So I've restarted Fallout 3 and I've been wondering how to approach Tenpenny Tower when the time comes. I'm not sure if I should side with Phelps or the residents, I mean, it'd be profitable to side with him, but the people of Tenpenny Tower, barring Tenpenny don't really warrant death they're harmless bigots hiding away from the world where as Roy would butcher a group of people just because they turn Ghouls away only to make Tenpenny into a Ghouls only tower.

Before when I first started Fallout 3, I was pretty afraid of Ferals because they were like fast zombies, but now after such a long exposure from the playing the entire series at this point, I'm not all that afraid of them so the mask is worthless to me.

On the other side of the coin, siding with the ghouls would make me relatively rich with loot but that can easily be gained when you do some scavving in DC.

Anyway, which side should I take this time around? The people of Tenpenny drive me up the walls with their sheltered belittling, but at the same time, this doesn't amount to them deserving to be ripped apart and dumped in the basemant like trash. I'm considering just defending the residents this time around.

I never get the ghoul mask. As far as I'm concerned its a God-mod type of item and basically a cheat. Its never factored into my decision.

As for the ethics, I really don't think there's any moral-based merit to siding with the ghouls. Yes, Tenpenny and his lot are prejudice. However, unless you are the type of person where having a preconceived notion warrants death, then there's really no contest in terms of siding with Tenpenny.

Primarily because:

A. Since when can't a man have the ability to decide who he allows onto his property?

B. Despite their prejudice, you really can't fault the residents for distrusting ghouls. Especially when they are proven 100% correct that the ghouls are just going to be violent and kill them. Not really unfounded bigotry when they turn out to be right. And of course the kicker is that Phillips is just as bigoted as the residents, except he's speaking from the position where its his "right" to get into Tenpenny Tower, and he's going to kill them all because his so-called "rights" are being denied.

C. If you want to kill off Tenpenny because he wants to blow up Megaton, don't bother. Roy Phillips wants the exact same thing.

D. Strictly speaking, only two "innocents" die when siding with Tenpenny (Roy's girlfriend, and the other ghoul). Whereas an entire Tower full of innocents dies when siding with Roy.

I always save the residents. The deal was to get the ghouls in, permission to kill the residents to take the building for the place to be ghoul-only was not part of it. The ghouls are humans after all. If you want to let them in it's because you think that they don't deserve to be isolated, so at first in looks like a good action. Then it's when they make their own plans, and kill the residents in the building, and in the end, you're responsible for all of their deaths.

After all, there a reason why they didn't let them in in first place.

If I give them my trust and give them an opportunity to live in a safe community, and they make their own plans and make me responsible for the deaths of innocent people, when I was trying to make a good action, I'll make sure to break in Roy's suite, punch him untill he lays on the floor, bring him to the bathroom, put his head on the toilet, and shoot that ugly bastard in the back of his head. Then flush.

That's what dirty ghouls get for using me.

PERSONAL WASTELAND JUSTICE.

You know you're absolutely right I never thought of it this way not exactly at least. I just never liked the Tenpenny residents and I like ghouls so I always sided with them but Roy Phillips and a few ghouls taking over the tower and getting a ghoul mask which is cheap isn't even worth it. So I'm guessing the only other option is to take them out and side with Tenpenny?

I would probably defend the residents. If I'm ever wanting to go back to the tower to trade etc then I don't want to walk in knowing there's a pile of corpses in the basemant that was my doing.

I'd side with the Tenpenny residents, or not do the quest at all.

The ghouls just tell a sob story and take advantage of your talents.