (again using the FWE and MMM mods, but I'm not sure if they affect Talon patrol numbers)

I get 6 on a regular basis on pure vanilla. Love how bodies spawn where they drop, makes for interesting encounters. Which leads me to a worrier: I just killed a Deathclaw outside of Megaton. And the body is too heavy to drag away from Megaton. Scary times ahead.

i too started a new FO3 character after spending countless hours with FNV. seems like i'm alot more jumpy now starting out. missed alot from my first play thru and the game has a different feel. much more experienced but i still get suprised alot. this game has alot of replay value. trying to be a more ruthless character. first play thru i was the ultimate good guy. still alot of suprises around every corner.

Everytime i try to be evil i always stop at the point where u are supposed to blow up megaton. I dont got the nerve to kill people that havent done [censored], without a good reason.

i agree. i have a hard time killing without a reason . caps arent a good enough reason imo. i usually try to be tottally neutral and dont shoot unless i'm shot at. i'm such a wimp.

Im like, a badass Power armor boy scout (or BoS whatever u prefer) with super good karma most of the times, i did make a raider playthrough once and it didnt end that well. I had neutral karma not very evil of me. come to think of it, i have never gotten a regulator squad after me.

You can be very evil and save Megaton you know. I live there. Great central location, grocery, school.

it would be fun to be super evil like the legion in FNV or a serial killer. just blowing up megaton for 500 caps seems pointless imo.

If you go the serial killer route...don't forget to go to Point Lookout and get the "pintsized Slasher" mask to use on your spree....waay more creepy than a hocky mask.