Special meetings
In Fallout 2, for example, there were so-called "chance encounters." Depending on the star alignment in the post-nuclear sky, the player had the chance to enjoy unique dialogues, visit special locations, and so on. The third game in the series also featured some pleasant random encounters. The most interesting ones will be discussed below. It's worth noting that this article contains some quest spoilers.
1. Uncle Leo. A friendly super mutant encountered in the Capital Wasteland. His own kin wanted to kill him for the betrayal he committed. Leo refused to participate in the super mutants' bloody massacres.
You can have a brief conversation with him and learn the aforementioned reason for his exile. As a gift for the hero not killing him outright, Leo can give you a pre-war business suit, as he has nothing else. If you try to attack him, he will turn and run.
But that's not all. You can meet Uncle Leo at least once more. During the second meeting, he will tell you that during his travels, he discovered a basement with a huge amount of purified water. But after escaping the dungeon with the water, he was attacked by marauders and was forced to abandon all the water to save himself.
2. Amata. A random event involving the Vault 101 Overseer's daughter also occurs at a certain completion of the quest "Trouble on the Home Front." If you sabotaged the Vault's communications, driving its population into the Wasteland, there's a chance the player will find Amata in one of the Enclave's field camps. A group of neutral soldiers and an officer will interrogate her. The officer will ask questions about the Pip-Boy and the location of the Vault, and then order Amata's death. The player can save her, but there will be no reward. The girl will simply reply, "It's your fault!"
3. Freddy Gomez. If you've completed the above conditions (solving the quest "Trouble on the Home Front" using the same method), Freddy Gomez's body from Vault 101 can be found along with the corpse of a radscorpion.
Besides Freddy, you can also meet other members of the Tunnel Snakes, with the exception of Butch.
4. Ben Canning. A wastelander who can be found anywhere. Ben is dying of thirst and asks for a gift of clean or dirty water. If you accept, you'll receive a boost of karma and may later see him in a trade caravan. He'll verbally thank you for your help.
5. Donovan of Reilly's Rangers. After completing the quest "Reilly's Rangers," the hero can encounter technician Donovan fighting three super mutants. If you help him, you'll receive a Fat Man charge as a gift.
6. Lazlow Redford. A hostile wastelander armed with a railway rifle.
7. Mel. A guy who will try to rob the protagonist. He's armed with a sawed-off shotgun with no ammo. A character with high perception might ironically note that the gun is unloaded. In any case, Mel won't become hostile and will try to run away from the protagonist. You can kill him, losing some karma.
Mel may be a reference to the film Mad Max, where the main character, played by Mel Gibson, scared people with an unloaded sawed-off shotgun.
8. Sam Warrick. For a long time, I tried to find information about how I had offended Sam Warrick, who appeared near the Supermart almost at the very beginning of the game and chased me all the way to Megaton. As it turns out, he's simply a hostile character with a sniper rifle.
Rumor has it that Sam Warrick will appear alongside Lazlow Redford.
9. Susie Mack. One of the Vault's residents. If you completed the "Trouble on the Home Front" quest by making Amata the Overseer, you can meet Susie Mack in the Wasteland. She'll tell you about the latest events in the Vault and give you a couple of bottles of clean water.
10. Doctor/Junkie from the Wasteland. A dealer in medicines/drugs. Besides selling, the Doctor can also cure the hero. They can be found anywhere.
11. Wasteland Merchant. The hero may encounter a strange man standing still and looking up. If you try to talk to him, he'll say something about the Wasteland's rebirth and then die. You can pick up a note from his body with the coordinates of the Oasis. It's assumed he drank the same drink the hero drinks during the Oasis ceremony.
The merchant's body can be looted for a hat and suit, which increase the Barter skill. The suit also increases inventory by 3.
12. Ten Bottles of Water. In a random location (in my case, it was under the highway near Grayditch), the traveler will find four people sharing a cooler containing 10 bottles of clean water. This dispute can be resolved in various ways, at the player's discretion.
13. Chinese Commando. The Pip-Boy will pick up a signal labeled "Chinese Beacon." After wandering within range for a while, you can find the corpse of a Chinese Commando and loot his suit, which increases the Light Weapons skill.
14. Random encounters with mercenaries. With good or bad karma, you'll be pursued by the Regulators or Talon Company, respectively. Mercenaries are most often found waiting at subway exits and buildings, but you can also encounter them outside of Washington. They usually travel in groups of three or four.
15. Assassins. If you defuse the bomb in Megaton, after some time, your character will encounter assassins hired by Mr. Burke to kill you. They will have a special contract.
Another group of assassins will attack the hero if you overuse the hypnotron. They will be hired by friends of the people sold into slavery.
16. Slave Traders. Four slave traders will attempt to kill you as a competitor. This will happen if you've sold three or more slaves in Paradise Falls.
17. Megaton Refugees. If you destroyed Megaton, there's a chance you'll encounter three hostile city escapees. They managed to escape the explosion and will attack the player.
18. Initiation. Several raiders, standing in a circle, take turns hitting another raider in the center with a baseball bat. If you get close enough, they all attack. With a sufficient Sneak skill, you can sneak up and hear something like: "Pain... Pain is your friend... That's right, you must love pain... Do you think you're good enough?" A similar scene can also be seen anywhere.
19. Gunshot. An explosion thunders overhead and an alien blaster with ammunition falls at your feet. According to players, this event most often occurs near the entrance to the Flooded Metro.
In addition to the above, there are numerous random encounters with residents, marauders, and slavers in the Capital Wasteland. For example, you might encounter a marauder heading to the Big City. The dialogue will vary depending on whether you've completed the "Big Trouble, Big City" quest. Some encounters, under favorable circumstances, can reward you with a schematic, caps, or other pleasant surprises.
Source: www.gamer.ru, SSoHPKC
See also:
Russian map of locations (with bobbleheads)
Fallout 3 World Guide: Equipment
Fallout 3 Guide: Companions (Part 1)