MOD Idea: Returning Mail Service to the Commonwealth

[PoppaSmirk]

As my own game progresses in both the growth/management of settlements and the expansion of new questline goals, I found myself being reminded of a movie (based on a novel) called "The Postman". From the wiki entry is the basic plot of that film, and the idea that has popped into my head on several occasions while playing Fallout4. Quoted and paraphrasing from the Postman movie Wiki Entry: "Like the book, the film follows the story of an unnamed nomadic drifter (played by Kevin Costner) who stumbles across the uniform of an old United States Postal mail carrier uniform and unwittingly inspires hope through an empty promise of a "Restored United States of America". The Postman inspires hope by reconnecting the smaller towns, camps and villages across the wasteland by bringing communication. People are able to send mail to others, to find lost family members, to send kind words, to let others know that they are still alive in the dangerous post-apocalyptic world. As I travel through the Commonwealth, I have found several postman uniforms on corpses.

 

I would like to see a mod come into being that allows my player to become a greater influence on the rebuilding of the Commonwealth by re-establishing a Postal Service. Yes, there are traders that possibly do some of the same service for customers, but a singular organization like "the New Commonwealth Mail Service" - NCMS would be a great quest mod to be added to the game. I can envision it would feature some interaction with Piper in Diamond City...possibly also using some persuasion to get some financial support from the Upper Stands populace (getting them to feel it would be a boost to their snobby status to be part of re-establishing mail service) ..Then there would need to be quest objectives to obtain new postal uniforms for the NCMS. I can envision a two to three stage quest segment to find someone that can make the clothing, and getting something slightly, unusual that might require a trip into a danger area, like maybe ....metal buttons for the Postal Carrier jackets and hats.

 

Then a search for someone to be the first NCMS Postmaster General. While I do enjoy that my Player/Hero is becoming a force for good, I am already the General of the freakin' Minutemen, and think that helping establish good organizations that I will not personally be responsible for tending the day to day operational details ---- is a very good idea. So, finding a Postmaster General would be a great next stage to the quest. The Player Hero will then need to travel around and see if he/she can find someone that has the qualities he/she is looking for in a Postmaster General. Someone conscientious, good with scheduling, with a tenacity to want to make sure that their postal carriers live up to the commonly quoted Mail Carriers motto; “Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet nor dark of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” ----- Although a new version could be included as part of the mail carriers ... swearing in ceremony. Something like... Neither rad rain, nor raiders, or dark of night shall stay these couriers from their appointed rounds. Anyway, finding someone slightly quirky but fun to introduce into the game as an NPC would be great. Maybe asking around brings one or two singular individuals to the Player/Heros attention. One might be associated with the local trade caravans, and another might be somewhat of a hermit that lives near the ruins of the Boston Library (this same person could be revealed as being the individual that stocks the overduebook return vend boxes with caps and prizes). So after getting some nudges toward the possible candidates, the Player Hero then gets to choose one and start the next phase of the quest.

 

Finally, the Player Hero gets to travel to the major settlements and select a person(s) to be a mail carrier. Of course since the Upper Stands citizens of Diamond City gave financial backing, the FIRST mail carrier must come from (and deliver) to and from Diamond City. Which gives the mod a chance to have a 'swearing in ceremony' within Diamond City. This mod would have a lot of chances to create memorable moments in dialogue as well. I can imagine comments from Piper about "Blue, you might just be bringing some of the good of the old world back into the new world." Of course getting vocals from Piper is problematic, so maybe getting a new NPC character created to be part of the mod would be better advised. Maybe create an NPC that ...runs Pipers printing press (or repairs it). So after swearing in the first mail carriers, the Player Hero has one final Main quest responsibility. Placement of the new Mail boxes of the NCMS. Placement of one of these originally textured mailboxes would start that settlement area to receive mail carrier service (which would give a slight bump up in the happiness of that settlement) So from that point on in the game, that settlement would occasionally get a visit from a Mail carrier (not as often as the provisioners, maybe one visit every 3 or 4 days)

 

Anywho, I think this would be a lot of fun with the potential for several other sidebar quests that can become semi-radiant for the Player/Hero.

 

I hope some talented Modder likes this idea and looks forward to making it a reality when the GECK is (hopefully) released soon. Although I don't have much experience in creating mods for Bethesda games, I have done some slight assisting in creating dialogue, and would gladly help by lending writing talents or vocals if needed to make this mod idea come true.

[Ethreon]

So you want someone to make The Postman into a quest/game mechanic? :P

[ThoraldGM]

It's easy to stock mailboxes. I started a mod for care packages, but developed the ramen noodles into a full-fledged food mod (Choice Chopped). Now that the food mod is done, I should finish care packages.

 

I had similar thoughts on finding the dead mailman, but nothing as detailed as yours. I think there should be a crazy old mailman NPC who delivers mail because he doesn't realize the bomb dropped. Thinking of the mailman from Funny Farm, or crazy Ice Cream Carl who wanders around in his ice cream van in Old World Radio Boston.

 

I won't get to mod again until next week, but I'll release care packages then. We need at least one post office and a mailman, like the Skyrim courier mod.

[PoppaSmirk]

It's easy to stock mailboxes. I started a mod for care packages, but developed the ramen noodles into a full-fledged food mod (Choice Chopped). Now that the food mod is done, I should finish care packages.

 

I had similar thoughts on finding the dead mailman, but nothing as detailed as yours. I think there should be a crazy old mailman NPC who delivers mail because he doesn't realize the bomb dropped. Thinking of the mailman from Funny Farm, or crazy Ice Cream Carl who wanders around in his ice cream van in Old World Radio Boston.

 

I won't get to mod again until next week, but I'll release care packages then. We need at least one post office and a mailman, like the Skyrim courier mod.

A quirky NPC Postman could be done, of course he/she would have to be a ghoul character, nobody else...other than the Player/Hero is old enough to know what a Postman is/was. I also thought about the establishment of a central Post Office building, to go along with my fantasies about this idea...lol. For some reason I always think the area near Drumlin Diner should have...something else there, but I also though the conversion of one of the larger Red Rockets (not the settlement) would make a good conversion into a Postal Facility. I really wish we had working motorcycles in the game. That would be the perfect mode of transportation for a Mail Carrier in the Commonwealth. Some speed to get away quickly from some of the more dangerous threats in the Commonwealth.

 

Anyway, glad to see some feedback. Love hearing what others think of the idea.

[zanity]

If you think about it, once you choose the perk that allows you to 'link' settlements, you have already restored a mail service via the 'provsioners' that travel between sites. Given the danger of the world outside formal settlements, any other form of delivery service would make no sense.

 

One could obviously craft new missions from the conceit of imagined letter content, as seen quite a few times in Skyrim.

[ThoraldGM]

Yes. Prewar vs post-war, and logical vs weird. Had the same issue with care packages. Wanted to include wasteland survival mags, but the packages are prewar college mail.

 

The best part of the weird approach is that NPC can have weird motives. Either ghoul who won't let go, or scavver who wants to take up the mantle. Lots more to say but gtg work.

[Gruffydd]

It seems like (in-game, not in a mod) someone's already doing that.

I keep coming across dead postmen who are carrying ​recent letters. I've found multiple postman corpses with multiple undelivered letters per corpse.

Not once, though, have I seen a live postman, or encountered anyone asking about their mail.

 

So, while I would definitely be interested in something to add active postmen to the game world, I wouldn't expect it to be like the novel/movie, where one lone would-be postman changes everything.

[PoppaSmirk]

It seems like (in-game, not in a mod) someone's already doing that.

I keep coming across dead postmen who are carrying ​recent letters. I've found multiple postman corpses with multiple undelivered letters per corpse.

Not once, though, have I seen a live postman, or encountered anyone asking about their mail.

 

So, while I would definitely be interested in something to add active postmen to the game world, I wouldn't expect it to be like the novel/movie, where one lone would-be postman changes everything.

Oh no, for myself the intent was never to 'recreate' the allusions of the novel/movie. But finding the postman uniforms just sparked the idea that in a post-apocalyptic world, it would be a piece of the puzzle toward returning to more of a civilized lifestyle. Right now, in the Commonwealth major communications are carried out in a few formats. Mainly radio, and while there are many radios, I also have gone in to build settlements in areas that had no radios around. There are also newspapers, or one newspaper at least, coming out of Diamond City, but the focus of that newspaper is limited, and bounty boards, which I have seen in only two areas. Now, imagine mail service sending news to all the settlements. It could help start warnings of growing threats like raider groups, or send out sketch drawings of Wanted Men; leaders of Bandit groups. News of sightings of larger threats, like " a new nest of deathclaws have been sighted along the area around Walden Pond".... Just a lot that could be done in sponsoring mini-quests within the game. Mostly I think it would be a morale builder for the people of the Commonwealth. Who doesn't feel warmed when receiving news of the birth of a new child to a relative. Receiving a letter from a brother long thought dead, or getting a letter that says..."I think your birthday is coming soon, I am thinking of you and I love you". LOL, I don't have a clue if the people of the Commonwealth even track time anymore. I haven't heard of a birthday being celebrated since Fallout3, and that was inside a still functioning vault.

 

So, mostly this is just an immersion idea, one that stokes the fires of the imagination just a bit more. One that I found kind of cool and a logical thing for the Player/Hero to help in establishing.

[Ethreon]

 

It seems like (in-game, not in a mod) someone's already doing that.

I keep coming across dead postmen who are carrying ​recent letters. I've found multiple postman corpses with multiple undelivered letters per corpse.

Not once, though, have I seen a live postman, or encountered anyone asking about their mail.

 

So, while I would definitely be interested in something to add active postmen to the game world, I wouldn't expect it to be like the novel/movie, where one lone would-be postman changes everything.

Oh no, for myself the intent was never to 'recreate' the allusions of the novel/movie. But finding the postman uniforms just sparked the idea that in a post-apocalyptic world, it would be a piece of the puzzle toward returning to more of a civilized lifestyle. Right now, in the Commonwealth major communications are carried out in a few formats. Mainly radio, and while there are many radios, I also have gone in to build settlements in areas that had no radios around. There are also newspapers, or one newspaper at least, coming out of Diamond City, but the focus of that newspaper is limited, and bounty boards, which I have seen in only two areas. Now, imagine mail service sending news to all the settlements. It could help start warnings of growing threats like raider groups, or send out sketch drawings of Wanted Men; leaders of Bandit groups. News of sightings of larger threats, like " a new nest of deathclaws have been sighted along the area around Walden Pond".... Just a lot that could be done in sponsoring mini-quests within the game. Mostly I think it would be a morale builder for the people of the Commonwealth. Who doesn't feel warmed when receiving news of the birth of a new child to a relative. Receiving a letter from a brother long thought dead, or getting a letter that says..."I think your birthday is coming soon, I am thinking of you and I love you". LOL, I don't have a clue if the people of the Commonwealth even track time anymore. I haven't heard of a birthday being celebrated since Fallout3, and that was inside a still functioning vault.

 

So, mostly this is just an immersion idea, one that stokes the fires of the imagination just a bit more. One that I found kind of cool and a logical thing for the Player/Hero to help in establishing.

 

Why not, would make for a nice little(or larger) quest mod :)

[Gruffydd]

Some kind of NPC postman like the Skyrim couriers might be interesting, where every so often they track you down to "deliver your mail", which can lead to quests to complete.

Once the GECK is out, having the same postman deliver mail to named people you have in your settlements, with the people reacting to the mail (again potentially leading to quests) would be fun, too.

 

For just basic news, though, I assumed it was being brought with the provisioners, and that it was why (for example) you kept getting messages about settlements being under attack.

 

A neat mod might be, once you have Piper firmly associated with you, to set up a larger office for her paper, and then occasionally have newspaper deliveries to the various settlements that would include "news" that could lead you to more quests.