Fallout 3: Boom Boom Wootini

This tough customer is the kind that'll sneak right up behind you and smack the taste out ya mouth. Get up in this'n's face and you'll likely get knocked the f*** out! Oh, and if you wanna stand back and try to cap a playa like a lil beyotch, they'll just drop that street sweepa on ya!

(Unarmed, Sneak, Big Guns)

Pros: Lots of caps because you can sell the plentiful small gun weapons and ammo and the valuable energy weapons. Unarmed is fed by Endurance (with a bonus from Strength) S.P.E.C.I.A.L., which is derived into health and carry weight, respectively. "Infinite" ammo, only need to keep weapons repaired. Even the Big Gun "Rock-It Launcher" can work quite well with garbage like Bent Tin Cans.

Cons: Must get close to fight. Cannot become over encumbered or else you cannot charge enemies to drop dem bombs on 'em, son. You are the strong, silent type--as in you will probably never pass any Speech challenges. This character type is not recommened for first-time or casual players as the combat is much more difficult. Use this character if you are familiar with this style of play and preferrably if you are familiar with some of the quests--Those! is particularly difficult as well as the DC Mall area.

Tips and Strategies

• Be prepared to take some damage as you must charge most enemies. Big Guns is mostly to supplement the later parts of the game when you need to take down big things from a distance (Behemoth and Deathclaw).
• Side-quest Those! is difficult for the in-your-grill player due to flame-throwing ants. Get your Rock-It Launcher going first (and pick up ammo after you kill 'em)
• No need for ammo (mostly) means lots of caps--spend on Stimpacks.
• Save up the nukes and missles for the second half of the game. Get a home (disarm bomb to get one in Megaton or blow it up to get one in Tenpenny Tower)
• Difficult when surrounded by shooters (like fighting your way out of Megaton after committing murder)
• Your modus operandi should be to get close. Either duck behind cover if there is only one adversary shooting, to wait for them to run up in range for a beatdown. If multiple shooters are coming or there is no cover, just run for the closest. At least running doesn't use AP, so you should recover points running from smackdown to smackdown (and the other shooters will probably miss you while you are running unless you are running straight at them). This is all assuming that you can't just sneak up behind them. If so, do that, and you'll likely kill them with that massive sneak bonus.
• I'm teaming this character up with the ranged attack Big Guns. If you team up with small guns, IMHO, you lose the big advantage of being able to sell a bunch of stuff off as there is a buttload of small gun and small gun ammo about. Or, plan to get a companion that can do the small gun damage while you swarm on a nucka. One idea is to carefully sneak around Megaton and steal things to lower your karma enough for Jericho, but he's 'spensive as hell. Killing Silver and stealing all her goods will result in stuff to sell and negative karma (and 400 caps if you just put her on blast).
• With a decent strength, you sort of get Melee Weapons for free. At least to deal damage with the bat or such until you get a set of brass/spiked knuckles (you get the bat from Vault 101).
• I'm clunky with the controller so for X360/PS3 based games, I use V.A.T.S. a lot. My choice for Perks is geared that way (getting criticals in V.A.T.S. can end a person quickly--useful when you got a gang o' bros to dispatch). Put another way, V.A.T.S. gives you more smackin for the action (points).
• I have yet to play through far enough to encounter a Deathclaw but I hear they are harder to handle than Super Mutant Behemoths, of which I have encountered. These are guys you don't want to deal with up in their face (at least not without softening them up first). It's for this reason, I chose to add Big Guns (Nukes). Try to sneak up on them and hit them with the Rock-It Launcher, to get that first bonus, maybe crippling one of their legs.
• A Super Mutant Behemoth required a ton of Minigun ammo. Part of the problem in that fight was because I still only had 50 or so Big Guns Skill, though.
• Big guns lets you get at the anything=ammo Rock-It Launcher early. Be sure to save up and get the schematic from Moira, and some or all the stuff you need is (usually) in the Super Duper Mart, so go ahead and take Moira's quest(s). Problem with big guns is weight, so their weight limits your loot toting amount.
• I'm playing "good" with this one, and thus will save Megaton to get the apartment there. Store your Big Guns there early so you can tote more loot.
• Do not put a lot of points into Big Guns. I chose to use the Size Does Matter perk to bump it up quickly in the middle to late stages (get it to about 50 because you will add 30 through Size Does Matter, and should find the Bobble Head).
• Use a guide to find the bobble heads for the tag skills. You should actually try to find all the Bobble Heads, especially the ones for your tag skills. This character is required to get the Perception Bobble Head before level 16.
• Never, ever, EVER become over encumbered. You should consider running around without armor on, too (but carry some for quickly putting on if you are outgunned). You need to be fast so you can get close (once you enter the [DANGER] zone). Or, you need to be quiet--and armor adds to your "noise" when sneaking.
• Hang on to skill books until level 5. Then you will be getting twice the bang for the buck.

Custom Weapons of interest

• Deathclaw Gauntlet (schematic at F.Scott Key Trail and Campground): Wonder Glue, Leather Belt, Medical Brace and Deathclaw Hand
• Rock-It Launcher (schematic in Vault 101 and Moira)
• Experimental MIRV

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

(#) = "balance"

   S - 7 (3)
   P - 4 (4) Find bobble head at the Republic of Dave in extreme NE Wasteland for "Better Criticals".
   E - 8 (1)
   C - 1 (5)
   I - 8 (2)
   A - 6 (1)
   L - 6 (0)

Tag Skills

1. Unarmed (Endurance + a little bit from Strength). You will have no match when up-close (except for Behemoths and deathclaws).
2. Sneak (Agility)
3. Big Guns (Endurance). Get that Rock-It Launcher with "free" ammo.

Perks

(Advantage) (Requirements, if any. Bold indicates you have to take action in the game to satisfy the requirement)

2. Intense Training (+1 PER)
3. Thief (+5 Sneak, +5 Lockpick)
4. Educated (+3 skill points / level)
5. Comprehension (+2 instead of +1 per skill book read) (hang on to all skill books until this!)
6. Iron Fist 1 (+5 Unarmed Dmg) (STR 4)
7. Toughness (+10 DR) (EN 5)
8. Iron Fist 2 (+5 Unarmed Dmg) (STR 4)
9. Strong Back (Carry 50 more pounds) (STR 5, EN 5)
10. Finesse (+5% Critical Chance)
11. Size Matters 1 (+15 Big Guns) (EN 5)
12. Iron Fist 3 (+5 Unarmed Dmg)
13. Silent Running (+10 to Sneak and no sound penalty sneak-running) (AGI 6, Sneak 50)
14. Fast Metabolism (+20% using stimpacks)
15. Size Matters 2 (+15 Big Guns) (EN 5)
16. Cyborg (+10 DR, +10 Poison Res, +10 Radiation Res) (Sci 60, Med 60)
17. Better Criticals (+50% Critical Damage) (PER 6, LUCK 6)
18. Paralyzing Palm (V.A.T.S. paralyze for 30 seconds) (Unarmed 70)
19. Action Boy/Girl (+25 AP in V.A.T.S) (AGI 6)
20. Grim Reaper's Sprint (if you slay foe in V.A.T.S., you get all APs back)

• Ninja was considered at 20, but the requirement of Melee 80 makes it unsuitable for Unarmed because that's 50 skill points or so that could be spread among other usefulness like repair and/or for science and medicine to satisfy reqs for Cyborg. My "Ninja" (using a sword / nunchuck is melee, after all) is here.

Quest Perk Choices

• Those!: Ant Might (+1 Str +25% Fire Res)
• Wasteland Survival Guide: Give the Snide response to Moira to get the Critical Chance bonus (along with PR and RR)