Atomic Postman
Vault Archives Overseer
So, first off I'd like to say this isn't meant to be some massive trash on NC as I appreciate the manpower/effort/love that went into it and even though I'm about to make this post I have neither the skill, talent or dedication to actually try and make this a thing. So, yeah.
Either way, I was very disappointed with New California's story. Stuff like Project Brazil, the Super Mutants "Father", the Enclave storyline, the player being a clone of the Vault Dweller etc etc, didn't cut up to scratch and I thought tying it so directly into New Vegas was unneccesary. I thought it had a lot of potential, however, for a small self-contained story set in the Core Region during the era between Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 and there were a number of good ideas there. We've seen before with Fallout 1.5 and Fallout Nevada that mod campaigns can be great venues for making the kind of Fallout games the community really wants, and it's a shame that New Vegas doesn't have its own 1.5/Nevada.
So here's my go at giving some rewrites
Introductory Cutscene :
We open with Geoff Muldaur's "Brazil" playing off a tinny radio, the camera pans out and we hear the sounds of a massive battle going on. We are inside a guardpost at Navarro, the building shakes and thumps. Distant vertibird sounds can be heard. Outside the window, an Enclave soldier is blasting off a gatling laser and being peppered with small arms fire. He is backing away. We here a chorus of various chatter "Rangers, suppress those runners!" "Paladin, I need a rocket on that turret now!" we hear the crackling of radio, as we hear a voice say "This is Bravo team, last set of birds are away. Repeat, last set of birds are away." Another bit of radio chatter overcomes it, a different,more solemn voice "Kiss America goodbye, boys." Cut to black.
Context/Premise:
The year is 2253, 11 years after Fallout 2 and a few years after the sacking of Navarro. The setting is still San Bernadino Forest/Cajon Pass, but moreso into the national park. Vault 18, a control vault, is also still our setting.
Vault 18
2077: The Great War occurs, Vault 18 seals its door.
2087: A small expedition is sent to the surface, and reaches as far as the edge of the park, overlooking San Bernadino and the distant LA Boneyard. Nothing is alive. The expedition make it back to the Vault, each suffering from rad poisoning of varying severity.
2162: Another surface expedition occurs with the premise of judging the safety of opening the Vault, the expedition's equipment picks up still present radioactivity (In truth this is due to the atomic detonation of the Master's lair in LA, however the expedition chalk it up to the Great War). Upon return to the Vault, the expedition are attacked by raiders. All but one of the expedition are killed, and the Overseer declares the surface too dangerous.
2177: Three vocal seditionists, demanding the opening of the Vault are exiled into the Wasteland after a violent confrontation. The exiles discover a simple village of hardy survivalists living in the hills, calling themselves "The Arrowheads", and begin to integrate.
2236: After a particularly bad winter and an explosion of tensions, a splinter group of the Arrowhead Tribe flee to Vault 18, chasing the stories of their ancestors. For years they had approached and fled from the spot out of curiosity, but were now beginng for help. Picking this up on the door cameras, there is commotion in the Vault as to whether to accept the dying refugees. Overseer Chevy Bragg at first rules no, but on the urging and appeal to her better nature by Doctor Rossman, Bragg allows refugees to enter, but only young women and children. The rest are turned away.
2237: Doctor Rossman and two of his assistants lead an unsanctioned, secret surface expedition. They come across a crew of travelling NCR Prospectors, and the two trade. Rossman learns of NCR, but doesn't quite grasp the scale, believing the Republic to be some sort of well-armed post-nuclear milltia. Rossman exchanges medical goods for robot parts.
2241: Overseer Bragg recieves the "All-Clear Signal" from the US Government, with the caveat that this notice was for Overseer eyes only and that they must await the arrival of US millitary servicemen before taking any action. Dying of cancer and unable to bear the secret alone, Overseer Bragg tells her husband, Coach John Bragg, with the confidence between both that John will undoubtedly be elected Overseer when she passes anyway. John, being an ardent Old World patriot, is both delighted to hear the news and dedicated to maintaining the secret in equal measure. The Enclave choose Vault 13 for their guinea pig stock, and Vault 18 is for the moment, filed away.
2243: At Navarro, Enclave Sergeant Idella takes it upon herself to log and investigate potential fallback points in the case of the base being lost. Among numerous others in the southwest, she comes across Vault 18 and the nearby US Fort Daggerpoint. Tinkering for a while, she re-opens communications with Overseer Bragg. Informing them that the USA was at war with mutant surface-dwellers which sought to destroy America, declaring it to be their civic duty to prepare the "red-blooded and pure" Americans within their vault to join the war effort when called upon. Both Chevy and John take these orders very seriously. Later this year, however, Chevy passes away from cancer. Much to his suprise, however, Coach Bragg isn't elected to Overseer. Enraged and convinced that his replacement hasn't got the moxy to save America, during the passover of office he swaps his own desk terminal for that of the overseer's office, choosing to keep the Enclave contact his secret and the preparation his responsibility.
2253: Coach Bragg has been spending the better part of a decade grooming his "All-Star Patriots" within the Vault into loyal American soldiers. Encouraging his little club to join the Vault's secuirty team, awaiting a "Day of Rebirth" for America. Elsewhere, Navarro falls. Fallout: New California begins.
The Pass/San Bernardino National Forest
Now, I decided since New Vegas already had recycled some Van Buren content and moved some locations to better fit NV's canonical geography (Cipher Tribe, Fort Abandon, Circle Junction all being west of Mojave) I'd do the same here, with Burham Springs.
2039: Prometheus Coal, a division of Poseidon Energy, opens a coal mine in California. A small village opens up nearby. It is called Eagle Rock.
2066: With more important things to spend their money on, Poseidon Energy closes the inefficient and dangerous Eagle's Rock mine complex and sells it to the U.S. government.
2074: Government decision makers order the dumping of radioactive waste into Eagle Rock's lower mines. Enclave politicos help secure a contract for Poseidon Energy to develop and use their AGRICOLA mining robots in the operation of the dumping ground. Not surprisingly, the AGRICOLA lab turns out to be a pretty good bunker as well.
2077: Bombs drop. Two Poseidon scientists are still trapped in the lab. After four years, one dies of natural illness. After one more year, the other commits suicide.
2238: NCR Prospectors discover Eagle Rock and quickly realize that it is a source of energy and some water -- albeit a dangerous source. Within the year, NCR miners are there, and more come shortly thereafter. Many of them are dregs/outcasts from the Boneyard and the Hub.
2243: A small crew of NCR workmen set up Forest Falls Logging Camp in order to log some of the forest's trees for the Republic.
2245: Outlaw gangs and raider-tribes from other areas of Southern California begin to take refuge in the San Bernadino and San Gabriele Mountains in order to buy themselves time from the ever growing reach of the Republic, and to position themselves to raid Hub and Boneyard. They periodically harass Burham Springs.
2247: After a severe raid, NCR 5th Engineering Division blows up Burham Mines, causing incredible fires to break out all over the area, even in veins of coal encased in rock. Many die. Many become gehennas. NCR abandons Burham Springs.
2250: A notorious Boneyard gang calling themselves "The 405 Coyotes" flee into the hills under the leadership of Heartbreaker, they settle in the ruins of Burham Springs, using it as a fortress. They make their best efforts to seal off the monster-filled mine tunnels.
2252: "The Pass" is now the last refuge for the outlaw bands of NCR. Hearbreaker has formed a shanty-town "pirates cove" of booze, drugs and ass around Burham Springs, and has been collecting the broken remnants of various outlaw gangs into his growing force. Though there are still a number of gangs in the area that aren't so willing to join him.
2253: The NCR has begun projects of Old World railway refurbishment, as part of this plan they aim to link the Boneyard and the Hub. The Pass is a vital part of this track, and as such under the NCR's new administration an army deployment has been sent into the area along with a crew of railway workers, establishing "Union Town" as a frontier outpost, a base camp from which to civilize the area and neutralize the raider gangs.
Fallout: New California begins.
Act 1: Vault 18 and Escape!
The beginning would be similar to the original, in that it's the day of "the big game" in Vault 18. The PC is 18 years old, and effectively still part of the Vault's equivalent of High School. You recieve the same introduction of Matheson running at you on the field, where you'd be presented with three options:
I Tackle - Way of the Jock
I Dodge - Way of the Nerd
What? I wasn't even at that squarefest! I was smoking cigarettes with Kurtz instead - Way of the Delinquent
Regardless of what you pick here, in the subsequent character creation menus alongside your Tag Skills, Traits and SPECIAL, you must also pick your BACKGROUND. You can either be a born and bred Vault Dweller, or you can choose to be a Tribal. You were one of the refuge children, brought into the Vault at 12 months old.
Act 1 is generally meant to be quite cosy/slow paced. More "Fallout: A 1950s High School Roleplaying Game" rather than "Fallout: A Post Nuclear Roleplaying Game". Though most of the soap-drama/Vault-Life stuff is largely optional, and you'd be able to breeze through the mandatory quests until escape pretty quickly. Picture if Fallout 3's teenager sequence wasn't as massively "cinematic" and railroaded but actually let you roleplay as a vault dweller. There would be shared side-quests between each "path", benign side-stories within the Vault.
Way of the Jock
You are the Star Player of the game! Congrats! The PC is brought into Coach Bragg's office where he congratulates the player on a job well done for winning the game and flooring that spear-chucker, Matheson. Bragg gets you take the Vigo-Matic tester machine to confirm his assumptions about you, and he then gives you a patriotic little speech and offers you membership to his "All-Star Patriots" club as well as a gurantee of a role on the Security Team. If you choose Tribal background, he's much more brisk with you and only offers you the role on the Security Team.
Outside of the Coach's office, depending on if you chose Tribal or Vault Dweller background a different person will be waiting for you. Tribal and it's Matheson, he sort of begrudingly apologizes and tries to say no hard feelings, "us Arrowheads" should stick together and finishes by saying he's looking forward to being on patrol with you the next morning in Security. Vault Dweller and it's Campbell, fellow player on your team, memeber of the Patriots and Vault Security. He congratulates you and gives you the key to the "Patriots Lounge" where all the coolest kids of the Vault hang out.
Jock PCs basically live a somewhat satirical version of the stereotypical "Chad" experience in this sequence. Talking to the prettiest girls of the Vault, being extremely popular. You have an RnR sequence which changes if you're a Patriot or not, and if you get to hangout in the Lounge, have some beers and play Blackjack (Using NV's blackjack system) with the cool Patriots. This basically plays out like a tongue-in-cheek Japanese dating sim, but with jingoistic propaganda/tribal racism thrown in if you're in the lounge and eagerly discussing the "Rebirth" of America.
Your security routine with Matheson and Campbell the following day consists of you doing one or two domestic dispute argument/settlements, followed by "Bug Patrol" which is clearing some of the caves connected to the Vault of Giant Ants. You discover a small opening that leads to the surface in the caves, just big enough for the ants to fit in but not really for people unless you blasted it open. If you're a Vault Dweller, Campbell will hold multiple conversations in this section effectively grooming you with Enclave/Patriot propaganda and conversation. The next day, your routine begins with Bragg asking you to install a holotape at the Security Hub without Security Chief Martin's permission/knowing about it.
If you do so alongside Matheson and Campbell, Bragg confronts you over the radio, and Campbell in person as they declare that now is the time for the All-Star Patriots to welcome to day of Rebirth, and to cleanse the mutants, the dissidents and those who would fraternize/mix blood with the mutants in welcoming the US Army who are on the way. You are asked if you are with them, or against them. Deciding to join them, you have chosen Conquer and then must shoot Matheson as well as Security Chief Martin. As this happens, the Vault's security turrets come online and begin to open fire across the Vault. Campbell reveals that the Coach told him he has a US Army approved list of patriots and non-patriots in the Vault, and that you were the only variable.
The security system is logged to kill or spare based on Pip-Boy ID tags, though nobody knows that except you, him and Bragg. The rest of the quest is you and other Patriots hunting down non-patriots and killing them, many of whom don't know what is going on or that you're on the other side. (Cue "Master Skywalker, what are we going to do?" and "Anakin's Dark Deeds" etc). Eventually, when the job is done you head up to the surface and exit out of the Vault door, where you meet a landing Vertibird. Out of it walk three power-armored Enclave stormtroopers, Sergreant Idella and her two men: Kowalski and Jenkins. Bragg meets them, and we then cut/loading screen forward to Idella taking her place in the Overseer's chair. Vault 18 is to become the new home to a new Enclave, and your work is only beginning (Act 2)
If you refuse, you enter into Escape wherein you gun down Campbell. You and Matheson must then find one of the science team who can shut down the Vault security system. The Escape quest comprises of you and other non-patriots attempting to re-control the Vault, eventually after thwarting enough of the Patriot plans, they decide to instead self-destruct the Vault, and the remainder of the quest is you frantically escaping via the Ant-Cave, as the front door is being sprayed with 5mm by Enclave stormtroopers. In the chaos and confusion, you end up by yourself in the Wasteland on the surface, with nobody else in sight. Onto Act 2.
Way of the Nerd
You're knocked for six, you big loser. Much like in the original, you awaken in Rossman's lab and end up filing your character build onto the lab logging computer. You can have some conversation with Dr. Rossman, who says he had no idea why you were on track for Bragg's meathead crew in the first place. He has two lab assistants (alongside yourself now), Kira (a Tribal born kid) and Jamie Campbell (implied incestuous sibling to the Campbell on Security and also a Patriot). Rossman is attempting to finish a communications device, which your first job is to help him complete.
In doing so, Rossman and the team tune into an NCR radio channel, reporting on Union Town and the Army's efforts. Confirming Rossman's suspicions that there is an organized society out there. You spend the evening having a chill beer with Rossman and Kira in the lab, where you find out more about the background lore and speculating over what this "NCR" could be like. Rossman however comes across something surprising: some sort of pre-established comm-link within the Vault from an outside source, how curious. Your routine the next day is tracking down various "nodes" within terminals of the Vault, meaning you can do a bit of snooping accessing people's private terminal entries and the like. Eventually you narrow it down to Bragg's terminal, but you can't access any communications history. You do however, find Bragg's "Patriot" list and the fact that Jamie has used this list for some sort of program made in the lab.
Rossman and yourself question Jamie, but she stonewalls you. Together with Rossman you spend some time hacking Jamie's lab terminal, finding nothing. However you deduce that if you pulled an all-nighter, you could try and crack out a timestamped archived version of the program she made. You, Kira and Rossman stay up for the evening running the code, but you all drift off sometime in the early hours of the morning.
You awaken to chaos as the "Day of Rebirth" is underway, and you are in the Escape sequence. You are approached by a panicked and wounded Matheson, seeking medical attention after being shot by Campbell. Rossman works out what the program was for, and decides to rush to the Security Hub to shut it down. Kira begins to treat Matheson, and here you can decide to either stay in the lab with Kira or leave with Rossman to shut down the turrets. If you stay, you effectivelly assist Kira with treating Matheson periodically whilst doing wave-defence against oncoming Patriots into the lab. Eventually, the self-destruct signal will alert, a limping Matheson, Kira and yourself escape from the Vault and out into the Wasteland. Kira and Matheson both suggest trying to find the Arrowheads. Onto Act 2.
If you go with Rossman, you fight your way to the Security Hub where a defiant Jamie Campbell stands with her dead brother (shot by Matheson), and you can either talk her into fleeing (Speech), joining your side (Charisma), or you can simply kill her (Gun or sharp object) and disable the turrets. The same sequence happens with the vault self-destruct, with you and Rossman fleeing the Vault. You reach the surface, and Rossman suggests attempting to find the NCR by triangulating the radio signal via Pip-Boy. Onto Act 2.
Way of the Delinquent
Vaultball? You're fucking kidding me, right? Nah, instead you and Kurtz were spray painting a little artistic piece outside of Bragg's place, and then afterwards listen to some rock and steal some Med-X from the Doc like the cool dude beatniks you are. Well, that was till one of those jackass Patriot Security pricks turned up and started causing a problem, then Kurtz got all up in his face and, well....
Your PC creates their character by getting their mugshot taken and being logged into the Security Hub to add to your Vault Record, before you and Kurtz are thrown into the brig. You and Chief Martin have a fun little conversation, then you and Kurtz get to be all lonesome and angry in your cell together. It's not long before Eric Campbell, of the Security team, and some of the "Patriots" arrive from their lounge in the midst of a party to come mock and laugh at you for the degenerates you are. Even though they're just squares, pretty girl Jenny Hail laughing at you might sting just a bit. If you're of Tribal background, you'll get some serious venom thrown your way alongside Kurtz, who is also a Tribal. One of the Patriots expresses how they can't wait to see useless beatnik commies like you and Kurtz hang, soon enough. You can respond as you please.
The next day, you're let go as it was Kurtz actually doing the punching. Kurtz is meant to hang in for an extra day. Your goals for the day are twofold: busting Kurtz out early and getting some of that Med-X from the lab. Busting Kurtz can be done via traditional stealth, messing with the guards or decieving/lying to them in some way. The Med-X can similarly either be retrieved from traditional stealing from Rossman, tricking Jamie Campbell or flirting aggressively with Kira. You find that Kurt'z room, your lounge where you usually tune into the jukebox, has been sacked by the All-Star Patriots, and the Jukebox is broken. Before you get high, you can find someone in the Vault to help you fix the Jukebox but they might require you do a favour (one of the shared sidequests). You get high in the evening with Kurtz, and end up passing out on his floor.
The next day, you're awoken by the Day of Rebirth and lots of screams. Discovering what's happened, Kurtz grabs a bat and offers to you that now is the best opportunity either of you are going to get to cave in the skulls of those Patriot assholes. You can deny or accept this offer. Accepting leads you into a sequence of fighting your way through the vault, fighting off Patriots and killing both Campbells, eventually reaching the generator room where a wounded Bragg has initiated self-destruct.
You and Kurtz can then finish him off as you like. You discover that there's less than a minute left on the self-destruct. You aren't able to halt the process, however the terminal allows you to extend it. Giving you time, both of you flee, an optional objective means risking the timer running out to grab a stock of booze, either way you flee out of the front entrance where a Vertibird is seen leaving. Out in the new Wasteland, you and Kurtz say cheers and head into the desert. Onto Act 2.
If you reject Kurt'z initial offer, he heads off on his own and you end up running into a panicked Kira who is trying to find Doctor Rossman. It appears she tried and failed to save the wounded Mathelson, and had to fight her way out of the lab. Being a killer has shaken her up a little bit. Together, you both escape out the Ant-Cave and into the Wasteland. Kira suggests heading south, as that's where Rossman mentioned he picked up the signal of something called "NCR". Onto Act 2.
I will do Act 2 at some point in the next few days. Probably tomorrow evening.
Basic gist is that there would be 4 factions: NCR, Coyotes, Arrowhead and Enclave. There'd be variations on some of the factions, for instance whether the Coyotes are led by the more business minded/pragmatic Heartbreaker or his more bloodthirsty counterparts. Same with how NCR deals with the Coyotes and the Enclave, and vice versa.
The Enclave plot has less to do with FEV and moreso to do with a "Nuclear Nellie" atomic artillery cannon stationed at Fort Daggerpoint that the Enclave wish to use to nuke-shell the fuck out of the Hub which is like 40 miles north of the Fort and get retribution against NCR. Similarly, if they get Vault 18 they want to make San Bernardino into their own new fortress-state.
Either way, I was very disappointed with New California's story. Stuff like Project Brazil, the Super Mutants "Father", the Enclave storyline, the player being a clone of the Vault Dweller etc etc, didn't cut up to scratch and I thought tying it so directly into New Vegas was unneccesary. I thought it had a lot of potential, however, for a small self-contained story set in the Core Region during the era between Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 and there were a number of good ideas there. We've seen before with Fallout 1.5 and Fallout Nevada that mod campaigns can be great venues for making the kind of Fallout games the community really wants, and it's a shame that New Vegas doesn't have its own 1.5/Nevada.
So here's my go at giving some rewrites
Introductory Cutscene :
We open with Geoff Muldaur's "Brazil" playing off a tinny radio, the camera pans out and we hear the sounds of a massive battle going on. We are inside a guardpost at Navarro, the building shakes and thumps. Distant vertibird sounds can be heard. Outside the window, an Enclave soldier is blasting off a gatling laser and being peppered with small arms fire. He is backing away. We here a chorus of various chatter "Rangers, suppress those runners!" "Paladin, I need a rocket on that turret now!" we hear the crackling of radio, as we hear a voice say "This is Bravo team, last set of birds are away. Repeat, last set of birds are away." Another bit of radio chatter overcomes it, a different,more solemn voice "Kiss America goodbye, boys." Cut to black.
Context/Premise:
The year is 2253, 11 years after Fallout 2 and a few years after the sacking of Navarro. The setting is still San Bernadino Forest/Cajon Pass, but moreso into the national park. Vault 18, a control vault, is also still our setting.
Vault 18
2077: The Great War occurs, Vault 18 seals its door.
2087: A small expedition is sent to the surface, and reaches as far as the edge of the park, overlooking San Bernadino and the distant LA Boneyard. Nothing is alive. The expedition make it back to the Vault, each suffering from rad poisoning of varying severity.
2162: Another surface expedition occurs with the premise of judging the safety of opening the Vault, the expedition's equipment picks up still present radioactivity (In truth this is due to the atomic detonation of the Master's lair in LA, however the expedition chalk it up to the Great War). Upon return to the Vault, the expedition are attacked by raiders. All but one of the expedition are killed, and the Overseer declares the surface too dangerous.
2177: Three vocal seditionists, demanding the opening of the Vault are exiled into the Wasteland after a violent confrontation. The exiles discover a simple village of hardy survivalists living in the hills, calling themselves "The Arrowheads", and begin to integrate.
2236: After a particularly bad winter and an explosion of tensions, a splinter group of the Arrowhead Tribe flee to Vault 18, chasing the stories of their ancestors. For years they had approached and fled from the spot out of curiosity, but were now beginng for help. Picking this up on the door cameras, there is commotion in the Vault as to whether to accept the dying refugees. Overseer Chevy Bragg at first rules no, but on the urging and appeal to her better nature by Doctor Rossman, Bragg allows refugees to enter, but only young women and children. The rest are turned away.
2237: Doctor Rossman and two of his assistants lead an unsanctioned, secret surface expedition. They come across a crew of travelling NCR Prospectors, and the two trade. Rossman learns of NCR, but doesn't quite grasp the scale, believing the Republic to be some sort of well-armed post-nuclear milltia. Rossman exchanges medical goods for robot parts.
2241: Overseer Bragg recieves the "All-Clear Signal" from the US Government, with the caveat that this notice was for Overseer eyes only and that they must await the arrival of US millitary servicemen before taking any action. Dying of cancer and unable to bear the secret alone, Overseer Bragg tells her husband, Coach John Bragg, with the confidence between both that John will undoubtedly be elected Overseer when she passes anyway. John, being an ardent Old World patriot, is both delighted to hear the news and dedicated to maintaining the secret in equal measure. The Enclave choose Vault 13 for their guinea pig stock, and Vault 18 is for the moment, filed away.
2243: At Navarro, Enclave Sergeant Idella takes it upon herself to log and investigate potential fallback points in the case of the base being lost. Among numerous others in the southwest, she comes across Vault 18 and the nearby US Fort Daggerpoint. Tinkering for a while, she re-opens communications with Overseer Bragg. Informing them that the USA was at war with mutant surface-dwellers which sought to destroy America, declaring it to be their civic duty to prepare the "red-blooded and pure" Americans within their vault to join the war effort when called upon. Both Chevy and John take these orders very seriously. Later this year, however, Chevy passes away from cancer. Much to his suprise, however, Coach Bragg isn't elected to Overseer. Enraged and convinced that his replacement hasn't got the moxy to save America, during the passover of office he swaps his own desk terminal for that of the overseer's office, choosing to keep the Enclave contact his secret and the preparation his responsibility.
2253: Coach Bragg has been spending the better part of a decade grooming his "All-Star Patriots" within the Vault into loyal American soldiers. Encouraging his little club to join the Vault's secuirty team, awaiting a "Day of Rebirth" for America. Elsewhere, Navarro falls. Fallout: New California begins.
The Pass/San Bernardino National Forest
Now, I decided since New Vegas already had recycled some Van Buren content and moved some locations to better fit NV's canonical geography (Cipher Tribe, Fort Abandon, Circle Junction all being west of Mojave) I'd do the same here, with Burham Springs.
2039: Prometheus Coal, a division of Poseidon Energy, opens a coal mine in California. A small village opens up nearby. It is called Eagle Rock.
2066: With more important things to spend their money on, Poseidon Energy closes the inefficient and dangerous Eagle's Rock mine complex and sells it to the U.S. government.
2074: Government decision makers order the dumping of radioactive waste into Eagle Rock's lower mines. Enclave politicos help secure a contract for Poseidon Energy to develop and use their AGRICOLA mining robots in the operation of the dumping ground. Not surprisingly, the AGRICOLA lab turns out to be a pretty good bunker as well.
2077: Bombs drop. Two Poseidon scientists are still trapped in the lab. After four years, one dies of natural illness. After one more year, the other commits suicide.
2238: NCR Prospectors discover Eagle Rock and quickly realize that it is a source of energy and some water -- albeit a dangerous source. Within the year, NCR miners are there, and more come shortly thereafter. Many of them are dregs/outcasts from the Boneyard and the Hub.
2243: A small crew of NCR workmen set up Forest Falls Logging Camp in order to log some of the forest's trees for the Republic.
2245: Outlaw gangs and raider-tribes from other areas of Southern California begin to take refuge in the San Bernadino and San Gabriele Mountains in order to buy themselves time from the ever growing reach of the Republic, and to position themselves to raid Hub and Boneyard. They periodically harass Burham Springs.
2247: After a severe raid, NCR 5th Engineering Division blows up Burham Mines, causing incredible fires to break out all over the area, even in veins of coal encased in rock. Many die. Many become gehennas. NCR abandons Burham Springs.
2250: A notorious Boneyard gang calling themselves "The 405 Coyotes" flee into the hills under the leadership of Heartbreaker, they settle in the ruins of Burham Springs, using it as a fortress. They make their best efforts to seal off the monster-filled mine tunnels.
2252: "The Pass" is now the last refuge for the outlaw bands of NCR. Hearbreaker has formed a shanty-town "pirates cove" of booze, drugs and ass around Burham Springs, and has been collecting the broken remnants of various outlaw gangs into his growing force. Though there are still a number of gangs in the area that aren't so willing to join him.
2253: The NCR has begun projects of Old World railway refurbishment, as part of this plan they aim to link the Boneyard and the Hub. The Pass is a vital part of this track, and as such under the NCR's new administration an army deployment has been sent into the area along with a crew of railway workers, establishing "Union Town" as a frontier outpost, a base camp from which to civilize the area and neutralize the raider gangs.
Fallout: New California begins.
Act 1: Vault 18 and Escape!
The beginning would be similar to the original, in that it's the day of "the big game" in Vault 18. The PC is 18 years old, and effectively still part of the Vault's equivalent of High School. You recieve the same introduction of Matheson running at you on the field, where you'd be presented with three options:
I Tackle - Way of the Jock
I Dodge - Way of the Nerd
What? I wasn't even at that squarefest! I was smoking cigarettes with Kurtz instead - Way of the Delinquent
Regardless of what you pick here, in the subsequent character creation menus alongside your Tag Skills, Traits and SPECIAL, you must also pick your BACKGROUND. You can either be a born and bred Vault Dweller, or you can choose to be a Tribal. You were one of the refuge children, brought into the Vault at 12 months old.
Act 1 is generally meant to be quite cosy/slow paced. More "Fallout: A 1950s High School Roleplaying Game" rather than "Fallout: A Post Nuclear Roleplaying Game". Though most of the soap-drama/Vault-Life stuff is largely optional, and you'd be able to breeze through the mandatory quests until escape pretty quickly. Picture if Fallout 3's teenager sequence wasn't as massively "cinematic" and railroaded but actually let you roleplay as a vault dweller. There would be shared side-quests between each "path", benign side-stories within the Vault.
Way of the Jock
You are the Star Player of the game! Congrats! The PC is brought into Coach Bragg's office where he congratulates the player on a job well done for winning the game and flooring that spear-chucker, Matheson. Bragg gets you take the Vigo-Matic tester machine to confirm his assumptions about you, and he then gives you a patriotic little speech and offers you membership to his "All-Star Patriots" club as well as a gurantee of a role on the Security Team. If you choose Tribal background, he's much more brisk with you and only offers you the role on the Security Team.
Outside of the Coach's office, depending on if you chose Tribal or Vault Dweller background a different person will be waiting for you. Tribal and it's Matheson, he sort of begrudingly apologizes and tries to say no hard feelings, "us Arrowheads" should stick together and finishes by saying he's looking forward to being on patrol with you the next morning in Security. Vault Dweller and it's Campbell, fellow player on your team, memeber of the Patriots and Vault Security. He congratulates you and gives you the key to the "Patriots Lounge" where all the coolest kids of the Vault hang out.
Jock PCs basically live a somewhat satirical version of the stereotypical "Chad" experience in this sequence. Talking to the prettiest girls of the Vault, being extremely popular. You have an RnR sequence which changes if you're a Patriot or not, and if you get to hangout in the Lounge, have some beers and play Blackjack (Using NV's blackjack system) with the cool Patriots. This basically plays out like a tongue-in-cheek Japanese dating sim, but with jingoistic propaganda/tribal racism thrown in if you're in the lounge and eagerly discussing the "Rebirth" of America.
Your security routine with Matheson and Campbell the following day consists of you doing one or two domestic dispute argument/settlements, followed by "Bug Patrol" which is clearing some of the caves connected to the Vault of Giant Ants. You discover a small opening that leads to the surface in the caves, just big enough for the ants to fit in but not really for people unless you blasted it open. If you're a Vault Dweller, Campbell will hold multiple conversations in this section effectively grooming you with Enclave/Patriot propaganda and conversation. The next day, your routine begins with Bragg asking you to install a holotape at the Security Hub without Security Chief Martin's permission/knowing about it.
If you do so alongside Matheson and Campbell, Bragg confronts you over the radio, and Campbell in person as they declare that now is the time for the All-Star Patriots to welcome to day of Rebirth, and to cleanse the mutants, the dissidents and those who would fraternize/mix blood with the mutants in welcoming the US Army who are on the way. You are asked if you are with them, or against them. Deciding to join them, you have chosen Conquer and then must shoot Matheson as well as Security Chief Martin. As this happens, the Vault's security turrets come online and begin to open fire across the Vault. Campbell reveals that the Coach told him he has a US Army approved list of patriots and non-patriots in the Vault, and that you were the only variable.
The security system is logged to kill or spare based on Pip-Boy ID tags, though nobody knows that except you, him and Bragg. The rest of the quest is you and other Patriots hunting down non-patriots and killing them, many of whom don't know what is going on or that you're on the other side. (Cue "Master Skywalker, what are we going to do?" and "Anakin's Dark Deeds" etc). Eventually, when the job is done you head up to the surface and exit out of the Vault door, where you meet a landing Vertibird. Out of it walk three power-armored Enclave stormtroopers, Sergreant Idella and her two men: Kowalski and Jenkins. Bragg meets them, and we then cut/loading screen forward to Idella taking her place in the Overseer's chair. Vault 18 is to become the new home to a new Enclave, and your work is only beginning (Act 2)
If you refuse, you enter into Escape wherein you gun down Campbell. You and Matheson must then find one of the science team who can shut down the Vault security system. The Escape quest comprises of you and other non-patriots attempting to re-control the Vault, eventually after thwarting enough of the Patriot plans, they decide to instead self-destruct the Vault, and the remainder of the quest is you frantically escaping via the Ant-Cave, as the front door is being sprayed with 5mm by Enclave stormtroopers. In the chaos and confusion, you end up by yourself in the Wasteland on the surface, with nobody else in sight. Onto Act 2.
Way of the Nerd
You're knocked for six, you big loser. Much like in the original, you awaken in Rossman's lab and end up filing your character build onto the lab logging computer. You can have some conversation with Dr. Rossman, who says he had no idea why you were on track for Bragg's meathead crew in the first place. He has two lab assistants (alongside yourself now), Kira (a Tribal born kid) and Jamie Campbell (implied incestuous sibling to the Campbell on Security and also a Patriot). Rossman is attempting to finish a communications device, which your first job is to help him complete.
In doing so, Rossman and the team tune into an NCR radio channel, reporting on Union Town and the Army's efforts. Confirming Rossman's suspicions that there is an organized society out there. You spend the evening having a chill beer with Rossman and Kira in the lab, where you find out more about the background lore and speculating over what this "NCR" could be like. Rossman however comes across something surprising: some sort of pre-established comm-link within the Vault from an outside source, how curious. Your routine the next day is tracking down various "nodes" within terminals of the Vault, meaning you can do a bit of snooping accessing people's private terminal entries and the like. Eventually you narrow it down to Bragg's terminal, but you can't access any communications history. You do however, find Bragg's "Patriot" list and the fact that Jamie has used this list for some sort of program made in the lab.
Rossman and yourself question Jamie, but she stonewalls you. Together with Rossman you spend some time hacking Jamie's lab terminal, finding nothing. However you deduce that if you pulled an all-nighter, you could try and crack out a timestamped archived version of the program she made. You, Kira and Rossman stay up for the evening running the code, but you all drift off sometime in the early hours of the morning.
You awaken to chaos as the "Day of Rebirth" is underway, and you are in the Escape sequence. You are approached by a panicked and wounded Matheson, seeking medical attention after being shot by Campbell. Rossman works out what the program was for, and decides to rush to the Security Hub to shut it down. Kira begins to treat Matheson, and here you can decide to either stay in the lab with Kira or leave with Rossman to shut down the turrets. If you stay, you effectivelly assist Kira with treating Matheson periodically whilst doing wave-defence against oncoming Patriots into the lab. Eventually, the self-destruct signal will alert, a limping Matheson, Kira and yourself escape from the Vault and out into the Wasteland. Kira and Matheson both suggest trying to find the Arrowheads. Onto Act 2.
If you go with Rossman, you fight your way to the Security Hub where a defiant Jamie Campbell stands with her dead brother (shot by Matheson), and you can either talk her into fleeing (Speech), joining your side (Charisma), or you can simply kill her (Gun or sharp object) and disable the turrets. The same sequence happens with the vault self-destruct, with you and Rossman fleeing the Vault. You reach the surface, and Rossman suggests attempting to find the NCR by triangulating the radio signal via Pip-Boy. Onto Act 2.
Way of the Delinquent
Vaultball? You're fucking kidding me, right? Nah, instead you and Kurtz were spray painting a little artistic piece outside of Bragg's place, and then afterwards listen to some rock and steal some Med-X from the Doc like the cool dude beatniks you are. Well, that was till one of those jackass Patriot Security pricks turned up and started causing a problem, then Kurtz got all up in his face and, well....
Your PC creates their character by getting their mugshot taken and being logged into the Security Hub to add to your Vault Record, before you and Kurtz are thrown into the brig. You and Chief Martin have a fun little conversation, then you and Kurtz get to be all lonesome and angry in your cell together. It's not long before Eric Campbell, of the Security team, and some of the "Patriots" arrive from their lounge in the midst of a party to come mock and laugh at you for the degenerates you are. Even though they're just squares, pretty girl Jenny Hail laughing at you might sting just a bit. If you're of Tribal background, you'll get some serious venom thrown your way alongside Kurtz, who is also a Tribal. One of the Patriots expresses how they can't wait to see useless beatnik commies like you and Kurtz hang, soon enough. You can respond as you please.
The next day, you're let go as it was Kurtz actually doing the punching. Kurtz is meant to hang in for an extra day. Your goals for the day are twofold: busting Kurtz out early and getting some of that Med-X from the lab. Busting Kurtz can be done via traditional stealth, messing with the guards or decieving/lying to them in some way. The Med-X can similarly either be retrieved from traditional stealing from Rossman, tricking Jamie Campbell or flirting aggressively with Kira. You find that Kurt'z room, your lounge where you usually tune into the jukebox, has been sacked by the All-Star Patriots, and the Jukebox is broken. Before you get high, you can find someone in the Vault to help you fix the Jukebox but they might require you do a favour (one of the shared sidequests). You get high in the evening with Kurtz, and end up passing out on his floor.
The next day, you're awoken by the Day of Rebirth and lots of screams. Discovering what's happened, Kurtz grabs a bat and offers to you that now is the best opportunity either of you are going to get to cave in the skulls of those Patriot assholes. You can deny or accept this offer. Accepting leads you into a sequence of fighting your way through the vault, fighting off Patriots and killing both Campbells, eventually reaching the generator room where a wounded Bragg has initiated self-destruct.
You and Kurtz can then finish him off as you like. You discover that there's less than a minute left on the self-destruct. You aren't able to halt the process, however the terminal allows you to extend it. Giving you time, both of you flee, an optional objective means risking the timer running out to grab a stock of booze, either way you flee out of the front entrance where a Vertibird is seen leaving. Out in the new Wasteland, you and Kurtz say cheers and head into the desert. Onto Act 2.
If you reject Kurt'z initial offer, he heads off on his own and you end up running into a panicked Kira who is trying to find Doctor Rossman. It appears she tried and failed to save the wounded Mathelson, and had to fight her way out of the lab. Being a killer has shaken her up a little bit. Together, you both escape out the Ant-Cave and into the Wasteland. Kira suggests heading south, as that's where Rossman mentioned he picked up the signal of something called "NCR". Onto Act 2.
I will do Act 2 at some point in the next few days. Probably tomorrow evening.
Basic gist is that there would be 4 factions: NCR, Coyotes, Arrowhead and Enclave. There'd be variations on some of the factions, for instance whether the Coyotes are led by the more business minded/pragmatic Heartbreaker or his more bloodthirsty counterparts. Same with how NCR deals with the Coyotes and the Enclave, and vice versa.
The Enclave plot has less to do with FEV and moreso to do with a "Nuclear Nellie" atomic artillery cannon stationed at Fort Daggerpoint that the Enclave wish to use to nuke-shell the fuck out of the Hub which is like 40 miles north of the Fort and get retribution against NCR. Similarly, if they get Vault 18 they want to make San Bernardino into their own new fortress-state.
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