If the BOS wins, is the NCR in trouble?

[CyrusAmell]

As the title suggests, I am of a mind to wonder what happens to the NCR if the BOS not only defeat the Institute but retain their manpower, airship and a fully-activated and rearmed Liberty Prime.

 

There are reportedly still simmering hostilities between the New California Republic and the West Coast Brotherhood of Steel. The last war fought betwen these two factions was grueling, and the New California Republic came out on top because the Brotherhood's training, weapons and power armor were not enough to fight off the massed regiments of the emergent New California Republic. In the present, we can assume that (barring a defeat in the Mojave) that the NCR has even more manpower, if not the largest army in the Wasteland, better weaponry than before (though not by much) and even artillery. The NCR even has Vertibirds, although only one was ever seen transporting their President and none were seen in a military capacity.

 

The great game-changer here is Liberty Prime, which is without a doubt one of the great super-weapons of the Fallout universe. Prime was able to cut a swathe through Enclave forces on the East Coast and was only taken out of commission by a full salvo of nuclear missiles hitting it at a pre-set location. By comparison, the NCR may not even be able to break its stride on the open field unless they lined up a great many salvaged howitzers and shot it while it stood still (and even that may not hurt it).

 

Then there is the rest of the Brotherhood to consider. While the West Coast Brotherhood are reduced to a few fortified strongholds holding out against the NCR, the East Coast Brotherhood has long surpassed it in power and become the dominant military force on the East Coast by all accounts. Not only do they have the power armor, weapons and training expected of the Brotherhood - they have now also integrated Enclave technology to bolster their forces with Vertibirds. The Prydwen Airship, and any others like it, would also provide excellent mobile bases in a protracted war. And all of this supporting a fully active Liberty Prime presents a powerful front, perhaps even unstoppable if properly coordinated.

 

So what is stopping the Brotherhood Council of Elders at the Lost Hills Bunker from asking Arthur Maxson to come the West Coast to assume full leadership of the Order (as is his birthright) and bring Liberty Prime and a large portion of the army with him? What on earth would the NCR have that could stop them?

Edited April 1, 2016 by CyrusAmell

[CaseyA]

The NCR numbers in the 100's of thousands. (700.000 I believe) At this time, despite the presence they have in fallout 4, the east coast brotherhood in it's present state is nothing more than a few thousand (at most). While Prime is an insane military asset, it can be destroyed given time and the military weaponry the NCR has. The prydwen despite being a beneficial traveling asset to the BOS, when faced with a barrage of explosives (as seen in the Minutemen ending) it stands no match.

 

The only possibility for the BOS to beat the NCR is to ally all branches (west, midwest, and east coast) and attack after the NCR just fought off the Legion. Or simply to await the victor of the legion and NCR war, then attack and eliminate the weakened nation.

 

But to answer your question simply... No, in it's present state the east coast BOS alone is not enough to turn the tide in the west. In the future? Yes, given that the East coast is now recruiting, given 20 to 30 years they could well enough have enough force to turn the tides

[CyrusAmell]

Well, it's something to consider. I had a feeling the Brotherhood would not mellow out after destroying the Institute and as many synths as they could. But with the disparity in numbers you mentioned It would still take decades for the Brotherhood to amass a force capable of threatening the NCR military even with Prime and air superiority thanks to Vertibirds and any possible Airships.

 

Still, if the survival of the West Coast Brotherhood depended on it I don't see a victorious Maxson sitting out that conflict on the East Coast. And the kind of carnage Liberty Prime can bring would be quite the bargaining chip.

[JuJooGuppy]

Do we know what ending to New Vegas was considered the active lore? I know FO4 is after FO3, and I assume after NV as well, correct? Just curious who won according to lore in the Mojave. I find all this stuff fascinating, and really hope Bethesda takes it to heart a little more going forward, getting back into the deep lore of the Fallout universe (I never played 1/ 2 / tactics, I may try them some day though!)

[CyrusAmell]

Unlike Fallout 3 I don't think the endings of New Vegas and Fallout 4 will have a single canon outcome. Too many factions and the risk of invalidating player decisions might make them stay their hand. Still, a refined Fallout Tactics esque game would not be unwelcome if done right, although it is likely Bethesda will stick to its current cash cow single-player character *rpg* (I use the term lightly) for the foreseeable future.

[JuJooGuppy]

Any game universe with an on-going lore really has to set in stone key events from previous games if they want to continue building the lore, though. It doesn't some how make it pointless to have played the games or make your choices wrong, it simply establishes the canon going forward. Say we get Fallout 5 at some point, if they don't establish who won between the three factions as canon, that can really screw with FO5's lore... if they want to incorporate the BoS, theyd need to decide whether they lost and were eliminated in the commonwealth, or if they ruled supreme..

I hope it makes sense what I am saying. It doesnt make anyones choices right or wrong, it just keeps the timeline moving along. Otherwise the lore will start to unravel / have major holes yada yada.

[TheOriginalEvilD]

Maybe they need to kiss and make up with the Outcasts lol.

[snapper69]

The problem, as I see it anyway, is, how can you enshrine anything as lore, when there are multiple endings? For example, I ended up allied to The BOS, The Minutemen and the Railroad, the Institute, lets just say they no longer matter. So how would Beth, incorporate that into Lore? If they did, how would that work for someone who beat The BOS and sided with The Institute?

 

If Bethesda want to incorporate the West Coast into DLC or something, that would be good. I quite fancy the idea of driving a convertable around with Curie. Cait and Piper (suitably bikini clad, of course) to keep me company. Oh, and if I get get to kill a few things/people/ghouls etc, that would be good too.

[CaseyA]

Maybe they need to kiss and make up with the Outcasts lol.

They already did...

[bben46]

The east and west coasts are just too far apart. And the BOS is spread too thin. BOS is really the only faction that has a presence in more than one region. But never with enough manpower to take over in any area. And in some regions, such as the DC region, the BOS is not that close knit. There is a lot of real estate between the coasts, and the BOS would be sending out groups to many other regions, such as St Louis, Dallas, Chicago, Denver and a thousand smaller cities that had a high tech industry or military presence. Then, the BOS is not set up to be a government or to rule over territory, just to secure technology. Of course that can change in the future. That could be a basis for FO5, the BOS deciding it is their destiny to become the new government and some other regional groups possibly joining together and fighting them to keep their own sovereignty. Actually, so far the NCR looks to be the best bet for a new national government. After defeating Cesar they could take over the territory he controlled as the first step in an eastward expansion. But by keeping the various factions isolated to separate territories it can lead to more variation in the future of the Fallout saga.