Faction Wars

[angelsavior9mm]

I find the lack of action between the various factions a bit of a let-down. Looking for a mod to make the game have a "faction wars" implementation a la s.t.a.l.k.e.r games. There may have been one for fallout 3 but i can't remember. Aspects like faction raids on various outposts of which control can actually switch, fights going on in the wasteland between ncr and the legion, something like that. Plus being able to actively participate. Apology's if something of this nature has surfaced already as it's not exactly a unique idea, any reply's welcome of any sort even if you just feel like nagging on what you feel is a piss-poor idea.

 

Edit:

 

Well I went over to moddb.com and the first thing i saw advertised on their files was a new vegas mod called Fallout: Faction Wars so I may be helping with that.

 

@TrooperScooperMKII & Greymane: Thanks for the reply's. I know the mod, if it was to include more warring between ncr and legion, wouldnt exactly be realistic to the game setting but it would still be fun i think. Ive beaten the game a few times already so just trying to think of ways to liven it up some more. There was a STALKER mod at one point that added faction wars to the game once you actually beat the game, just something to do for fun and something similar in NV would be interesting for people who don't mind the "Hows" and "Whys" of the game lol.

Edited January 12, 2011 by angelsavior9mm

[TrooperScooperMKII]

Modding larger and more frequent skirmishes between the NCR and Legion would be entirely feasible and could be quite entertaining to observe/participate in, but I don't think you can change ownership of settlements (though I could easily be wrong). Aside from quests, however, I think there shouldn't be large scale battles- the whole situation is supposed an uneasy stalemate. The Legion are gathering all of their strength for one full-out offensive so they aren't defeated again and lose the initiative, the NCR have overstretched themselves to hold territory that they can't afford to abandon and are trying to make the best of a bad situation, while Mr. House is scheming to undermine both factions so he can remain the independent overlord of the Strip. All of the other factions are either isolationists (BoS, Boomers), uneasy spectators (most of the small settlements), or opportunistic vultures trying to carve out a niche of power while the main powers are busy watching each other.

That being said, a well laid out questline could have a major battle between two or more factions. I would recommend going with the smaller teams- the Powder Gangers, Great Kahns, BoS, etc- as the main three are too preoccupied with each other to devote any effort to a small fry, and a major offensive between any of the other factions would have major repurcussions that would conflict with the final mission. I can think of several possibilities- a fight for Freeside between the Kings and the Van Graffs, a three-way gang war between fiends/Kahns/Powder Gangers, a "Civil War" between various Fiend tribes, an in depth look at the ruthless business tactics of the three trade factions (Gun Runners, Van Graffs, and Crimson Caravan) or even a BoS raid on pre-questline Black Mountain (Super Mutants fighting Paladins is pure Fallout).

If you need a more fleshed out storyline, tell me which interests you and I can post one here.

[Greymane]

The Boomers and the Brotherhood don't have much to do with one another in the game, but they'd also be viable rivals. The Brotherhood would almost certainly want to get their hands on the military hardware the Boomers have access to and it's not even beyond possibility they might consider Nellis theirs by right, since it use to be a military base (if air force instead of army, but it's hard to see the Brotherhood caring about that sort of distinction). The Boomers, in turn, would probably love to get their hands on Brotherhood power armor for no other reason than because it would let them be closer to an explosion.

 

Another possibility could be Crimson Caravan being forced to take on the Powder Gangers. Those two already seemed as if they were set for a confrontation, given that one of the first quests in the game involves choosing to side with a Crimson Caravan employee or the Powder Gangers, but nothing really developed between them from there. It would offer a very easy in for player involvement, either joining in with the opportunistic raiders for fun and caps or signing on as a hired gun protecting the caravans. Not to mention it would be nice to see caravans roaming around that are larger than just two guys and a brahmin.

[TrooperScooperMKII]

I thought about the Boomer/BoS war, but I dismissed it as incongruous with Elder McNamara's personality. Think about it: the brotherhood is miles away from Nellis, and they would either have to a) pass through the Vegas area, b) detour through the eastern area, i.e the frontlines b/w NCR and Ceasar, or c) go through the heart of Fiend territory to the northwest. They are seriously short on manpower, and the Boomers have heavy explosives and artillery capable of wiping their soldiers off the map from miles away. Even if they managed to slip past the aboriginal factions, which would involve revealing their presence and invite an attack (and possibly even give away their location- don't forget, Mr. New Vegas broadcasts rumors of Hidden Valley BoS patrols and the NCR's scouts know the general location of their base) they would be in for a long and brutal fight. Even if they won, the base would almost certainly be damaged, and Caesar (or more likely, House or a thrid party small fry) could launch an offensive to capture Nellis while the dust is still settling. THe situation between the Big Three is too fragile for something as major as a BoS-Boomer conflict to not have repurcussions.

The Crimson Caravan is primarily involved in trade, and they are primarily trying to push the Gun Runners (and eventually the Van Graffs) out of the Mojave so they cvan secure a monopoly. Given the "underhanded tactics" (no spoilers) the CC is pulling, I can definitely see a full out conflict between the Gun Runners and CC, and the Van Graffs are too ruthless not to let an opportunity like that slip away, even if they break their word in the process. Besides, the Powder Gangers are too far to the southwest- they seem to stick around east of the Khans and South of the fiends, probably to avoid the NCR and House, who would crush them the instant they stray too close to McCarran or the Strip. (Look at Primm- a Protectron Sheriff or a single NCR grunt squad is sufficient to keep away the Powder Gangers, no way they'd openly take on an organization like the CC with huge resources- not unless the CC members were too far away from their main base, in small, individual caravans with little or no protection)

I personally think Ringo was attacked unknowingly- the raiders hunted him down relentlessly even after they robbed him of nearly everything he had because they were afraid that he would get back to HQ and tell what happened, causing CC to retaliate. They're vultures, not soldiers.

[Greymane]

You're right, about the Boomers/Brotherhood. I hadn't really given thought to the sheer logistics of the situation and how difficult it would be to arrange the pieces to make that confrontation happen.

 

I do think you might be counting the Powder Gangers a little short and perhaps even overestimating the strength of the Crimson Caravan in the Mojave though. Nearly everyone forced to confront the Powder Gangers mention how much better equipped and organized they've proven to be than anyone expected. Almost as often, we hear about how tenuous the Crimson Caravan's position in Mojave is, hampered as they were by poor leadership. As you say, they are engaged in a small trade war already and don't seem to have access to the same resources and clout as they do back west. The rise of a substantial and well organized raider faction, particularly given how poor a job the NCR is currently doing protecting trade routes, would put even more strain on Crimson Caravans. They'd be forced to devote an increasing number of resources towards protecting themselves.

 

Part of a Powder Ganger/Crimson Caravan confrontation could even be expanding their strength. Making backroom deals with the Gun Runners or the Von Graffs for equipment, charming or strong arming smaller raider groups like the Vipers and the Jakels into joining, forging an alliance with other major groups like the Fiends or the Great Khans, and generally taking steps to make them a more sustainable presence in the Mojave.

 

I suppose in a sense then what I'm suggesting is less of a Powder Ganger vs Crimson Caravan scenario and more of a Raider vs Crimson Caravan scenario with the Gangers, being the first of these groups you encounter, offering the player an entrance to the conflict.

[TrooperScooperMKII]

Why stop there? Have a full-on trade war between the GR, VG, and CC, with the PG, Vipers, Raiders and maybe even the Khans signing up as mercenaries/taking advantage of the situation. It would be like Renaissance Italy (with the Condottieri mercenaries and ruthless competition) only in Fallout; a kaleidescope of shifting political alliances and sudden betrayals...

I'll need to think (and more to the point, write) on this.

[TrooperScooperMKII]

It is a fundamental fact of life that men will always seek the greatest gain from the smallest effort, but humanity often forgets that it is easier to destroy than to create. That which was trivial to Pre-War society is now the fundamental law of Post-Apocalyptic America, for society itself has ceased to exist. In this harsh New World, justice exists solely as the will of the judiciaries, and the law is written by the lawmen, yet in the process of society's destruction, most of the old evils were lost. The atomic fires of War consumed all that came before; for good or ill, the world has changed, forever.

But war, war never changes; for war is the natural outcome of Man's nature, and man is eternally struggling to conquer his own weakness.

The death of society stripped away the excess of the past ages; all that remains is man, in all of his vice, and all of his virtue, and, regardless of the individual disposition of a man, he must obey his nature. All men are mortal; all men are weak; all men seek pleasure; all men seek peace; and above all else, men desire power. For power corrupts, and in the harsh New World power is the only vice, and the only virtue. For the world has changed, but man has not.

It is in the pursuit of power that the new society seeks the bounty of the harsh Mojave. It is for the sake of salvation and safety that man now fights. It is for the sake of power, that men now die.

The fate of the Mojave will be decided at Hoover Dam, but to those who call this harsh desert home, the bitter conflict for the last shards of humanity's past power is nothing but a backdrop for their own battles. As the final battle between the Legion and the Republic draws near, the rivalries of the bickering trade coalitions erupts into a full-out war...

and war never changes. Wherever there is gold, there will be blood, and wherever there is power, there will be pain.

For power corrupts.