Store Initials Settlement For Free

The starting player places a settlement on an open intersection of his choice. He places a road adjacent to this settlement. The other players then follow clockwise. Everyone places 1 settlement and 1 adjoining road.

Yes, it's allowed. The reason that it is a poor strategic move is that you are generating fewer resources. It is always better to control three hexes and even better if those three have great numbers.

Yes settlers will scan any local container (corpses are containers) for weapon and ammo content in combat. Lock them, or block them or use remote container activators (shared storage mods). There are only three storage options that have been shown to be settler proof: A container locked with a console command.

Easiest way to determine a good starting position is to look at the numbers. On the numbers there are dots. 1 for rare rolls like 2 and 12 up to 5 for easier to hit numbers like 6 and 8. So what you want to do initially is count all the dots on all the hexes that the town will connect to.

Most players will store stuff at a settlement, usually in the workbench or in a chest/box they create - this makes it easy for you to find later and you can fast travel there. The only chests/boxes/storage bins in the world that are safe and don't reset are the ones at your settlements.

MOST containers are perfectly safe. All containers you make with the workshop ARE safe. However, I wouldn't store items for long in instanced areas just in case. The Quarry area in particular, I lost all the items I stored there during my siege upon the place after the water drains out.

Essential NPCs can't be killed by anyone, but Protected settlers are only protected against people other than the player. You either have to get them in trouble of a non-player sort, or just check them directly with the IsProtected and IsEssential console commands.