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Tenpenny Tower is the brainchild of Allistair Tenpenny, a British refugee who came to the Capital Wasteland seeking his fortune.Loading screen

Tenpenny Tower is a fortified settlement in the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3. It is located out in the wastes west of the DC ruins, directly southwest of the RobCo main production facility.

Tenpenny Tower is one of several locations with a multitude of environmental conversations. These are stored here.

Background[]

Before the Great War in 2077, the tower was a resort. The ghoul Michael Masters, who was once an eminent scientist 200 years prior, vacationed at the tower and noted that it was "a resort for the wealthy and powerful." Michael Masters also claims that the hotel was built on the foundations of a plantation.[1]

By 2277, Tenpenny Tower had become a private and elitist residential and commercial building owned by Allistair Tenpenny, an entrepreneur from England who only permits the well-to-do or wealthy to reside there.[2] Tenpenny tells the Lone Wanderer that as soon as he saw the tower on the horizon, he knew it would suit his purposes. He describes hiring individuals who fixed the building up quickly and began to provide its security. Those under his employ include Chief Gustavo and right-hand man Mister Burke.[3] The water in the tower was not irradiated[citation needed] and the group was able to begin siphoning electricity from the still-working underground DC Metro system.[4]

Soon, word had spread among the wastes and many flocked to this new settlement, but Tenpenny would only let in traders or those with enough caps, and certainly no ghouls. Soon shops, a bar, and a clinic were set up in and around the lobby. The penthouse suites were given to those of Tenpenny's choosing, where they could watch him take pot-shots with his sniper rifle as part of his "wasteland safari." Gustavo took over security detail for the tower and concerned himself with the "ghoul problem," while Mr. Burke set out to find a way to end the "eyesore" on the horizon which distressed Tenpenny. A Protectron, Shakes, was programmed to be the tower's barman.

Layout[]

Exterior[]

The structure itself is surrounded by tall concrete walls, which create a compound of sorts. Around the rear of the building is the entrance to the generator room, which is used in the quest Tenpenny Tower. There is also a covered area to the right of the main gate which serves as the guards' quarters. The building did not completely escape damage from the bombs and was repaired with sheets of metal in the areas of the hotel that took the most damage.

The wall can be jumped over to get inside, which is particularly useful to avoid paying the entrance bribe, or if the fusion pulse charge has not been attached to the bomb in Megaton during the quest The Power of the Atom. To get inside, go to the west side of the wall and look for a relatively large outcrop of rocks. There is a portion of the wall that has fallen over and is lying on the ground against the rest of the barrier. Jump on top of the broken piece and then through the gap.

Should one choose to enter through the wall without ever coming through the actual gate, the gate can be opened from the inside by interacting with the speaker near the guard posted there. If not, it is required to pay to come inside again when speaking to the gatekeeper through the intercom.

Interior[]

Entering the building, the Lone Wanderer will find themselves in the lobby, which contains stairs to the third-floor apartments, an elevator to the penthouse, and is home to a variety of businesses, including:

The Lone Wanderer's suite shares a balcony with Allistair Tenpenny's, who can sometimes be found there, hunting with his sniper rifle.

While it is possible to steal from the safes and cash boxes of the store owners, doing so causes the store owners to complain about security and leave, meaning the player character can no longer barter with them. However, the player character can follow them outside Tenpenny Tower and kill them for their inventory keys without making the other residents hostile.

Inhabitants[]

Notable loot[]

Related quests[]

Notes[]

  • A penthouse suite becomes available to the Lone Wanderer if they assist Mister Burke in detonating the atomic bomb at Megaton during the quest the Power of the Atom.
  • If the player character is on the You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head quest and they successfully negotiate with Alistair Tenpenny allowing ghouls to live in Tenpenny Tower alongside humans, immediately after confirming the deal, the former quest will update with the quest step to inform Crowley that Tenpenny is dead.
  • Returning to Tenpenny Tower sometime after completing the quest of the same name in favor of the ghouls, the Lone Wanderer will notice that all the occupants are now ghouls. When questioning Roy and his people about this, it is found out that they killed all of the human tenants because of a "misunderstanding." Roy additionally claims that they all had it coming and that no one is innocent in the wasteland. Michael Masters also tells the Lone Wanderer to ignore the smell coming from the basement. In the basement is a feral ghoul among the dead bodies of the former residents, robbed of their clothing and possessions.
    • Siding with Roy Phillips in the Tenpenny Tower quest results in the tower becoming the second ghoul-only settlement in the Capital Wasteland, the other being Underworld.
  • Following Roy into Tenpenny Tower after equipping the ghoul mask will allow the Lone Wanderer to see the wrecked version of the tower, as well as feral ghouls, attacking the humans.
  • After completing Broken Steel, raiders outside Tenpenny Tower will try to ambush Brotherhood of Steel members transporting water (one has a Gatling laser). They will respawn every 3 days.
  • Mister Burke will live at Tenpenny Tower even after the ghouls move in, if he has not been killed during The Power of the Atom.
  • Asking for the gate to the building to be opened through the intercom and then fast traveling may cause the gate to stay open, eliminating the need to open it every time the tower is visited.
  • Even if all the humans are killed and the ghouls move in, a Tenpenny guard will still answer the intercom, even though there is nobody there to answer it.
  • It is possible to fast travel from the balcony area.
  • The tower is one of the tallest buildings in Fallout 3. The lobby is also unique for having its own music.
    • Reloading a save inside the lobby will cause the music to no longer be playing. Exiting and re-entering the lobby will cause it to resume.
  • Although he is a self-proclaimed friend to ghouls, and seemingly non-hostile, Herbert Dashwood will still be killed after letting the ghouls live in Tenpenny Tower.
  • It is possible to survive a jump from the side of the building; if one uses V.A.T.S. with a melee weapon on an enemy at the bottom, it will teleport them to the ground, and they will take no damage.
  • After the player character kills Chief Gustavo and grabs his Tenpenny armament key, or after the completion of the Tenpenny Tower quest (unconfirmed which side), taking anything from the armament locker does not give any negative Karma. [verification needed]
  • The pool table located in the Federalist Lounge is almost perfectly clean, which is a rare thing to come across in the Capital Wasteland.
  • The ghoul Michael Masters used to vacation here before the Great War.

Appearances[]

Tenpenny Tower appears only in Fallout 3 but a picture of it and a man standing in front of it can be found in the Tops casino in Fallout: New Vegas. This picture also appears in a room on the top floor of the REPCONN test site.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Tenpenny Tower was designed by artist Nathan Purkeypile.[5]
  • In an interview with 1UP.com, Emil Pagliarulo confirmed that Tenpenny Tower was slightly inspired by Fiddler's Green: the skyscraper in George Romero's Land of the Dead.[Non-game 1]
  • In one of the hallways in the third floor suites is a tricycle, which a reference to the infamous "come play with us" scene from The Shining.

Bugs[]

  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 On rare occasions if you go onto the back of the balcony and aim at the door, you will see a gray, green, and white flashing, mainly caused by a glitch in the game's coding. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 It is possible to get the front gate of Tenpenny Tower to remain open indefinitely by fast-traveling away while it's in the process of opening. This helps save a few seconds on subsequent visits to the location. However you must be quick about it. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you mezz and collar the main gate guard, he will no longer open the door and the game will freeze. This will also occur if the guard is killed on his way to Paradise Falls. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 When exiting your Tenpenny Tower suite onto the balcony, the player may drop dead after a short (2-3 minutes) wait. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 If Fawkes is following you when entering the generator room from the lobby, he will not appear beside you as you spawn on the other side but instead will spawn in the room beyond the locked door at the bottom of the stairs where the feral ghouls wait after you unlock the exterior basement door outside Tenpenny Tower. When you descend the stairs he will slowly slide through the door to join you. If you have already entered the basement using the key but did not yet unlock the door for the feral ghouls, you can use this glitch to have Fawkes spawn in the room where he will attack the feral ghouls. This has no effect on the outcome of the Tenpenny Tower quest as the tower will still be overrun by feral ghouls after unlocking the door. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Residents in Tenpenny Tower will not spawn and may not reappear after days or may never reappear. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 If the player has the Tenpenny Tower quest, and kills all the residents of the tower, then goes through the outside entrance to the Metro access and Generator inside, the player can talk to Roy Phillips through the wall. However, it is not possible to enter through that area. If the player tells Roy that all the residents have been killed and leaves the Metro access and Generator, you find him standing at the doors to Tenpenny Tower. The player can talk to him, however he will not give the player the ghoul mask as promised in the deal. If the player tries to go inside Tenpenny Tower again, they will be attacked by a feral ghoul near the entrance. This makes all the ghouls attack you, including Phillips. Also, Roy will not have the mask on his body if killed. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Although rare, Roy Phillips may become hostile to the Lone Wanderer at any time during the Tenpenny Tower quest for no apparent reason. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Sometimes a wastelander will spawn inside the Tenpenny Tower walls. He will remain near the security quarters walking around and speaking to the guards as if he was supposed to be in there. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Rarely, if you convince the residents to either accept the ghouls moving in or the resident themselves moving out, after completing the quest a glitch will happen. All of the residents, including Tenpenny himself, and all of the ghouls including Roy will be missing. The tower will be empty except for the robot bartender. There's no known way to fix this, the residents may or may not reappear. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 At midnight, if you pickpocket Mister Burke, get caught, then get him to follow you into Tenpenny's suite, you can kill Mister Burke and Tenpenny without notice. Because of guards checking everywhere but the bathroom, you can put them both in Tenpenny's bath so the guard doesn't notice. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 If you go out onto the balcony and jump off, then open your Pip-Boy right before hitting the ground, you will still hit the ground and die. Then the game will freeze for about 10-30 seconds before playing the death music, then the screen goes black halfway through the music and the music stops at halfway too. The screen will stay black for a couple seconds before opening the start screen. Instead of opening the last save, it opens the page where you select continue or load. If you load it as normal, it will open the last save as normal. [verified]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. The Lone Wanderer: "What's it like living at Tenpenny Tower?"
    Michael Masters: "It's weird actually. I used to vacation here before the bombs dropped. Used to be a resort for the wealthy and powerful. I never thought I'd be the one fighting to get in here. Guess way back it used to be a plantation. Ironic isn't it?"
    (Michael Masters' dialogue)
  2. Fallout 3 loading screen: "Tenpenny Tower is the brainchild of Allistair Tenpenny, a British refugee who came to the Capital Wasteland seeking his fortune."
  3. The Lone Wanderer: "Tell me about yourself, Mr. Tenpenny."
    Allistair Tenpenny: "It's impolite for a gentleman to talk about himself. But I'd hope this magnificent tower would speak volumes."
    The Lone Wanderer: "Indeed! I'm extremely impressed!"
    Allistair Tenpenny: "Righto! When I saw this place jutting up out of the horizon, I knew what I had to do! I hired some muscle and we got this place fixed up right quick. I had the great fortune to run into Mr. Burke, an absolute gem of a man. He certainly has a way of getting done what needs to get done, doesn't he? Then it was a matter of getting the right type of tenants with the right type of assets, and the rest is, as they say, history."
    (Allistair Tenpenny's dialogue)
  4. The Lone Wanderer: "What can you tell me about the basement of Tenpenny Tower?"
    Gustavo: "You mean the generator room? What the hell do you need to know about that for? That area is strictly off limits."
    The Lone Wanderer: "Touchy subject, huh? What the matter, hiding some kind of big secret?"
    Gustavo: "There's no secret. It's just a sensitive area we don't need idiots and assholes screwing around in. There's an emergency entrance to the tunnels, you know for when the bombs fell. We siphon power from the Metro grid to keep our generators running. But I've got better things to do than play tour guide, so unless there's some kind of emergency, this conversation's over."
    (Chief Gustavo's dialogue)
  5. Former Bethesda lead artist discusses working on ‘Skyrim’ and the ‘Fallout’ series

Non-game

  1. Emil Pagliarulo, "Fallout 3 Afterthoughts" on 1UP.com: "Tenpenny Tower was slightly inspired by Fiddler's Green, the skyscraper in George Romero's Land of the Dead. But it was also an opportunity to introduce another character from outside the U.S. Allistair Tenpenny came to the Capital Wasteland from Great Britain to seek his fortune, so that alone tells you that the U.K. was also hit in the war. And if he came to U.S. to succeed, that says a lot about how screwed up Europe must be. So we just allude, a little bit, to the state of the rest of the world. We like to leave a lot to the players' imaginations, and somebody like Tenpenny serves as a catalyst for those thoughts."
Tenpenny Tower
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