Minefield

Minefield, formerly known as Ridgefield, is a location in the Capital Wasteland .
==Background==
Before the Great War, the isolated township of Ridgefield was a quiet community nestled into the hillside, far away from any major roads. Over a century after the nuclear apocalypse, a tribe of military survivors found the mostly intact town ruins while traveling from the north. Realizing the value of having a defensible, hidden location, they decided to make it their own.Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.332: "3.09: MINEFIELD (LAT 04/LONG 14)Before the bombs fell, the isolated township of Ridgefield was a quiet community nestled into the hillside and far from major roads. More than a century later, a tribe of military survivors stumbled across it while traveling from the north. They quickly realized the value of a defensible, hidden location and made it their own. Now no one goes to Ridgefield anymore, and the ghost town is known only as "Minefield." People swear that it's haunted by the last survivor's ghost. Arkansas is the "ghost" in question; he may be old, but he's still a crack sniper, and he's holed up in the ruined concrete building at the town's north end. Sneak down from the Water Tower [2.O], as this has the least number of Mines to worry about. There are dozens dotted around the entire area; deactivate them and cover the ground very slowly."(Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Tour of the Capital Wasteland) This was not to last.
Sometime prior to 2277, the slavers of Paradise Falls discovered the community that had sprung up in Ridgefield, and they conspired to raid it for captures. The subsequent raid resulted in the enslavement of every member of the tribe except for a single survivor, a small boy by the name of Arkansas. Having managed to remain undetected, he swore revenge against the slavers. In preparation for his plan, Arkansas trained himself to use a sniper rifle and filled the town ruins with land mines. When the time came, he spread rumors that a new group of inhabitants had started living in Ridgefield, knowing it would get back to the slavers at Paradise Falls, and then he waited.
When the slavers came to raid the town, they discovered that not only was the town deserted, but that it was a steel trap meant for them, as Arkansas opened fire on the slavers, some dying to bullets, others to frag mine explosions, resulting in most of the slavers' deaths and those who survived ceasing all slaving raids on the town from then on. The town became known as a ghost town avoided by all thanks to its reputation for being haunted, cursed and full of explosives. Traders eventually gave it a new name, "Minefield," and its sole inhabitant Arkansas still shuffles around guarding the place despite his advanced age; even as an old man, he's still a crack shot when it comes to shooting slavers and raiders.
In that same year, the ruins would be visited by the Lone Wanderer, seeking to study the design of landmines for contribution to the creation of the Wasteland Survival Guide by Moira Brown in Megaton.Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.61: "ArkansasThe last of the military survivors who made Minefield their town, Arkansas was a small boy when the Slavers first came and captured nearly all of the tribe, but they never found him. Swearing revenge, he spread rumors of a new band of inhabitants and set a trap for the Slavers. When the Slavers came to raid the town again, they were harried by a hidden sniper and decimated by landmines. The Slavers took heavy losses that day and never came back. Now an old man, Arkansas still shuffles around this place."(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)The Lone Wanderer: "Let's hear more about the landmines."Moira Brown: "Landmines are one of the few dangers out there that you can profit from. Disarm one before it blows, and you can sell it for plenty of caps. I've heard stories about a ghost town that's just full of mines. Traders just call the place "Minefield." Sounds like the place for some fieldwork! Get in there, get back, and tell me all about it. And could you bring back a mine for my studies?"The Lone Wanderer: "I'll head into Minefield. Wish me luck."Moira Brown: "Oh, don't worry. No one ever goes there because they say it's a ghost town. And since ghosts don't exist, you can just focus on the landmines. I hear there's a playground in the middle of the town. Reach that point and come back, and I'm sure you'll have some stories to tell!"The Lone Wanderer: "Let's talk about Minefield..."Moira Brown: "How are those hot little potatoes? Anyway, what's up?"The Lone Wanderer: "What do you know about Minefield?"Moira Brown: " "(Moira Brown's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "I haven't been to Minefield yet. Hold on."Moira Brown: "It's not just because they say the place is haunted, is it? Because that's no reason to avoid the place. Ghosts don't exist. But landmines do. Oh boy, do they. And that's what we need to study!"(Moira Brown's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "That whole place is a deathtrap."Moira Brown: "Lots of places are, nowadays. Good work staying staying alive in tough conditions - it'll be a great example for the book! I know you may not want to see any more explosives for a while, but obviously you know your way around them. Have a couple rainy-day toys of mine. And looking at this landmine, it gives me an idea. It's a terrible device that does terrible things, of course. But it's easy to make your own, too."(Moira Brown's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "That whole town is a trap. There was a sniper out there, just waiting for me."Moira Brown: "Not quite as much of a ghost town as they say, is it? Good work staying calm and collected under pressure - it'll be a great example for the book! I know you may not want to see any more explosives for a while, but obviously you know your way around them. Have a couple rainy-day toys of mine. And looking at this landmine, it gives me an idea. It's a terrible device that does terrible things, of course. But it's easy to make your own, too."(Moira Brown's dialogue)Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.332: "3.09: MINEFIELD (LAT 04/LONG 14)Before the bombs fell, the isolated township of Ridgefield was a quiet community nestled into the hillside and far from major roads. More than a century later, a tribe of military survivors stumbled across it while traveling from the north. They quickly realized the value of a defensible, hidden location and made it their own. Now no one goes to Ridgefield anymore, and the ghost town is known only as "Minefield." People swear that it's haunted by the last survivor's ghost. Arkansas is the "ghost" in question; he may be old, but he's still a crack sniper, and he's holed up in the ruined concrete building at the town's north end. Sneak down from the Water Tower [2.O], as this has the least number of Mines to worry about. There are dozens dotted around the entire area; deactivate them and cover the ground very slowly."(Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Tour of the Capital Wasteland)Wasteland Survival Guide (quest) Paradise Falls, meanwhile did not forget about Arkansas and the blood of its slavers that he shed at Minefield, although they would never directly attempt to capture him. Instead, Eulogy Jones declared him a "VIP target" and Grouse looked for anyone he could con into capturing Arkansas for him.Events of Strictly Business
==Layout==
Situated west-southwest of the Temple of the Union and northeast of Big Town, Minefield consists of half a dozen houses (four of which are accessible) built around a curving road, with a playground in the middle between the road. Frag mines are situated on the road, as well as in other parts of the area. The sole permanent resident, Arkansas, is situated near four ammunition boxes on the top level of a partially-destroyed building overlooking the road from the north.
The settlement has four explorable houses: Benson house, Gibson house, Gillian house and Zane house, all of which contain valuable loot, including pre-War books, medical supplies and an R91 assault rifle. Their interiors follow the same basic plan as the houses in Tranquility Lane and Andale.
Each home contains an Easy-locked safe. In the Benson and Gibson houses, the safes are behind an upstairs dresser and contain pre-War money, ammunition and occasionally a Stealth Boy. In the Gillian house, the safe is upstairs under the double bed, while in the Zane house, it is behind the dresser in the first-floor office. All houses contain at least one pre-War book and one skill book.
==Notable loot==
==Related quests==
* Wasteland Survival Guide: Moira wants the Lone Wanderer to study the design of a land mine to add to her survival guide, and tells them about Minefield along with the warning that it's apparently haunted by "a ghost" that attacks anyone who goes there.
* Strictly Business: Grouse has a list of four "VIP targets" for enslavement and the Minefield sniper, Arkansas, is one of them due to his history of deadly violence against the slavers.
==Notes==
* A "Type A" random encounter occurs at the water tower on the ridge north of the town.
* Approaching cars triggers a script, causing shots to be fired at them (as if Arkansas was the shooter), which in turn makes them explode. This scripted effect will occur even if the player character remains undetected with a Sneak skill of 100. After a car explodes, re-approaching it will causes shots to be fired at it again. If the player character kills Arkansas from afar however, the scripted event will not take place.
* To the northeast, halfway to the Temple of the Union is the unmarked location The Roach King's throne.
* It is possible to permanently lose caravan merchants here if one is not careful. Merchants can arrive and be encountered outside the Gillian house. If the player character sticks around, the merchant along with brahmin and guard will begin to travel down the street, eventually dying from mines.
==Appearances==
Minefield appears only .
==Behind the scenes==
* The names of the houses in Minefield are references to the Hideo Kojima game Snatcher.Joel Burgess on Twitter
* In the Capitol Post building in L'Enfant Plaza, the decapitated body of Gibson sitting with his head between his legs can be found, with a note on it that says "SEARCH THE HOUSE." This is identical to a scene in Snatcher. The house in the game also had a miniature house model. "Gibson" refers to Jean Jack Gibson, a character from Snatcher. Gillian's house refers to Gillian Seed, the protagonist of Snatcher. Benson is the name of two characters from the game as well (either Benson Cunningham the chief or Harry Benson the engineer). The name of the last house, Zane, however, is not used in Snatcher.
==Gallery==
Minefield arkansas traps.jpg|Minefield in the G.E.C.K. -- walking into red areas cause Arkansas to shoot cars, mines or other objects if he is present (even if he is not hostile).
Sniper Nest.jpg|Arkansas' sniper nest
FO3 PI Minefield.jpg|Zane house - Larger teddy bear with a Pugilism Illustrated
Frag mine minefield NC.jpg|Armed frag mines
Frag mine minefield SC.jpg|frag mines
Frag mine minefield SW.jpg|Frag mines
Frag mine minefield NW.jpg|Frag mines
Frag mine minefield NE.jpg|Frag mines
Frag mine minefield SE.jpg|Frag mines
Frag mines7 Minefield.jpg|Frag mines
==References==
Category:Fallout 3 locations
 
de:Minefield
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it:Minefield
pl:Pole Minowe
ru:Минное поле
uk:Мінне поле
zh:雷區