# Today I had a nerdgasm - Fallout New Vegas **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 9, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103 "2010-11-09T22:53:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/41 "2010-11-11T00:04:07Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > But I think you, myself, **Johnny L.A.** , **Bobotheoptimist** and **Todderbob** are the only people on the boards who actually care. 😉 Or, moreover, can actually even understand what is being discussed on this topic. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/42 "2010-11-11T01:52:44Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Or, moreover, can actually even understand what is being discussed on this topic. 😛 For comparison, I was playing NV the other day and realized: “Wait a second. Are 12 gauge shotgun shells actually bigger than 20 gauge shells?” _looks it up_ “Well, that’s rather convoluted.” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/43 "2010-11-11T03:40:33Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > For comparison, I was playing NV the other day and realized: “Wait a second. Are 12 gauge shotgun shells actually bigger than 20 gauge shells?” _looks it up_ “Well, that’s rather convoluted.” It’s to do with how many shot pellets can be cast from a pound of lead, IIRC- 12 bore (12 gauge) fires a bigger shot pellet (12 to the pound, originally) than a 20 bore shotgun. It makes sense if you’re a firearms enthusiast and shooter, but not so much if your main exposure to firearms is through videogames. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/44 "2010-11-11T12:37:04Z")
Which, as a Brit, it is. I’ve never even touched a real gun. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/45 "2010-11-11T13:02:28Z")
I felt the same way about parts of London and the Nürburgring, based on my exposure from Forza Motorsport and the Project Gotham Racing series… ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/46 "2010-11-12T17:05:23Z")
I suggest Fallout: Des Moines. They could just go downtown on a weekend and know exactly how it will look when it’s devoid of most human life. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/47 "2010-11-12T17:10:27Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > It’s to do with how many shot pellets can be cast from a pound of lead, IIRC- 12 bore (12 gauge) fires a bigger shot pellet (12 to the pound, originally) than a 20 bore shotgun. > > It makes sense if you’re a firearms enthusiast and shooter, but not so much if your main exposure to firearms is through videogames. 😛 Yes. A 12 gauge would have a bore of the size that 12 round balls could be cast to fit it from a pound of lead; 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge follow the same pattern. The exceptions to this include the .410 and a few obsolete European cartridges, like the 9mm rimfire used in rook guns, that are named for their actual bore diameter. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/48 "2010-11-12T19:36:58Z")
How does stopping power and recoil follow? (Or does it) IOW: Which is the bigger gun, at 12 gauge or a 20 gauge? The pellets are smaller, but there’s more of them to be pushed by the powder… ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/49 "2010-11-12T21:52:47Z")
The 12 gauge is the bigger gun. The gauge refers to the size of the bore (hole in the barrel), not the size of the shot (the pellets). So a 12 gauge and a 20 gauge can both use small shot or larger shot but the 12 gauge, because it has a larger bore and can take a larger shell, will have more pellets for any given size of shot and more power. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/50 "2010-11-12T22:38:49Z")
The “standard” calibre for shotguns is generally 12 gauge; then (at least IME) the next most common calibre is .410 (useful for snakes, rats, small birds, etc), then after that it’s a toss-up between 20ga and 16ga, which are reasonably popular with clay target shooters and smaller statured shooters because of the reduced recoil. For example, if I go into pretty much any local gun shop and ask for a “Box of shotgun shells” they’re going to ask me what shot size and then get me a box of 12ga shells. I’d have to specify if I wanted anything else, and there are a few gun shops I’ve been into where they didn’t have anything except 12ga and .410 shells. There is actually a 10ga calibre as well (bigger than 12ga), but I don’t know if it’s still produced in any quantity. The Lever-Action Shotgun in _Fallout: New Vegas_ was actually a 10ga in real life, with 12ga versions coming later. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/51 "2010-11-12T22:58:45Z")
[Pleading]Stop talking about guns!!![/pleading] ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/52 "2010-11-12T23:13:51Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > [Pleading]Stop talking about guns!!![/pleading] Hey, this stuff is educational. Do you have any idea what gun enthusiasts had to go though to learn this info? We had to read books and talk to grizzled old guys who may or may not have been in The War, and pore through 19th century tracts published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and The War Office and try and decipher spidery copperplate handwriting and obscure abbreviations. All you have to do is jump onto the internet, and there’s the info. 😛 In a slightly more serious answer, “Guns” are a big part of F:NV and they have paid rather a lot of attention to them in-game, in a way you have to be a nerd (are there gun nerds? The image doesn’t seem right) to really appreciate. It’d be like complaining about people talking about cars in a _Fast & The Furious_ movie thread. It’s just part of the package. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/53 "2010-11-12T23:38:42Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > I suggest Fallout: Des Moines. They could just go downtown on a weekend and know exactly how it will look when it’s devoid of most human life. 😉 And if you take the “Wild Wasteland” perk, you should be able to find hidden landing strips for gay martians :D. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/54 "2010-11-16T16:51:50Z")
[Why is everyone in the wasteland dressed like a biker?](http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=662) ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/55 "2010-11-16T17:11:04Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > [Why is everyone in the wasteland dressed like a biker?](http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=662) Funny, but not really an accurate description of Fallout 3. Raiders do dress like the bikers from the Mad Max movies. Regulators dress like spaghetti western gunfighters. Talon Company and the other mercs dress like Doom space marines. Wasteland settlers dress like Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle in the first Star Wars movie. Vault-dwellers wear vault jumpsuits. Brotherhood of Steel members, Brotherhood Outcasts, and Enclave wear power armor. Lots and lots of characters just wear shabby pre-war clothing. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/56 "2010-11-16T17:22:22Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Funny, but not really an accurate description of Fallout 3. Wrong game. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/57 "2010-11-16T17:42:25Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > I suggest Fallout: Des Moines. They could just go downtown on a weekend and know exactly how it will look when it’s devoid of most human life. 😉 The collectibles will be different Ertl farm tractors. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/58 "2010-11-16T22:47:00Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Wrong game. It’s not an accurate description of Fallout: New Vegas, either. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103/59 "2010-11-17T03:44:55Z")
Outside the Strip or an NCR camp, how often do you see anyone not wearing leather? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-had-a-nerdgasm-fallout-new-vegas/560103.md?page=2)