Adapting Van Buren (Workshop - Complete on Page 30)

[Dayglow Drifter]

Monster Hunter: The Great Gila tribe has recently been conquered and is in the process of assimilation. To fully break them, their "God", their Great Gila, must be exposed as simply an oversized (hippo sized) lizard. However, Legionaries have either had trouble finding it or been savaged by it. Track the monster in the narrow canyonlands and bring back its head (somehow) to show the former tribesmen that Mars and his Son are the only true God.

Nice

Note: I may add some extra fat to this to flesh things out but right now I just wanted to get the prime meat down

I think it was good, maybe a couple extra sentences for a few quests but that's about it. The Legion is a fairly straightforward faction for those of us who are familiar with the game so I didn't feel like anything particularly valuable has been left out.

I really like the whole thing with the Legion being at war with Hecate, I'm really excited to see how you've written her out as I kind of always envisioned her being a "Top 3" big time NPC in anything trying to do stuff with the lore of Van Buren.

If any PCs are identified as Doctors, they will be paid handsomely to treat poisoned Legionaries in a nearby war camp, allowing the players to learn valuable information about Hecate's alchemy - which can come in useful for both crafting field antidotes and exposing her and her Daughter's "magic"

• One of the merchants has been selling the Legionaries Cat's Paw magazines. Titus would like you to find out which one

Love both of these

 

[Atomic Postman]

Stills feels a little light on detail to me, but that's fine. Rome wasn't built in a day, nor is any good PnP camapign. Feel free to come back to stuff later, as you flesh out the rest of the world connections and naturally emergent hooks will start to appear, and just leaving it you'll have more ideas. But the stuff you have is all good, of course.

I don't know what your PnP experience is but this might be a difference in experience - everything I have Magnum Chasma could make for weeks of sessions. The Gila quest alone would take up one, the Rusty Hooks definitely and assassinating Hecate would be a multi-session affair. Plus, most GMs would say I've gone overboard if anything - players are radical agents and improvisation and worldbuilding as prompts that lead to unexpected tangents is all part of that. The slave note prompt could lead to an entire saga. I enjoy the worldbuilding and the detail for my own fun but I'm not entirely worried about content once I've got a suitable number of hooks. Plus, the Legion aren't a faction that lean towards huge amounts of player interaction because they are so self-reliant and millitarized.

I don't think the Hanged Man is all that similar to the Burned Man, depending on how you handle it, and even if it is honestly that's fine. Poetry, it rhymes. I think it would be interesting to keep the character. Maybe she was, like the Hanged Man, hung in the middle of *Fort Hope by the Rangers shortly before an attack. When you find Fort Hope it's abandoned, you have to reclaim it for the Rangers.

this is a good idea and ties into being closer to Van Buren.

And happy to hear the currency details.

Well anyone tied to New Canaan is going to be using NCR Dollars, of the gold coin variety.

I imagine that in Arizona there's a group ala the Water Merchants that are running the currency. I'm picturing tin coins - perhaps these could be "Zoners"? So not everything is Dollars. The implication being when the Legion takes Phoenix they take over the operation and establish their currency.

I could use help though - what about Boulder Dome? Part of the rival salvagers plot is to hold Boulder to monopoly ransom and that means money. I feel it might be in the vibe to use old world currency, but again I think something more imaginative could come up.

I really like the whole thing with the Legion being at war with Hecate, I'm really excited to see how you've written her out as I kind of always envisioned her being a "Top 3" big time NPC in anything trying to do stuff with the lore of Van Buren.

I plan on doubling down on the occult and pagan vibes. Sacrificing goats, virgins and belief in honest to God magic. Hecate is also hedonistic, her worship as Goddess is abusive and vain. Hecate is meant to clash with the Legion as representing the most absolutely backward regression mankind has experienced.

In my private track of the "canon" playthrough of the campaign the Prisoners helps the Legion in much the same way the Chosen One helps the NCR in 2 without being a member or really even doing so out of ideological purpose.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

I don't know what your PnP experience is but this might be a difference in experience - everything I have Magnum Chasma could make for weeks of sessions. The Gila quest alone would take up one, the Rusty Hooks definitely and assassinating Hecate would be a multi-session affair. Plus, most GMs would say I've gone overboard if anything - players are radical agents and improvisation and worldbuilding as prompts that lead to unexpected tangents is all part of that. The slave note prompt could lead to an entire saga. I enjoy the worldbuilding and the detail for my own fun but I'm not entirely worried about content once I've got a suitable number of hooks. Plus, the Legion aren't a faction that lean towards huge amounts of player interaction because they are so self-reliant and millitarized.

Well I guess that's just it - I have no PnP experience, as a player or a GM. I do think of this first and foremost as a lore-building exercise. Of course it's always in the back of my head that it's also a campaign, but even then that's going to be filtered through the lens of video games to some extent. If you'll recall, my Siena Supermax, Dead Heads, and Pueblo posts for that Fallout: Colorado setting had, like, 50 adventure hooks each, and even then I felt like it wasn't enough, but I'm sure if I actually sat down to work things out or god forbid run a campaign I would quickly change my tune. Part of it is a philosophy that I would rather have the players not be able to do everything than to exhaust everything too quickly, but realistically that's a tremendous amount of wasted work for a GM, and would inadvertantly lock players off from a lot of content. Like I said, filtered through the lens of video games.

I imagine that in Arizona there's a group ala the Water Merchants that are running the currency. I'm picturing tin coins - perhaps these could be "Zoners"? So not everything is Dollars. The implication being when the Legion takes Phoenix they take over the operation and establish their currency.

Probably not tin - tin is a lot rarer than people suppose, and as far as I know there's very, very little if any in Arizona. There's a smattering in northern Mexico, but you have to go down to Bolivia to get actually appreciable deposits. More likely is copper, which is extremely plentiful in Arizona. With that in mind, and since Zoner might be a bit confusing since it's also the demonym, perhaps instead they could be called "Copperheads"? Has a good feel to it if you ask me.

On a similar note, if you do end up including Phoenix (it seems like you're leaning towards no, which is probably the right choice) this could be a fun hook: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Dutchman's_Gold_Mine

I could use help though - what about Boulder Dome? Part of the rival salvagers plot is to hold Boulder to monopoly ransom and that means money. I feel it might be in the vibe to use old world currency, but again I think something more imaginative could come up.

Yeah it seems likely that Boulder would have it's own money. Maybe instead of paper money (which is so yesterday), they could have holographic slides or something that can be plugged into computers/holoreaders for verification? In terms of backing, I've always been a fan of a caloric standard for currency, it's appropriately futuristic, and makes sense considering Boulder's biological focus and food troubles.

 

[Dayglow Drifter]

I could use help though - what about Boulder Dome? Part of the rival salvagers plot is to hold Boulder to monopoly ransom and that means money.

Some dystopian-style currency linked to the Dome, maybe? Perhaps it's some kind of ration ticket that grants a set amount of calories from these gross protein extrusion machines that have been set up with the assistance of the Sleepers, which kind of serves as a "backing" that can be used to value other items and services.

 

[Atomic Postman]

Well I guess that's just it - I have no PnP experience, as a player or a GM. I do think of this first and foremost as a lore-building exercise

Yeah that's about it. In my prior campaign I'd build these entire sagas and storylines - the players would pick one, finish up and move on or some chain of events would make a totally improvised one. That's why a lot of these questlines are interlinked or out of necessity for the overall Prisoner storyline. I agree also that because this campaign is so far off (I've only just two weeks ago moved back to the States and I plan on running this in a state I haven't moved to yet) it's also partially a "What if" Van Buren exercise that has the benefit of ending up leading to something concrete.

, perhaps instead they could be called "Copperheads"? Has a good feel to it if you ask me.

Copperheads is really good. That'll be it.

Some dystopian-style currency linked to the Dome, maybe? Perhaps it's some kind of ration ticket that grants a set amount of calories from these gross protein extrusion machines that have been set up with the assistance of the Sleepers, which kind of serves as a "backing" that can be used to value other items and services.

Ration Cards is perfect. Sensical for the location and also very old world-y (Wartime Britain).

I also think this fragmented currency system is actually of great benefit in multiple levels.

Firstly on a lore basis it makes sense and establishes how fragmented the East is

Secondly on a gameplay basis it means that more often than not players will be offered choice in payment through local currency or through supplies such as ammunition, rations and medicine of which they'll likely choose the latter. I feel that's much more engaging than the games where you build up a mallet space cartoon level of cash.

Thirdly on a mechanics basis it gives Barter great utility. Whereas in the games and in my prior campaign it was basically a background calculation, which in dealing with currency it still sort of is (albeit greatly simplified now) it means they'll have to actually barter with the caps values in the rulebook as general reference to how much something is worth. If they're trying to pawn off Combat Armor for 670 in exchange for other items that's only worth 500, they'll have to Barter to get additional items that make up the value, making skill rolls to even get more for their money's worth, so to speak. (For instance in that scenario a trader might throw in a few boxes of ammunition that would bring it up to 640, but with a successful barter roll they could get them to throw in another which ends up being worth 700

It also gives good incentive to the setting up lines of trade missions - establishing common currency.

It does raise the problem though - the players turn up in a town with none of the local currency and want to sit down and have a beer. How do they pay for it?

I might do a quick write up on the destroyed Fort Hope and my Hanged Ranger before bed.

 

[Dayglow Drifter]

Yeah I've always been a fan of the whole concept of several different currencies, it lends toward realism really well and generally rarely impacts gameplay in a way that's annoying.

 

[Atomic Postman]

Fort Hope

OST Atmosphere (Sidewinders):


OST Atmosphere (Desert Rangers):


The Desert Rangers of Nevada have begun sending scouts, and then expeditions, eastwards. Into Utah and Arizona. Ostensibly for the same mission as always: chart the uncharted and protect the vulnerable from savagery, frontier style.

In Arizona they sent forward a single forward scout - Alexandra. A cold hearted steely daughter-of-a-bitch who always preferred solo missions and didn't get along with the rest of the Rangers too well anyway.

In her first few months she made regular radio logs of the situation - it was bad, real bad, and there was nobody like the Rangers or the NCR to protect folk.

But, out in the wilds she found herself drifting further from the moral calling of the Rangers, to her mind Arizona was a lost cause. The people were backwards savages not worth saving. She end up getting more use out of her advanced gear and skillset as a hired gun, and eventually ended up working for the Legion as a Slave Runner. At least someone was civilising the brutes - they had better numbers and more practical ideas than the Rangers anyway.

Donned in full Ranger Combat Armor and not the talkative type, few even knew she was a woman in the first place. They'd give her the details, she'd nod or shake her head and move out. By this time, she'd stopped reporting. The Rangers were no longer relevant.

The Rangers disagreed - clearly there was a frontier out there that needed them, so they sent a larger expedition under Ranger Atticus Lee. Settling in a spot with a trickle of water, they got to work building Fort Hope out of sandcrete and adobe, a water well at the center of town keeping them alive. It was rough days, but the Rangers were rough folk and made quick work of it. 8 Rangers and a handful of dusty settlers.

Things came to a head when a Ranger scout learnt of Alexandra's work. They rallied and ambushed her, brought her back to Fort Hope. She was stripped of her armor and rank as a Ranger for dealing in slaves, and sentenced to hanging. They'd got the noose just ready when a stranger arrived at the gate.

A hysterical, crying woman in heavy rags with what looked like a baby in her arms approached the gate. By the time the Rangers got close it was too late - she was strapped with explosives. The entire front of the fort blew up - two rangers were instantly killed.

What followed was a full on siege by the Sidewinders - one of Hecate's most heavily armed tribes. Equipped in Combat Armor and with Assault Rifles they outnumbered the Rangers 3:1, and forced a retreat. The Rangers moving into the Western hills. In the chaos, Alexandra struggled herself free, nearly dying in the process. She fled north. Eventually being picked up into Van Buren.

For now, the Sidewinders control Fort Hope and the Desert Rangers are left rallied in an old world gas station. Only six left. Though they still had their armor and their sidearms, their armory was taken by the Sidewinders.

Alexandra is now without place or goal - undecided whether to seek revenge on the Rangers, or redemption. A dark, bruised ring still remains around her neck.

The Sidewinders now control the Fort, though the majority moved elsewhere to continue the bidding of Hecate, a detachment of 14 remained behind. Led by Delta-Green, who now wears a repainted Desert Ranger Armor with the snake patterns of Ouroborous, the Sidewinders and the tri-spiked crown of those who serve Hecate. Additionally, a A Daughter of Hecate is stationed at the Fort. The Fort is a strategic location between Ouroborous and Magnum Chasma.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

Yeah, this is a much better handling of Alexandra if you ask me.

Neat to see the return of the Sidewinders, though I imagine they're more modest in power here than the Great Wastes.

And it would be cool if after re-taking Fort Hope, you face a Zulu-type melee charge from other Hecate vassals.

 

[Atomic Postman]

Yeah, this is a much better handling of Alexandra if you ask me.

Neat to see the return of the Sidewinders, though I imagine they're more modest in power here than the Great Wastes.

And it would be cool if after re-taking Fort Hope, you face a Zulu-type melee charge from other Hecate vassals.

I'm about to do a tidy up and re write of Fort Hope with additional details.

And that is EXACTLY the DR story arc.

Sidewinders also incredibly important to Hecate. Her equivalent to the Blackfoot - will elaborate


Today will be Desert Rangers and either Hecate or BoS - both of the latter will be heavy duty

 

[Atomic Postman]

The Desert Rangers Part 1 - Sierra Team

OST Atmosphere:


You know the story of the Desert Rangers. Hardass survivalists out of Nevada that took up in the ancestral reigns of the Texas Rangers, signified by their unique dusters, armor and perchance for high calibre weaponry. Though small in number, one Desert Ranger is worth 10 raiders. They protect communities from savagery in exchange for keep - food, water and a place to sleep. They aren't mercenaries. Their sense of frontier justice is their other defining feature. Thieves lose fingers, rapists lose genitals, murderers and slavers get hanged.

They keep in contact through a rudimentary radio system, though the further out you go the harder it is to remain in contact.

Ranger Atticus and his squad were deployed to Arizona for two purposes: Discover the fate of the missing Ranger Alexandra and establish an expedition in Arizona. As the post on Fort Hope elaborated, they did both but with major setbacks.

Now they are stationed at an Old World Gas Station. When the players arrive it's clear they've been hunting and trapping locale wildlife. On the roof of the station, a Ranger keeps keen watch with a Sniper Rifle. There are seven people at the station.

Ranger Team Sierra

Ranger Atticus: Fireteam leader. Truest believer in the mission of the Rangers with the strictest sense of morality, his family have been rangers for generations. His grandfather, Tycho, is something of a Ranger legend. He'd give his life for innocent strangers in a heartbeat. Being stationed at Scrapheap in southern Nevada mostly dealing with wildlife and the New Khans meant he missed the war against the 80's. He uses a .223 Pistol. Generally a man of few words, when he does speak it's decisively and with precise meaning. He is still assessing the strategic situation of the Rangers and Arizona as a whole - retaking Fort Hope is just the beginning of a whole set of problems. Even if it's an uphill battle, he won't give in.

Ranger Ayumi: Born of the Yakuza tribe in outer New Reno, she was adopted by the Rangers at a young age when the Rangers defeated a Yakuza raiding party. Stationed at Battle Mountain, she was the only member of Sierra to be on the frontlines of the war against the 80s. She holds a good if not dark sense of humour. Having scouted the surrounding area, she believes that the best path forward is West, taking Bloomfield Space Center and killing off the warriors. Offering the rest an ultimatum: join or leave. The defensive nature of Bloomfield of much higher value than that of Fort Hope despite it being more inconveniently located. She has petitioned this to Atticus, but the other Rangers disagree and wish to avenge the death of the two rangers of the Fort, something which is of little concern to Ayumi over their mission. She is equipped with a .44 Magnum, her Trail Carbine lost in Fort Hope.

Ranger Holloway: A mostly silent freak, the Ranger sat with the sniper on the station roof. He's the youngest of the Rangers, and was caught performing Merc work for the Van Graffs. Forgiven due to his age, he was deployed with Sierra to straighten him out and keep him away from moneyed interest. Sometimes he seems to enjoy the killing a little too much.

Zoey and Silas: Twin brother and sister born and raised in the Mojave near Bullhead. Both might as well be attached to eachother by the hip. Zoey is experienced with tribals and tribal diplomacy, whilst Silas is an experienced outdoorsman and big game hunter. Both are equipped with .44 Magnums, having lost their weapons in Fort Hope.

Ranger Ralph: Loudmouth of the group, speaks before he thinks a lot of the time but he's a master at stealth, knowing when to keep is jabbering trap closed. An expert in planted explosives. As with the others, Ralph is left with his .44

Signal Listener: A soldier from the West, former NCR. Outfitted in Advanced Combat Amor and carrying a Laser Pistol. Most curiously is his large portable radio transceiver backpack. He tracks signals of interest, and tracked the Rangers out of interest from their millitary lingo to the station only a few days before. Helping the Rangers repel an attack by wandering Red Skorpion raider tribals, he's pledged service to the group and they see no harm in recruiting him. In place of a name, he simply asked they call him Signal-Listener.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

So presumably the good outcome is to help the rangers re-take Fort Hope, and the canonical outcome is to help them take Bloomfield, Bloomfield also serving as the stand in for the Ranger Citadel as a new more futuristic base to move in to.

I guess the way the 'Arizona Rangers' come into existence in the canonical scenario is that the proximity of Bloomfield to Phoenix makes teh region safe and prosperous for a brief period, attracting settlers and Rangers. Arizona rangers then build up to enough of a level that there are enough of them to have something that can be termed a 'war'.

it also occurs to me thinking about rangers (which of course have never really been fleshed-out in Fallout) that they're rather like knights. A class of extremely well-trained heavily armed and armored professional warriors who even occasionally go on crusade, against the 80s and the Legion. Maybe not in this campaign but in the future that could be a fruitful angle to explore - as teh decades where on and the rangers diverge further from their founding principles they essentially become the warrior class of neo-feudal wasteland society, their code of honor and duty being about as real as chivalry or bushido.

Back to your rangers here, Signal Listener seems a bit odd. Strange albeit not inconceivable for some former NCR soldier to be so far out, strange albeit not inconceivable that he just so happened to be listening in to the Rangers, and strange that he won't give them his real name. Perhaps also remarkable that he has a laser pistol, and his assumed name has something of a tribal ring to it. With these in mind, my two working theories are that he's either a Cipher (unlikely) or he's an Enclave ex-pat on the run from justice, probably not connected to Granite but maybe.

 

[Atomic Postman]

The Desert Rangers Part 2 - Quests:

Recapturing Fort Hope:

The primary objective of the Rangers of course is retaking the Fort. Doing so directly is not something they're going to do. Standing in open desert against fortified, well armed opponents with little but handguns to their name. The additional problem is that the Sidewinders are going to be reinforcing the fort in several days with "Big Mother", their mounted minigun. The Rangers are unaware of this.

The player can and probably will come up with solutions of their own, but I will list several potential:

The Metal Gear Solid Method: Straight up stealth approaching the Fort at night and scaling the walls, executing as many Sidewinders silently as possible. If this goes wrong, it could go very very badly.

Infiltration Method: Somehow disguising as servants of Hecate and internally sabotaging the Fort

The Alexandra Method:
Alexandra has been tracking the coming and goings of the Sidewinders since the loss of the Fort and knows Big Mother is coming and better yet - knows what route from her knowledge of the area

If brought to the Rangers they will initially reject Alexandra outright but if her knowledge is brought up - Atticus of all people will give her a shot at redemption.

Effectively the plan would be to intercept the caravan, disguise as the Sidewinders and enter the camp, and pull this manouvre



Now this wouldn't wipe all of the Sidewinders out and it'd still be a hell of a fight with Delta-Green as the Boss (of whom Atticus will entirely focus on, stating "That armor doesn't belong to you")

Accompanying soundtrack:


Capturing Bloomfield
It goes without saying that if the Legion control this place due to player involvement, it's off the table. In doing this the path would be similar to that of the Legion version of the quest with the added difficulty of killing off the Rusty Hook warriors. This would then bring the moral quandary of having the Desert Rangers effectively pull a slightly nicer version of a Legion conquest - forcibly assimilating the young, the women and the elderly. However, Bloomfield is already a complete package.

Building Fort Hope
From here the players can bid the Ranges adieu, but Atticus will offer them the opportunity to join the Rangers. Providing them with Sidewinder combat armor repainted in desert camo and potentially Alexandra reinstated in rank and armor, from here a series of quests would follow:

• Rustlin': First and foremost they need Brahmin. Zoey and Silas will lead the players on a trek to rustle some wild Brahmin, with a hopefully fun quest involving getting caught up in a canyon stampede
• Guns and Ammo: Ayumi through her scouting has located a minor national guard armory. This will lead to a very Sierra Army Depot style dungeon resolving with the party bringing back crates of excess ammo and weapons

• Boozin': Ralph believes they need an attraction to bring settlers, Ayumi's scouting has revealed a nearish ruined suburb with a small brewery. Go there and bring back equipment to brew booze. The catch is the town is a sandtrapped nest of antlions. Players with high enough Lab Science and the right components can somewhat subvert this quest by building their own moonshine brewer

• The Good Folk: Atticus wishes to relocate the small population of a nearby ghost town called Armadillo. Armadillo pays tribute to the rather pitiful Red Skorpion tribe but they'll still need convincing on upping and moving. With Brahmin and Booze, this becomes far easier.

• Defending Hope: A reprisal will occur from the spear-wielding Burned Hands, servants of Hecate. A simple defense but it reveals the problem that this will become a reoccurring matter

• All Roads Lead To....: There isn't enough water and food to support a growing town. Full stop. And the Hecate reprisals won't stop either. A controversial solution posed by Signal Listener (if the players don't) is establishing trade with the Legion. Brahmin leather, guns and ammo in exchange for excess water, food and the defense of the Legion as it becomes part of their territory, with the catch that the Rangers are expected to play their part in co-operating with the war effort if it comes to that area and if or when the Legion demand.

• Strange Signals: Not a necessary quest but Signal Listener will request assistance in building a radio system to his spec, but he needs the right parts and help from Computer Science players. Partial components can be found at Bloomfield (restored with high Computer Science player with suitable components) or the full gig can be found in Denver at the DPD HQ or in New Mexico at Nexus.

The pay off to this is Signal Listener excitedly tuning for a few days, before shouting and screaming for joy. If the players enter his setup, they'll hear him broadcast the words: "Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory" to which a response will come through: "Glory Glory Hallelujah." To which Signal-Listener will reveal his name as Corporal John Rose of the United States Army, the radio will respond "Good to hear from you son. Help is on the way"


If the Rangers take Bloomfield the only assistance that will be required will be the construction of a large raft to ford the Colorado and connect them with the Mojave Desert Rangers.

Either way, if the party become Rangers and the DR are secure, they will be given a radio and told they can rally for one emergency deployment no questions asked. Potentially for anywhere, but intended for the final siege on Van Buren.

 

[Atomic Postman]

it also occurs to me thinking about rangers (which of course have never really been fleshed-out in Fallout) that they're rather like knights. A class of extremely well-trained heavily armed and armored professional warriors who even occasionally go on crusade, against the 80s and the Legion. Maybe not in this campaign but in the future that could be a fruitful angle to explore - as teh decades where on and the rangers diverge further from their founding principles they essentially become the warrior class of neo-feudal wasteland society, their code of honor and duty being about as real as chivalry or bushido.

In my prior campaign which was immediately close to their collapse and absorption into the NCR I depicted them as similar to the romantic view of Ronin. Wandering honourable vigilantes with no masters. With ones who had gone astray (the young Holloway was a truly sinister rogue ranger in my prior campaign)

 

[Hardboiled Android]

The Desert Rangers Part 2 - Quests:

A nearly perfect post. It's a very tight faction/questline.

It seems like the Alexandra method is the preferred method so maybe you don't want to give the players too much leeway, but it makes me think - since she is something of a character at a crossroads, it would make sense that she would have some potentially pivotal role in another questline, presumably the Legion, that would then render her totally persona non grata by the Rangers. Would add a nice level of symmetry and consequences for decisions. Otherwise, her interactions with the player seem to be limited to 1) redemption or 2) murder her for her Prison-Boy.

Minor note, but it is interesting that Delta-Green is wearing stolen Ranger armor instead of the hereditary power armor campaign. I assume since the Sidewinders aren't quite the power players they once were, the only Sidewinder who has T51B is whoever their paramount chief is. I imagine that this person will be the muscle/penultimate boss to Hecate.

With the thing at the end of Defending Hope, is this just meant to be a hook into the necessity to destroy Hecate?

re: Signal Listener - feel good that I called it, though I did hedge my bet and its not like I had to be Sherlock Holmes to notice something was off. The response seems a little too professional to be Sgt. Granite and squad, which is a shame - I was going to suggest that their big motive was to find the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine/Coronado's Gold/the Treasure of the Sierra Madre or something like that to buy the parts they need in Phoenix to achieve their main goal of reaching the Bahamas. But it seems like you have a slightly more serious end in mind.

I find his suggestion of teaming up with the Legion a little curious. Obviously he would have no moral qualms with allying with a parafascist organization, but it just seems curious that he would want to help the growth of such an organization that could pose a threat to the Enclave. Perhaps there's some broader strategy in mind, though this seems unlikely since he hasn't been in contact with command. I suppose he's just being practical and not thinking long-term.

In my prior campaign which was immediately close to their collapse and absorption into the NCR I depicted them as similar to the romantic view of Ronin. Wandering honourable vigilantes with no masters. With ones who had gone astray (the young Holloway was a truly sinister rogue ranger in my prior campaign)

Well perhaps it would be interesting to do a setting where the reverse is true just as in history the Rangers are a bunch of hypocrites who spend most of their time killing petty bandits, beating up peasants late on their tribute, and fighting the militias and pledged rangers of other warlords, with a noble few rangers keeping the dream alive.

EDIT: Also curious to know what Nexus is.

 

[Atomic Postman]

A nearly perfect post. It's a very tight faction/questline.

It seems like the Alexandra method is the preferred method so maybe you don't want to give the players too much leeway, but it makes me think - since she is something of a character at a crossroads, it would make sense that she would have some potentially pivotal role in another questline, presumably the Legion, that would then render her totally persona non grata by the Rangers. Would add a nice level of symmetry and consequences for decisions. Otherwise, her interactions with the player seem to be limited to 1) redemption or 2) murder her for her Prison-Boy.

Perhaps the tracker is faulty for one of the Prisoners, so the party can't even do the broad geolocation they usually do. An escaped slave in Arizona. The Legionaries will all refer you to "Alexander" who's morose and Joshua Graham-ing her revolver and still pulling a Mulan move but with rags and road armor instead. Mind you this might put the players too far on the opposite path. I'd appreciate some spitballing on this one. I tend to like redemption stories and I think leading towards the Desert Rangers is ultimately more fruitful.

Minor note, but it is interesting that Delta-Green is wearing stolen Ranger armor instead of the hereditary power armor campaign. I assume since the Sidewinders aren't quite the power players they once were, the only Sidewinder who has T51B is whoever their paramount chief is. I imagine that this person will be the muscle/penultimate boss to Hecate.

They have indeed been tuned down from their Great Wastes iteration. In this they venerate armor and weapons more generally, the Desert Ranger Armor is good armor and also a unique prize of conquest.

I'm undecided if their big shot (Hecate's son) will be power armored (would likely be T-45). I'll come to that when I do Hecate. Primarily it would be for balance reasons.

With the thing at the end of Defending Hope, is this just meant to be a hook into the necessity to destroy Hecate?

More just concequences of actions. They wouldn't attack the rangers at Bloomfield. Sidewinders are small in number so such a massacre and the loss of a strategic point would make them absolutely an outright enemy. It also gives more reasoning why Atticus would consider linking with the Legion, who are slavers.

re: Signal Listener - feel good that I called it, though I did hedge my bet and its not like I had to be Sherlock Holmes to notice something was off. The response seems a little too professional to be Sgt. Granite and squad, which is a shame - I was going to suggest that their big motive was to find the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine/Coronado's Gold/the Treasure of the Sierra Madre or something like that to buy the parts they need in Phoenix to achieve their main goal of reaching the Bahamas. But it seems like you have a slightly more serious end in mind.

It is Granite and the plan is that Signal Listener and Granites men don't plan on sticking around. They'll hang around for a while because why not, but a quest to rebuild their Vertibird for that trip to the Bahamas is still very much in question. (And also means they could be called in for a favour by the players)

Signal Listeners suggestion is out of concern for his own safety (in case there's nobody answering the phone) and also because he likes the Rangers. If he's abandoning ship might as well leave them well set up.

Also curious to know what Nexus is.

Fallout world's version of SETI co-funded pre war by the Hubologists and now home to where the Brotherhood meets the tribal. The topic of my next post.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

Perhaps the tracker is faulty for one of the Prisoners, so the party can't even do the broad geolocation they usually do. An escaped slave in Arizona. The Legionaries will all refer you to "Alexander" who's morose and Joshua Graham-ing her revolver and still pulling a Mulan move but with rags and road armor instead. Mind you this might put the players too far on the opposite path. I'd appreciate some spitballing on this one. I tend to like redemption stories and I think leading towards the Desert Rangers is ultimately more fruitful.

As in one of the escaped 13s was a slave, and Alexandra helps you track them down? Maybe this is too contrived, but perhaps the escaped Priestess was indeed one of the 13s, and in a twist of fate she and Alexandra were imprisoned together but she managed to get away. Maybe to build the stakes its revealed that the Priestess didn't just betray her vows, but she has some kind of MacGuffin that makes the quest to track her down at a comparable level to Fort Hope. Maybe she's taken this MacGuffin to Hecate, or is at least planning on it.

I do agree with you that the redemption arc is more satisfying, so their should be some roadblocks that effectively discourage the players from going too far down the anti-redemption route, but I feel as though there is something there, and it makes the redemption feel cheap if there wasn't any solid alternative.

Maybe as a simpler alternative there's some point if you do enough for Caesar that he'll ask you to take care of a piddling band of rangers that have caused some trouble, and her decision is whether or not to help you. This would be fairly far down the line and unlikely for the players to reach.

I'm undecided if their big shot (Hecate's son) will be power armored (would likely be T-45). I'll come to that when I do Hecate. Primarily it would be for balance reasons.

Maybe tribal T-45, comparable to Ashur's armor, the Fo2 loading screen helmet, and the raider power armor in Fo4. Extremely degraded and barely held together with tribal motifs added, but still a significant advantage.

It also gives more reasoning why Atticus would consider linking with the Legion, who are slavers.

Good point.

It is Granite and the plan is that Signal Listener and Granites men don't plan on sticking around. They'll hang around for a while because why not, but a quest to rebuild their Vertibird for that trip to the Bahamas is still very much in question. (And also means they could be called in for a favour by the players)

Oh great.

Fallout world's version of SETI co-funded pre war by the Hubologists and now home to where the Brotherhood meets the tribal. The topic of my next post.

This sounds fantastic

 

[Atomic Postman]

Maybe as a simpler alternative there's some point if you do enough for Caesar that he'll ask you to take care of a piddling band of rangers that have caused some trouble, and her decision is whether or not to help you. This would be fairly far down the line and unlikely for the players to reach.

Perhaps it's as simple as the Priestess seeks refuge with the Desert Rangers and Alexandra's decision is to play it safe (intercept her and bring her in) or face a major (emotionally scary) confrontation by tracking her down and actually helping bring her to the Rangers. Would also show she's changed in the most George Lucas way possible and make the Rangers accepting her more sensical. Doesn't require the Priestess to be a 13 either.

Maybe tribal T-45, comparable to Ashur's armor, the Fo2 loading screen helmet, and the raider power armor in Fo4. Extremely degraded and barely held together with tribal motifs added, but still a significant advantage.

I actually have the stats for NCR Salvaged Power Armor in my rulebook so just rename that. Hecate's son is a pumped up "destined to be" Samson figure so him burdening the armor makes sense (and also provides dark comedy in that he's not actually the greatest warrior and it's quite hard to move)

 

[Hardboiled Android]

Perhaps it's as simple as the Priestess seeks refuge with the Desert Rangers and Alexandra's decision is to play it safe (intercept her and bring her in) or face a major (emotionally scary) confrontation by tracking her down and actually helping bring her to the Rangers. Would also show she's changed in the most George Lucas way possible and make the Rangers accepting her more sensical. Doesn't require the Priestess to be a 13 either.

Yeah this works best

I actually have the stats for NCR Salvaged Power Armor in my rulebook so just rename that. Hecate's son is a pumped up "destined to be" Samson figure so him burdening the armor makes sense (and also provides dark comedy in that he's not actually the greatest warrior and it's quite hard to move)

I was more thinking that the armor is still technically powered, but boy oh boy do those servos creak and the hydraulics are under pressure and there are large chunks of it where he's vulnerable. Somewhere between salvaged armor and actual T45 in terms of combat effectiveness. Maybe a slight disadvantage on speed (but only slight, almost a wash), a slight advantage in terms of strength, and a fairly sizeable advantage in terms of armor But, the darkly comedic route is also good

 

[Atomic Postman]

A quick thought before I type up the Brotherhood post - any ideas for a name other than Maxson bunker? I'm looking for something in the Metallic Monks vein of Lost Hills and Hidden Valley. Something that ties with it being a far away outpost but with that mythic edge

 

[Hardboiled Android]

A quick thought before I type up the Brotherhood post - any ideas for a name other than Maxson bunker? I'm looking for something in the Metallic Monks vein of Lost Hills and Hidden Valley. Something that ties with it being a far away outpost but with that mythic edge

Hmm. There's the Bethesda route to give them something Arthurian. With that in mind I guess Avalon would work best, a distant and fabled place far from home, and the Brotherhood has effectively gone there to die since (not counting Midwestern or DC BoS) this is their furthest extent prior to the NCR-Brotherhood War. And it seems like you're going for something similar to that since you implied that this bunker would be the source of the Colorado BoS that has forgotten Maxson's name, presumably after they conquer Boulder and assimilate tribals. But Avalon may be too on the nose.

Alternatively you could go for something Biblical. Gives it a fantasy feel, and also a literal 'knights on crusade' vibe. Gilead maybe, since that was the portion of Israel not technically a part of Israel - distant, across the Jordan, with the understanding at the time of conquest that the Gileadites would have to leave this land to help the main body of the Israelites. I could suggest other potential Biblical names if you're interested, though that doesn't really seem to be the Brotherhood's bag so it would be a bit odd.

You could cheat and have their be some Poseidon thing at the array so they name it after a Greek god.

In terms of English type names which I think is more what you're getting at...

Citadel is right out of course, but you could name it any number of synonymous things that imply their isolation and this as a forward operating base. Star Fort would gel with the Nexus, but the name sounds a bit lame. Redoubt doesn't sound great. Castle Rock sounds kind of cool, but of course is already a place in Colorado so it might by a bit odd.

You could go the same route as Lost Hills or Hidden Valley by naming it after actual local features. Looking around the actual VLA location... Lone Mountain, Lion Mountain, Blue Mesa, Enchanted Tower, Bear Mountain, Red Rock, Horse Peak. Lone Mountain and Blue Mesa are probably my faves. Though this also assumes that the Nexus is at the same place as the VLA.