Hello again, and good morning!
This listing is for items that did not sell during the January 17 Auction, so you can buy anything you want right here and right now - no buyer's premiums, no additional fees.
*FREE shipping for any order over $100.
*All items priced at $1 are now .75 each
Each lot was individually imaged (front and back) for the auction - so the easiest way for you to see exactly what you're buying is to visit the auction link (the auction is over, so I'm not advertising anything different or advertising an upcoming auction) - so here that is:
https://www.invaluable.com/catalog/2qx7j50tq0?size=50&page=1&categories=&sort=
Here is the required "prove you still have the stuff" photo with the username card and today's date:
PHOTO
Payment: PayPal only. I do not have Venmo/Zello/Bitcoin or any other form of digital payment at this time. No notes if using PPFF, please. (Thank you.) If you choose to use PPFF, please make sure to send me your shipping address here as it won't automatically load with your payment.
Shipping: I will charge you what it costs me for the USPS label rounded up to the nearest dollar. For First Class that is usually $4, for USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Small Box it will be $9. I will get you a tracking number right after payment is received and will get your package scanned into the USPS system within 24 hours of receipt of payment. I will offer "Risky Shipping" (via stamped greeting card) at my discretion for $1 - for single, small coins ONLY. NOTE: These prices are for Continental US shipping only - if you live outside the continental US, shipping will be more expensive. I am still happy to do it under the same rules as above, but just keep in mind it's going to cost more.
What do YOU need to do to buy coins from this group: send me a list of which lots you want (for example, I want to buy lots # 51, 52, 53, 54, 55) and I will send you a total. There are too many coins here (plus there are duplicates) so I cannot look up the coins you want by description - just give me lot numbers and it will be much simpler.
I'd like to make a simple and polite request - if I have sent you my PayPal information (meaning we've agreed to a deal) please finish it up as soon as you can so I can check you off the list and move on to the next person. This helps make sure you get all the coins we discussed and no one else is in limbo.
I will do my absolute best to update the ad as soon as lots sell.
LEFTOVERS:
52 China (Republic) 10 Cash $5.00
57 China (Hu-Peh Province) 10 Cash $1.00
59 Hong Kong - 1866 1 Cent NICE $8.00
61 China (Republic) 10 Cash $3.00
62 China (Kiang-Nan Province) 10 Cash NICE $20.00
63 China (Republic) 20 Cash $5.00
64 1977 D Eisenhower Dollar UNC MINT CELLO $4.00
67 British West Africa - 1940 1/10 Penny NICE $5.00
70 France (Perpignan) 1917 A 10 Centimes $5.00
71 1976 Shelbyville Dam (Illinois) Elongated/Smashed Nickel Souvenir $3.00
76 France (Orleans/Lyon/Toulouse) 10 Centimes Transportation Token (good to 31 Dec 1918) $3.00
77 Papua New Guinea - 2008 2 Kina UNC $2.00
78 Missouri Insurance Company (St. Louis) Good Luck Token $3.00
79 1900 India (Rama-Laksmana) Type C #1 (Brotman) Temple Token NICE $40.00
80 1956 Roosevelt Dime UNC TONED $6.00
83 1955 General Motors "Motorama" Medal BU $15.00
86 Central States 70th Anniversary Convention Token Jerry Lebo Advertising $6.00
87 Consolidated Numismatic Advertising Token Good For $1 Edmundston, Canada $2.00
88 France (Perpignan) 1917 A 5 Centimes $5.00
91 France (Perpignan) 1921 A 25 Centimes Scalloped Edge $8.00
93 Ukraine - 2003 100 Hryvnia UNC $2.00
94 German East Africa (Tanzania) - 1916 T 20 Heller $10.00
95 Illinois Governer Otto Kerner Inauguration Medal $2.00
96 5 Cent Trade Token NICE $3.00
98 Germany (Schleswig-Holstein) - 1923 10 Mark Notgeld UNC $10.00
99 A. Phillips Co Cambridge, Maryland 20 Cent Trade Token NICE $8.00
100 EZ Park Courtesy Token $1.00
159 Great Britain - 1949 Penny NICE $2.00
163 1959 Type B Reverse Washington Quarter UNC TONED $12.00
165 Great Britain - 1932 1 Penny NICE $3.00
166 1960 Type B Reverse Washington Quarter UNC $10.00
167 1960 Type B Reverse Washington Quarter UNC $10.00
169 Portugal - 1921 10 Centavos NICE $10.00
170 Germany (Prussia) 1700's-1800's Jeton (Token) Wilhelm 3 "Neue Ehre Neues Gluck" $3.00
172 1963 Type B Reverse Washington Quarter UNC TONED $12.00
175 1964 D Washington Quarter UNC TONED $8.00
176 Canada - 1921 1 Cent NICE $4.00
179 Stag Beer Wooden Nickel "Fair on the Square" $1.00
180 The TV Shop Slidell, LA One Wooden Buck $1.00
181 Canada - 1929 1 Cent NICE $3.00
185 1962 Type B Reverse Washington Silver Quarter NICE $8.00
186 Canada - 1920 1 Cent NICE $4.00
188 1957 Type B Reverse Washington Quarter NICE $6.00
192 Canada - 1945 5 Cents NICE $2.00
193 State of Missouri Sesquicentennial Medal $2.00
194 State of Missouri Sesquicentennial Medal $2.00
195 Canada - 1945 5 Cents NICER $4.00
196 France - 1916 2 Centimes LOW MINTAGE $2.00
197 Germany (Empire) 1914 J 2 Pfennig NICE $8.00
198 Mexico - 1946 1 Centavo NICE $1.00
200 Mexico - 1924 2 Centavos BETTER DATE $6.00
259 1954 S Washington Quarter UNC $10.00
260 1957 Washington Quarter UNC TONED $10.00
261 1963 Type B Reverse Washington Quarter UNC TONED $20.00
262 1999 D Kennedy Half Dollar UNC from Mint Set GEM BU PROOFLIKE $3.00
263 1941 S "Large S" Lincoln Wheat Cent $1.00
264 1941 S "Large S" Lincoln Wheat Cent $1.00
266 1941 S "Large S" Lincoln Wheat Cent $1.00
267 1941 S "Large S" Lincoln Wheat Cent $1.00
269 Maybrook NY Golden Jubilee Good For 10 Cent Wooden Nickel $1.00
270 Maybrook NY 1975 Golden Jubilee 25 Cent Wooden Nickel $1.00
274 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 013 UNC $2.00
275 World Silver - Barbados 1973 Proof 5 Dollars LOW MINTAGE $20.00
276 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 013 UNC $2.00
277 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 013 UNC $2.00
279 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 012 UNC $2.00
280 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 012 UNC $2.00
281 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 012 UNC $2.00
282 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse Book Low UNC $2.00
286 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 002 UNC $2.00
287 1983 Lincoln Cent DDO FS-101 $25.00
288 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 012 UNC $2.00
289 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 012 UNC $2.00
291 1964 D Washington Silver Quarter UNC TONED $8.00
293 1960's Terre Haute, IN Sesquicentennial Wooden Nickel $2.00
295 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 002 UNC $2.00
296 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 002 UNC $2.00
298 1982 Buffalo NY Sesquicentennial Wooden Nickel $1.00
352 Denmark - 1950 5 Ore KEY DATE $10.00
354 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 013 UNC $2.00
355 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 013 UNC $2.00
356 2009 P Lincoln Cent "Formative Years" Doubled Die Reverse 013 UNC $2.00
357 1990 Rappahannock Area Coin Club Wooden Nickel $1.00
359 Germany (Empire) - 1874 C 1 Pfennig $2.00
360 Old Time Wooden Nickel Co Support Our Troops Wooden Nickel $1.00
361 1941 S "Large S" Lincoln Wheat Cent $1.00
362 1941 S "Large S" Lincoln Wheat Cent $1.00
364 1980 D Jefferson Nickel Mint Error - Minor Curved Clip (@3:30) $3.00
365 1979 S "Type 2 - Clear S" Proof Jefferson Nickel $2.00
367 Germany (Empire) - 1895 F 1 Pfennig $3.00
368 Germany (Empire) - 1874 A 1 Pfennig $2.00
369 Germany (Empire) - 1900 F 1 Pfennig $2.00
370 Germany (Empire) - 1874 B 1 Pfennig $2.00
371 Australia - 1951 3 Pence $2.00
372 Great Britain - 1861 3 Pence $3.00
373 Germany (Empire) - 1875 J 5 Pfennig $2.00
375 50 Cents in Trade Token $1.00
376 Germany (Empire) - 1874 E 2 Pfennig $2.00
377 Clear Lake, IA Perkins Wooden Nickel $1.00
378 50 Cents in Trade Token $1.00
379 Medallic Art Co Grand Canyon National Park 50th Anniversary Medal Bronze $3.00
380 Great Britain - 1981 25 New Pence UNC $3.00
382 Pomona National Bridge / Jackson County 200 Year Anniversary Medal $3.00
383 Guyana - 1970 1 Dollar UNC $2.00
384 Germany (Empire) - 1875 J 2 Pfennig $4.00
385 Illawarrra Numismatic Association Membership Discount Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
386 San Juan Quality Royale Casino Token $1 Face Value $1.00
387 Canada - 1963 Prooflike 1 Cent Emerald Rainbow Toning $3.00
388 Artisan Silverworks Temecula, CA Wooden Nickel $1.00
389 Canada - 1966 1 Cent Emerald Toning $2.00
390 Germany (Empire) - 1875 E 2 Pfennig $2.00
391 Germany (Empire) - 1874 H 2 Pfennig $4.00
392 5 Cent Token $1.00
394 Germany (Empire) - 1894 F 1 Pfennig $3.00
395 Denmark - 1904/804 1 Ore NICE $8.00
396 Netherlands Antilles - 1965 2.5 Cents UNC TONED $6.00
397 Germany (Empire) - 1874 G 1 Pfennig $10.00
398 Netherlands - 1921 1/2 Cent BETTER DATE $2.00
399 Netherlands - 1922 1/2 Cent BETTER DATE $4.00
400 Germany (Empire) - 1874 D 10 Pfennig $3.00
451 Sweden - 1901 1 Ore $1.00
452 Norway - 1948 50 Ore Overdate 4/4 $5.00
453 Netherlands Antilles - 1959 1 Cent UNC $2.00
454 Germany (Empire) - 1899 A 1 Pfennig $1.00
455 Germany (Empire) - 1899 A 1 Pfennig $1.00
456 Germany (Empire) - 1898 A 5 Pfennig $1.00
457 Germany (Empire) - 1875 F 5 Pfennig $1.00
458 Canada - 1948 5 Cents $1.00
460 Denmark - 1951 10 Ore NICE $5.00
461 Barbados - 1973 Proof 5 Cents in OGP $1.00
462 Germany (Empire) - 1875 A 5 Pfennig $1.00
463 Barbados - 1973 Proof 25 Cents in OGP $1.00
464 Germany (Empire) - 1876 D 5 Pfennig $1.00
465 Hungary - 1965 2 Filler Key Date $5.00
466 Germany (Empire) - 1889 A 5 Pfennig $1.00
467 Germany (Empire) - 1889 A 5 Pfennig $1.00
468 Switzerland - 1968 5 Rappen UNC TONED $1.00
469 Germany (Empire) - 1875 A 5 Pfennig $1.00
470 Germany (Empire) - 1875 C 5 Pfennig $1.00
471 Trinidad & Tobago - 1973 Proof 1 Cent in OGP $1.00
473 Germany (Empire) - 1892 D 5 Pfennig $1.00
474 Germany (Empire) - 1897 A 5 Pfennig $1.00
475 Germany (Empire) - 1890 E 5 Pfennig $1.00
477 Germany (Empire) - 1890 D 5 Pfennig $1.00
478 Germany (Empire) - 1894 D 5 Pfennig $1.00
480 Barbados - 1980 Proof 25 Cents in OGP cello $1.00
481 World Silver - Switzerland 1975 1 Franc $6.00
482 Germany (Empire) - 1897 D 5 Pfennig $1.00
484 Canada (New Brunswick) - 1861 1 Cent $3.00
485 Canada (Nova Scotia) - 1861 1/2 Cent $2.00
486 Austria - 1893 10 Heller $1.00
488 Netherlands East Indies - 1921 1/2 Cent NICE KEY DATE $8.00
489 Austria - 1895 10 Heller $1.00
490 Austria - 1894 20 Heller $1.00
492 World Silver - Mexico - 1887 Do C 10 Centavos LOW MINTAGE $5.00
551 South Africa - 1965 Proof 1 Cent LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
553 Switzerland - 1902 2 Rappen KEY DATE FIRST YEAR $8.00
554 Panama - 1975 Proof 1 Centesimo in OGP $5.00
557 South Africa - 1965 Proof 5 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
560 South Africa - 1965 Proof 20 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
561 Panama - 1975 Proof 5 Centesimos in OGP $1.00
562 Panama - 1976 Proof 5 Centesimos in OGP $2.00
563 South Africa - 1965 Proof 50 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $5.00
564 South Africa - 1966 Proof 1 Cent LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
565 South Africa - 1966 Proof 2 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
566 South Africa - 1966 Proof 5 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
567 South Africa - 1966 Proof 10 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
568 Panama - 1974 Proof 5 Centesimos in OGP cello $1.00
569 South Africa - 1966 Proof 20 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
572 Panama - 1973 Proof 1/10 Balboa in OGP $1.00
573 South Africa - 1967 Proof 1 Cent LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
574 Barbados - 1973 Proof 1 Cent $1.00
575 Panama - 1973 Proof 1/4 Balboa in OGP $1.00
576 South Africa - 1967 Proof 2 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
577 South Africa - 1967 Proof 5 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
578 South Africa - 1967 Proof 10 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
579 South Africa - 1967 Proof 20 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $2.00
580 South Africa - 1967 Proof 50 Cents LOW MINTAGE 25,000 $4.00
584 Liberia - 1974 Proof 10 Cents in OGP $1.00
590 Mexico - 1923 1 Centavo NICE UNC TONED $8.00
593 Mexico - 1923 5 Centavos NICE $5.00
594 Bahamas - 1970 Proof 1 Cent in OGP $1.00
595 Mexico - 1935 20 Centavos NICE $30.00
596 Token "10" Unknown origin $1.00
652 Indiana Sesquicentennial Medal 1966 $3.00
654 Alleppey Dist Treasury 286 Token $3.00
655 Creotina Remedies Belleville, IL Token $3.00
657 Mexico - 2001 1 Peso UNC in original cello $1.00
658 Germany (Empire) - 1903 A 1 Pfennig $4.00
662 Germany (Weimar) - 1924 A 1 Pfennig NICE $6.00
664 Malaysia - 1977 50 Sen TONED UNC $3.00
665 Franklin D Roosevelt $2 Trade Token Union Maystern $3.00
666 Great Britain - 1953 5 Shillings UNC (Crown sized) $5.00
667 Russia - 1994 50 Roubles Blind Mole Rat LOW MINTAGE UNC $3.00
672 Mint of Romania Aluminum Token UNC $3.00
673 Bahamas - 1973 and 1974 Proof 1 Cents in OGP (two coins) $1.00
675 Canada - 1939 5 Cents UNC $20.00
676 Penny Press Mint 1 Dollar Token (Morgan Dollar Inspired Design) $2.00
677 Penny Press Mint 1 Dollar Token (Morgan Dollar Inspired Design) $2.00
678 France (Paris) Montmartre Auditing Firm "Good for one audition" Token $2.00
679 Thailand - Bangkok Institute of Accounting Token $1.00
680 Swedish Shooting Medal Double Pistols Design $3.00
681 1941 Mercury Dime Pin $4.00
682 Korea (Republic) - 1968 5 Won UNC $25.00
683 Korea (Republic) - 1973 50 Won NICE $5.00
684 Russia - 1994 50 Roubles Bison NICE LOW MINTAGE $2.00
685 Coca-Cola 1974 "It's the real thing" Silver Dollar City Token $5.00
686 State Mint of Romania Octagonal Token UNC $2.00
687 Canada - 1937 Dot 5 Cents UNC $10.00
688 France - 1977 10 Francs TONED $2.00
690 Saarland - 1954 10 Franken UNC $8.00
692 Mount Vernon, VA High School Token $1.00
693 Korea (Republic) - 1967 10 Won NICE $5.00
694 Korea (Republic) - 1967 10 Won UNC $40.00
695 Princes of Jerusalem - Cahokia Council A.A.S.RITE Valley of East St Louis Token $3.00
697 Magic Mountain Valencia California Souvenir Token $2.00
698 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Driver's Association "good for one full fare" token $1.00
700 Downtown Granite City (Illinois) Shopping Center Token $3.00
751 Canada - 1957 House of Commons Medal $3.00
753 Mr. Pizza (World's Worst Pizza) Wooden Quarter Token $1.00
754 National Pony Express Centennial Medal So Called Dollar UNC TONED $5.00
755 Pulaski Bowling Center Free Game Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
756 Four Canada 1991 UNC Cents (4 coins) in OGP CELLO $1.00
757 Four Canada 1991 UNC 5 Cents (4 coins) in OGP CELLO $1.00
758 Pair of Two Thomas Jefferson 1 Cent Postal Stamps $1.00
761 Mexico - 2000 10 Pesos UNC in original cello $6.00
764 Ye Olde Curiosity Shop Seattle 25 Cent Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
765 Mexico - 2000 20 Pesos UNC in original cello $10.00
768 Morocco - AH1320 10 Mazunas $8.00
773 Diamond Dolls Pompano Beach, FL Free Hamburger Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
774 Nadine's Backwoods Bistro One Free Tap Beer Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
775 Ocean Springs Mini Golf One Free Game Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
777 Poland - 2014 2 Zlotych UNC $2.00
778 Lansing, Michigan University Quality Inn One Free Well Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
780 San Jose, California Donut Delight One Small Drink 40 Cents Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
781 H.E.B. Hustle Chip Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
782 Two Mixed Tokens $1.00
784 South Gate, California Robby's Tepee 1 Glass Draft Beer Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
785 Macadoo's One Free Sara Lee Bagle (with butter!) Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
786 Canada - 1970 1 Cent TONED $1.00
788 State Penal Institution 5 Cent Good For Token $3.00
790 Fishing Equipment & Tackle 10% Discount Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
791 District Treasury Alleppey 1860 Token Government of Kerala $2.00
792 Russia (Empire) - 1881 1 Kopek $1.00
793 Black Duck Buck Good For One Premium Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
794 Goodles, Michigan Cook's Cobblestone One Free Beer Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
796 San Diego, California My Yogurt Place One Free Frozen Yogurt Sundae Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
797 Canada - 1939 Coronation Medal $2.00
798 Ellsworth, Maine Bicentennial Headquarters Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
800 Suwanee River Attractions 25 Cent Admission Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
851 Sunnyvale, California Odyssey Room 1 Free Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
852 Great Britain - Queen Victoria 60 Years of Rule Medal $3.00
854 Belgium - 1944 2 Franc NICE $1.00
855 Fredericksburg, Virginia Rappahannock Area Coin Club Wooden Nickel Token One free month $1.00
859 Monarch Automatic Co Northhampton Good For One Coupon in Trading Token $2.00
860 Netherlands - 1881 1 Cent $1.00
862 Mexico - 2000 20 Pesos UNC in original cello $10.00
863 Fredericksburg, Virginia Rappahannock Area Coin Club Wooden Nickel Token One free month $1.00
864 Tullahoma, Tennessee The Finish Line Free Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
865 Here's Johnny's 25 Cents off Purchase Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
866 $1 Good For Token Large $3.00
867 Canada - 1939 Coronation Medal $3.00
868 Boise, Idaho Miller's Sewing Center 25 Cent Needle Package Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
869 San Antonio, Texas Dan's 10861 FM "Round TUIT" Wooden Token $1.00
870 Belgium - 1836 2 Centimes $1.00
871 Vandalia, Ohio Skipper's $3 off purchase Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
872 Roseville, California Onyx Club One Free Beer Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
873 Long Beach, California Fayette Cleaners Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
874 Beckett, Massachussetts 1965 Bicentennial Lee National Bank 5 Cent Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
875 Munhall, Pennsylvania 5 Cent Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
877 Washington, Indiana Sesquicentennial 1966 Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
878 1953 Queen Elizabeth Coronation Medal $3.00
881 Fredonia, New York Coyle's Pub One Free Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
882 Monterey, California Wharfside Restaurant Complimentary Calimari Appetizer Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
883 Lyman, Wyoming Cecil Sanderson Military Token & Wooden Nickel Collector "Round TUIT" Token $1.00
884 Eastlake, Colorado Karl's Farm Dairy Inc 25 Cent Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
885 Elko, Nevada Ed's Coins & Currency "Cents of Humor" Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
887 Richmond Hot Stuff Deluxe Tattoo One Free Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
888 Australia - 2014 1 Dollar 100 Years of ANZAC $1.00
889 Sacramento, California The Tides 1 Free Beer Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
890 Lancaster, Pennsylvania The Comic Store Free Comic Wooden Nickel Token RARE $1.00
891 Bennington, Vermont Bicentennial 1961 5 Cent Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
892 Torrance, California Old Towne Mall One Free Play Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
893 Duenweg, Missouri State Bank One Quart Token NICE $3.00
894 Rotary International Token $1.00
896 Canada - 1930 House of Commons Medal $3.00
897 Greenfield, Iowa Al's Shoe Service 5 Cents Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
900 France - 1944 C 2 Francs $1.00
951 France - 1944 C 2 Francs $1.00
952 Poland - 2006 2 Zlotych $3.00
953 Poland - 2003 2 Zlotych $3.00
954 Aurora, Illinois Dairy Queen Free Small Sundae Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
955 Mullan, Idaho Silver Dollar Bar 1 Free Drink Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
956 Poland - 2004 2 Zlotych $3.00
957 New Horizons Computer Learning Center Turkey Token 10 Auction Dollars Wooden $1.00
962 Lake of the Woods 40th Anniversary Token $2.00
963 The Travancore Bank Trivandrum #103 Token $1.00
964 Perryville, Wisconsin Good For 1 Glass Tap Beer Wooden (plastic) Nickel Token $1.00
966 1925 Larkin Dollar Medal BU $8.00
968 Palmolive Soap Chicago, Illinois Good For One Cake Token NICE $5.00
969 Duenweg State Bank Duenweg, Missouri Strawberry Token Good For 1 Crate $6.00
970 Dallas, Texas City Hall Token $1.00
971 California State Numismatic Association 1973 53rd Anniversary Token $2.00
972 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (Mexico 20 Centavos) $3.00
973 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (Mexico 20 Centavos) $3.00
977 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (New Zealand 5 Cents) $3.00
979 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (New Zealand 5 Cents) $3.00
981 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (New Zealand 5 Cents) $3.00
983 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (New Zealand 5 Cents) $3.00
984 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (New Zealand 5 Cents) $3.00
987 Harry S Truman US Mint Bronze Medal in OGP $3.00
988 John Wayne US Mint Bronze Medal in OGP $5.00
989 Vietnam Veterans National Bronze Medal in OGP $3.00
992 2010 Korea Money Fair Token with original Flip $3.00
993 Matchless Metal Polish Co Liverpool 1906 Token $5.00
995 Marissa, Illinois 1967 Centennial Wooden Nickel Token $1.00
996 Central States Numismatic Society 2005 Token Original AirTite $2.00
997 Central States Numismatic Society 2005 Token Original AirTite $2.00
998 Central States Numismatic Society 2005 Token Original AirTite $2.00
999 Rustler Silver Gas Token $1.00
1000 Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collector's Club World Money Fair Encased Coin (Euro 5 Cent) $3.00

Even if the Legion were to win the Second Battle of Hoover Dam and conquer the Mojave Wasteland, they'd merely be buying themselves a little extra time and simply stall their inevitable demise. Note that the following analysis assumes that the Legion won the Second Battle of Hoover Dam and that the Courier died in Goodsprings.
To start off this analysis, let's begin with a run-down of the respective weapons, equipment and gear of the respective ranks of the NCR and the Legion going into the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. Beginning with the NCR garrison at Hoover Dam. The NCR Trooper comprises the core of the Republic's colossal armies and is the prime component of the NCR Army. A superb combination of volunteers and conscripts whose degrees of training, motivation, combat experience and access to equipment vary across the ranks, they're some of the most disciplined, most professional soldiers in all of the Wastes.
They're outfitted with modern military-grade ballistic vests that offer excellent protection against small arms fire, shrapnel and melee weapons alongside steel helmets. The NCR Army battalion that's stationed at Hoover Dam in particular is fully comprised of battle-hardened, fully-trained volunteer veteran NCR Troopers that are armed with 5.56 × .45mm NATO Marksman Carbines, 5mm Assault Rifles, 12-gauge Riot Shotguns and .308 Sniper Rifles to supplement their standard-issued 5.56 × .45mm NATO Service Rifles.
The NCR Patrol Ranger is one of the finest, most elite warriors in both the NCR military and the Wastelands, overall. Having survived a brutal training regimen that's so ludicrously difficult that 8-out-of-10 aspiring recruits wash-out, these purely volunteer harbingers of death have little to no equals in terms of skill, fighting prowess and strength.
They're outfitted with a suit of hand-made First-Generation Combat sporting a knife sheath, a hydration pouch and spiked spurs for unarmed combat that is impervious to any and all small arms fire, shrapnel and melee attacks. They're armed with 5.56 × .45mm NATO Marksman Carbines, .308 Sniper Rifles and .44 Magnum Trail Carbines.
The NCR Heavy Trooper is not only the elite heavy shock infantry of the NCR Army, but is also the proverbial sledgehammer through which the Republic may crush its enemies and obliterate all that may threaten its values.
Having earned their distinctive armor through immense sacrifice in blood, sweat and most of their young lives, they're the absolute best-trained, best-equipped, most battle-hardened, most professional, most skilled, most fanatically-devoted warriors in the whole of the NCR Armed Forces (rivaled only by the legendary NCR Veteran Rangers). Warriors that are more than willing to fight to their absolute last breath in defense of the Republic and all that it represents.
They're outfitted with NCR Salvaged Power Armor, suits of T-45d Power Armor that were captured from the Brotherhood of Steel during the Brotherhood War that have had their joint servomotors removed and their back-mounted power cylinders replaced with custom-built energy modules and built-in air-conditioning units so that Power Armor Training wouldn't be needed to wear them.
And while they're no longer legitimate suits of Power Armor in that they're no longer powered, they're still some of the absolute best and most protective suits of armor within the Republic's entire mammoth arsenal. Completely invulnerable to all but the most powerful conventional firearms, highly-advanced energy weapons, specialized ammunition and high-powered explosives, they can truly absorb Hellish amounts of punishment. They're armed with 5.56 × .45mm NATO Light Machine Guns, 5mm Miniguns, Heavy Incinerators, Flamers and Missile Launchers (albeit rarely).
The NCR Veteran Ranger is a living, breathing legend walking amongst the ruins and ashes of the Old World, drawing inspiration and hope from soldiers and citizens of the Republic as well as fear and terror from enemies and all those who dare to oppose the NCR.
Fabled for their unmatched fighting prowess, envied for their flawlessly unequalled marksmanship technique, feared for their unrivaled warfighting skills, awe-inspiring for their unsurpassed pugilist talent and legendary for their innate mastery over hardcore survivalist skills, the NCR Veteran Rangers are the absolute finest, best-trained, most battle-hardened, most professional, most skilled, most-elite and all-around most bad-ass warriors in not only the entire history of the Republic military, but also the whole of the Western Wastes, as well.
Centurions and Praetorian Guards of Caesar's Legion, Knights and Paladins of the Brotherhood of Steel and even the Republic's very own NCR Heavy Troopers have learned to shudder in terror and fear at the mere mention of the mythical phenoms of the Wastelands that are the NCR Veteran Rangers
These fabled guardian angels of the Republic are outfitted with the equally legendary Black Armor, a hyper-advanced suit of Third-Generation Combat Armor consisting of a highly-flexible vest of incredibly-rigid high-impact armored plating with adjustable straps on both the sides and the shoulders and a built-in throat protector that's mounted on the vest.
Combined with the state-of-the-art rounded-shell ballistic helmet sporting built-in lamps and infrared/visible light projectors as well as the complimentary highly-sophisticated armored mask with built-in low-light optics, an incorporated locking mechanism that joins the mask itself with the helmet shell, ear covers with built-in membranes that confer additional protection without inhibiting the wearer's hearing and built-in air filters, the mythical Black Armor is well-deserving of its stellar reputation.
As you can see, the NCR's forces are extremely heavily-armed, well-equipped and armed to the teeth with the absolute latest in top-of-the-line, high-powered firearms and state-of-the-art, highly-sophisticated energy weapons as well as superbly well-protected with an abundance of different varieties of military-grade body armors with varying degrees of effectiveness and even Salvaged Power Armor.
Now it's time for an evaluation of the Legion's weapons and technology. The Recruit Legionary is the primary foot soldier of Caesar's army and comprises the vast majority of the Legion's ranks. Trained and conditioned from before they could walk to become the perfect warriors, Recruit Legionaries are incredibly well-conditioned and in phenomenal physical shape, owing to a savagely intense training regimen that even the NCR Rangers would envy. Despite said conditioning, however, they're still the equivalent of literal cannon fodder with little-to-no actual skill in firearms usage and maintenance.
They're outfitted with a suit of makeshift featherweight armor that consists of sports equipment with bits and pieces of scrap metal atop a cloth tunic that's all lashed together with leather straps. An armor that's so weak that it couldn't even protect its wearer against the likes of a straight razor.
They're armed primarily with a "Machete" (what's really a lawnmower blade that's lashed to a stick) and "Throwing Spears" (what's really even bigger sticks with pieces of sharpened scrap metal fastened and jabbed into the tips), though they can rarely get their hands on firearms (albeit damn near broken ones) such as .357 Magnum Revolvers, .357 Magnum Cowboy Repeaters, 9mm Pistols, 20-gauge Single Shotguns, 20-gauge Caravan Shotguns, 5.56 × .45mm NATO Varmint Rifles and 10mm Pistols.
The Prime Legionary is the centerpiece of the Legion's fighting force and the core component of any Legion formation. Having survived 5 years in Caesar's forces, a remarkable accomplishment in and of itself, Prime Legionaries are no longer mere cannon fodder but are now the main frontline fighting force of the Legion. With the accompanying improvement in weapons and equipment as well as adequate firearms skills to make the promotion that much sweeter.
They're outfitted with the exact same armor as before, only with a slight improvement in protection. It still can't protect the wearer from shit, however. They're armed with the standard-issued "Machetes" and "Throwing Spears" though they also have much better access to more advanced weapons than before.
Melee weapons, such as Machete Gladius', Power Fists and Chainsaws, and firearms (of decent quality), such as 10mm SMGs, 12-gauge Sawn-Off Shotguns .44 Magnum Revolvers and .308 Hunting Rifles are all available to them in significant quantities.
The Veteran Legionary is the oldest, most experienced, most elite warrior within the lesser ranks of the Legion and is also the precise scalpel to the blunt, destructive warhammer of the Recruit and Prime Legionaries.
Having survived a full decade in Caesar's service, a monumental achievement in its own right, Veteran Legionaries are the elite rapid reaction force of the Legion that's tasked with neutralizing particularly tough adversaries that their lesser counterparts can't defeat and typically remain in reserve until otherwise needed for tipping the scales of a pivotal battle or campaign in the Legion's favor.
As they're the oldest Legionaries (a lot of whom have been with Caesar since day 1), they're also the most experienced, most capable Legionaries who are in their absolute prime in regards to martial prowess and physical resilience. They're second only to Centurions in terms of skill and experience, which is reflected in their improved access to superior weapons and equipment. They can also use and maintain firearms with frightening levels of efficiency.
They're outfitted with the same armor as before, though with even better protection. Still couldn't protect you from anything meaningful, though. They're armed with the usual standard kit in addition to melee weapons such as Fire Axes and Power Fists as well as firearms (of mint condition and with virtually unlimited access to) such as .44 Magnum Revolvers, .308 Hunting Rifles, 5.56 × .45mm NATO Marksman Carbines and 12.7mm SMGs.
The Decanus of the Legion is the lesser officer beneath the Centurion and is responsible for tactical small-unit operations and squad-level leadership. While not too different from ordinary Legionaries in terms of skill, equipment and even appearance, they still have slightly better access to weapons hence they deserve a separate segment.
Recruit Decanii can get access to 9mm SMGs and 10mm SMGs unlike Recruit Legionaries, Prime Decanii aren't any different from Prime Legionaries and Veteran Decanii can get access to 12.7mm Pistols unlike Veteran Legionaries (not a real improvement, I know). Everything else is exactly the same.
The Centurion is the absolute apex of the Legion's strength and the top field commanders of Caesar's armies, second in authority only to Legate Lanius and Caesar himself amongst a tiny select few of other superiors.
Having survived 15-20 years of a long, arduous life of fighting in Caesar's name (a completely unimaginable phenomenon, indeed) before finally earning the treasured armor of the Centurion (which they can decorate with the trophies of their fallen enemies at their leisure), Centurions are the absolute most elite, most skilled, most battle-hardened and ultimately the most dangerous warriors in the entirety of the Legion.
To even BEGIN to qualify for Centurion status, one must have fought in and survived numerous Legion campaigns as well as slain countless opponents in battle alongside the time requirement. All to ensure that only the finest of Caesar's warriors ever reach that level of authority in his Legion.
As the oldest, most experienced warriors in Caesar's army, the Centurions comprise the old guard of Caesar's army, most of them having served their lord since the very beginning. Their status all but ensures that they're reserved for only the absolute deadliest, most lethal of assignments that even Veteran Legionaries can't handle. They're ultimately only deployed if absolutely necessary.
In order to ensure that his Centurions can both accomplish their missions without even the slightest chance of failure and protect themselves without difficulty, Caesar has granted them unlimited access to the absolute finest weapons in his Legion's arsenal and has seen to it that they have acquired the absolute sharpest firearms skills that money can buy as a corresponding reward for their reaching Centurion status.
They're outfitted with Centurion armor which, while legendary amongst the Legion, really isn't that special. It's actually just Veteran Legionary armor with some cool decorations on it at the end of day.
Pieces of T-45d Power Armor on the right arm, the sleeve from a suit of NCR Ranger Patrol Armor and the pauldrons from an Armored Vault Suit on the left arm, the boots and shin guards from a suit of First-Generation Combat Armor on the lower legs, the crotch/thigh guards from a suit of NCR Ranger Patrol Armor on the upper legs, gloves from a suit of Leather Armor on the hands and a Super Mutant Brute chestplate on the torso, to be exact.
Realistically speaking, Centurion armor would be just about useless against virtually any weapon in the NCR's arsenal. Even a single 5.56 × .45mm NATO round fired from a basic Service Rifle would most certainly do the job, flawlessly.
They're armed with basic melee weapons such as Machete Gladius' and Chainsaws as well as high-tech melee weapons such as Thermic Lances (which are actually just repurposed metalworking tools) and Super Sledges in addition to powerful firearms such as .308 Hunting Rifles, 12-gauge Hunting Shotguns, 5.56 x .45mm NATO Marksman Carbines and even .50 BMG Anti-Materiel Rifles (albeit rarely).
Now we must now examine what will inevitably be a huge problem for the Legion even if they were to win the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. The Legion, even though it does in fact have access to some top-of-the-line weapons, only has them in an extremely limited capacity and strictly reserves them for only the highest-ranking, most elite Legion forces and field commanders.
The overwhelming bulk of the Legion's troops have little-to-no real firearms and what pitifully little that they can get their hands on are in extremely piss-poor condition. Not that it would matter, considering the fact that they don't have the proper training that's necessary to actually use them, much less maintain them.
The vast majority of Caesar's troops rely almost entirely on primitive makeshift melee weapons and their own martial prowess to fight their battles, which inevitably means that the Legion has to avoid direct engagement with NCR forces, instead relying on subterfuge and guerilla warfare to combat the Republic.
And it gets even worse for the Legion when one considers that the higher that its troops advance up the totem pole, the fewer Legionaries that it finds at the higher levels. A direct consequence of the Legion's overprioritization of quality and individual skill in combat is that it inevitably results in an extremely small cadre of elite warriors and field commanders surrounded by a sea of lesser soldiers and officers.
Combined with the fact that the Legion is only 34 years-old by the events of F:NV (meaning that even if one were to ignore things like inevitable attrition all throughout the Legion's war-filled history of expansion and conquest, they still wouldn't have that many Veteran Legionaries/Decanii and Centurions) as well as the fact that attrition over the years must be taken into account (the First Battle of Hoover Dam and the Legion's invasion of Colorado alone absolutely devastated their elite ranks), it's only obvious that the Legion's elite forces are relatively puny.
Furthermore, we know for a fact that there's enough Veteran Legionaries/Decanii for them to form a few of their own exclusive Centuria (a Century is 80-men-strong, I might add), with the Red Okie Centuria being a prime example of this. This definitely suggests that the Legion has at least a couple hundred Veteran Legionaries/Decanii at its disposal. As for Centurions, it's a little known fact that they're so incredibly rare in the Legion that they're actually explicitly ordered to not enter combat until absolutely necessary (i.e self-defense or if they're ordered into battle by a superior).
This, along with the fact that they're never really seen in any meaningful numbers in-game until the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, strongly suggests that there might only be at most several dozen Centurions in the whole of the Legion (there definitely wouldn't be over 100 of them). Either way, however, the Legion's elite forces are so pathetically tiny that they couldn't possibly justify the Legion having any meaningful amount of high-end weaponry.
The NCR, on other hand, doesn't have these problems as 1. the NCR prioritizes protection and firepower above all else for their forces and 2. even their most basic troops have exclusive access to essentially unlimited supplies of all manner of firearms and explosives as well as highly superb protection in the form of military-grade body armor.
Meaning that the NCR not only has a hopelessly insurmountable edge in firepower, technology and protection over the Legion, but that soldiers of the NCR also have a far higher life expectancy than their Legion counterparts, as well. All but ensuring that the NCR has a vastly higher volume of surviving battle-hardened combat veterans relative to the Legion that enables for the Republic to easily distribute extremely invaluable, ultimately irreplaceable combat experience and lessons learned in battle across the entirety of their military to a far greater extent than the Legion.
Scores of battle-hardened NCR Troopers that distinguish themselves on the battlefield go on to enlist with the NCR Rangers upon receiving an invitation to do so (fun fact: the vast majority of NCR Ranger recruits and even NCR Rangers themselves are/were NCR Troopers who earned their new status while serving in the NCR Army), earn the coveted Salvaged Power Armor and become NCR Heavy Troopers or earn promotions to positions of authority in the NCR Army (prime examples being Colonel Cassandra Moore and Colonel James Hsu). All of the above information will have colossal long-term consequences for the Legion, at the end of the day.
With that out of the way, let's move on to the main argument itself. The most positive estimates of the Legion's total numbers and military strength would be at best 5,000-8,000 troops. Then we must take into account the fact that the Legion is going to suffer massive losses (easily numbering into the thousands) taking Hoover Dam from the NCR as the NCR garrison here is extremely well-defended, well-supplied and heavily-fortified by both an entire battalion of elite, battle-hardened NCR Troopers and God only knows how many NCR Patrol Rangers, NCR Heavy Troopers and NCR Veteran Rangers.
Combined with the fact that General Oliver's Compound is extremely well-defended with force fields, a turret system, NCR Veteran Rangers, NCR Heavy Troopers, elite NCR Troopers and an absolute labyrinth that's filled to the brim with all manner of booby traps ranging from rigged shotguns, bear traps and mines of all types to grenade bouquets and overhanging objects (and given that you see a pile of fresh Legionary and Centurion corpses at your feet whenever you enter the Compound during the "Veni, Vidi, Vici" quest it's more than safe to assume that Legion casualties will be extremely massive just securing this area alone), this only serves to bolster my claim that thousands of the Legion's troops will perish at Hoover Dam even if they were to take it.
With only a mere fraction of their original number (that 5,000-8,000 will have been massively depleted after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam), now the Legion has to set out and secure the rest of the Mojave Wasteland, which will prove to be completely impossible over time. The Legion will find next to no tribes to assimilate as they exterminate the Powder Gangers, Fiends, Vipers, Jackals and the Kings in all of their endings.
And while the Legion still has the Great Khans and the Boomers, they won't help much. The Great Khans are down to little more than a pitiful rag-tag band of holdouts after both their ass-whipping at the hands of Mr. House and their decimation at Bitter Springs by the NCR. A fact that only gets worse when we subtract the women and female children (breeding stock), the elderly, the sick and the disabled (killed off immediately) as well as mention the fact that the Frumentarius Karl does say in his journal that the Legion would have to decimate most of the tribe, anyways. Meaning that the Legion will at most get a couple paltry handful of warriors from them.
As for the Boomers (assuming that the "Volare!" quest isn't completed) will prove to be more than a huge cost than a real benefit to the Legion. The Boomers' artillery alone would kill hundreds, if not thousands, of Legionaries with the Boomers themselves, armed to the teeth with Missile Launchers, Fat Mans, Grenade Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Grenade Rifles, 5.56 x 45mm. Marksman Carbines and 5mm Assault Carbines in addition to Mr. Gutsy combat robots and Sentry Bots, killing hundreds and even thousands more before the Legion finally conquer them.
Also consider that the Boomers, who worship their artillery and weapons with a near religious reverence, will by no means let their weapons fall into the hands of savages. Thus we could easily see them sabotaging their artillery (how hard would it be to load an artillery shell and lob a frag grenade down the barrel, after all?; and given that the Boomers only have 3-4 artillery pieces it wouldn't take long to do) and munitions stockpiles (just a few bricks of C4 could easily destroy all of the Boomers' weapons and ammunition supplies) to keep them out of Legion hands, which only adds insult to injury.
Even worse for the Legion is that when we subtract those Boomers that died in battle (most likely all of the adult males), the women and female children, the elderly, sick and disabled the Legion will have only a handful of male children to their name (remember that the Boomers are a really puny tribe that depend entirely on their firepower to survive) which means that they will have achieved nothing despite their massive losses incurred from conquering Nellis Air Force Base.
Then we also consider the fact that the Legion doesn't enslave civilized communities or Independent Towns unless under extraordinary circumstances (as evidenced by Siri over at the Fort who hailed from an Independent Town in New Mexico and was a medical student there prior to its destruction by the Legion).
Of course, it wouldn't matter as even if they did, the entire New Vegas area is completely evacuated by the NCR in the event of a Legion victory at Hoover Dam as evidenced by Arcade Gannon's Legion ending where he's convinced to remain in Freeside (all of Freeside, North Vegas, Westside, East Vegas and the Strip, which is really just a resort for NCR tourists rather than an actual community, are evacuated with those few that don't make it out, Arcade included, being killed by the Legion).
And when we consider that Nelson was butchered, Camp Searchlight irradiated and Nipton destroyed by the Legion with Goodsprings being left alone and Primm just falling under Legion authority (no point in enslaving the town anyways considering how it's just one big retirement home alongside Goodsprings which is also evacuated by all save a few old, stubborn folks) then it's blatantly clear that the Legion will have very few civilized people left to enslave.
With an even smaller fraction of survivors thanks to their conquest of Nellis AFB (in addition to hundreds more casualties against the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, the Kings and what's left of House's Securitron police force and the Chairmen) the Legion will soon realize its folly and discover that both holding the Mojave Wasteland and continuing their advance West is literally impossible.
The Legion's logistical situation and acquisition of supplies will soon prove to be an insurmountable nightmare within mere weeks of their occupation of the Mojave. The loss of Nipton, Camp Searchlight and Nelson will serve to severely hamstring the Legion's logistics with the eventual deaths of New Vegas, Primm and Goodsprings only complicating the Legion's supply lines even further.
As 99% of the Strip's revenue comes from NCR tourists and soldiers on leave and given how the Legion will most likely tear down the casinos and ban whores, booze, chems and gambling under Caesar's law, the Strip will eventually shrivel up and die due to loss of revenue. North Vegas, East Vegas, Westside, Freeside, Primm and Goodsprings, which are entirely dependent on Republic trade and commerce for survival, will eventually suffer the same fate as NCR trade and business abandon the region out of both fear and hatred for the Legion.
Especially after the Legion's successful assassination of President Kimball which will see him martyred and ensure that the NCR will cut off all ties to the fallen Mojave Wasteland. With all of the Mojave's communities and towns dying off, the Legion's supply lines will crumble and face imminent collapse within only a few months time (Hoover Dam isn't a viable supply route as while it does allow the Legion to cross the Colorado River in force it's just too far to provide adequate, long-term support) which will only serve to doom the Legion's occupation of the Mojave Wasteland.
We must also take into account that the Legion will need every last man, Denarius and resource at its disposal if it so much as hopes to hold the region and continue the advance West. Which will force Caesar to relinquish the Legion's entire empire East of the Colorado in order to do so. In Legate Lanius’ own words, the Legion's expansion campaigns in the East have been faltering badly as Caesar's obsession with Hoover Dam, New Vegas and the West has seen the Legion's full strength syphoned off towards Hoover Dam as part of Caesar's plan to overrun Hoover Dam, conquer New Vegas and eventually invade the West.
Imagine the Hell that the Legion will have trying to secure the Mojave Wasteland, which will prove to be so bad that the Legion heartlands will have to be left defenseless, lawless and chaotic just to even begin to make such an ambitious feat even remotely feasible. Some would probably argue that Caesar would surely never abandon the East just for the tiniest, southernmost tip of Nevada and just one little city but I'd advise you to reconsider.
Caesar explicitly states that while the Legion does have their own cities back East, NONE OF THEM are ANYTHING like New Vegas. Why is that such a big deal, one might ask? It's simple, really. While the Mojave Wasteland was relatively untouched by the nuclear holocaust that was the Great War, thanks to the quick and decisive actions of Robert Edwin House, New Vegas is at best a total dump and at worst an absolute shithole.
Filled to the brim with disease, essentially overrun with Raiders, bandits and common criminals of all stripes, absolutely crushed beneath the iron heel of a colossal drug-addiction crisis, bursting at the seams with abject misery and poverty and rampant with starvation, New Vegas is without a doubt little more than a massive dumpster fire.
Things are so bad in that cursed place that you actually have children chasing rats in the streets just to survive, locals constantly complaining about hunger pains and withdrawals and scum ranging from the Fiends to random little hooligan punks constantly ransacking the place.
Westside, the South Vegas ruins, East Vegas, North Vegas and Freeside are all Hellish nightmares that are almost completely hopeless causes, at the end of the day. Even if one takes into account the diamond in the rock, the New Vegas Strip, you still wouldn't find many reasons to be impressed.
What you have is a tiny wealthy resort community that still looks like a dump (though it's still a major improvement from the rest of New Vegas), has highly dilapidated infrastructure (the Tops Casino still has a giant hole on the side of the building) and is surrounded by a wall that's held together with spit, grit and a whole lotta' duct tape.
And while the Strip is safe, orderly and prosperous by the standards of the Mojave Wasteland (a very shit standard, I might add), it's ultimately a very terrible place by the standards of the rest of the post-apocalyptic world (i.e. NCR territory and lands under Legion control). If Legion cities can't even match the standards of that shithole, what does that say about Caesar's willingness to hold them? Especially in light of what he'd be gaining in return?
Furthermore, Caesar often tends to view himself as a mere barbaric king of the Gauls, with his Legion being nothing but one big nomadic tribe of savages without a true home or purpose in his eyes, which is extremely depressing. Caesar sees New Vegas as a true city, a true capital, a true home for both himself and his Legion, a true Rome that he can rule over and could preside over a true empire in. And the West as that very true empire that he so desperately relishes.
Do you honestly believe that Caesar wouldn't trade his current empire (which he clearly holds in very low esteem and almost regrets ever conquering it) for his new Rome and a stepping stone towards eventually conquering his new Roman Empire (the stepping stone being the Mojave Wasteland)? He'd trade the whole of the East for New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland in a heartbeat and in doing so will seal the Legion's fate and imminent doom.
With the Legion having completely relinquished the East (and therefore cutting themselves off from their resource base, source of revenue/income and escape route, in the process) their supply lines and logistical network in chaos and having absolutely no source of replenishment and reinforcements for their ranks, the Legion will slowly but surely disintegrate, trapped in a permanent holding pattern in the Mojave that'll bleed them dry and drain them of all their resources.
The NCR, meanwhile, will have simply dug in at the Mojave Outpost and fortified their defenses there. They'd have most certainly brought in the 3 VB-02 Vertibirds (which are armed with Gatling Lasers, Missile Launcher racks and Mini Nuke Launchers and outfitted with heavy armor) that were conducting combat air patrols of the NCR military base just a few miles away from the Mojave Outpost.
Far from stopping there, however, Colonel Royez (who's outfitted with the Scorched Sierra Power Armor which is a fully-operational suit of heavily-modified T-45d Power Armor upgraded with onboard medical systems capable of healing any injury and an improved back-mounted power pack from a suit of T-51b Power Armor that will be capable of resisting nearly all of the Legion's weapons and armed with a Plasma Caster chock full of overcharged Microfusion Cells so incredibly strong that it can kill a lvl. 50 Courier in Power Armor with just 2-3 hits!) and his men (NCR Heavy Troopers armed to the teeth with Gatling Lasers, Plasma Casters and Tesla Cannons as well as NCR Troopers armed with Tri-Beam Laser Rifles, Multiplas Rifles, Laser Rifles and Plasma Rifles) will also redeployed there from the same military camp, as well.
Republic artillery pieces can also be deployed there to help bolster the outpost's defenses, as well. A massive network of bunkers, pillboxes and trenches all along the hill below the outpost as well as machine gun nests, sniper nests, minefields and razorwire can also be established to further enhance the impregnable defensive perimeter of the new frontline. Once all of this is done, the NCR will then proceed to flood the outpost with tens of thousands of NCR Troopers, NCR Heavy Troopers, NCR Veteran Rangers
And when coupled with the fact that the Mojave Outpost is atop a high hill, is flanked by mountain ranges on both sides (which will completely prevent the Legion from attacking its flanks and rear), is right on the border with fully-controlled Republic territory (which will make it impossibly easy to keep well-supplied and will also ensure that Republic reinforcements are plentiful and easily available) and the fact that one could see everything up to Primm and Nipton from the Mojave Outpost (that particular area is also wide-open, completely exposed and lacks any real cover which means that any Legion force of any meaningful size would be spotted from miles away day or night which in turn will prevent Legion surprise attacks), the Mojave Outpost will truly become a 100% impregnable fortress.
To make things even worse for the Legion, there's absolutely no bypassing the Mojave Outpost either as the only areas that can allow such a short cut around the Long 15 are completely and literally impassable. The Big Empty is often described as a wall to any living thing approaching it, the Divide is little more than a death trap and is completely avoided by the Legion for obvious reasons and Death Valley is so inhospitable that even the NCR, with its fleet of military cargo trucks and Vertibirds, flat out avoids that area out of habit.
Any army stupid enough to try and cross through these areas will not return alive under any circumstances. Which in turn ensures that only through the Long 15 can the Legion hope to invade the West and given that the Mojave Outpost is purely impenetrable and that the Mojave Wasteland is completely entrapped with mountains and the Colorado River, the Legion will be completely trapped in the Mojave Wasteland and will never be freed from their holding pattern there.
The NCR simply bides its time and let's the Legion wear itself out and tear itself apart trying to hold the Mojave Wasteland, occasionally fending off Legion assaults on the Mojave Outpost whilst inflicting heavy losses on the Legion, launching several limited-scale offensives here and there so as to deplete the Legion's ranks even further and deploying NCR Veteran Rangers into the Mojave Wasteland so as to ambush Legion supply caravans and patrols to worsen the Legion's logistical nightmare.
After almost a year, the Legion will finally be vulnerable, it's forces stretched absolutely thin down to their absolute breaking point, their supply lines and logistics completely exhausted and expended alongside their supplies as a whole, the Legion's ranks reduced to little more than a tiny skeleton crew, the Legion completely scattered across the entire Mojave Wasteland unable to guard it or defend it any longer and the Colorado River at its back, with absolutely no way of escaping their inevitable demise.
At this moment, the NCR finally attacks with a full-scale assault across the entirety of the Mojave, completely and utterly destroying the Legion in its entirety and killing/capturing Caesar himself as Republic forces swarm across New Vegas and wipe out his Legion all around him within mere hours, days if the Legion is lucky. And so the NCR-Legion War finally draws to a close, with the back of the Legion broken forever and ceasing to exist.
Either way the Legion is fucked with a Legion defeat at the Second Battle of Hoover Dam being a mercy killing at best for the Legion.
(Sources are down below in the comments section).

Link to Pt. I: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/comments/j6d05z/star_wars_the_last_fix_finn_as_the_main/
The Rise of Skywalker's Plot
After the destruction of Starkiller Base, General Leia Organa leads the evacuation of Resistance forces when a First Order fleet arrives. Against Leia's orders, Poe Dameron leads a costly counterattack that destroys a First Order dreadnought. The remaining Resistance escapes into hyperspace, but the First Order uses a device to track them, and attacks again. Kylo Ren hesitates to fire on the lead Resistance ship after sensing his mother Leia's presence on board, but his wingmen destroy the bridge, killing most of the Resistance's leaders. Leia is dragged into space, but survives by Kylo using the Force. While Leia recovers, Poe assumes command of the Resistance. Running low on fuel, the remaining fleet is pursued by the First Order.
On Ahch-To, Finn attempts to recruit Luke Skywalker to the Resistance. Under self-imposed exile, Luke refuses to help and says that the Jedi should end. After encouragement from R2-D2, he agrees to give Finn three lessons in the ways of the Force. Rey and Kylo begin communicating through the Force. Kylo tells Rey that Luke feared his power and killed her parents; Luke confesses that he momentarily contemplated killing Kylo upon sensing that Snoke was corrupting him and believing he killed his wife Mara, which prompted Kylo to destroy and escape Luke's new Jedi Order that Rey was raised in as a padawan. Convinced that Kylo can be redeemed, Rey leaves the Resistance ship. Luke prepares to burn the Jedi library, but hesitates. The spirit of Luke's master Yoda appears and destroys the library by summoning a bolt of lightning. He encourages Luke to learn from his failure.
Meanwhile, Poe entrusts mechanic Rose, hacker DJ and BB-8 with a secret mission to deactivate the First Order's tracking device in the casino town of Canto Bight. Pursued by the First Order, they escape the city with the help of orphans and political prisoners they set free. Rose and DJ infiltrate Snoke's flagship, but are captured by Captain Phasma. Kylo brings Rey to Snoke, who reveals that he also knew Rey's parents and can tell her more about them.
Believing plans to evacuate the remaining members of the Resistance using small transport vessel to be cowardly and futile, Poe leads a mutiny. Leia recovers and stuns Poe with a blaster, allowing the evacuation to proceed. Leia remains aboard the ship as a decoy to mislead Snoke's fleet as the others flee to an abandoned base on Crait. DJ shows himself to be a mole by revealing the Resistance's plan to General Hux, and the First Order fleet begins firing on the evacuation transports, destroying many.
Ordered to kill Rey, Kylo instead kills Snoke and defeats his Praetorian Guard with her help. Rey hopes that Kylo has abandoned the dark side, but he instead asks her to rule the galaxy with him and she accepts. Leia sacrifices herself by slicing through Snoke's flagship, crippling the First Order fleet. Rey takes her place as Kylo’s apprentice while he declares himself Supreme Leader despite sensing Leia’s death. Finn, having left training on Ahch-To with Luke's bisected lightsaber, arrives to help BB-8 free Rose; he defeats Phasma and they join the survivors on Crait. When the First Order arrives, Poe, Finn, and Rose attack with obsolete speeders. Chewbacca draws TIE fighters away in the Millennium Falcon, while Finn stops Poe from sacrificing himself. The First Order penetrates the Resistance fortress using a siege cannon.
Luke appears and confronts the First Order, allowing the surviving Resistance to escape. Kylo orders the First Order's forces to fire on Luke, but they fail to harm him. He and Rey then engage Luke and Finn in a lightsaber duel; upon striking Luke, Rey realizes that Luke is not physically present, but projecting his image through the Force. Finn helps the remaining Resistance escape on the Falcon and tells Poe that the Resistance can rise again.
At Canto Bight, an escaped prisoner recounts the story of Luke Skywalker to the orphans; afterward, one of them moves a broom with the Force and gazes into space.
TLDR Changes

• Swap the title from The Last Jedi to The Rise of Skywalker
  
• Finn is trained by Luke on Ahch-To while Rey has been with The Resistance, feeling closed off due to her fractured history with Luke and mutual discomfort with The Resistance
  
• Admiral Holdo is taken completely out of the story, leaving the power struggle in The Resistance to be between Leia and Poe
  
• Following a First Order fleet attack that leaves Leia incapacitated but not dead thanks to Kylo's discreet Force use, Poe forcibly takes control and goes against evacuation protocol, believing it to be cowardly as he wants to fight
  
• Luke's unwillingness to get back into the fight has an extra layer added to it: the death of his wife Mara; In the incident that sparked Kylo's rampage and escape from The New Jedi Order, all signs pointed to him murdering his aunt; Rey, seeing Kylo as an older brother figure, has always felt he didn't do it; Finn brings up Rey, leading to Luke revealing that she was raised to be a padawan around the time of the previously mentioned events but disappeared shortly after the Jedi temple's destruction
  
• While Finn is with Luke on Ahch-To, Kylo has been communicating with Rey and convinces her to leave The Resistance ship and come to him
  
• With Leia out of commission, Poe's suspicions about Rey are proven right as she is nowhere to be found when he needs someone to accompany Rose and BB-8 on a secret mission in Canto Bight; DJ, a veteran member of The Resistance, volunteers to take Rey's place
  
• As things go from bad to worse with Poe in charge, Leia comes to and gets control back to allow evacuation to Crait to commence but remains on board alone, sacrificing herself to take out The First Order fleet threatening them
  
• With the help of orphans and political prisoners they have freed along the way, DJ and Rose bond despite their starkly different morale within The Resistance; DJ tests Rose's loyalty by bringing up her family history with The Empire, as her parents were murdered by The New Republic as war criminals
  
• Undeterred by that and her sister's sacrifice in the film's beginning, Rose still believes in the cause and is not jaded like DJ; With that, DJ leads them right to Captain Phasma on Snoke's flagship, turning on Rose; Luckily, Finn left training and saves Rose, defeating Phasma and leaving DJ to die on the ship
  
• Using the past and Rey's wanting to belong somewhere, Snoke and Kylo both play with her emotions by promising her the truth about her parents; Only wanting one apprentice, Snoke tries to pit the two against each other but Kylo and Rey end up working together to take out Snoke's guard before Kylo kills his master; Her hopes confirmed, Rey agrees to stick with Kylo as he "came back for her" after their decade apart; Kylo senses Leia's death but focuses on his new position as Supreme Leader and what is in store on Crait
  
• Finn reunites with Poe on Crait, convincing him to not recklessly sacrifice himself despite all seeming lost; Luke shows up to allow The Resistance to escape being cornered by The First Order; This leads to he and Finn facing Kylo and Rey in a duel; Finn has improved but is once again overpowered by Kylo, thanks partially to his shock at Rey switching sides; Rey and Luke meet face-to-face for the first time in years but Luke doesn't try to fight his angry former padawan, letting Rey strike him only to show he's not physically there; Luke is still on Ahch-To, alive but weak; It was all a ploy to get Finn to safety at the cost of Luke's strength
  
• The end sees Finn give a speech to the departing Resistance, bringing up their spirits and motivating Poe to embrace his role as their new leader; An orphan on Canto Bight is seen using The Force, giving a hint just as to why some people were being held by The First Order
  

Adventures (probably) don't exist in a void. They happen in a world, and that world should be logically consistent and directly affect the adventures that play out in it. On that note, I'm hoping to start writing posts about large-scale world building, starting at one of the "smallest" large-scale units: settlements.
These are ten different types of cities, each with different architectural layouts, personalities, and potential quest hooks. These ideas can help guide your city creation, hopefully inspiring you to implement some of these cities into your own world. I've included an example of each type of city from fiction, just to make sure the idea is clearly presented. (While most of these examples are pretty clearly Western fantasy influences, these city archetypes can work just as well for any campaign style I can imagine).
Before starting, it's important to note that these cities can be created as cross sections– a Seatown might have both a thriving economy and a shady part of town, or a Holytown might also be a nation's capital. One thing to always keep in mind, however, is that these cities do not generally stand alone: they are part of a larger, collective nation, and should reflect the beliefs and ideas you want to stress in that part of the world, be it racial, religious, or class conflict. And, of course, these are all just suggestions.
Without further ado, the archetypes:

The Town

King's Landing
This town has all the rooms where it happens: the capital, the shining jewel of the Commonwealth, the home of the head– or heads– of government. The entire nation is ruled from this city, and it can stand as a paragon to the themes you want to express in that nation. Those themes could be, to name a few, security, corruption, or democracy, but more on that in another post.
The Town is basically built around the central government building– either a domed, marble fortress, or a high wizard's tower that stands menacingly above the populace. When creating the layout of this settlement, it's important to keep in mind who is in charge, and how they would want their capital city to look and feel. Aristocratic nobles may have physically elevated homes, above the peasants who live in fear of flood and foreign invaders. Or perhaps the bureaucratic government has a strict and ordered layout, predetermined and incredibly organized. No matter what, the city's map should be emblematic of the structure of government, and demonstrate how and whether the government works.
The populace of this town are likely divided into the rulers and the ruled, and these two groups can have a mixed bag of attitudes towards one another. Maybe the democratically-elected government is hated by people who don't believe in the legitimacy of the process, or maybe the people see the dictator as a necessary evil to protect against invading foreign armies, while he sees them as a means to a greater end. One thing is probable: the common folk, who live so close to the political center of the nation, are going to feel its influence every day. This can be expressed with newspapers, town criers, and the presence of royal guards, which can all show that this city is one belonging to the powerful. And they exist on the flip side of the coin: the powerful, with a variety of differing opinions among them. Some seek to protect the people and uphold justice, while some are willing to do anything just for an extra taste of the good life.
These two groups can offer very different types of quest. Oftentimes, the peasantry offer any typical quest one would expect from any other town, though there may be some merchants and lobbyists trying to sell their wares to the nation with a government contract. The real quests come from higher up– there is opportunity for court drama, assassination attempts, policy changes affected by the PCs. This is also a great place to lay out and describe the geopolitics of the world, and to stress the ambitions of the most powerful people in the nation. Maybe the PCs need to prepare for war, or resolve a dispute between the City Patrol and the Royal Guard. No matter what, the politics are sure to come out in full force in The Town– and politics is a great source for both conflict and character development.

Schooltown

Arkham, Massachusetts
Built around a Bard's College, a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or another form of university, Schooltown is filled to the brim with students, alumni, and faculty from across the world. It may be a goal or destination to some, representing opportunity and success– to others, it may be a symbol of elitism and pseudo-intellectualism.
The university itself likely predates the rest of the town, which has been constructed as a result of the school. Because of this, it may even have a completely different architectural style, with gargoyles and stone towers juxtaposing the log cabins and dirt roads of the rest of the town. Perhaps a generous but suspicious donor has recently offered to renovate a wing of the school, so long as it's eventually named after them. The shops in this town will have merchants selling textbooks, spellbooks, components, and papyrus. In fact, many of the buildings in this town service the university, either directly or indirectly. One great example of this is the taverns, where various students may gather to get away from the hard work they've been doing.
The patrons of these taverns are often young students looking to shirk responsibility. They may be fascinated by a githzerai from the Outer Planes, or interested in an arm wrestling contest to prove their worth. Schooltown is also full of intelligent, occasionally eccentric professors. Some of them may actually perform secret, nefarious experiments, while others may simply shuffle from class to class, teaching and eating and sleeping. Still other members of the town may be alumni who chose to stick around (for whatever reason), and regular townsfolk who could be resentful about the university's unwanted effects on their lives, possibly including dropouts who have sought to go their own way, academically.
While students may turn to adventures for menial tasks (like finding a very rare, particular flower for a class crush), it's the professors that have the really high level quests. Who knows what such intelligent people would need from a group of bold adventurers? Professor Jean Swan may be suspicious of the research of his colleague, Aergol the Alchemist, who claims Swan is just trying to slander him. A team of archaeologists might seek protection as they excavate the Narwhal Catacombs, a week out from town, offering uncovered treasure to any adventurers that accompany them. And if your players are looking to gain more knowledge about the world at large, they can't complain when that knowledge is almost at their fingertips in the university's libraries.

Holytown

Val Royeaux
Remember the monks from Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Chanting runs through the streets as a wisp, reaching the ears of most of the citizens of Holytown. This city may house a large cathedral, or religion may play a central role in its functioning. My personal favorite conception of Holy Town is as a pilgrimage site– a place where one must travel to become a true believer in the faith.
The level of holiness here is really up to the discretion of the DM, and will affect the way the city is meant to be built. An all out holy city may be entirely constructed around the faith– every brick laid with care by devout priests, and the seat of the cardinal high above the rest, with many roads leading into the church. Maybe the city itself is the world's largest temple, a shining beacon dedicated to the Celestial Pantheon. Or maybe the city is just built around a cathedral, and the pastor has a lot of power in the town's local politics, with higher ambitions. The specific religion is important, but building religions is, again, an idea for another day. As usual, the effects of religion should be felt throughout the town.
Priests and nuns are common here, often interacting with the townsfolk. In turn, these townsfolk are often supportive of the clergy, either with offerings or simple conversation. Most citizens in town are members of the religion, and it's impossible to not be aware of it. Holy days are celebrations thrown almost weekly, and the town falls silent when it's time for mass, save the few foreigners and atheists who grumble about the iron grip of the religion over their town. These people provide the greatest source of conflict, though they may come off as a little bitter because of the place they've had to live in.
There are a few things members of the clergy particularly love asking adventurers to do. There's the purging of unholy creatures from nearby areas. The reclamation of holy artifacts from museums in foreign nations. Improving attendance of church, or converting those who still aren't convinced. This is a great time to work on the character's relationships with the gods, assuming they exist in some form in your world. Everyone is a politician, even Garl Glittergold, god of the gnomes, and Holytown is a great place to learn more about the gods, their relationships with one another, and your characters' relationships with them. Maybe the town is ruled by a manifestation of an evil god, who threatens dissidents with violence. Maybe the gods do not make their presence known to mortals, and the citizens of Holytown latch onto anything that they see as a sign of a deity's existence, leading to different factions and sects– think Life of Brian's shoe vs. gourd schism.

Funtown

Canto Bight
A site of vacation for the rich or gambling for the reckless, Funtown is a place for games and relaxation. It might be a traveling carnival village, with a variety of ~wacky~ characters. It might be famous for its casinos, which are well-known to be run by the halfling mafia. This is a place where adventurers can have a good time– though everything may not always be as it seems.
This is the layout I'm least certain about, honestly, mostly because of how varied Funtowns can be. There could be a large pavillion, surrounded on all sides by various music halls. The town may feel like a maze, almost impossible to escape– wanna try your luck at gambling for a map? Think about how people make money in this town– hopefully that informs further development. Merchants have jacked up prices, taking advantage of tourists, and the wares of some of the seedier shops may include loaded dice and stacked decks. You have to be careful with these kinds of goods, though– you don't want Four-Ear Fzordrin to hear you've been causing problems in his establishment. He's got four ears, you know. Allegedly.
Townsfolk here are generally just trying to live their lives, surrounded by annoying tourists who think that everybody speaks Common. Their attitude is one that likely ranges from ambivalence to hostility towards these out-of-towners. The tourists will also play an interesting role in Funtown, adding to the liveliness- or drunkenness– of the town. Additionally, the people in charge of the games are some of the town's more important members– whether they are simply trying to make some cash, or whether they have malicious intent behind their games, is up to you.
While this is a good place for adventurers to unwind and have a session of goofing around, Funtown should still feel like a real place that offers conflict to the PCs who come across it. There may be a competitive, covert operations, high-stakes poker tournament that can lead to more information on the mind flayer the sorcerer has been pursuing. One of the PCs may find themselves battling to the death in the town's gladiatorial arena. Maybe a tavern owner offers gold rewards to anyone who can work their way through his elaborate, trap-filled obstacle course. This should be a time for players to show off what their characters do when they finally get a change to have fun. What does a paladin even do with her break? And how wild can a dwarf really get?

Fort Town

Sparta
Every town needs some sort of police force, and every nation needs some sort of standing army. Sometimes, these two coincide in Fort Town. Originally built as a military base, the fort's favorable location has encouraged some local farmers to move closer and try their hand at smithing, selling weapons and tools to the soldiers for a small markup. Fort Town is a center of operations, a border patrol station, or a site for the construction of weapons of war, or any other function a fort may serve.
Ballistas line the thick stone walls of this hexagonal city, with hot oil prepped not too far away. Security is of the utmost importance, and this is reflected in the city's design. Roads are built for efficiency, as the army could be called upon to fight at any conceivable moment. There aren't many houses, as soldiers generally live together in the barracks, and the houses that do exist either belong to generals, veterans, or citizens who live outside Fort Town's carefully protected walls. All the standard military trappings are part of Fort Town's environment– stables, training grounds, and the constant sound of a drill sergeant barking commands at her bowman squad.
Military fervor varies at every level of command. Citizens are likely not too involved in the goings-on of Fort Town, except perhaps supplying the soldiers with moonshine, company, or games. The soldiers, accordingly, are really just pawns in a greater game. They're constantly aware of a looming threat of death, even if their nation has the strongest army in the Eastern Kingdoms. Despite that, however, these soldiers are very real people, with a range of ambitions, opinions, and mentalities. Higher up, however, and one realizes that there is a purpose to all this– generals know that they affect the politics of the entire world, and their operations must be kept closely under lock and key. Though, surely, someone would pay a pretty penny for those battle plans...
Adventurers don't just "end up" in Fort Town. Whether they've been conscripted or are following a lead, they will be looked at with a seemingly excessive amount of scrutiny by military commanders. The best way to gain their trust may be through helping carry out a small scouting mission to the north, or discovering whether or not the Rasskin Elves are planning an offensive in two weeks. Maybe the military is a closed group with very specific barriers for entry, such as winning a barefisted fight or being able to win a drinking contest with one of the more alcohol-driven members of the infantry. Some officers might be above paying mercenaries to do their dirty work, while others seek victory by any means necessary. Fort Town can emphasize and flesh out a character's relationship with authority, really pushing the idea of what words like "lawful" and "chaotic" mean.

Seatown

Port Sarim
Shanties strike up, oak planks creak, and seagulls and seals compete to be the loudest creatures for miles. Seatown is built right on the ocean, a port and point of access into the nation. It's home for pirate ships and sailor's guilds alike, a bustling hub where you might not even get the time of day from the often rude travelers you may encounter there.
Seatown, despite the name, does not inherently have to be on the water. Really, it should serve as a commuting hub, such as a roadhouse or airship port. It's not a final destination for most people, but a place to stop along the way. Seatown has plenty of taverns, some often filled with brawls, and may even have some seafood restaurants to attract the "just visiting" crowd. The docks themselves are key, and players should have an idea of what they're in for as soon as they step off their ships. Pirates curse and throw fish at each other, and merchants order the careful movement of crates onto their ships– "except that one. My people will take care of that one." The atmosphere of the docks should represent the atmosphere of the town, and here, everything is built around travel and the voyage.
Seatown attracts a huge variety of people, from pirates to merchants to sailors, and these groups don't always get along. Citizens of Seatown tend to recognize frequent visitors, and may be excited or wary when they see the adventurers' fresh new faces. They are certainly a motley crew– the dragonborn barkeep with a peg leg, the blind rope merchant, the half-elf twins who claim they can make sea water drinkable– "really, here, just try it!" The people of Seatown have seen their fair share of outsiders, and very little can really surprise them any more.
Since Seatown is only a stop along the way, adventurers are unlikely to spend a lot of time there. However, there are always ship captains looking for odd jobs, or pirates who are trying to get into trouble, fighting the first formidable foes they see. These may even get out of hand, and the high seas may become a much more dangerous place for the adventurers after they anger the Princess of Pirates. Merchants may seek help in locating stolen goods or protecting their wares as they continue their journey. Seatown should serve as an entertaining stop along the road for the adventuring party, but, as with Funtown, should still function as a living, breathing environment completely outside of the adventurers.

Tradetown

Ankh-Morpork
Tradetown is a center of trade for individual merchants and guilds alike. Some very expensive things can be found here, and money is the dominating factor that drives the function of the town. In terms of your entire nation, it's important to understand why Tradetown is where it is– it should exist at a nexus of roads, with trade easily facilitated between neighboring cities. Tradetown is as rich as it is, at least in part, because of its accessibility.
A financial capital is a center for business, and that means plenty of stores and merchants selling wares. There might be stalls and markets all over the place, or a large trading building where stockbrokers exchange price points for eyes of newt and battleaxes. This is where the economy starts and ends, and that should be very apparent. Gold exchanges hands with frequent, well-heard clinks, and the hustle and bustle of the city is a result of the huge amounts of people that have moved there in search of wealth and power. Tradetowns are among the biggest cities in an empire– possibly even larger than The Town, mostly because more people are motivated by greed than a lust for power.
Guild bosses and small time merchants are both in pursuit of the same thing: wealth beyond their wildest imaginations. Some are certainly more lucky than others, and the apparent wealth disparities are felt in the conversations PCs have with citizens. There may even be different accents for different social classes, like in London or the dragonborn Finankal district. However, the people of Tradetown might not all be trying to turn silver into gold. Some of them are honest workers who, like in every other town, are just trying to live, oftentimes brought here by their parents seeking the Tradetown Dream, an idea which some of the citizens may view as fallacious.
Merchant's guilds are always competing with one another, and this can sometimes get brutal, with adventurers needed to step in to either mediate or pick a side. The government might be more prone to corruption here, and the adventurers might want to do something about it. Guild bosses might need goods delivered safely, or new markets investigated. And, of course, in a city filled with the richest of the rich, a heist isn't out of the question! Let your players know about the role money plays in your nation– maybe in some countries, it doesn't matter as much. But to other, greedier nations, money changes everything.

Worktown

The Valley of the Wind
Something has to make the world go 'round. Whether Worktown is an agricultural hamlet or a massive, steam driven city, it is a key cog in the machine of the nation, providing raw materials for the rest of the country's people. It is often more out of the way, not in a central location, and a nation should consist of a lot of Worktowns if it is to function properly. As such, these towns are often among the smallest in an empire, though they still have their fair share of interesting characters and neighborhoods.
In an industrial Worktown, towers of smoke from coal plants billow high into the sky. There are mineshaft openings every fifty feet. Escaped livestock runs through the streets. Worktown is not a clean town, nor is it an organized one. It's a very spread out region, without any real cohesion to it, unless it's an incredibly efficient smithing factory. Clangs of metal and brays of goats are often heard all around this town, creating a blue collar symphony. It's crucial to know the function of the Worktown– a town based around mining for copper is very different than one that grows carrots. These ideas can shake up the way residents act and the type of town a Worktown comes across as.
The people of Worktown are, more often than not, simple and humble. They have large families, and may be resentful of people from Schooltowns, Tradetowns, or The Town. They're the "don't take too kindly to strangers" types, mostly because strangers don't typically come to town without some ulterior motive. Some are incredibly friendly, of course, like Gran and Yollsworth Twindly, but these talkative types are probably few and far between. The person in charge of the town is likely a lord or noble whose family got the short end of the stick generations ago– she may try and spin her position to increase her power in the region.
This is a great place for low-level adventurers who need a townsperson to tell them to go clear the goblins out of the mines or find their lost cattle. Again, the type of Worktown is incredibly important– a lumbering operation may require the disbanding of a pack of wolves, while a mining operation may be crippled by the recent appearance of rust monsters in the mines. These quests can also serve to show adventurers what kind of people the common folk are– so often, high level adventurers find themselves so utterly separate from the average Joe, it's important to remind them that these people exist, are normal, and can be good, kind people. People worth protecting. What's the point in saving the world if you don't even care about the world being saved?

Crimetown

Gotham
Not a great place to be. The Thieve's Guild might rule this town, the police force might be corrupt, law and order might be a thing of the past. Oftentimes, Crimetowns are what happens when Worktowns take a turn for the worse. Whatever the situation, Crimetown is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, an oftentimes frightening and dangerous place to live.
The buildings of Crimetown are likely left in disrepair, with broken windows and derelict wood structures. The only people who have anything are the people with the best security or the people in charge of the criminal organizations– often one and the same. Not everything has to be all doom and gloom, of course– there may still be friendly faces to be found, and buildings don't have to all look like ancient ruins to create the desired aesthetic.
Anyone will tell you that the people of Crimetown are not to be trusted: everyone has their own motives and interests in mind, and you can get stabbed in the stomach over a few gold pieces. For the most part, they're right. Again, that's not to say everyone is chaotic evil here– the town still has to function in the overall society. People might not be overtly murdering each other on every street corner, but there are still plenty of shady drug dealers and scummy con men that can fill the role of a murderhobo NPC. Some citizens of Crimetown will complain about members of Tradetowns who came in, sucked up all the natural resources, and left Crimetown to rot. Others might call this a mindless conspiracy– it's really up to you, the DM, to decide how much of it is true.
Cleaning up the town is a noble goal, but a difficult one. Crimetown has been like this for a long time, and it's kind of foolish to pretend one adventuring party that came out of nowhere can fix everything. Still, maybe with the right allies, anything is possible. Alternatively, players might actually find themselves giving into temptation and joining in on the available selection of crimes, carrying out heists and assassinations at the behest of Bozzok, the half-orc leader of the Thieve's Guild . Maybe they skirt a line in between, looking to reform the guild from within– but how well can that work? Players can explore the darker side of their characters in Crimetown, and see what happens when they are thrust into a dangerous urban setting– one that still has good people in it, though they may be doing the wrong things.

Hometown

The Shire
A place worth fighting for. My inclusion of Hometown may feel like a cheat, but I'd say it's anything but. It's one of the most important towns in the world– at least for the characters in the story.
A character knows the layout of the town. Where he played as a kid, the Temple of Pelor Ma used to force him to go to. He recognizes Livry Ward, the neighborhood where his childhood friend, Salaa, lived with her warlock father. Characters were shaped by this town, and it might be wise to actually let them have a hand in making it. If you plan on taking characters to Hometown, ask them if there are any places they remember from childhood.
Additionally, ask about people they remember. How will the townsfolk react to hearing the deeds of one of their own? Will they be impressed by the blue dragon she slayed in the Leaf Mountains? Or will they be concerned about the tabaxi that always hangs around with her? These people shaped the character in question, and so their attitudes and beliefs should, at least vaguely, be similar to hers.
Hometown is a perfect place to dig into a character's backstory. It might represent everything they hold dear– or everything they're still bitter about. Either way, putting it in danger should evoke a strong reaction– maybe it turns out that a group of paladins have began enforcing martial law in town, and the townsfolk are scared of stepping even slightly out of line. The people here are important, even if they've never been seen before. Don't let just one character have the spotlight, though– this is a great place for dynamic interactions across the table. For example, a fling for one of the characters may be a longtime rival for another, or something may be discovered about one of the characters that had been kept secret for a long time...
​
TL;DR: Cities are very important please consider these archetypes next time you're having trouble making one

Much like Frankenstein's famous monster, the Dark Universe is probably doomed to be remembered as a failed experiment cobbled together from spare parts, and a cautionary tale about the perils of playing God. As Universal Pictures found out the hard way: creating a universe is really hard, even if that universe happens to be fictional.
At best, Dracula Untold and The Mummy were just a pair of bland, forgettable fantasy films with a few neat ideas thrown in. At worst, they embody the most deplorable excesses of Hollywood's love affair with franchises and reboots, and they serve as a reminder that a "cinematic universe" isn't a magic bullet that guarantees massive success.
In case you forgot: Dracula Untold bombed so hard that the studio retroactively exiled it from the franchise (and they don't even like to admit that it was ever part of a franchise), and The Mummy put the name of the franchise in its opening credits before the franchise was even established.
But was this series always doomed to failure, or was it just flawed in its execution? Call me crazy, but I think there was the kernel of a great series in both of those movies, even as disappointing as they were.
A Dracula movie set in the Middle Ages, with historical details about the real Vlad Dracula thrown in? Awesome! A Mummy movie that's also a spy thriller, where Tom Cruise plays an undead superhero? Okay, that was stupid... But that room full of classic monster Easter Eggs was pretty cool, right?
So what happened? In short: a lot of things. Dracula Untold had a promising story, but I really think its premise ran into a big problem:
Origin stories are extremely hard to do well.
They're definitely not impossible (the rules of storytelling are more like guidelines, after all), but not every character can be improved with a definitive origin story.
It's one thing to make a feature-length origin story about an iconic hero like James Bond or Batman, since they're sympathetic characters whom we're meant to identify with. For anybody who's ever daydreamed about being a superhero or a secret agent, those fantasies instantly become a lot more vivid when we see a hero's human side, and we learn how they came to be; once we see that our heroes aren't so different from us, it's easier to imagine that we could be like them.
Monsters, though? Monsters are a different story. While most great villains have a human side, they usually become iconic because they embody something primal and archetypal that we find scary, and they derive their power from their mystery.
Moviegoers of the 1960s loved Ernst Stavro Blofeld because he embodied everything that they found scary about dictators on the far side of the Iron Curtain. Comic book fans love the Joker because he's the personification of chaos, and he embodies everything that we find scary about crime. And supernatural villains like Maleficent, the Wicked Witch of the West, and—yes—Dracula embody everything that we find scary about the occult.
That's probably why most James Bond fans loved it when Casino Royale explored Bond's origins, but hated it when Spectre tried to do the same for Blofeld. It's also probably why Batman fans loved it when Batman Begins explained how Bruce Wayne became Batman, but didn't mind that The Dark Knight explained almost nothing about the Joker. And it's probably why Maleficent and Oz the Great and Powerful got such lukewarm receptions when they tried to explain how Maleficent and the Wicked Witch became evil. When you explain too much about an iconic villain, you run the risk of robbing them of their mystique.
(That's also why I'm not so optimistic about the upcoming Joker origin movie, though I'll wait until it comes out before I criticize it)
The thing is, though...a prequel doesn't necessarily have to be an origin story. It's possible to shed some light on a character's past without devoting a whole story to explaining how they became the way they are. Case in point: compare the movie Hannibal Rising to the TV series Hannibal. They're both prequels to the Hannibal Lecter saga, but one was a critically panned box-office bomb, and the other was a critically praised cult classic with a devoted fandom. Why? There are a lot of reasons why—but for starters, one was devoted to "explaining" how Lecter became Lecter, and the other actually gives Lecter a chance to be Lecter.
Instead of just answering every single question about Lecter's past, Hannibal devotes its creative energy to being a genuinely solid crime drama with a strong dose of gothic horror, and it actually manages to stand on its own alongside The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon without being entirely defined by either of them. In a perfect world, that's the sort of prequel that Dracula Untold should have been: a solid supernatural horror story set in the Middle Ages, which could paved the way for the original Dracula without being entirely defined by it.
But what if we actually had gotten a Dracula prequel like that? And what if we had gotten a Mummy movie that logically built on its plot points, and set up the framework of a franchise without shoving it down our throats? And what if we had gotten, say, a Frankenstein movie and a Wolf Man movie that built on both of them, and set up an epic "monster mash" in the vein of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man or House of Dracula? What might those movies have looked like?
Well...
Dracula: Untold (2014)
Setting: Transylvania, 1473
As our movie opens, we're introduced to our protagonist: a handsome, dark-haired Prince who rules over a vast swath of territories in Eastern Europe, including Transylvania. A lifelong soldier, he's led his people to victory in dozens of battles, he always wears a suit of armor, and he can wield a sword as well as any of his loyal knights. If it helps, you can imagine imagine Luke Evans playing him.
But protagonist isn't Vlad Tepes (the man better known as "Dracula", or "Vlad the Impaler"). Instead, he's a different historical monarch: Matthias Corvinus, the King of Hungary. As any Dracula fan will tell you, Matthias Corvinus was arguably the single most important figure in the historical Dracula's life; a revered monarch who became legendary for his prowess in battle and his patronage of the arts, he was alternately an ally and rival of Prince Vlad of Wallachia, who fought alongside him against the Ottoman Empire. Here, Matthias is our hero, and Dracula is the villain of the story—as he should be.
Over the course of his three decades on the throne, Matthias has seen the world change, not always for the better. It's been twenty years since the great city of Constantinople fell to the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II, spelling the end of the last vestiges of the Roman Empire. As the sultan's power grows, the lords and princes of Christian Europe fear that the religion of Islam will soon dominate the West. While all of this plays out, rumors spread of strange creatures hiding in the shadowy lands east of the Carpathian Mountains, where the brutal prince Vlad—called "Dracula", or "Son of the Beast"—holds sway over the kingdom of Wallachia.
While Mehmed's armies grow ever closer to the borders of Matthias' kingdom, Matthias answers a call for help from the province of Transylvania, where strange and terrible things are afoot. The corpses of peasants are turning up in the woods, completely drained of their blood; entire villages are vanishing without explanation; massive swarms of bats can be seen flying over the countryside in the dead of night; hunters regularly encounter enormous wolf-like creatures, which walk on two legs like men. Matthias realizes that his kingdom is falling under the sway of evil forces, and he must confront them.
Against the advice of his men, Matthias decides to lead a party of knights across the Carpathian Mountains to investigate the rash of mysterious deaths, knowing that his journey will lead him into the heart of Wallachia. As he and his men travel farther and farther from home, they find themselves fighting for their lives against ferocious werewolves and hostile villagers, and they soon realize why so many villagers are vanishing: someone is turning them into mindless vampires, and they're leaving their homes to seek fresh blood. After one deadly confrontation with a swarm of vampires, Matthias is forced to behead one of his own knights to prevent him from becoming one of them, and a local apothecary offers him some advice on how to kill a vampire.
After explaining how to ward off vampires with stakes and crucifixes, the apothecary tells Matthias the disturbing tale of Prince Vlad, who hasn't been seen outside of his castle in months. She explains that she was once a servant in the castle, but fled for her life after she witnessed Vlad drinking blood from a chalice in a disturbing occult ritual. She believes that the Prince has become a vampire, and that he has sworn allegiance to Lucifer in exchange for eternal life. Though Matthias doubts her story about Vlad being in league with Lucifer, he knows that the vampires must have a master, and believes that it might be Vlad.
But the apothecary's warning comes too late: Matthias and his party are ambushed and captured by vampires, who take them to Prince Vlad's castle. When Matthias awakes, he finds himself in chains in Vlad's throne room, and Vlad—played by Charles Dance—formally introduces himself. He informs Matthias that he no longer answers to his old name, and is now only "Dracula". With that, Matthias is forced to watch helplessly as Dracula fatally impales his comrades on wooden stakes, and Dracula's vampire servants eagerly gather their blood in a chalice and present it to their master. As Dracula sips from his chalice, he informs Matthias that the apothecary's story was true: he really is a servant of Lucifer. And now that he has a noble-born prince as a captive, he plans to sacrifice him to Lucifer, which will grant him enough power to make him unstoppable.
While Dracula prepares the sacrifice ritual, he throws Matthias into his dungeon to await his fate. But with quick thinking and a little bit of luck, Matthias manages to escape after one of Dracula's brides disobeys her master's orders and sneaks into the dungeons to take some of Matthias' blood for herself. Heeding the apothecary's advice, he manages to fight his way through legions of vampires, and rushes back to Dracula's throne room to confront him. Just as he does, Dracula speaks the incantation to summon his master Lucifer, and Matthias finds himself staring through a fiery portal into Hell—where he sees Lucifer staring right back at him.
Just at that moment, salvation arrives: the sultan's army is on the march, and they've reached Dracula's castle. As Matthias picks up his sword and engages Dracula in battle, a barrage of cannon-fire rings out, and the Ottoman army lays siege to the castle. Little by little, the castle begins to crumble, and Dracula falls into the dungeons, where he's buried under a pile of stone rubble. As the castle's walls fall, Matthias makes his escape and sets off for home.
Days later, as Matthias lays down to sleep beside his wife, he has a disturbing dream about Dracula—who is trapped in the dungeons of his ruined castle, but very much alive. In his dream, Dracula assures him that he will rise again, and he reminds Matthias that he's immortal; the next time he threatens the people of Transylvania, Matthias may not be alive to stop him...
The Mummy: Unconquered (2016)
Setting: Egypt, 1798
Our story picks up more than 300 years after the sultan's troops destroyed Castle Dracula. The year is 1798, and the Ottoman Empire still rules over much of Eastern Europe and the Middle East—including Egypt, where the Mamluk rulers Mourad and Ibrahim swear fealty to the sultan. After decades of war and revolutionary upheaval in Europe, rumors spread of an ambitious Corsican military officer, who has risen through the ranks of the French Army to become one of the most feared men on the Continent. Now, with an unparalleled fighting force at his command, he plans to set his sights on Egypt. His name? Napoleon Bonaparte.
Our protagonist is a young Egyptian man named Salim, who reluctantly answers the call to enlist in the Egyptian Army as Napoleon's forces march from Alexandria and make their move on Cairo. He is forced to leave his fiancee, Yasmin, whose father Mustafa is a renowned scholar who manages a library in Cairo. As he fights with the Egyptian Army in the Battle of the Pyramids, he narrowly escapes with his life as the French Army massacres his friends and comrades, and takes hundreds of Egyptian prisoners. Unbeknownst to him, though, Napoleon has more than conquest on his mind; he's looking for the long-lost Temple of Set, which supposedly houses a fabled ceremonial dagger that can make its bearer unstoppable in battle. With the Egyptian forces scattered, he and his army strike out into the desert to seek out the temple. One of his commanders is a certain German baron, whose name will become important later.
Eventually, Napoleon finds his way to the temple, which is half-buried in the desert sands, and nearly inaccessible. But against all odds, he fights his way to the heart of the temple and takes the dagger, though he begins to have his doubts about whether it will really bring him the power that he seeks. As he leaves the temple, he doesn't notice that something is stirring in a stone sarcophagus...
Exhausted from battle, Salim manages to make his way back to Yasmin and her father in Cairo, just as Napoleon's forces swarm the streets. Together, they plan to flee the city before more soldiers arrive, but Mustafa refuses to go with them, insisting that he can't leave his library. Before they can make their escape, the German baron forces his way into Mustafa's library and threatens him at knife-point. He tells him that Napoleon has found the dagger in the Temple of Set, but he suspects that there is a secret to claiming its power—and he believes that he'll find that secret in one of the books in Mustafa's library. Visibly terrified, Mustafa insists that there is no such secret, but he tells the baron that he must return the dagger to the temple.
"The Dagger of Set is no key to power—it's a safeguard against a great evil. There are shadowy forces lurking in the Temple of Set, and the dagger is the only thing keeping them back! Once it's removed..."
But his warning comes too late: a monstrous horde of giant scarabs swarms the city of Cairo, attacking and devouring everyone in their path. Salim and co. manage to escape from the baron, and they take shelter in the cellar of Mustafa's library. As they hide from the rampaging insects, Mustafa explains the full story of the Temple of Set.
In his younger days, Mustafa was a scholar in the court of the sultan, and he had the opportunity to learn many secrets in his palace library. While there, he learned the story of Imhotep, an infamous high priest from the New Kingdom of Egypt who made a pact with the evil god Set in exchange for eternal life and everlasting power. It's said that the Pharaoh had Imhotep mummified alive and sealed in his own temple when he grew too powerful, and he placed the enchanted dagger in the temple to prevent him from leaving. For centuries, the Temple of Set has remained abandoned, and Imhotep has remained dormant—but he's as alive as ever, and only needs an opportunity to free himself. To seal him back in his prison, the dagger must be returned to its rightful place in the temple
"Over 300 years ago, the sultan's army laid siege to a castle in the Carpathian Mountains. Something evil dwelt in its foundations, and they dared not set it free. There are places in the world where evil gathers like a deadly plague, awaiting the chance to spread. That castle was one such place. The Temple of Set is another."
Back in the Temple of Set, Imhotep—a grotesque, withered figure wrapped in bandages—rises from his sarcophagus and summons a massive army of reanimated corpses. As Imhotep and his army march on Cairo together, the scarabs continue to swarm the city, and Salim and Yasmin fight to survive as they look for the missing dagger. When Napoleon's forces spot the army of corpses marching through the desert, they gather in formation to fight them off, and Salim takes the opportunity to steal the dagger from Napoleon's camp. In a massive battle, Napoleon and the baron lead a cavalry charge against Imhotep's forces, distracting them just long enough for Salim and Yasmin to make their way to the temple to return the dagger.
In the climax, Yasmin and Salim infiltrate the Temple of Set and fight their way to the center of the massive structure while Imhotep attempts to chase them down. Moments before they return the dagger to its resting place, they have a blood-curdling encounter with Set himself, whom Imhotep has summoned as a witness to his return. As Set taunts our heroes, his face changes shape for one brief moment, and becomes the face of Lucifer; though the moment is fleeting, it instantly becomes clear that Set and Lucifer are the same being—meaning that Imhotep and Dracula are in thrall to the same master.
Against all odds, they manage to return the dagger just before Imhotep closes in on them. Imhotep cries out to his master Set to save him, but the god turns his back on him, coldly telling him that he's not worthy of his power if he can be foiled by a pair of lowly mortals. Meanwhile, Imhotep's undead soldiers crumble into dust as Napoleon's army holds them off. When the dust settles, the baron has been grievously injured in the fighting, and has lost his right leg.
With that, Salim and Yasmin settle down in Cairo to start a family together. Though Imhotep has been defeated, Napoleon's forces remain in Egypt, and Salim and Yasmin must face the harsh reality of living under foreign occupation. In the final scene, Napoleon sends the injured baron back to Germany for medical treatment, and thanks him for his fine service as he bids him farewell.
"You've fought well. Travel safely, Baron Von Frankenstein..."
Frankenstein: Unchained (2018)
Setting: Germany, 1820
A little over twenty years after Imhotep and his undead army were defeated in Egypt, the German nobleman Alphonse Von Frankenstein—a battle-hardened veteran of the Napoleonic Wars—has settled down and started a family. Haunted by his experiences in Egypt (which he refuses to speak about), he is known for his cold demeanor, and his children Victor and Elizabeth often have a strained relationship with him. Their relationship becomes even more difficult when Alphonse's wife Caroline suddenly dies of scarlet fever when Victor is just a child, causing Alphonse to become a chronically depressed recluse. A bookish child, Victor seeks solace in scientific texts, and soon becomes obsessed with esoteric disciplines like alchemy and mysticism; haunted by the loss of his mother, he is determined to find a way to conquer death through science, and believes that it might be possible to create life in a laboratory.
Though Elizabeth becomes concerned about her brother's mental state, Victor soon proves himself as a science prodigy, and he eventually receives an exclusive invitation to study medicine at Ingolstadt University, a prestigious German university with a rather ghoulish reputation. Though no one has ever been able to prove it, it's rumored that the students and faculty at Ingolstadt often perform grotesque experiments on live human test subjects. Supposedly, some of the students have even done research on how to resurrect the dead.
While studying at Ingolstadt, Victor soon becomes intrigued by the sprawling university and its many hidden places. As he soon learns, the school is also home to a highly exclusive secret society known as "Prodigium", whose members have access to the most jealously guarded texts and research in the school's inner sanctum. Victor exhaustively pursues his studies in science and medicine, and he finally gets his chance to join the ranks of Prodigium when his wealthy roommate Igor Waldman reveals that he is a member, and he tells Victor that he has been nominated for membership. Ecstatic, Victor accompanies Igor to attend Prodigium's initiation ritual on the night of a full moon, and he's finally given access to the secret library at the heart of Ingolstadt.
As the assembled members of Prodigium don hooded cloaks and gather around a circle of candles surrounding a mirror, Victor suddenly realizes—to his utter horror—that the group is actually an occult sect, and they regularly gather in the library for pagan rites and rituals. When the initiation ritual commences, the group begins chanting a prayer to a being known as "The Dark One", and they call Victor forward to join in. When he does, a mysterious black-eyed figure appears in the mirror and beckons to him; as he looks on, the figure's face changes, first becoming the face of Lucifer, then the face of Set. As Victor looks around at his surroundings, he realizes that the room is filled with antique art, including a set of Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting Imhotep, and an oil portrait of Dracula. Though Victor is terrified by all that he sees, Igor convinces him to stay, telling him that Prodigium has the resources to make his dreams a reality.
"I know that you have potential, Victor. You want to create life. Some might call you mad, but we understand. The power to create life shouldn't belong to God alone. You can lead the way into a new age. We'll be right behind you!"
Victor accepts his membership in Prodigium, giving him access to the laboratory in Ingolstadt's inner sanctum—where he has a fully stocked vault of chemicals and scientific equipment at his disposal, along with all of the cadavers and preserved organs that he could ever need. As he begins to experiment on human bodies, Igor moves into the lab to assist him, and he subtly encourages Victor when he begins to have doubts about the ethics of his work. Finally, many months later, Victor manages to piece together a complete human specimen from preserved body parts, and he and Igor prepare to use a lightning storm to bring the specimen to life. As the Creature comes to life on the laboratory slab, Victor—overcome with emotion—names it "Adam", reminded of the story of the Garden of Eden. But Igor rebukes Victor for invoking the Bible, and tells him that he shouldn't get too attached to the Creature. With that, the other members of Prodigium appear and drag the Creature into the crypts beneath the laboratory.
It turns out that Victor was always just a pawn in Prodigium's ultimate plan: creating a living vessel for their master, "The Dark One", that will allow him to cross into the mortal world and rule over humanity. Since the Creature is an artificially created being, he has no soul, making his body the perfect empty vessel for the Dark One's soul. Now that Victor's experiment has succeeded, they have only to wait until the next full moon to perform the summoning ritual.
Against all odds, the Creature successfully manages to escape from the crypts, and he flees into the Bavarian countryside. As Igor and his friends leave the university to hunt him down, Victor sets out to find the Creature before Prodigium does, determined to save him. Fortunately, he finds the Creature taking refuge in a local farmhouse, and he comforts him and brings him food. As the Creature takes shelter, Victor tells him that his true name is "Adam", and he promises that he won't let Prodigium take him. To his surprise, the Creature—Adam—speaks to him, revealing that he's intelligent and capable of understanding human speech. As they take the time to get to know each other, Victor resolves to smuggle him out of the country and take him where Prodigium can't hurt him.
Their moment of peace turns out to be fleeting; some of the local villagers are in league with Prodigium, and they tip Igor off about Victor's location. As Prodigium closes in, Adam fights back, revealing his superhuman strength as he kills six of Igor's goons with his bare hands. Finally, Victor and Adam manage to board a stagecoach, and a frantic chase ensues as they race through the countryside. After several days on the run, they manage to make it to the port of Hamburg, where Victor hopes to find Adam safe passage on a steamship. Unfortunately, Prodigium manages to head them off.
In a climactic final standoff with Igor, Victor sacrifices his life to save Adam as he boards his ship. As the ship pulls away from the port, Adam watches helplessly as his creator dies, and he promises that he'll make his sacrifice a worthy one.
In the final scene, back at the Frankenstein family estate, Elizabeth receives a letter written in handwriting that she doesn't recognize. As she reads it, she breaks down in tears as she learns that her beloved brother Victor has died, but the anonymous sender assures her that he died a noble man.
To her surprise, the letter doesn't come with a return address. As the sender cryptically remarks: "It's best that nobody find me..."
The Wolf Man: Untamed (2020)
Setting: America, 1862
A little over 40 years after the death of Victor Frankenstein, the United States has been split in two by the American Civil War, dividing many American families in the heartland. One such family is the Talbots, a family of poor farmers in rural Kansas, who find themselves caught in the middle of a clash between rival pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.
One fateful day in 1856, 15 year-old Lawrence Talbot is forced to watch helplessly as his father John Talbot is brutally executed by marauders after he's discovered sheltering slaves. Though he never learns the name of his father's killer, he remembers just one detail about the man: he was carrying a distinctive black walking stick with a silver wolf's head on the handle. Six years later, with the war in full-swing, he reluctantly joins the Union Army, and finds himself deployed to Tennessee to fight the Confederates at Shiloh.
During a frenzied exchange of gunfire, Lawrence suddenly recognizes one of the soldiers in the Confederate Army, and realizes—much to his horror—that it's the marauder who killed his father. Six years after killing John Talbot, the man has risen up the ranks of the Confederate Army, and he is now a decorated lieutenant in the service of Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest. Though he initially doubts his eyes, Lawrence's suspicions are confirmed when his comrades are called to pursue the retreating Confederates, and he discovers the black walking stick abandoned in the mud, complete with the distinctive wolf's head.
As Talbot and his comrades march through the war-torn countryside, they're eventually caught in a Confederate ambush, forcing Talbot and some of his friends to escape into a nearby forest. Fleeing deeper and deeper into the shadowed woods, they find themselves hopelessly lost when night falls. Before long, they hear a strange growling and snarling in the darkness—the telltale sounds of a wolf on the prowl. One by one, Talbot's companions are dragged off into the woods as the wolf hunts them down, and Talbot desperately tries to flee as he hears them being torn to shreds. He runs as fast as his legs will take him, but he can't outrun the wolf, and he passes out as it pounces on him from behind.
To his surprise, Talbot wakes up in a medical tent in a Confederate prison camp, and finds a surgeon tending to his wounds. The surgeon tells him that the Confederates found in the forest, the sole survivor of an apparent wolf attack. While all of his friends were mangled beyond recognition, Talbot got off with just a bite in the leg, and the wolf apparently left him before it could inflict further injuries.
Though the surgeon mends Talbot's leg wound, he tells Talbot that he has been taken as a prisoner of war, and he'll be held in the camp until further notice. Later, when a Confederate officer comes to interrogate him, Talbot learns that the black walking stick was confiscated during his capture; it turns out that its owner is Lieutenant Paul Montford, a well-known officer in the Tennessee Cavalry.
For days, Talbot languishes in the prison camp, growing progressively more angry at his captors as he endures repeated physical abuse and subsists on meager prison rations. Still, he vows to keep going, knowing that his father's killer is still out there.
Then a full moon rises...
As he watches the full moon rise over the countryside, Talbot suddenly feels thick hair growing all over his body, he feels his teeth growing longer and sharper, and he feels his hands and feet becoming razor-clawed paws. Overcome by feral rage, he lets out a mighty howl as he rips off the door of his holding pen. Roaring and snarling, he charges at the Confederate guards as they surround him and open fire, and he effortlessly tears through their ranks, biting and slashing at every soldier that dares cross him.
As the Rebels and the Union prisoners flee in terror, Talbot finally manages to fight his way to the officer who interrogated him. Pinning the helpless man to the ground, he snatches the black walking stick out of his hand. As he holds it in front of him, he snarls a single word:
"WHERE?!"
Terrified, the officer replies "Corinth Road!", and Talbot leaves him alive as he bounds off into the distance toward Corinth Road.
Sure enough, Montford and his men are making camp upcountry, near Corinth Road. As Talbot makes his way to the camp, the sun eventually rises, restoring his human form. Still, he charges forward, determined to kill Montford at all costs.
With his clothes shredded by his transformation, Talbot creeps into the camp when night falls again, and he manages to steal a spare Confederate uniform from a sleeping soldier's pack. In disguise, he sneaks into Montford's tent with a pistol in hand, prepared to shoot him on the spot.
To his surprise, Montford stays completely calm when he sees him, and gives him a knowing smile.
"I had a feeling you'd find me, one of these days. You never stop. Neither would I, if somebody had done to me what I did to you. Don't worry, Talbot. I don't blame you for turning that gun on me. An animal can't tame his instincts. I suppose only one of us is leaving this tent alive."
Confused, Talbot demands to know why Montford is accepting his fate so calmly.
"You've got the rage of a wild beast in you, son," Montford says. "So do I. That's why I let you live. Even a wolf can sense a kindred spirit."
Horrified, Talbot flashes back to the night in the forest when the wolf bit him, and he realizes that Montford was the wolf all along. Montford is a werewolf, and he carries the wolf-head cane because he came to terms with his beastly nature long ago, and now accepts it as a part of who he is. That night, he recognized Talbot as the son of the man he killed, and he chose to pass on his lycanthropy to him rather than killing him, believing that he deserved a chance to take his revenge.
As Talbot realizes the truth, Montford changes into his lupine form and prepares to fight him—since he has years of experience in using his abilities, and he no longer needs the power of the full moon to become a werewolf. Talbot futilely tries fight him off with his pistol, but Montford goads him on, telling him to surrender to the wolf's instincts and embrace his true self.
Flashing back to the night that his father was killed, Talbot finally loses control of his anger and feels his animalistic side overtaking his mind. As he becomes a werewolf again, he squares off with Montford in an epic one-on-one battle. He sustains multiple serious injuries in the fight, but ultimately manages to slash his throat with his claws, killing him.
Just at that moment, Talbot's Union comrades finally arrive at the camp after days of chasing the Confederates. When they find Talbot—now a werewolf—standing over Montford's bloodied corpse, they surround him and open fire. Now fully lost to his werewolf instincts, Talbot charges at his old friends, attacking them as ferociously as he attacked the Confederates.
After taking multiple bullet wounds, Talbot is finally forced to flee, but the Union soldiers pursue him through the forests. As word spreads of a wild beast on the loose, Talbot finds himself chased by more soldiers every day, and he's forced to flee into the Appalachian highlands to escape them. After weeks on the run, moving further north with every day, he eventually finds himself in the thick evergreen forests near the Canadian border, where the weather grows bitterly cold. Finally, after going days without food, Talbot reverts to his human form as he collapses in the forest from exhaustion, accepting that he can run no longer.
But as he waits to die, Talbot is approached by a tall figure in a battered leather overcoat, whose face is hidden by a thick hood. The mysterious figure gathers him in his arms and carries him off to a nearby cabin, where he wraps him in animal skins and brings him food.
As soon as Talbot wakes up, we get a good look at his rescuer, and we see that it's none other than Frankenstein's Creature! Forty decades after escaping Prodigium, the Creature is still alive and well, and living a life of seclusion in the Canadian wilderness.
As he regains his strength, Talbot breaks down in tears as he realizes what he did. He's gotten his revenge, but he fears that he's lost his humanity in the process.
"I'm a monster..." he sadly laments.
The Creature puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"They called me a monster once, too. But it doesn't matter. Even a monster has a soul, and even the most troubled soul can find redemption. You'll find yours too, even if the journey is longer than you'd like. There are darker things in this world than the empty space in your heart, friend."
Reflecting on all that he's seen and done, Talbot ventures outside the cabin and takes in the unspoiled beauty of the forest, realizing that the woods are now his only home. But as long as he has at least one friend, perhaps they're not such a bad home...
But after the credits roll, we see a mysterious dark-haired man creep through the shadowed pathways of the Carpathian Mountains, making his way towards the rubble of Castle Dracula. As he approaches the ruined castle, a familiar voice speaks to him from the depths of the castle's crypt. It's the voice of Dracula—who's still alive after all these years, and hungry for revenge.
"It's time, Renfield, he says. "The Dark One hungers for sacrifice. But he has other servants than me. Go to Egypt. In the Temple of Set, you'll find the one who will join us. With him on our side, the armies of the dead will be unstoppable!"
At the Mediterranean coast, Renfield boards a steamship headed for Egypt, and the screen goes dark...
TL;DR: The films are all set in different historical periods, building up to a four-way battle between Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster. The overarching villain is a figure known as "The Dark One" (also known as "Lucifer" and "Set"), who lurks in the background.
Dracula Untold: In 15th century Transylvania, the warrior prince Matthias Corvinus embarks on a quest to confront his rival Vlad (aka "Dracula") after witnessing a series of vampire attacks, and he discovers that Vlad has pledged his soul to Lucifer in exchange for eternal life. In the finale, Vlad's castle is destroyed by the armies of the Ottoman sultan, temporarily defeating him.
The Mummy Unconquered: During Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt in 1798, French soldiers attempt to steal a powerful Egyptian artifact, but accidentally unleash the undead priest Imhotep and his army of mummies, who answer to the god Set. In the finale, Napoleon's army battles Imhotep's undead legions in a massive battle sequence, and one of Napoleon's German commanders is revealed to be Baron von Frankenstein.
Frankenstein Unchained: Baron von Frankenstein's son Victor leaves home to study medicine at the shady Ingolstadt University, where his roommate Igor Waldman invites him to join the clandestine mystic cult "Prodigium". When Victor creates his Creature (aka "Adam"), he discovers that Prodigium actually wants to use him as a living vessel for "The Dark One", who they worship. In the finale, Victor sacrifices himself to save Adam from Igor, and Adam flees Europe in a steamship.
The Wolf Man Untamed: During the American Civil War, Kansan farmboy Lawrence Talbot joins the Union Army in hopes of finding the Confederate soldier who killed his father, but he finds himself bitten by a werewolf while stranded in the woods during a battle. He ultimately gets the revenge that he seeks, but nearly loses his mind to his new animal instincts, forcing him to flee into the wilds of Canada to escape his old comrades. In the finale, he is taken in by a mysterious forest-dwelling hermit, who turns out to be Frankenstein's Creature.