New Reno, nicknamed "The Biggest Little City in the World," is a post-War city built upon the ruins of the pre-War city of Reno in the former American state of Nevada and is a location in Fallout 2.
Overview[]
The capital of sin, prominently known for its casinos, such as the Shark Club and the Desperado, and total freedom with an abundance of prostitutes, alcohol and drugs. New Reno is home to the Golden Globes studio, the Jungle Gym and the Cat's Paw brothel. There is also a substantial weapons outfitter dubbed New Reno Arms. The town in 2241 is run by four different families: the Mordinos, the Bishops, the Wrights and the Salvatores. By 2281, all of the original families more or less retain their power with the exception of the Salvatores and Mordinos. The city is now run mostly by the Wrights, while also being contested by a new crime family, the Van Graffs.[5][6]
New Reno has no official government or police force. The families generally keep order and make the city safe for tourists from the wastes, sending any troublemakers who disrupt the tourist trade to Golgotha, a burial site nearby. Tourists are eager to partake in the gambling, prostitution and drug usage, particularly jet, which was developed near New Reno in the Stables by boy-genius Myron. Jet is distributed from family supported dealers and independent people alike such as Jagged Jimmy J.[1]
New Reno also acts as a major trading partner in the Big Circle brahmin trade, as well as being a major recipient of goods from The Den and slaves or chemicals from Vault City caravans. It also maintains direct trade relations with Vault City, trading Redding gold ore for medical supplies.[1] However, its primary export is entertainment: most drugs and alcohol in New California come from Reno drug labs. The drug trade was dominated by the Mordino family that also controlled most of the prostitutes in New Reno around 2241,[7] while alcohol was the domain of the Wright family.[8]
History[]
Even before the Great War, Reno already had the reputation of offering all manner of vice. Isolated and partially shielded by mountains, Reno survived the Great War with little structural damage during the conflict (though looting and property damage have taken their toll), allowing it to be reborn as New Reno.[Non-game 1] It has remained out of the affairs of the south in the 22nd century, though the flight of Unity remnants northwards has left its mark as they passed through Reno. This has led to a lasting enmity from the ruling families towards mutants.[9]
By the 23rd century, New Reno was the largest populated area in Northern California. If it wasn't for the constant feuding between the four families that vie for control of the city, New Reno would have carved an empire out of the sands long ago. However, too many people and too few resources set the stage for an age-old power struggle. It left precious little room for neutrals and most Reno denizens ended up becoming a Made Man, a member of one of the families that controlled the city, just to survive.[1][Non-game 1][Non-game 2]
In 2241, the Mordinos and the Bishops were the most influential families in New Reno. The city became a key player in the struggle for control over the territory of Northern California. The geopolitical struggle centered around the town of Redding, the primary supplier of gold ore in the region. When the NCR switched to dollars as currency, backing them with gold, the mining city became the key to trade in the entirety of New California. Whoever controlled the supply of gold would effectively control the currency. Redding was lucky enough to remain far away enough to make military takeover uneconomical. The three powers instead decided to make the city align with them through agents operating in the city, either plants (Painless Doc Johnson from Vault City) or voluntary supporters (Marge LeBarge was for the NCR and Dan McGrew opted for Reno.)[10]
The families had other plans. The Mordinos wanted to establish themselves as an independent power by controlling all trade in Northern California. Their plan involved enslaving the miners by proxy. To achieve this, they employed the young and obnoxious, but also incredibly talented, chemist Myron. In January, the first batches of Jet, a designer drug created by Myron, began to arrive in Redding as part of that plan: Control through drugs.[Non-game 3] The Mordinos seem to have harnessed Vault City for this endeavor, indirectly: In exchange for slaves, the Den's slaver guild would buy raw chemicals in bulk, which would then be sold to New Reno for a profit - and supporting the Mordino drug empire.[11] When Vault City rejected an offer to ally with them and the NCR in February,[Non-game 4] the Bishops were responsible for designing a campaign of attacks designed to bully the city into the alliance beginning a month later.[Non-game 5] The Bishops were one of the most active families in other aspects as well: Their investment in infrastructure managed even to restore some old telephone lines too.[12][13] The Salvatores also betted on help from a strong organization from the outside, and made a top secret deal with the Enclave, giving them critical chemicals necessary to develop and manufacture FEV Curling-13 in exchange for a supply of low-grade laser weapons, which gave them a considerable advantage in firepower over the other families.[14][15][16]
The struggle was ultimately resolved following the destruction of the Enclave Oil Rig, but neither in the Salvatores nor the Mordinos' favor. Without the Enclave's backing, and the technological edge it had given them, the former did not survive for long, while the financial power of the latter suffered a critical blow with the discovery of a cure for Jet addiction. The death of their boy genius Myron in 2242 completely broke the Mordinos' strength, and the family faded into obscurity over the next couple of decades. Their holdings were seized by the other families and their members became slavers or joined up with their rivals.[17][18][5] The Wrights and Bishops became the leading crime families, with John Bishop successfully inducting the city as an ally of the New California Republic.[19] Leadership of the Bishop family would pass to the illegitimate child of the Chosen One, who became known as a feared and dangerous man who knew the wasteland "like the back of his hand" and liked to wander it.[20] Mr. Bishop in turn had a daughter who became involved in a tryst with singer Bruce Isaac, who fled to Novac in the Mojave Wasteland to avoid Mr. Bishop's wrath.[6]
However, the stable situation in the city did not last. The Van Graffs expanded their business into New Reno, clashing with the Wrights. The two crime families fight for dominance over the city, as the Bishops continue to operate in the background, aligned with the NCR. The emergence of New Vegas and the Strip in 2274 has also created competition for the capital of vice.[5][Non-game 6]
Layout[]
Found fifteen squares east and sixteen squares south of Arroyo, New Reno is divided into four districts, and one outside section.
← | → | |||
↑ | ||||
Virgin Street | → |
Virgin Street[]
Virgin Street is the entrance of New Reno with the old Reno sign, advertising "The Biggest Little City in the World." Jules stands here, giving newcomers and tourists some global information on New Reno. Interesting places include the illustrious Cat's Paw brothel and on the northern end of the street, the Desperado casino, the Mordino family headquarters.
Second Street[]
The middle part of New Reno, and the location of two other families. It contains the boxing club Jungle Gym, the pornography studio Golden Globes, the Shark Club, the Bishop family headquarters and the Salvatore's Bar, the Salvatore family headquarters.
East Side[]
The eastern part of New Reno and the headquarters of the Wright family. The entire area is predominately controlled by the Wrights, including their mansion and the railway station north of it, and almost all dwellers there were members of the family.
West Side[]
This district is the western part of New Reno, also known as the Commercial Row. It remains under Salvatore family protection, but due to the presence of New Reno Arms, the main weapons shop of New Reno, all mobsters are welcome, so long as they behave themselves. Out of it, other important locations here include the Renesco pharmacy, a drug store and the Drunk Cupid Chapel, the chapel of Father Tully, an alcoholic priest.
Chop Shop[]
This location is only accessible once the Chosen One has acquired the Highwayman and it has been stolen while parked. It only contains the Chop Shop, managed by T-Ray and works with his band of mechanics for Mr. Bishop, where they remove fuel cells and batteries from derelict cars and sell them for profit.
Buildings[]
Inhabitants[]
Virgin Street[]
Img | Name | Dialogue file | Description | Clothing | Proto | Location | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Big Jesus Mordino | NcBigJes.msg | Head of the Mordino family. | Gray old outfit Combat leather jacket |
00000406 00000273 |
Virgin Street | |||||
Cody | NCCODY.MSG | Orphan. | Kid outfit | 00000052 | Virgin Street | |||||
Lil' Jesus Mordino | NcLilJes.msg | Son of Big Jesus Mordino. | Leather jacket | 00000405 | Virgin Street | |||||
Miss Kitty | NcKitty.msg | Owner of the Cat's Paw brothel. | Nice lady outfit | 00000446 | Virgin Street | |||||
Jules | NcJules.msg | Greeter. | Red outfit | 00000454 | Virgin Street | |||||
Pretty Boy Lloyd | NcLloyd.msg NtLydRom.msg |
Fugitive. | Farmer outfit | 00000265 | Virgin Street | |||||
Sheb | NcSheb.msg | Cat's Paw brothel advertiser. | Farmer outfit | 00000065 | Virgin Street |
Second Street[]
New Reno West Side[]
Img | Name | Dialogue file | Description | Clothing | Proto | Location | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algernon | NCALGERN.MSG | Savant in New Reno Arms' basement. | Loser outfit | 00000457 | New Reno West Side | |||||
Buck | 00000082 | New Reno West Side | ||||||||
Eldridge | NcEldrid.msg | Weapons dealer in the New Reno Arms. | Torn old outfit | 00000452 | New Reno West Side | |||||
Father Tully | NCFTULLY.MSG | Alcoholic priest of Drunk Cupid Chapel. | Brown robe | 00000437 | New Reno West Side | |||||
Missy | 00000082 | New Reno West Side | ||||||||
Packard | 00000082 | New Reno West Side | ||||||||
Renesco | NcRenesc.msg | Runs Renesco's Pharmacy. | Doctor outfit | 00000450 | New Reno West Side |
New Reno East Side and Chop Shop[]
Img | Name | Dialogue file | Description | Clothing | Proto | Location | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christopher Wright | NcChrWri.msg NcChiWri.msg |
Son of Orville. | Leather jacket | 00000414 | New Reno East Side | |||||
Ethyl Wright | NCETHWRI.MSG | Wife of Orville. | Farmer outfit | 00000413 | New Reno East Side | |||||
Keith Wright | NcKeiWri.msg | Orville's son and right-hand man. | Farmer outfit | 00000415 | New Reno East Side | |||||
Orville Wright | NcOrvill.msg | Head of the Wright family. | Red old outfit | 00000412 | New Reno East Side | |||||
T-Ray | NcTRay.msg | Leader of the Chop Shop. | Red outfit | 00000454 | Chop Shop |
Cut content | |||
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Barking man | Darlin' Nikki | Rico | Three-Card Monte |
Mentioned only | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mary Mordino | Mike Wright | Richard Wright | Sam Pritchard | Tommy the Balls |
Related quests[]
Notes[]
- New Reno is a trading location for the Happy Trails Caravan Company in 2281.[21]
- Clayton Ettienne, Mags and Stella of Fallout: New Vegas grew up in New Reno.[5][22][23]
- The Courier can mention having visited the Shark Club in New Reno in their past.[24]
- New Reno has working phones.[12][13]
- Causing havoc in the streets can earn the player "idolized" reputation in New Reno.
- Billy Knight mentions New Reno in his standup routine.[25]
Vault City travel log[]
- New Reno: City southwest of Vault City. Trades gold ore for medical supplies from Vault City. Reno suffered little structural damage during the war (though looting and property damage have taken their toll), so many streets and buildings remain intact. Warning! There is no central government and no law enforcement. Gambling, prostitution, and drug use are rampant. Vault Citizens are warned to avoid New Reno at ALL costs!
- Population: No current census, but believed to be several thousand..."people."
- Government: New Reno presently exists in a state of near-anarchy. According to reports, several "crime families" have divided the city amongst themselves.
- Background radiation count: Current readings are unavailable.
- Mutation rate: Unknown, believed low.”— Vault City travel log
Notable quotes about New Reno[]
- "The biggest little town in the world. Trashcan fires and neon signs bathe the city in a hellish glow." – New Reno description, Fallout 2
- "Judging from the crowd in the casino, looks like more human sewage has washed into Reno..." – Leslie Anne Bishop
- "Imagine New Vegas if there was no Mr. House-type fella keeping the peace, then give everybody a gun and a Jet addiction. Town's run by a bunch of crime families, no law to speak of. Make trouble, and you wind up buried in Golgotha, outside town. The scuzz factor's off the charts. Non-stop whoring and drugs. Couldn't walk down the street without getting asked to star in a porn movie." – Stella
Appearances[]
New Reno appears in Fallout 2, and is mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas and its add-ons Honest Hearts and Lonesome Road.
Behind the scenes[]
- New Reno is based on the real-world Reno, Nevada, which predominantly features gambling tourism and has the tagline "The Biggest Little City in the World."
- New Reno, as it appears in Fallout 2 was primarily designed by Chris Avellone and Tom French.[26] Avellone took over production after developers who would form Troika Games left halfway through production, and Avellone was one of the developers pressed by Feargus Urquhart into completing the game. Avellone was working on Planescape: Torment at the time and was juggling responsibilities, which he describes as a "pretty brutal" experience. He worked on special encounters, New Reno, Vault City, and the raider cave in total. For Reno, Avellone received a 1.5 page summary left from the previous team, which contained the broad strokes for the location (four crime families, events that needed to happen, such as getting Myron, finding the source of Jet, Enclave foreshadowing etc.) and he started from there. One of the principles he stuck with was making sure each character build had something to do in the town, which was a lot of work. At the same time, he also learned a lot about scripting and laying out dialogues, which then translated into Torment.[27]
- New Reno appears to have been one of the locations that was closest to completion by the time the press pack was compiled, as the screenshots have only minor differences: The railway station is missing a single junked newspaper machine, while the New Reno sign is only surrounded by less junk and clutter.
Gallery[]
References[]
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Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.156: "Isolated and partially shielded by mountains, Reno survived the apocalypse in enough of one piece to be rebuilt as New Reno. Now the dons of the city have made Reno more important and more powerful than it ever was in the beforetimes. In fact, the only thing that threatens New Reno are the groups vying for power within the city itself. New Reno maintains its pre-War reputation for offering all manner of vice, but the dueling for control of the city by its four powerful families makes it more dangerous than ever."
- ↑ Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p. 155: "New Reno is the largest populated area in the Wastes. If it wasn't for the constant feuding between the four families that vie for control of the city, New Reno would have carved an empire out of the sands long ago. Too many people and too few resources set the stage for an age-old power struggle. Precious little room is left for neutrals in New Reno these days. The best that mankind has to offer as well as the very worst are yours for the taking in the big city. When in New Reno, do as the New Reno ans do. In the "Biggest Little City in the World" that means becoming a Made Man, a member, of one of the families that control the city. Be warned though, that when you commit your loyalties to one family, by doing jobs for them, the other families in town are no longer going to treat you as a neutral. You've already shown your loyalties, just better be certain it's to the winning side. Only the dead are truly neutral in New Reno, make sure you remember that. The more things change, the more they stay the same."
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0 Timeline repair: Second strike: "2241 January The first samples of Jet begin to arrive in Redding, courtesy of the Mordino family."
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0: "2241 February Vault City rejects offers of an alliance with both the Bishop family of New Reno and NCR."
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0 Timeline repair: Second strike: "2241 March Raider attacks on caravans to Vault City begin."
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 42: "Base of Operations: Westside [Zone 2A]":
"The residents of the fortified Westside Zone have a small, but tight-knit community based around growing crops for themselves, and to sell to travelers and larger Factions. Currently embroiled in tense negotiations with the NCR regarding the siphoning of their water supplies, the Westside Co-op features a motley band of folk, including an escapee from New Reno named Clayton Etienne, and a Follower of the Apocalypse called Tom Anderson, who is single-minded in his defense of this operation."
(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles)
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