Spoiler Warning S5E49: Beer Battered Bacon Shiskebabs

By Shamus Posted Friday Aug 5, 2011

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 86 comments


Link (YouTube)

Once again, here is the story of the survivalist. It’s the best thing about the DLC. If you’re wondering if you should get Honest Hearts or Old World Blues, I’d say read the survivalist diaries and buy Old World Blues. (Haven’t picked up OWB myself. Plan to, time permitting.) However, there is a lot to be said to finding the entries yourself in Honest Hearts. The entries are left in the caves where they were written, and so there’s a good bit of environmental storytelling going on. You can see the various caves he used and follow his adventures.

The Survivalist was 24 when the bombs fell. He lived on for another 47 years after that. The diaries chronicle a few of his adventures, and hint that we’re only seeing a tiny part of his whole story.

I think his efforts also explain how the superstitions arose. The Survivalist was fond of making traps. He employed bear traps, shotgun traps, and landmines as a kind of home defense system. He was good at hiding his traps (they’re better hidden than any other traps in Fallout 3 or New Vegas) and the Sorrows, who lacked technical knowledge, would have been unprepared to deal with those kinds of threats. Once enough of the Sorrows strayed into them and died inexplicably and violently, they would naturally see it as an mysterious danger. It’s easy to see how this became a more generalized taboo over the generations.

 


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86 thoughts on “Spoiler Warning S5E49: Beer Battered Bacon Shiskebabs

  1. Matt says:

    He also became their deity figure by leaving the first Sorrows (a bunch of children who escaped from somewhere horrible) supplies, books, and notes. He made sure they never saw him, as well.

  2. neon_goggles says:

    the best parts of Old World Blues are the long conversations with the think-tanks and the ai. but the dialogue is funny and well written. and there is a fire power fist. and Stripe the mini deathclaw was cool too.

    1. therandombear says:

      Stripe jumped me when I was walking around in that old village of the Think-tanks…suddenly wild wasteland sound, I hear running..and I died xD

      Second try though I got revenge…my ballistic fist + running back and forth at the fountain + Stripe’s Face = me victorious :3

    2. Varre says:

      The conversations were definitely the highlight of Old World Blues, though it definitely wants you to wait untill you’re… whatever level it recommends, or you’ll miss out on some interesting bits of conversation. Also, Borous’s high school simulation was hilarious.

  3. DrKultra says:

    The explanation is good Shamus, but I tought the Sorrow’s were the kids that the “Father from the Cave” was protecting from harm? He mentions leaving them notes with names and supplies, and on the end he decided to leave no corpse for them to find, to keep the mystery around him instead of disappointing them with just a battered old man.

    1. Shamus says:

      That’s what I gathered. And so the taboo is due to a miscalculation of his. He says at one point that they will find the other caches when they are older. Obviously that never happened. He either over-estimated the technical knowledge they gleaned from the books, or he under-estimated his own trap-making abilities.

      1. Kelly says:

        Sawyer explicitly stated that he did in fact overestimate a lot of their capabilities, like their literacy level.

    2. Imposing Snail says:

      Edit: for spoiler tags

      You learn from Waking Cloud (I think) that they also think that the “Father from the Cave” is the same being as the Mormons’ God from the Bible. Which makes sense with them both being refered to as Father, someone who is always there but you can’t see him, watching over and protecting his children, etc.

      So that probably helps to reinforce the notion that his will must be respected.

  4. StranaMente says:

    If you’re planning to buy any dlc this might be a good time. There’s a 25% discount on them for some days, and maybe (maybe) they’re going down more, ’cause of the quake-con sale. It’s better to keep an eye on them, and if things go bad, buy them the last day.
    EDIT: I don’t know if got the sale right… but in a couple of hours they’ll change. It’s possible that dlc won’t be in sale after that, so it’s better to get them now.

    1. StranaMente says:

      Seems that that sale on those still stand, and possibly they can get even cheaper. I’ll keep an eye open for OWB.

  5. Volatar says:

    This is the third Spoiler Warning in a row where the Youtube video preview is a shot of the pip-boy.

    1. Shamus says:

      Bonus: YouTube gave us three options for the thumbnail on this one, and two of them were Pip-Boy.

      1. DrKultra says:

        I think that should count towards the drinking game :p

        1. Eärlindor says:

          I can barely keep track of all the rules we have as is. Spoiler Warning is killing me…

          Wait…

        2. Newbie says:

          No more rule to the drinking game. The only alcohol I have at the moment is Vodka and Brandy. I have been dying for the last few episodes, and will for at least another 5. On the other hand I like that I am younger than Rutskarn and can drink legally though and every time I drink I get this warm fuzzy feeling Rutskarn should be upset… though that might be the brandy.

  6. Kelly says:

    Also that bit at the end indicates that Reginald has finally become the drunken wife beater we always knew he could be. I’m so proud.

    1. Indy says:

      But he kicked her down and she flew into the sun! That means that both Reginald and Walking Cloud are superheroes/villains.

      1. Daemian Lucifer says:

        Reginald cuftbert is hancock.

      2. krellen says:

        Reginald is Henry Pym?

        1. Deadpool says:

          God I hate Hank Pym wife beating jokes… *sighs*

          Poor Hank’s reputation has been smeared more than any man, alive, dead or fictional…

    2. Arumin says:

      She flew into the sun, Team Rocket style

      1. swimon says:

        So what you’re saying is that Cuftbert is electabuzz or magmar?

        1. Destrustor says:

          No he’s ash’s pikachu in 20 years, when the world has forgotten about him and he became a hobo, addicted to every substance on earth. then a super-secret CIA project offered him a second chance by giving him a human-looking robot exoskeleton and sent him to the future of an alternate dimension to fight dudes and save the world.
          can you tell I’m sick and not thinking clearly?

  7. Zombie says:

    Being set on fire and being thrown into the Grand Cayon would usually make you rethink your life as a murderous lackey for the leader of a slaver state thats stuck in the time frame of 48 B.C. to about 410 A.D.

    1. Grudgeal says:

      I think that, *usually*, you’d be thinking “OH MY GOD I’M ON FIREEEEE!!!” all the way until you hit the ground. At which point you’d promptly stop thinking, along with most other vital functions.

      1. Chuck says:

        He must of fallen into the water. Which granted would still hurt, and it probably wouldn’t even put out the flames.

        1. Ayegill says:

          At that height, you would still die.

          Plus, you’d probably break your backs on the canyon walls on the way down, since the Grand Canyon does not have completely steep wall most of the time

          1. Chuck says:

            Not with a DT of 50, apparently.

          2. swimon says:

            No but the fire inside him was hotter so he gained an even roast both inside and out which I’m pretty sure means that you survive.

            1. Syal says:

              Also you taste delicious.

  8. Sozac says:

    What happens if you tell Joshua Graham about killing Caesar?

    I saw Josh just skip that option and I was like “noooo, what does he sayyy?”

    1. Kelly says:

      A cool conversation. There’s another version for if Caesar’s still alive too, though it’s shorter.

    2. Vect says:

      He goes “Huh. Though I’d go before him.”

      1. Bentusi16 says:

        He essentially lets out a sigh and goes “I can’t believe I outlived him. I always thought his assassins would get me long before anyone got him.”

        And then you can talk to him about caeser and it’s really awesome, since he still thinks of him as the man he was before he became Caeser.

  9. Daemian Lucifer says:

    So,honest hearts has an enemy named case of beers?Thanks Shamus,thats a great recommendation.

    And Mumbles drank 30 beers?No wonder shes so drunk.

    That post credits thing,thats just amazing.Must be a pond made out of flubber.

    1. therandombear says:

      nah, she was only on 3 beers.

      1. Daemian Lucifer says:

        I know,I was just making fun of her tipsy tongue twisting.

        1. therandombear says:

          hehe ;)

        2. Deadpool says:

          Maybe my family and friends are drunkards, but 3 beers in two hours is pretty light work…

  10. Gale says:

    Holy shit. Holy shit. That’s what Rutskarn looks like. That’s exactly what Rutskarn looks like. People who watched his livestream yesterday can back me up on this. When he gets his hair cut, he could easily be John Carmack’s little brother. He just needs to talk a little slower, and sound a little more nasal, and he’s a fucking dead ringer. Oh my god.

    Also, I get the feeling we aren’t going to get that yao guai gauntlet any time soon. Does anyone know if you can go back to the Mohave and keep that drugged-up effect?

  11. Eärlindor says:

    I loved that pun too, Mumbles. Oh the horror when he let that loose. Josh is right, the world ended. I felt it as I dug my thumbs into my eye-sockets and exclaiming, “AAAUUGH!!!”

    1. Groboclown says:

      To paraphrase from MST3k (“Secret Dragon Secret Agent” I believe it was), “So it takes a murder to lessen the impact of the pun.”

      1. Eärlindor says:

        Hahaha, that’s right, I forgot about that. :)

  12. Even says:

    That’s pretty much my own thoughts on the superstitions. In the cave where you get the Desert Ranger armor, there’s four skeletons, of which three were attributed as being Vault 22 dwellers killed by the Survivalist who stumbled upon the cave on a diary entry on the computer you find from the same cave. Given the cave’s location, right in the middle of the Sorrows’ camp, you could assume that the fourth skeleton belongs to an unfortunate Sorrows’ ancestor who never came back from the cave. Could have been the perfect way to spook them forever; three skeletal remains lying there at the entrance, only to witness one of their tribe claimed by the cave as well.

  13. kanodin says:

    Man when I left the Sorrows camp to do the drug taking bear killing quest and the burned man ran up to quote scripture to me I thought for sure it was a hallucination.

  14. Eärlindor says:

    Rutskarn strikes me as being significantly more sophisticated than Doom. I think he would make something along the lines of Marathon.

    1. Winter says:

      Oh, Marathon! That was a great game. Shamus would like it, too, because there was a lot of reading.

      No bunny hopping for Josh, though. It hadn’t been invented yet.

  15. AlternatePFG says:

    Woo, a shiskebab! Now you just need to find a suit that makes you invisible while crouching and this will play out exactly like the Fallout 3 season except less story related stupidity.

    I don’t think there is a stealth suit that works like that in this game, so mod it in. I miss Josh being able to sneak up on people by standing right in front of them with a flaming sword.

  16. SomeGuy says:

    Well, I guess I need to go write some Mumbles/Bacon fan fiction now. It will figure all 10 of Mumbles’ penises.

    1. krellen says:

      She keeps them in jars on shelves, you know.

      1. Groboclown says:

        Oh, by all the powers holy and unholy. IS THAT WHAT SHE DID TO HER JARATE?!? I will forever be unclean.

  17. Ayegill says:

    “Wow the shishkebab, this weapon is so overpowered!”
    “GAH GIANT CAZADOR”
    *2 seconds later* *eats a third of the contents of backpack*
    *2 seconds later* *repeat*
    “Whoa that thing almost killed me!”

    -Meanwhile in Guns Land-
    “What’s that Giant Cazador? You can’t move when your wings are crippled? You can’t hurt anyone at all outside of melee range? Suck it up, bitch!”

    1. Raygereio says:

      Yeah, I do keep shaking my head at anyone that says melee is overpowered in this game.
      If you want easy mode, grab a gun and shoot stuff in the head.

      Or in the something that looks vaguely like the head.

      1. Littlefinger says:

        Upgraded Holorifle -> One hit kill Giant Cazador.

        1. Ayegill says:

          The holorifle is completely ridiculous. Energy weapons, while IMO not as good as Guns, are still very very powerful, especially at later levels.

  18. Vect says:

    Legion origin from Graham:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3wvLAAbyRk&t=6m46s

    That should enlighten those who didn’t know. Also, another chance to listen to Graham’s awesomely smooth voice.

  19. TheAngryMongoose says:

    So, all in all, I think you guys should drink more often.

    Also, Ballistic boot? Awesome!

    1. bit says:

      I like the idea of Reginald having a Bayonetta-esque outfit, with a ballistic device strapped to every limb.

      1. Jarenth says:

        With all his clothes made out of sideburn hair?

        1. bit says:

          I was about to respond that that would be epic, but once we go down that road, this is bound to happen;
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnEyrA-UwPM
          And I really don’t know if the world is prepared for that.

  20. Jarenth says:

    Ok, so I’ve read that it’s also an honest-to-goodness psalm, and it was probably meant to be all deep and symbolic and stuff. I don’t particularly mind:

    When Joshua Graham ran up to you and quoted a damn reggae song at you, I instantly both lost and gained a lot of respect for him as a character.

    1. Raygereio says:

      My mind immediatly went to this when I heard the first line of his speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm1g8FFRArc

    2. His voice cut out for me at that point, so I thought he was actually singing “Waters of Babylon” to me. I was so confused.

      Still, I want to see him recite Ezekiel 25:17 to Salt Upon Wounds. That needs to be a Wild Wasteland ending.

    3. Nasikabatrachus says:

      What a strange psalm to put to jaunty reggae music. I admit it has its beautiful parts and lends itself to song: that’s what psalms are, lyrics meant for musical accompaniment. Though I haven’t played any of the Fallout games, let alone Bleeding Hearts or whatever this is, I thought Joshua Graham’s delivery was pretty good.

      As for whether the psalm itself is symbolism… Well, I’m sure you can read anything symbolically, but psalm 137 was probably composed by Jewish leaders or scribes who had been carried off to Babylon after the Babylonian conquest. There’s not a whole lot of symbolic options for the whole dashing children’s heads against the rocks bit. Of course, Israel was probably pretty messed up by the war, ancient warfare being the way it was, so it’s not as if they were randomly directing murderous impulses against the Babylonians. It’s an ugly but not baseless revenge fantasy.

  21. Dante says:

    Mumbles and Josh should do the show drunk from now on.

    1. Raygereio says:

      Ao no.
      Besides obvious issues like Mumbles’ shrieks being bad enough when she’s sober, the SW crew has trouble enough keeping everyone present from talking over eachother and turning the commentary into an incoherent mess when everyone is sober (mind the latter issue comes naturally as a result of everyone phoning their commentary in… literally, but still drunken rambeling is not exactly helping any).

    2. Chuck says:

      I’m in the “should play drunk/tipsy/buzzed” camp.

  22. Sucal says:

    Mumbles likes to watch

    1. Dante says:

      And look at boobs, whats that tell us?

      1. Sucal says:

        Rutskarn resembles Carmack with breasts?

      2. Grag says:

        She has also collected ten penises. I hear the drop rate on those is pretty poor, so she had to do a lot of murders.

        1. Entropy says:

          Yeah, I killed like 10 Rutskarns to get just one Troll penis.

        2. Gale says:

          It’s not so bad. The people she killed were all delicious, so it’s not like it was a wasted effort or anything.

  23. Nasikabatrachus says:

    Mumbles’ backstory is getting cooler and cooler. Next thing you know she’s going to say her great grandpa jumped off the Hindenburg and survived to invent the Easy-Bake oven.

    1. Syal says:

      Now I can’t help but see the Hindenburg disaster as the direct inspiration for the Easy-Bake oven.

    2. Chris says:

      Mumbles has a town in South Wales named after her.

      http://www.mumbles.co.uk/

  24. SimeSublime says:

    Although booting her into the sky was amusing, I prefer taking the light step perk to become immune to traps. Then it’s just a matter of going out on a friendly jaunt through the Survivalist’s cave and hearing Walking Cloud setting off every trap in my wake.

  25. JPH says:

    WHO SEZ ZAT TEW PPL!?

  26. CalDazar says:

    “Untill he gets set on fire and thrown down the grand canyon, that’s kinda his wake-up call”

    I would say surviving that was his wake up call.

    1. Deadpool says:

      Pretty sure he was awake through most of the fall…

  27. Deadpool says:

    Funny, cook bacon (and all sorts of other things in oil) without a shirt on relatively often with little trouble… I’m betting not having my breasts sticking out from my body helps though…

  28. Deadpool says:

    Oh, most badass thing Randall Clarke ever did?

    http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/BEWARE_-_A_VENGEFUL_SPIRIT_STALKS_THESE_CANYONS

    Made supertitious men out of Vault Dwellers. Booyah!

    1. Destrustor says:

      And then murdered them all.

      1. Zombie says:

        He also kind of took one of their women. Does that make him Conan the Barbarian?

  29. Alex the Elder says:

    Between her shaved head, her bizarre skimpy clothes and her strange skin tone, I can’t stop seeing Waking Cloud as a female orc from World of Warcraft, an impression further reinforced by her being superstitious and combative. Seriously, whenever she turns to face the camera I keep expecting her to have tusks.

  30. BeamSplashX says:

    My girlfriend can always tell that I’m watching Spoiler Warning because it makes me smile.

    Which makes it difficult to convince her that I’m looking for a job. TOTALLY WORTH IT, THOUGH.

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