I wanted to make a thread about Van Buren for a few reasons. I truly believe it would have been the best Fallout game. It would have given more insight to many of the things found in the first two games and shed light on some the inferences found in FO2. Ever wonder where the Master got the idea for creating Centaurs and Floaters? What was the spark that finally ignited the NCR-BOS War? Why were the vaults built for social experiments? What happened to Sulik’s sister? What happens to San Fransico(even FONV doesn’t answer this)? The list goes on. Secondly, I hope this thread can provide not only information on locations/characters in the game, but a clearer understanding of it’s story and canon. But I must emphasize, Van Buren ISNT canon. I discuss the locations and main characters found in Van Buren but unfortunaly I can’t include every character, the game is simply to large.

Also many of the factions and locations are referenced in FONV from VB. I thought it would be nice to compare and discuss some of these, the ones we do find in FONV. How well do they compare to what we find in FONV?

Dr. Presper is the smartest man in the world and advisor to President Tandi in the years leading up to Van Buren (2253). He becomes unhappy with the world. Finally, tired of the filth of the world and the fact caravan houses of Shady Sands basically run NCR, he hatches a plan to rebuild the world from scratch. Another scientist, Goddard is sent east to search for old world power facilities. Presper takes note of one of these facilities, Boulder Dome, and learns of Limit 115. He sends Goddard and a group of scientist back to Boulder Dome. Some of these scientists include the Shi from San Francisco, such as Xian. SF was nuked and destroyed after the destruction of the Oil Rig but the NCR and Shi developed a student exchange program before SF was destroyed. The NCR at Hoover Dam has already been established, being a safe haven for these travelers to Boulder.

After Goddard leaves for BD, Presper infects himself and Colredge, Presper’s devoted follower and a few other others with the New Plague so they would be taken to Tibbets Prison. Tibbets prison is a quarantine prison for people suffering from the New Plague. Once there they would let other prisoners escape, including you, the PC, causing further spread of the New Plague and waking ODYSSEUS which would assess the viral spread, try to gather up the escaped prisoners. Once most of the infected have been retrieved, ODYSSEUS would destroy the rest with nuclear missiles launched from Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 001. He and his other scientist, unknowing of his plan, would be safe from this nuclear destruction at Boulder Dome.

A couple of interesting points: From what I have read, Colredge, before leaving Shady Sands with Presper, destroys the NCR Congress building in Shady Sands and he may have played a part in the assassination of President Tandi. What is unclear is if this was blamed on BOS, causing the final spark igniting the war between the BOS and the NCR or if the war had just broke out at this time being a coincidence. Apparently others were tired of the political situation in the NCR. Doc Angela used to be an NCR mortician and doctor before she got tired of the caravan houses' politics running the NCR congress into the ground. And after the assassination of President Tandi, she could take no more. She had encountered the New Canaanite Mormons previously, and decided to head out for the Great Salt Lake from Hoover Dam with her ex-NCR Ranger husband, Ty. Second point, originally Presper would have been one of the scientists at Boulder before the war. Boulder was responsible for many scientific discoveries before the war. He placed himself and Colredge in “cold storage” before the bombs fell, then after the war, he awoke and eventually found himself at Shady Sands. Both Presper and Colredge have Pip boys.

1. Vegas: As far as I know, Vegas isn’t a location in VB and I’ve never seen it mentioned in any of the design documents of VB. Hoover Dam did have a casino in VB.

2. Hoover Dam/NCR: The dam itself is completely different than what we find in FONV. Tensions’ have been running high with the BOS. Joseph Dodge was sent to Hoover Dam to unite it with NCR. They knew it was a source of great power. When the NCR arrive, people have settled at the dam. The settlers are grateful for the protection the NCR brings, which is true for many of the people in the Mojave in FONV as well. After the NCR arrive at HD, they are attacked by the Legion. One also may assume that Fort Aradesh is attacked at the same time. No one knows the reason for the attacks. HD respells the attack, Fort Aradesh falls. It isn’t known exactly when the NCR-BOS war begins, according to VB prologue, but in VB it isn’t long after the Legion’s attack on the dam that the BOS conflict spills over into the area around the dam. HD losses contact with the west, Dodge even starts to think HD is pretty much what is left of the NCR. Over the course of several years, contact with the NCR disappeared completely. The supply train that would make infrequent visits to fund the war effort ceased. Dodge began to rely more and more on what the two internal caravan companies could bring in, and realized even more that in order to maintain good trading relations with the outlaying communities, internal resources must be found and mined. Otto Steed, a resident ghoul in charge of the water purification system at HD, found the byproducts of the radiated, toxic water at HD was potassium nitrate and sulfur, which are used to make gun powder. These were used to trade with the Crimson Caravan. Even after purification, Hoover Dam’s water is still slightly radiated and is due to the prewar mining of Uranium at the Grand Canyon (as hinted at by Harold in FO2.)

Much of what you do in the game, of course, is not only improving the situation of HD, but also NCR’s stance in the region. Dodge needs a more eastern outpost since the loss of Fort Aradesh so Dodge tells the PC that the only way he’d consider making an alliance with New Canaan (Jericho) that DIDN’T involve their annexation is if Burham Springs stopped burning. He needs an outpost in the northeast and BS is currently unsuitable, as is Salt Lake City. I believe this was to be important for the next Fallout game (BIS’s FO4) which more than likely would have taken place in the Midwest. According to the Denver design doc, Anton, the leader of the “evil” salvagers in Denver is from the Midwest and fled to escape Caesars Legion. Also Sean Reynolds stated that much of this unknown faction (Caesars Legion) was cut from VB and was from the Midwest and much of Denver is where you would have found hints about the next game. He even stated, “In fact, one of the links is there because of the radioactive twisters mentioned in FO2.” And according to the Nursery design doc, Harold heads east, probably on his way to FO4. Anyway, Fort Aradesh(Abandon) isn’t much more than a slavers den. Ulysses tells the Courier he’s been to Fort Abandon. We don’t know if it’s location are exact for both games but we do know in FONV, everything east of the Colorado River is Legion territory. I would like to assume the Courier had been to the Fort before it fell to the Legion.

Hoover Dam consisted of the Rim(outer top much like you see in FONV), City Hall, office for Crimson Caravan lead by Ailis McLafferty. Ailis is secretly in cahoots with Devon Hill,the quartermaster at Maxson's Bunker-a BOS outpost in southwest Colorado. While she supplies weapons and ammo to Dodge and the troops of Hoover Dam, she is also supplying the very same weapons and ammo to Devon Hill and his troops at Maxson. Neither side is aware and that is how Ailis wants to keep it, at least until she has accumulated enough power, wealth and influence to take over Hoover Dam and to kill Devon Hill. Also at HD is 3-Some Caravan, a school/library, Lookout Below Bar and Grill, Frieda’s Firearms(ran by Frieda Van Graff, mentioned in FONV. Also Jean-Baptiste Cutting found in FONV was a New Plague carrier in Van Buren), General’s Store (ran by Milko, a midget who is delusional who thinks he is 6’7 and 350lbs, it’s because he has drank too much of the filtered processed water which still isn’t for human consumption.), a medical clinic (ran by Yuri Polivich, a competent doctor but also a drug dealer specifically dealing in smooch-a chem created at the Reservation. The PC could help distribute smooch that leads to a generalized addiction at Hoover Dam and have a quest to develop an anti-toxin. Also Yuri can insert implants, as in FO2.) The lower levels of Hoover Dam is where you find the Scum Pitts and Sublevel S-1(which would have been for you to discover.) All locations would have associated quest. I would like to note that at Hoover Dam grew a wheat that was able to absorb radiation from the ground in which it grew. It becomes important later in the game and was created by the FOA. A bounty hunter named Bob lives at HD; you can assist him with his work. He also acts as the local pawn dealer. There is a group of human like creatures called Trogs(not like the ones you find at the Pitt in FO3.) They arrive at HD before Dodge, after their last dwelling cave-in. They live underground and are light sensitive. They made an agreement with Dodge to help Otto with maintenance of Hoover Dam for food and shelter. They are lead by Billy-Bob. He has a daughter named Mary Jo, who is “hookin.” If the PC tells Billy about this, the Trogs go to war with HD. You can talk Mary out of doing tricks; your reward is getting access to the Scum Pitts, the very lower level of HD, where Dodge wants to set up a hydroponic lab for more crops to trade. The problem is it’s filled with albino rats, leeches and albino ants. Every attempt to clear these creatures has failed. Once this is done, and you set up regular shipments from Denver, the lab can be established.

Hoover Dam Sublevel-1C was a top secret research laboratory in the pre-War days. Its main purpose was genetic experimentations for military exploitation; i.e. making horrible abominations to not only terrorize the enemy, but also completely wreck ecosystems. The genetic mutations that would be created were specially designed to adapt to just about any ecology and take over, utterly wiping out anything else in its path. The reason why Hoover Dam was chosen was because there were several creatures in the area that seemed to be results of genetic mutations. Certain areas of the Hoover Dam Lake seemed higher in radioactive isotopes (due to the Grand Canyon) than other areas, which might have been the reason for the mutations. It is suggested that the Master came across this research after his neural link, and created similar creatures such as the Floaters and Centaurs which both can be found in Sublevel-1C. Also, Limit 115 was a secret, genetically engineered weapon designed by scientists working for the United States government. The intent was initially to create a virus that would sterilize the infected people, to be used on enemies such as China. Inadvertently, from this research, the New Plague occurs.

The "New Plague" arose in 2052 after Chinese Hei Gui agents managed to steal some of the Limit-115 during a sabotage of the Hoover Dam testing labs. The spies were in the process of trying to escape Denver and were killed, breaking samples of the virus in a crowded public area. The epidemic killed approximately two-hundred thousand citizens in the United States, including cities such as Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. The United States closed its borders and the first-ever national quarantine was declared.

After discovering S-1, along with other discoveries such as Twin Mothers and BOMB 001 and 002, the Hermes rockets missions, the PC can inform Candice Morris who is not only the teacher at the school at HD, but also the head of the chapter of the Followers of Apocalypse at HD. She will reward you with a new rank of Epithet of Wasteland Scribe. Arcade Gannon would have been a member of the FOA at HD. He was once an Enclave infantryman operating in the Midwestern United States and after the destruction of the Oil Rig deserted the Enclave. He was a recruitable companion.

A “Fancy PC Pad” was to be a very nice, two bedroom shack the PC could buy from Pablo, the barkeep and proprietor of the Look Out Below Bar & Grill. It comes completely furnished with the latest wasteland furniture and has a fine view of the toxic lake. On special evenings, one can look out on the lake and see horrible lake monsters fighting to the death. If you solve his liquor shortage, you get the “Pad” at a discount.

Beatrice is a female super mutant that has a job as a bouncer at the bar in HD. She can be recruited if you help her in a bar fight. She remembers coming from a vault, that’s all she remembers about the vault.

3. New Canaan/ Salt Lake City: New Canaan was cut, or merged with Jericho in VB but according to Fallout Wiki, most consider New Canaan the proper canon when discussing VB. I think this is especially true with the release of FONV. In 2190, Vault 70 opens and uses their 3 GECKs to found New Jerusalem in the ruins of Salt Lake City. The newly established city refuses to deal with outsiders from other communities or refugees from the NCR-BOS war. This leads to the refugees destroying New Jerusalem. Judah Black, the living prophet leads the survivors to Ogden, Utah and they establish New Canaan. Working with some squatters, they get the Jericho Water Plant running fresh water into New Canaan. Soon after, missionary Joshua Graham encounters two Followers of Apocalypse at the Grand Canyon and leads them around its northern edge. One will become Caesar. In 2250 Daniel, a Mormon from NC, was taken by force to Tibbetts prison and is one of the vital escaped prisoners the PC must return to the prison after the escape plan was hatched by Presper. If you encounter Daniel in Denver, he tells you he wants to see his 2 wives and 5 children in NC first. After the visit, he refuses to return to the prison, he must be killed or somehow forced to return. After Judah Black dies, Jeremiah Rigdon claims an angel appeared to him in a vision, calling him the next living prophet. Half of New Canaan leaves with Bishop Mordecai to resettle New Jerusalem believing Rigdon isn’t a prophet. Mordecai returns 2 years later to New Canaan, along with 5 other settlers, after attempts to resettle NJ fails. Mordecai would have been important in VB just for the simple fact you learn one of the New Canaanites missionaries, Joshua Graham was involved with the rise of Caesar and eventually became his right hand man. After the failed attack on Hoover Dam, Graham was burned and thrown into the Grand Canyon. The tribals feared and hated him. When you first meet Graham, he is in bandages being hung at Fort Abandon. In VB he is the Hanged man, in FONV the Burned Man.

We learn from Jed Masterson (FONV) that the NCR has been trading with SLC and then they lost contact. So is there a settlement in SLC? VB only states it’s unsuitable for an outpost, so this is different from FONV. In VB, Daniel is a black man. In VB, one of the big objectives is getting the train running and establishing trade with New Canaan, which, minus the train, is what happens at the end of Honest Hearts in FONV.

The water desalination plant in Jericho made the town prosper, supplying water to the wasteland via Brahmin-pulled water caravans. Pablo (not the same as at Hoover Dam) is able to grow a new crop called salicornia, a type of corn grown with salt water, but unfortunately he’s a drug smuggler as well. A Hispanic man from New Reno, he is a very skilled agriculturalist. He came to New Canaan several years ago while fleeing from the Mordino crime family, for whom he grew crops for Jett-producing brahmin. Even though that family has since been wiped out, Pablo has decided to remain in New Canaan as a farmer. He converted to Mormonism to get the townies off of his back, but he really isn't a believer. He's also addicted to Mentats, which he gets smuggled into New Canaan through the pump house from Jericho. Jeremiah Rigdon, the new leader of Canaan who has “visions”, and two priests are generally found at the church, though all three have homes of their own. One of the most important aspects of the New Canaan community is its racial tolerance. Four ghouls (one glowing) and “Revelation” John, a super mutant, live on the outskirts in Union Station. Ogden's Union Station sits unused. If the player gets the trains up and working, he or she can take the train here It's a little messier than the town itself, but not as bad as the outskirts.

So the PC’s goals in this location include: recovering the prisoner Daniel (if he was not killed and dragged away from Denver), dealing with the squatters outside the town walls and their plot to overthrow Jeremiah, resolving the threat of an impending attack from the 215 Rail Line powder gang, investigating the drug trafficking in New Canaan, working out a deal between NCR and New Canaan, working out a deal between Burham Springs and New Canaan, talking to Jeremiah about the Jericho Water Plant, dealing with a bunch of racist Mormons who want to kick out a glowing ghoul(Marshall), lessening a super mutant’s symptoms of schizophrenia due to the use of stealth boys, and teaching the townsfolk how to grow salicornia at Jericho. Steve is a rather volatile young man and a former member of the Followers of the Apocalypse. He's a stubborn blockhead, and loathes religion of all sorts. Even though the New Canaanites are doing pretty well, he can sense a general dislike and/or distrust of Jeremiah Rigdon. He believes that Jeremiah should be overthrown and all the current residents of New Canaan should be allowed to vote for a leader democratically. He compares New Canaan with Vault City which is, of course, completely unfair. He wants to do this violently, through the assassination of Jeremiah. Emma is a fairly pragmatic woman from Redding. She is a caravan worker by upbringing, but she left NCR when things became too unstable. She used a good portion of her money to set up shop in one of the sturdiest buildings outside New Canaan's walls. She now runs The Union, a flophouse and bar at the north end of the New Canaan outskirts. War refugees from the NCR-BoS war sit dejected in the outskirts of New Canaan and (rarely) walk the city streets. Some are from Burham Springs. Some are from other small communities lost to the wastes and ravages of horrible BoS-NCR battles that literally leveled villages. Most of them dislike Jeremiah Rigdon because he forces them to stay outside of the town where raiders attack.

Alexandra is a potential companion who was raised a Mormon in New Canaan, the daughter of a physician. She left at the age of 16 and acted as a medical assistant for caravans heading to Hoover Dam, then branched out and into other professions such as caravan guard and bounty hunter. In her design document, she tells you New Canaan was destroyed by refugees and all her family was killed. I think this is where Jericho and New Canaan were merged in the game. If you travel to Jericho with Alexandra, she will inform you this is where New Canaan once stood. She will be reluctant to destroy the Hands of God, a faction created by Jeremiah Rigdon after having a vision in which God commanded him to wipe out Jericho so the Mormons can rise again. The Hands of God began raiding water caravans, weakening the town in preparation for the day of reckoning. Battery is one of the water plant workers. Unlike the other workers, he actually volunteered at the plant for the opportunity to tinker with the unique machinery. He's a little bored now, but he doesn't have any real incentive to leave. The other workers, who are not there voluntarily, think Battery is weird and stupid for sticking around. Then again, he is a tribal, originally from Mesa Verde and a potential companion. After the plant has been upgraded with an automated pump and biodiesel generator, Simon Krieger, a representative from Hoover Dam, will show up in town to negotiate a discount his town's water purchases, in exchange for an equal discount on one or more goods exported to Jericho.

4. Caesar Legion: Caesar has the same history as in FONV except he didn’t conquer and absorb the Blackfoot tribe. The Blackfoot tribe did however pay tribute to the Legion in the form of salves. The Legion's presence in Denver and the Reservation wasn't permanent - Denver was visited annually and the Reservation was visited monthly to trade slaves for arms. Except one planned event (appeared as effects of Handogs punishment, when Blackjack wasn't delivered) there was no Legion presence at Blackfoot village. Caesar relied on two packs of Legionaries, allied freelance slavers and allied Blackfoot tribesmen to secure Caesar's business in the southwest. Caesar and accompanying him part of his Legion should have some base, abandoned probably while the Legion moved to the east. The only known NCR military action against Caesar's Legion in Van Buren plot was take over Fort Abandon. It was planned to do by the NCR army renegades accompanying Dr. Presper. The Legion pays very well for live Super Mutants, in which they take east….

5. Blackfoot Tribe: They live at Blackfoot Village, an old mining town in Utah that eventually became a tourist attraction. They were "founded" by a former military group (led by a Captain John Bloch) which was left stranded after its HQ and transport vehicles were destroyed in the War. Skilled with weapons, Bloch's group fell into raiding. During a standoff in one raid on a small ranching community the ranchers called a truce and offered to pay the raiders “protection money" to keep them from raiding. The raiders agreed and that became the start of a successful relationship. As the raiders had few places to spend the money they ended up spending it on equipment, food, and liquor from the ranchers, and the two groups became intermingled over the next decade as disaffected rancher sons went to join the raiders and older raiders "retired" to start ranching. During this time several wandering groups of Native Americans (who left their reservations after the American government collapsed and there was no longer anything to stop them from claiming nearby land) established a relationship with the raiders/ranchers and the two groups joined together for greater strength; the tribes gain access to some technology and a fortified home, while the raiders/ranchers gained access to skilled outdoorsmen who knew the area very well. A great fire destroyed much of their original settlement and they ended up relocating to the small tourist trap in the hills. They continued to raise their Brahmin and make extensive raids into other communities for livestock, slaves and supplies. Some of the slaves are paid as tribute to Caesar's Legion.

Within the tribe is a smaller group, the Hangdogs, who revere dogs and train them to help in hunting and guarding. Some slaves the Blackfoots keep for themselves. They are treated well and skilled slaves can earn some status in the tribe and even their freedom. The current leader is Kurisu, the sister of Sulik from FO2 and a former slave of the tribe. She proved her worth as a skilled fighter and won her freedom, and when the former leader, Ramon died suddenly she took over as leader. With the escape of the Tibbets prisoners, the younger brother of the old leader (a man called Chagas) has returned to the tribe and is trying to establish a place for himself among his people again, hoping for the leadership position. Chagas was captured by some NCR troops during a raid on one of their caravans. The caravan had found one of Victor Presper's infected guys, and ODYSSEUS had the raiders and surviving caravaneers rounded up before they could take Chagas back to NCR for trial and imprisonment. Chagas became infected because of his exposure to the caravaneer and his time in the prison. Chagas is one of the vital escaped Tibbets prisoners and must be returned to the prison. Hangsdog tribe: We learn in FONV that Antony at The Fort is a former member of the Hangsdog tribe. Before the designers of Van Buren merged the Hangdogs with the Blackfoot tribe, Hangdogs could be found living near Denver (Dog Town). After the merge, the Hangdogs are a part of the Blackfoot tribe mainly helping out with guarding the tribes with their pack of dogs. When they merged these two tribes, they also cut Caesars Legion off the game map. Antony knows much about the Denver hounds and the fact that on rare occasion’s cyberdogs can be found there.