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The Massacre of Nipton or the Nipton lottery was the methodical killing of Nipton inhabitants by Caesar's Legion forces in 2281.[1][2][Non-game 1]

Background[]

Hoping to capitalize off the local prison break, Mayor Joseph Steyn invited members of the newly formed Powder Gangers to the town to service them with prostitutes, chems and other entertainment.[3] Simultaneously, the mayor extended news of these offerings to NCR troops, who began to occasionally visit the town as well. He kept the peace by having the gang visit during the day, and the troopers at night.[3]

Steyn was subsequently approached by Vulpes Inculta, the highest ranking frumentarius of Caesar's Legion, under the alias of Mr. Fox, with a proposition. Vulpes offered 8,000 caps in exchange for the mayor facilitating the arrival of both groups at the same time, allowing the Legion to make an example of them.[4] Steyn agreed without hesitation and began making plans to abandon the town with his newfound riches.[4][Non-game 2]

Event[]

When both groups arrived, the Legion sprung their trap and dragged everyone to the center of town, including the mayor and residents.[5] Vulpes announced that due to their profligacy, the inhabitants and guests would be forced to participate in a lottery to determine their fates.[6] Vulpes ordered the systematic murder of each person based on their tickets, starting with decapitations, crucifixions, and enslavement.[7]

Vulpes tells the Courier that the citizens here were hardly innocent, as they stood by and watched silently as their family members and friends were killed, without resisting, caring only for themselves.[8] When the mayor's ticket was drawn, he was given unique treatment and was burned alive on a pile of tires.[9]

With the murders complete, and first, second, and third-place tickets were drawn. Third place winners were enslaved and taken by the Legion to a local raid camp. Boxcars, the second-place winner, was spared but the Legion crippled his legs.[10] Lastly, the first place winner, Oliver Swanick, was spared and freed.[7]

Aftermath[]

The Legion set fires in the town, the contents of which causes black smoke to rise, visible for miles. At the Mojave Outpost, an NCR ranger named Ghost will share their concern with seeing the smoke, coupled with a recent lack of traffic from the town, and asks the Courier to investigate.[11]

Upon approaching the razed settlement, they will encounter the winner, Oliver Swanick, who will share information about the events that transpired. Boxcars is located in the general store and will likewise share their recollection of the events. The remains of citizens, guests, legionaries, and mongrels are found throughout the area, in houses, in the trailer park, within the town hall, and inside the hotel. Two rows of victims are crucified along the main road. Although alive, they cannot be saved, and must be mercy killed or left behind.

The Courier can engage with the contingent of Caesar's Legion in front of the town hall, who are preparing to return back to their base at Fortification Hill. The leader, Vulpes Inculta, will approach them and assure them that they are in no danger. The Courier can inquire into the events that took place here. After a brief exchange, the frumentarii leader may ask that they spread the word of this atrocity throughout the wasteland, especially to any members of the NCR they come across.[12] The Courier can choose to do so, by heading back to the outpost and speaking with Sergeant Kilborn and Ranger Ghost.

Appearances[]

The massacre of Nipton occurs in Fallout: New Vegas and is mentioned in the Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Caesar: "You spread word of the massacre of Nipton, just like Vulpes asked you."
    (Caesar's dialogue)
  2. The Courier: "How did you survive?"
    Boxcars: "Luck, that's how! I'm just that fucking lucky! You're looking at the second place winner of the Nipton lottery! That asshole Swanick took first place, so him they let walk!"
    (Boxcars' dialogue)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Mayor Steyn's journal
  4. 4.0 4.1 Nipton terminal entries; Mayor Steyn's terminal
  5. The Courier: "What exactly happened here?"
    Vulpes Inculta: "Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself - the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores. For a pittance, the town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realize they were caught inside it, too."
    (Vulpes Inculta's dialogue)
  6. The Courier: "You captured everyone?"
    Vulpes Inculta: "Yes, and herded them to the center of town. I told them their sins, the foremost being disloyalty. I told them that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, the others made to watch. And I announced the lottery. Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when "loved ones" were dragged away to be killed."
    (Vulpes Inculta's dialogue)
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Courier: "How'd your plan go wrong?"
    Boxcars: "We get in position and next thing we know, we're surrounded by those fucking Legion freaks. They dragged us and everybody else into the center of town. And that asshole with a dog on his head, he starts talking about how we're bad people! He said we needed to be punished for what we did, not all of us, but some of us. And then he gives everyone a fucking lottery ticket..."
    The Courier: "What happened after everyone got lottery tickets?"
    Boxcars: "What do you think? He started drawing tickets, and that's how people got punished. First up was the "lucky losers." They got decapitated - guess that's "lucky" because it's pretty quick. Then came the crucifixions. Goddamn but those went on and on and on... Third-place runners-up got enslaved. I got the fuck beat out of my legs, and the winner they let go free."
    (Boxcars' dialogue)
  8. The Courier: "You slaughtered innocent civilians?"
    Vulpes Inculta: "Innocent? Hardly. Cowardly, though. They outnumbered us, yet not once did they try to resist. They stood and watched as their fellows were butchered, crucified, and burned, one by one. They stood and hoped their turn would not come. Each cared only for himself."
    (Vulpes Inculta's dialogue)
  9. The Courier: "What happened to the mayor?"
    Boxcars: "Him? When his ticket came up, they burned him alive on a pile of tires."
    (Boxcars' dialogue)
  10. The Courier: "Why are you still here?"
    Boxcars: "I dunno, I just love it here. What the fuck do you think, asshole? Prize for second place was I got to live, but they beat my fucking legs with hammers. I'm fucking crippled, get it?"
    (Boxcars' dialogue)
  11. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
  12. Cold, Cold Heart
Non-game
  1. Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition pp.391-393: "[4.30] Nipton
    "Forces of Caesar's Legion, under the command of Vulpes Inculta, have swept around the poorly defended Camp Searchlight [6.16] to sack Nipton and kill every living creature within. Ironically, this camp had previously been terrorized by Powder Gangers, who were routing the regular population before they fell to the Machetes and bloodlust. The signs of devastation are obvious from outside this settlement; black smoke rises from the town, corpses are strewn on pyres, and victims crucified to telephone poles."
    (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland)
  2. Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.393: "Nipton Town Hall
    This structure is where Vulpes Inculta and his Legionaries are camped, although they’re about to move back to The Fort. Search this location using the information below."
    (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland)
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