Mac Frey

“Why, hello there, friend. What a day! This weather, right? Say, might I have a moment of your time? My name’s Mac, and I have a proposition I think you might like to hear.”— Mac when approached

Mackenzie "Mac" Frey is a gambler and hustler in Winter of Atom.

Background[]

Described as having slicked-back blonde hair, a slender form and outfitted in a well-tailed, navy-blue suit that was recently repaired, Mac is gambler and hustler.^[1]^[2] Though their full name is Mackenzie Frey, they prefer to be called Mac.^[1]

Gameplay[]

Mac is encountered at a random settlement after completion of A Thousand Feet of Terror if players have a reputation of at least 2. Mac will approach the player with the offer of serving as a ringer for a high-stakes card game they were invited to that they believe is rigged in the form of a "blow-off" con.^[3]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
	This character starts quests.	The Blow-Off: Mac will approach PCs to ask if they would serve as a ringer for a card game they suspect is a "blow-off."

The Fallout[]

If the blow-off con is stopped, Mac will provide the PCs with the promised 200 caps plus any funds lost during the card game. They will also reward PCs with an antique silver watch worth 100 caps. Mac may also be encountered in the future, in which they can invite PCs to a less violent game.

Notes[]

Mac carries a knife for self defense.
Mac is non-binary and is referred to exclusively with they/them pronouns.

Appearances[]

Mac appears only in Winter of Atom.

Behind the scenes[]

Mac was written by Jesse Heinig. He described writing the character as non-binary as important to him specifically due to not mattering to the plot, adding that "people of this sort exist."^{[Dev 1]}

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Winter of Atom p.172: "A fast-talking gambler and small-time hustler named Mackenzie Frey, or Mac as they prefer to be called, approaches the PCs with a proposition: they want someone to join a card game as a ringer. Mac carries a simple knife for self-defense.
↑ Winter of Atom p.172: "A slender individual with slicked-back blonde hair approaches. They wear a classy navy-blue suit that appears well-tailed and recently repaired. The person offers a swaggering half-bow, then holds out an unopened can of Nuka-Cola. The stranger’s lips part in a roguish smile before they speak. “Why, hello there, friend. What a day! This weather, right? Say, might I have a moment of your time? My name’s Mac, and I have a proposition I think you might like to hear.”"
↑ Winter of Atom p.172: "Mac offers a Nuka-Cola if the PCs are willing to listen to them. They are concerned the high-stakes card game they were invited to might be a “blow-off”— a con in which someone interrupts and attacks the card game to get the players to flee and leave behind their caps. Mac wants a ringer to play in the game with them while the rest of the PCs take up positions outside to watch for interference. The game will take place that night in a temporary location, a pop-up tent hidden away from the purvey of local travelers or guards. Mac promises 200 caps as a reward for helping them.

Developer statements

↑ Jesse Heinig: "There was a quest-giver that I put in one of the side quests that I wrote as well; it was non-binary. I haven't actually read that part of the PDF yet so I don't know if that character survived the final - Don could probably tell us. That character being non-binary was important to me specifically because that didn't matter to the plot; because people of this sort exist. They just exist in the world and they don't need a reason to exist, and I feel that that's an important part of that kind of representation... is that, people live different lives in different ways and we should see them as they are."
(Fallout: The Roleplaying Game - Winter of Atom Developer Stream (May 15, 2023) 1:17:11)

[Enby-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Winter of Atom p.172: "A fast-talking gambler and small-time hustler named Mackenzie Frey, or Mac as they prefer to be called, approaches the PCs with a proposition: they want someone to join a card game as a ringer. Mac carries a simple knife for self-defense.

[Mac-2] Winter of Atom p.172: "A slender individual with slicked-back blonde hair approaches. They wear a classy navy-blue suit that appears well-tailed and recently repaired. The person offers a swaggering half-bow, then holds out an unopened can of Nuka-Cola. The stranger’s lips part in a roguish smile before they speak. “Why, hello there, friend. What a day! This weather, right? Say, might I have a moment of your time? My name’s Mac, and I have a proposition I think you might like to hear.”"

[3] Winter of Atom p.172: "Mac offers a Nuka-Cola if the PCs are willing to listen to them. They are concerned the high-stakes card game they were invited to might be a “blow-off”— a con in which someone interrupts and attacks the card game to get the players to flee and leave behind their caps. Mac wants a ringer to play in the game with them while the rest of the PCs take up positions outside to watch for interference. The game will take place that night in a temporary location, a pop-up tent hidden away from the purvey of local travelers or guards. Mac promises 200 caps as a reward for helping them.

[4] Jesse Heinig: "There was a quest-giver that I put in one of the side quests that I wrote as well; it was non-binary. I haven't actually read that part of the PDF yet so I don't know if that character survived the final - Don could probably tell us. That character being non-binary was important to me specifically because that didn't matter to the plot; because people of this sort exist. They just exist in the world and they don't need a reason to exist, and I feel that that's an important part of that kind of representation... is that, people live different lives in different ways and we should see them as they are."
(Fallout: The Roleplaying Game - Winter of Atom Developer Stream (May 15, 2023) 1:17:11)

[1]