| This item, location or encounter is not available in the demo version of the game |
Allegan Fairgrounds is an encounter location, that can be found six hexes west and twenty hexes north of Cryo Facility. It can be discovered while simply wandering the wastes, or its location can be acquired as part of a bargain with someone in a different encounter:
namely, Radiation Bob in the Isotope Mine. Bob also mentions it is the place where he acquired parts for Gertrude, and where he noticed items similar to the player's Bronze Talisman.
First Arrival
After arriving at the fairgrounds location, the character will spot its two major landmarks, a Ferris wheel and a giant rooster statue. After an uncomfortable moment with the rooster, the player will be offered options to proceed:
Scout the area
This option is available when carrying an item with optical zoom, like a pair of binoculars. It will provide additional data about the surroundings.
Check out the tents
A few old tents are located outside of the main hall, scattered around the yard where smaller scale trading used to take place during the time when the fairgrounds were still operational.
A fast food clown mask can be found among them. The tents themselves, while already looted and empty, can still provide decent amounts of tarpaulin and string.
Check inside the hall
The inside of the main hall is dark and damp, and shadows conceal most of its contents. Near the entrance, where the light from outside still reaches, a few things are visible. If the player has the night vision augmentation from Haggerty Health Clinic, or is wearing a pair of powered Night Vision Goggles, he can garner further information about the inside of the hall. Players who have the medic skill will be able to recognize something 'familiar': the scent of festering patients.
A large cardboard box can be found here containing a handful of useful tools in perfect condition. A booth labeled "Genuine Indian Artifacts" is located here as well. Searching through it, most are fake and worthless, but the contents will reveal genuine Indian copper beads, allowing the character to take them in the form of copper beads on a string.
There is also a pile of old blankets and rags here to be examined, and an option to explore further into the shadows. If the player has a lighter, he can use it to see better. If any of these options are chosen, a sudden sound can be heard and the current dwellers of the fairgrounds' main hall will wake from their slumber. The player is then attacked by a horde of melonheads!
If the character was close to entrance, accidentally digging a melonhead out of his sleeping nest in the old blankets, using athletic to run for safety, pushing through with strong ability, or using eagle eye to notice a chain to climb up to the rafters can save him from being mauled to death by the raging horde.
A lighter gives a chance to set the melonheads' blankets on fire but that will lead to player's death as well.
If he was exploring deeper, trying to climb up or force his way out will end in the horde overpowering and killing him. Using the mechanic ability will allow player to escape through the air-vent.
Return Visits
After successful escape, return visits will see the entire place bustling with melonhead activity, preventing further exploration, but can be further visited after a few days