Fallout 3's Very Own Holy Roman Catholic Church

[TheOutlander]

I had an idea long ago that involved the Roman Catholic Church, or more specifically the organization that it became "The Red Legion". It was basically the idea that no-one nuked Rome (due to it being a powerful centre of worship), and the Church evolved in the aftermath into a Roman Legion / Church hybrid military force.

 

What they were doing in the Wasteland was that they had an alliance with the Enclave ("For God and Country"), thus had access to their own brand of customized Power Armour (Roman Legion stylings, Church symbols etc) for their higher ranking troops (Centurion and up*). Their primary base of operations in The Wasteland was going to be Washington National Cathedral (real building in Washington D.C), and their commander for their detachment was a Cardinal (General)*.

 

* = - Red Legion Hierarchy -

Supreme Pontiff (Commander in Chief - based in Rome)

Cardinal (General)

Primate (Colonel)

Archbishop (Captain)

Praetorian (Officer Bodyguard)

Bishop (Lieutenant)

Centurion (Sergeant)

Legionary (Private / Conscript)

 

But then that was just my long ago idea... if you want any of it feel free.

[coorscollector]

Dude your idea is pretty awesome. I think that the church's military should be pretty hi-tech in your plan considering that they are allied with the Enclave. For example they would have access to advanced energy weapons so give them some new cool looking energy weapons.

[SgtSweetieBelle]

I'm not particularly spiritual or religious, but I must say I'm fascinated by the idea. However, to be perfectly honest, and with all due respect to your faith, I think a Roman Catholic organization in the Wasteland would be far more corrupt due to the dire situation that the world's been placed in. I know that the Catholic organization at its core is meant to spread peace and unity under its faith. However, God may be perfect and eternal, but humans are woefully not. I'm sure anyone can agree that even today there are many evil men and women infesting the Catholic church and committing unspeakable evils (the child molesters being a prime example), truly twisting it into something it's not. I feel as if this sort of corruption would be far more common in a broken world desperately trying to cling to any semblance of civilization.

 

And that's where the Lone Wanderer comes in.

 

I think one way that this could be addressed realistically is to create a Catholic church, but make it such that at its current state it is woefully imperfect and corrupt, much like the Enclave is nothing more than a corrupt shell of a nation that once stood for liberty and justice. This could make way for a long and epic quest that deals with the remnants of the Church and their difficulties in attempting to survive amongst the shattered ruins of Earth's once great cities, dealing with demons and evil entities from both beyond and within the organization.

 

What this will do is give the player an opportunity to rebuild and cleanse the Church and help drive it in a direction that puts it on a path to reclaiming its former glory. The Lone Wanderer would become the catalyst for the Church's redemption, exposing the corrupt individuals who are using the Church as a means of satisfying their own lust for power, and cleansing the Church of their evil presence either by destroying them or redeeming them. I'm sure any Catholic Fallout 3 player, and perhaps even many non-Catholic players, would appreciate and embrace the idea of being able to heal and restore the Catholic church if it were to be placed in such a dire situation. I mean, I personally would be honored to take part in its reconstruction and re-stabilization. So in that sense, if this modification could be pushed in that direction, it could resonate very powerfully amongst the player community. I know it certainly would for me.

 

The initial corruption doesn't even have to be purely evil. It can be desperate, out of necessity, perhaps to secure assets to defend against the harshness of the Wasteland and whatnot. And what the Lone Wanderer can do in this situation is make it such that it can stand on its own two legs without having to do unjust things just to survive. With the help of the Lone Wanderer, its members can be redeemed in the eyes of their God, their fellow practitioners, and the rest of the Wasteland's populace. They can, like the Brotherhood, truly become a force to be reckoned with, dedicated to the elimination of evil and the restoration of justice and civility in the Wasteland.

 

In this way, this mod could be incredibly compelling and add an incredible amount of content to the game, whilst taking the player on a journey to pursue truth, justice, and faith.

 

It helps that in a way, the Lone Wanderer is kind of like a Jesus figure already, sacrificing himself/herself in the end for the sake of healing the Wasteland and its people. More than anything, the Lone Wanderer is dying for everyone's sins. It's a truly beautiful thing, and an incredibly powerful allegory. And a mod like this would serve to emphasize that connection. Maybe, in the end, we find out that God was working through the Lone Wanderer, compelling him/her to do great things. Or maybe even just say that God was lovingly watching over the Wanderer.

 

Of course, baby steps. =] But you can do so much with this mod. There is an incredible amount of opportunity here, and I believe this could become something amazing. So I applaud you on your quest, and I look forward to seeing where this goes.

[coorscollector]

What's the progress on this mod. I am really interested in this and I hope it is coming along nicely.

[Sepherose]

I made some texture tutorials that might help with your armor, if you need any, here.

Also I am working on my own mod here, you can see some of my texture work there, I could probably be persuaded to help if you like. Drop me a PM if you are interested.

 

Oh right, I approve of this mod XD Sounds like it'll add some killer flavor to the game.