I am currently working on the script for an upcoming episode of my Fallout 1 podcast, and a plot hole of sorts has come to my attention. Was hoping to bounce off others and see if maybe I've missed something somewhere.

When you speak to Harold, he tells of his days as a trader, and how he frequently had to deal with mutants, to the point where he states: "Everywhere! Hell, seemed like you couldn't fart without hitting one. But mostly in the northwest." He mentions that he needed an "army of guards" to accompany him due to this. He then tells us how he and Richard Grey put together an expedition to seek out the source of these mutants: "We mounted an expedition. God, Richard. Richard Grey. Led a small group of us up there. Needed to see what was there. Maybe stop whatever was churnin them boogers out. We thought we were prepared. Were we wrong."

Thus, our problem. Richard Grey created the humanoid mutants, but there were mutants before he was ever exposed to FEV. So what are these initial mutants attacking Harold? The wiki says of Mariposa: "The base was left sealed, but over the years, it slowly fell into disrepair, and eventually, various creatures made their way inside, mutating due to F.E.V. exposure and infesting the surrounding area, attacking fledgling human settlements and caravans." However, we know it was the Master who experimented and created the centaurs.

So what are these mysterious mutants? Are they simply buffed creatures, like the mutant molerats? Are they simply floaters? Or were there actually centaurs or human-esque mutants before Richard Grey?

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!