Fallout Tactics "Mis-Haps"

[paladin_lord]

Fallout Tactics is widely known for it's lore inconsistency but it is considered by Beth as semi-canon. Tactics major setting/events did happened in the official timeline. But what can we define as "Major events" ?

I am pointing out this question because others like me might want to make their campaign/p&p game/fanfic in the Midwest after the Tactics events. If we don't care about whats cannon it ok ... creativity solves the problem here.

Considering we want to keep it close to the official timeline we need to filter about every lore conflict bringing it close to cannon. The purpose here is to list up those possible lore conflicts to make easier and quicker to bring it close to official setting in our respective works.

-- Known "mishaps"

1) Bos vault dweller origin - only to list up since the only fix it will get is a big rubber erase.

2) Hairy deathclaw - while its rational that they developed the speech ability due a regional mutation i think they should neither be able to speak English (their own lizard tongue would be ok) nor joined the Midwest BoS.

3) Beastlords - FEV doesn't originally generates "psionic powers" or telepathy, this is why the master had to conduct experiments and unusual procedures to create the psions in fallout one. Unusual powers could be artificially incubated into a being through FEV manipulation but all results were disastrous ... insanity, paranoia, deaths and since none of the original psions survived they couldn't pass on their heritage. So the beastlords powers are ... pardon ... a big load of crap. I believe the top feature they could get through "regional mutation ( FoT loves that explanation )" would be an unusual empathy toward animals & mutated beings, offering a more neutral stance of those animals ... what could grant room for taming those animals with time.

4) Advanced Powered Armor - Don't ask me how they got it ... i always thought the enclave created this armor shortly before fallout two (what is way after tactics happens). Actually they shouldn't even be able to created hardened power armor since we don't know if the vault dweller shared such knowledge with the westcoast BoS. The Midwest BoS should wear only the old P. armor (fallout 1 model) and their new faction model.

5) where the hell was my village ? - Tactics opening storyboard mentions that soon after their crash they begin to build bunker alpha and share their tech with tribals in exchange from recruits. Its reasonable to assume the warrior and his companions came from this initial village ... but ... where is it ? It can't be Dirty haven because according to fallout wiki it happened in 2197 shortly before the tactics campaign, and dirty haven first recruit class was massacred by raiders ... unless bunker alpha was build upon this initial tribal village it means they just forgot about it ... well ... it "mis-hap-pens "

6) confusing start - when the airships were sent after the mutants ? when it crashed ? when bunker alpha was built ? Again it seems to be a "mis-hab-it" of the developers to set aside those details.

But we have some bets ... the fleeing mutant armies banded together in the years after fallout 1, that is 2162 .... let us say this conflict took 3 years (probably less, but let us take a long period for safety) so in 2165 the mutants fled east. If the brotherhood pursued them now it means that close to 2166 the airship would crash and the midwest BoS would have 31 years to develop itself before tactics begin (2197 - 2166) ... what obviously didn't happen because in 31 years they would have more than just one bunker.
This proves two things ... pursuing the mutants wasn't the main objective of the expedition and that they didn't send the smaller faction until it desired to recruit people from outside the brotherhood, what effectively originated the schism.

In my campaign i am using the following time set:

in 2165 part of the bos wanted to pursue the fleeing mutants but the elders ruled against it.
In 2184 the would be midwest bos begin to speak in favor of outside recruiting and the elders rule against it ... their ideology would become unbearable to the elders in late 2190.
In late 2191 the elders fearing a schism in the westcoast bos sent the would be midwest bos to seek the mutants east.
In 2192 the main airship crashed nearby Chicago and from here forth the midwest BoS had 5 years until tactics events to develop itself by building bunker alpha, making the initial contacts with the first village and training their first recruits.

7) ...

 

[TwoEyedYum]

Just my five cents: MW BoS are in fact outcasts sent on suicidal mission (or they wanted to go on suicidal mission, dunno). If their landing indeed was "harsh" i'd guess they need a good portion of time to regain _part_ of their former power. And they've got too many enemies, including mutants led by falloutish Jake Sully (mad BoS paladin).

Deathclaws and Beastlords. We believe in english-speaking deathclaws in F1, but we can't accept same shit in FoT... Why not? Also, while the whole psionic shit seems to be very rare in Fallout world, Beastlords could have been exposed to some serious radiation not counting experimental viruses. And you know, in Fallout radiation = MAGIC
And beastlors ARE insane. They aren't any better than most mutants and could be even more twisted and mad. I mean, commanding BUGS? Are you fucking crazy?

Also we don't actually know what happened with main BoS army and their tech in FoT and F2 timeline. Beth is Beth, i will never 100% believe in "their" canon. So basically BoS COULD have some new armor after F1. During FoT campaign you will learn that MWBoS's Powerarmor is quite rare (not counting tons of soldiers wearing it in every Bunker - now THAT seems to be strange for me).
But the whole idea of midwestern PA doesn't seem so strange. It isn't 100% similar to Enclave PA (and i don't care what Beth says in this case, they just look different and that's enough for me).

 

[der Fluger]

And beastlors ARE insane. They aren't any better than most mutants and could be even more twisted and mad. I mean, commanding BUGS? Are you fucking crazy?

Maybe some mutated mushroom control them all: bugs, beastlords, deathclaws? If simple protozoa can affect humankind, so why mutated mushroom from computer game can not do the same?
I think, mutated mushroom can affect even better, with all that zombies, you know…

 

[paladin_lord]

Just my five cents: MW BoS are in fact outcasts sent on suicidal mission (or they wanted to go on suicidal mission, dunno).

The group that wanted to pursue the mutants in the westcoast is not necessarily the same people who would become the Midwest, it seems reasonable that few among the order would like to neutralize the mutant threat before they flee from their grasp. The introduction of that event serves to denote even more that the elders decision to send the separatist faction was a way to get rid of them.

If their landing indeed was "harsh" i'd guess they need a good portion of time to regain _part_ of their former power. And they've got too many enemies, including mutants led by falloutish Jake Sully (mad BoS paladin).

Agreed. They would indeed need more time not only because they need to recover from the crash but also because i overlooked the fact the midwest had 3 complete (underground) bunkers at the initial campaign ... only the last two bunkers were built during the campaign. perhaps 15 or 20 years seems more adequate.

Deathclaws and Beastlords. We believe in english-speaking deathclaws in F1, but we can't accept same shit in FoT... Why not?

you mean fallout 2 right ? The first talking deathclaws to exist were created by the enclave ... the ones at vault 13. I just think this (enclave made) is a far better explanation than the regional mutation FoT claims to be able to create nearly everything ...

Also, while the whole psionic shit seems to be very rare in Fallout world, Beastlords could have been exposed to some serious radiation not counting experimental viruses. And you know, in Fallout radiation = MAGIC
And beastlors ARE insane. They aren't any better than most mutants and could be even more twisted and mad. I mean, commanding BUGS? Are you fucking crazy?

Beastlords definitively have something missing in their heads, but i couldn't find any in-game feature to prove they are crazier than raiders. Let us take the jackals for example, they are both hostile to anyone, both cannibals, both of them raid other communities ... the only clear difference might be the fact if a jackal want to control a mutated dog he would use a lash while the beastlord would just bark .... this makes him more salvage ... more primitive but i fail to see more crazy, since perhaps in a post nuclear world the boundries of madness might be somewhat "higher" ground than our modern concept.

... So basically BoS COULD have some new armor after F1. During FoT campaign you will learn that MWBoS's Powerarmor is quite rare (not counting tons of soldiers wearing it in every Bunker - now THAT seems to be strange for me). But the whole idea of midwestern PA doesn't seem so strange. It isn't 100% similar to Enclave PA (and i don't care what Beth says in this case, they just look different and that's enough for me).

I didn't said it was strange for the midwest to have its new model of power armor. I said that In tactics campaign we shouldn't be able to acquire an armor that wasn't even created. The advanced power armor was created by the enclave in 2220, it didn't exist in 2197.

 

[TwoEyedYum]

you mean fallout 2 right ?

Yeah, right, but still possible. Mid West isn't as much inhabited (or i'd say, there aren't many connections between towns, factions etc), so something could have been done there by almighty radiation and no one would ever notice. Also, IIRC DCs are experimental creatures from the very beginning. What if they always had some hidden "talking" mutation?

Beastlords definitively have something missing in their heads, but i couldn't find any in-game feature to prove they are crazier than raiders.

Well, then my fantasy is a reason why i don't mind beastlords at all.

The advanced power armor was created by the enclave in 2220, it didn't exist in 2197.

Hm, i just didn't specified that by my own opinion it ISN'T west APA at all. Maybe some side variation...

 

[Slaughter Manslaught]

My ten cents...

1) Bos vault dweller origin

- only to list up since the only fix it will get is a big rubber erase.

Needs rubber eraser, might be distorted version some townies got of the real events.

2) Hairy deathclaw - while its rational that they developed the speech ability due a regional mutation i think they should neither be able to speak English (their own lizard tongue would be ok) nor joined the Midwest BoS.

Yeah natural talking deathclaws are weird. They're also quite weaker than their cousins in the West Coast, who can laugh at anything short of high-powered armor-piercing rifles, energy weaponry, explosives and flame-throwers, and can tear suits of Powered Armor apart with their deadly claws. You could have it so that the Deathclaws can't talk but are smart enough to "join" the BOS because the save made them see The Warrior as their new "alpha", and if those men with weird gear symbols giving orders are the Warrior's "Alphas", then that means the BOS is their pack's "Alpha", and therefore the pack "latches" into the Midwestern Brotherhood like a bunch of strange, mostly unwanted weird allies that occasionally show up near the bunker and go along their squads out of weird gratitude and loyalty, like stray dogs who keep following you because you gave them food. At a certain point they just stop keeping the façade and the Deathclaws essentially "join" the squads and obey the BOS squad leaders, understanding simple orders through empathy, like dogs.

3) Beastlords - FEV doesn't originally generates "psionic powers" or telepathy, this is why the master had to conduct experiments and unusual procedures to create the psions in fallout one. Unusual powers could be artificially incubated into a being through FEV manipulation but all results were disastrous ... insanity, paranoia, deaths and since none of the original psions survived they couldn't pass on their heritage. So the beastlords powers are ... pardon ... a big load of crap. I believe the top feature they could get through "regional mutation ( FoT loves that explanation )" would be an unusual empathy toward animals & mutated beings, offering a more neutral stance of those animals ... what could grant room for taming those animals with time.

I don't think its only FEV (or least the vats version rather than the airbone one) that causes telepathy, there are a few other psykers in Fallout: Hakunin, Goris (exposed to limited FEV, through), Robobrains in 3 and FNV (don't like it either, but hey), Professor Calvert, that weird kid with psychic powers (The Forecaster) in Vegas, etc.

I don't mind the Beastlords, we're never given much detail about how their limited psionics work other than it was caused by radiation and inbreeding. I liked the Beastlords btw. Wish their story had been more detailed.

4) Advanced Powered Armor - Don't ask me how they got it ... i always thought the enclave created this armor shortly before fallout two (what is way after tactics happens). Actually they shouldn't even be able to created hardened power armor since we don't know if the vault dweller shared such knowledge with the westcoast BoS. The Midwest BoS should wear only the old P. armor (fallout 1 model) and their new faction model.

Suggestion: New Power Armor sprite (I think there's actually one done somewhere, I will look where I saw it) for FOT and change Advanced Power Armor to Hardened Power Armor. Inconsistency solved!

5) where the hell was my village ? - Tactics opening storyboard mentions that soon after their crash they begin to build bunker alpha and share their tech with tribals in exchange from recruits. Its reasonable to assume the warrior and his companions came from this initial village ... but ... where is it ? It can't be Dirty haven because according to fallout wiki it happened in 2197 shortly before the tactics campaign, and dirty haven first recruit class was massacred by raiders ... unless bunker alpha was build upon this initial tribal village it means they just forgot about it ... well ... it "mis-hap-pens "

Probably some small village in the Chicago region, would've been nice to see the Warrior visit his own birthplace and see people reacting to his brotherhoodness, but I think its a small detail.

6) confusing start - when the airships were sent after the mutants ? when it crashed ? when bunker alpha was built ? Again it seems to be a "mis-hab-it" of the developers to set aside those details.

Probably five or ten years before the game start. I am not sure if these bunkers were all built or salvaged pre-war ones, I don't think they ever told us. The last two bunkers were clearly built, hell the last one ins't even remotely up to BOS standards yet.