I don't know if I'm alone here but here it goes...

It started in Fallout 3 when I came across Big Town, they were struggling to survive and it made me really feel for them. From that moment on it drove me to continue the game and level up so I could get better loot and help Big Town. I would reverse pickpocket the best gear into the inhabitants of Big Town (not only weapons and armour, but stimpaks, purified water and food as well). I would then turn one building into "The Armoury" where I would line the bookcases with weapons and ammo. I fully equipped Red's place with masses of medical equipment and even the useless stuff that we couldn't use (role-playing here), I then set up a kitchen with masses food and purified water including Refined Punga Fruit which would keep them nice and healthy. I was very proud to see the town doing well because of me, Flash would even talk about his new gun, a Chinese Assault Rifle (I know he does this anyway).

So where am I going with this? Well, Fallout: New Vegas lacked a settlement of Big Town's role-playing potential, I was not driven to level up in that game and it's been sitting in the draw of my desk for months (if it does have a town similar to Big Town but I didn't find it please let me know so I can return to the game ). I think this is why I didn't play New Vegas as much as Fallout 3, it's a small reason but my reason nevertheless.

So this is where Skyrim comes into play, while I haven't encountered a town similar to Big Town as of yet, I have come across the Hall of the Vigilant which could become my replacement for Big Town. They are my kind of people, so I want to improve this Hall and it's inhabitants as much as I can.

These are my questions (maybe not a thread worthy problem, but I problem I could not find a solution to without creating this thread)...

• There are two weapon racks in the basemant of the Hall of the Vigilant, but we are unable to interact with them (as far as I'm aware). What is the difference between these racks and the ones in your homes? Can I use the console to activate these weapon racks? I don't want to set up the basemant with weapons only to have six empty weapon slots on the wall.
  
• Does reverse pickpocketing work like it did in Fallout 3? I have not been able to pull it off successfully yet.
  
• Will the containers there refresh after a certain period, replacing all the items in them?

So it you know answers to any of the questions I have presented I would greatly appreciate it if you would post them, or post any alternatives to get around the problems. Other than that, if there's anyone out there that likes to do similar things to Bethesda settlements as I do then share you experiences in this thread.

Thank you for your time.

Riften is doing so well

Winterhold is so... still there. Really.

It would be nice to slip some of the old women around skyrim a decent sword so they wouldn't have to go bare knuckled against a dragon.

Just last night I stumbled across a settlement that I had no idea existed. I got one quest for the mine and another quest that led me to another settlement where I got another quest. I have yet to come across a settlement where there was not at least one thing to do for the people there. Make sure you go into houses that you can (as in don't pick a lock) and talk to everyone.

Only weapon racks you own should you use. There are others that are in dungeons and other places that are not owned that I think you can use but I don't know if the weapons will stay. Also, you have to have the weapon equipped to put it in the rack. Most containers reset, so only use ones you own or the game assigns you. I think you can use ones where the NPC says my house is yours to use or something to that effect.

You can reverse pick pocket, but not cause damage with it.

Riften is dodgy, I will not supply thieves with quality equipment.


Winterhold's a decent shout, it's a major town though, somehow it doesn't feel the same.


I did this in Fallout 3, I find reverse pickpocketing difficult in Skyrim though.


It's not that I want to help them by doing quests, but I want to help them in my own way. I want to become a supplier to a small settlement, I want to imagine that the settlement would survive and thrive because of me.

Thanks for the answers. Can I change ownership via the console? If I changed the owner of a weapon rack to myself would it then become usable? Would a container's contents become indefinite if I did the same thing?

1. Assuming the weapon racks in the game work the way I think they do, no, you can't just activate them. The ones in your home are a completely different item from the static ones that you find throughout the world. You will have to wait until the CK comes out (sometime later this month) and replace the ones in the Hall of the Vigilant with the kind that you find in player homes.

2. You may need to increase your pickpocketing skill or choose some perks from it for you to be able to reverse pickpocket any item onto people. I'm not sure.

3. Yes, most likely they will respawn. You'll have to wait for the CK to come out to know for sure though.

To change the subject a bit, are there any settlements like Big Town in Fallout: New Vegas?

Thinking about getting the Ultimate Edition.