Randolph Safehouse, Desdemona, and the Courser Chip

[MrBonusPoint-TTV]

I was approached by Drummer Boy to go to a dead drop and find out about the Randolph Safehouse, so I did. I ALSO have the Courser Chip, but haven't decided what group to go with yet. I know I have to turn it over to Tinker Tom (I already spoke with Virgil about it), but haven't gone that far with it yet. So anyway, I went to the dead drop, then cleared out an area for Drummer Boy, the Boston Mayoral Shelter (which the Wiki states the first is ALWAYS University Point, so I have done this before, I just don't remember).

I go to Desdemona to turn in the Randolph Safehouse mission and she asks me to turn over the Courser Chip. I say I'm going to hold onto it for now. She says it's my choice, but it could save lives, blah, blah, blah... I talk again, but the same thing happens. I get no options to turn in the mission.

Question: If I turn in the chip to her or Tinker Tom, will that advance the main storyline to the point just before I have to choose a faction, but can still finish up the Randolph Safehouse questline? I'd like to finish this up before I complete the main quest. Thanks!

[Be-bop]

Tinker Tom will decode the chip. Just don't take that info to Rocky Cave until you are ready to pick a final faction. You have already Joined the Railroad but you don't have to side with them on the main quest and can still join other Factions until then.
You can do a save and then try it and see.

[DouglasGrave]

There are no other places to get the chip decoded. You either hand it over to Tinker Tom or slaughter everyone in there and use his equipment yourself.

Originally posted by Be-bop:

Tinker Tom will decode the chip. Just don't take that info to Rocky Cave until you are ready to pick a final faction. You have already Joined the Railroad but you don't have to side with them on the main quest and can still join other Factions until then.
You can do a save and then try it and see.

Keeping a save certainly doesn't hurt, but there isn't a final decision until significantly later along any given faction's questline.

I've never found any problems with using the courser chip's information to (build the signal interceptor) with whichever faction I want, without it forcing me to support that faction later on.

[MrBonusPoint-TTV]

But is there a way to get Desdemona to let me turn in the Randolph Safehouse missions? She only asks about the Courser Chip.

[felmari]

just get it decoded and then turn in that quest. its the only way to decode it no one else will. even if they are all dead you would personally use toms computer to decode it. it has no bearing on what side you will chose.

[MrBonusPoint-TTV]

Yes, I went ahead and did that. I was incorrect that I had already discussed it with Virgil. Thanks for the help.

[Laris]

On your Pip-Boy, under Data, do you have the Randolph Safe House mission(s) and Only that mission selected? Does Desdemona have the little green box over her head? That may be it.

[MrBonusPoint-TTV]

I did, yeah. She was probably preoccupied by what she considered a more important mission.

[Ihateeverybody]

If an NPC has another Quest or Dialogue, it will prevent you turning in other quests. For example the Ghoul Vendor in Good Neighbor has a Dialogue/quest that will interfere with you turning in Mcready's Companion Quest stage. You have to go through the dialogue before the quest dialogue will come up. There are likely other examples (Whathis name, the Guy with the Hat at Concord; everybody hates him appearently) is another one.