[Idea]trade route between east and west coast in Fallout universe

[rockitten]

The idea was from my experience playing TTW, I am an Aussie so I am not very familiar with the geographic of NA. So please feel free to whip the idea as long as it is constructive criticism.

As mentioned in Fallout bible (or VB), there are seasons on the Great Plains with serve dust bowl, a radioactive dust storm from the Rockies all the way to the East Coast. California is spared from that thanks to the Rockies and Denver is the eastern edge of the safe zone. Let's say an eastward storm on Spring (April/May) and a westward on fall (September/October). So the "trade season" would be Summer and Winter. Not really ideal for travelers as the heat and snow are just as worse.

The post-war North America is so fucked up, many facilities would be the last one standing in NA, like, the steel mill at Pitt would be the only large scale steel smelter, gun runners may have a monopoly on some weapons and ammo. On the other hand, Mr House will pay very handsomely to any pre-war stuff he wants, many pre-war books/tech and minerals from the east may ended up in the west as there is a high demand for them. So some trade route(s) does exist between 2 coast.

Along the route, there is an union/coalition of traders and caravan drivers which called themselves "the railroads", named so for their route mostly along the pre-war train tracks and highways. A one way trip between 2 coast would take at least 4 to 6 months, so most traders only covers a section (about 1 month back and forth) of the route. If anyone need to do a full trip, a few stop-over is a must. Alone the route, local railroad members make profit by supplying essentials (food, water, services, accommodations for stop-over, or even whores...etc) for caravan drivers and scavengers. One very profitable business would be buying unwanted/off-season/too heavy to carry goods or worn-out brahmin/slaves from one trader at low prices , after repairing or a few weeks care and good feeding, these goods can often be resold at a substantial profit.

One major route from NCR (LA) to the east would be along the Historic Route 66. The Legions (or the remnants), BoS Chicago and Texas chapters are major factions along the route. The branch to New Vegas would be lonesome road which the courier blown up. After Chicago, traders either heading east on land via Pitt to DC, or via the great lakes on steam boats to Montreal then head south to Boston.

Of coz, "thanks" to the courier making a hell mess on Lonesome road, the Route 66 has become too dangerous for most. So after the battle of Hoover Dam, the new route would be the mouth-eastern route from New Vegas to Chicago via Denver. If the Boomers and Vegas BoS wants to make a great retreat (because of NCR) eastwards, that would be the route to Chicago.

As the railroads is nothing but a coalition of traders and caravan drivers for mutual help "hostile take-over" is common and the "organization" doesn't give a fuck as long as your action do not becomes a de facto blockade of the trade. Along the 4000 miles route, there are numerous bandits, warlords and local tribes. The Chicago BoS is infamous of charging high tariff to the traders, and Legion is consider "local hero" as they make the road safe.

So, how does that sounds to you guys?

 

[Shaodeus]

Honestly I don't wish a connection between Fallout and Bethesda's weird action adventures games. The bethesda setting has nothing to offer the west coast setting of Fallout. If the planets somehow align and Obsidian would get to make a new fallout game then I wouldn't want any mention of Fallout 3 and 4 since I really didn't enjoy those games and I don't want their lore (or rather lack thereof) to pollute a franchise that I really like.

 

[rockitten]

Honestly I don't wish a connection between Fallout and Bethesda's weird action adventures games. The bethesda setting has nothing to offer the west coast setting of Fallout. If the planets somehow align and Obsidian would get to make a new fallout game then I wouldn't want any mention of Fallout 3 and 4 since I really didn't enjoy those games and I don't want their lore (or rather lack thereof) to pollute a franchise that I really like.

Don't you see I mostly mentioned Chicago and Texas and not much further east???

 

[Shaodeus]

Don't you see I mostly mentioned Chicago and Texas and not much further east???

Shouldn't the Texas brotherhood be burned with fire considering which game that one was from?. And I doubt that the Brotherhood would have any chapters of consequence past Arizona.

But yeah trade routes be cool. Hoping we get to see a New Orleans game or some such. Great plains would be good too.

 

[Deleted member 98605]

A bit unrealistic?

Direct trade routes were a luxury throughout human history, and that was when we didn't have to traverse the ruins of a nuclear war.

Such a route can exist - the American interstate is tough - but you need demand for it. Who is the NCR going to trade with? What does the East Coast offer the West Coast? Hell, what does the Midwest offer? It's not food, because of the dustbowl and overall terrible conditions. It's not technology, as the NCR is already relatively advanced and has picked clean the corpses of the Enclave and Brotherhood, almost twice over, literally.

Would the Crimson Cavaran go East in a sort of reversal of the Oregon trail? Would the communities of Texas, former Legion lands, the Midwest, and the East even warrant that due to cost-profit ratios? I don't think it would. There was a route to the region of Salt Lake, but it was utterly and completely destroyed by the legion. If the NCR wins the war, the legion's empire would break down into competing statelets - if they even deserve the name - forming a new chaotic region for a generation or two. So along the south, along the middle, there's nothing. That leaves the area of the north, around Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming, which could fall under a Khanate, a Khanate formed of people with a bone to pick with the NCR. This also applies overall to anyone going East to West, though maybe the Khanate, inspired by Mongolian traditions, would leave merchants very well alone; but that merchant still has to cross the plains, the great lakes region, the Appalachians and the coastal wasteland.

What is still more realistic for the scope of the games is indirect trading. Roman Coins reached Japan by most likely either Chinese or Austronesian traders, which in turned got the coins by trading with India, which had a direct route with Eastern Rome itself. Silk from China did not stay with one Merchant when it went from China to Spain, it passed through Partians or Kushans and Arabians and Scythians to do so. In NV, we find the Wasteland Survival Guide, showing that information - valuable information - spread quickly and rapidly across the wastes, though it does sort of insult every surviving community that it took a ditzy shopkeep and a teenager in the blasted ground zero of the former nation and two hundred years to produce such a logical product. Vice versa, Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor have done the opposite and gone West to East, which is a bit more logical as it had a hundred odd years to do so. Sure, Kellog might pull off the feat, and yes, people from China reached Rome or London back in the days of the Principate, Roman ambassadors did reach the halls of the Chinese Emperor, Black Mercenaries apparently made it to Japan in time to see the Shogunate, Celts could find themselves in Egypt before Rome even got out of Italy, but these were small groups and exceptions at the best in times of extreme relative stability to allow such travel, not the norm.

It takes a lot of logistics, infrastructure, engineering, security, stability, education, know-how and commitment to produce the trade networks we take for granted today. In a game series showing off that humanity is still relatively isolated and can reach the limits of their potential quite quickly, having such a system even in a minute form would be stretching my willing suspension of disbelief.

 

[rockitten]

A bit unrealistic?

Direct trade routes were a luxury throughout human history, and that was when we didn't have to traverse the ruins of a nuclear war.

Such a route can exist - the American interstate is tough - but you need demand for it. Who is the NCR going to trade with? What does the East Coast offer the West Coast? Hell, what does the Midwest offer? It's not food, because of the dustbowl and overall terrible conditions. It's not technology, as the NCR is already relatively advanced and has picked clean the corpses of the Enclave and Brotherhood, almost twice over, literally.

Would the Crimson Cavaran go East in a sort of reversal of the Oregon trail? Would the communities of Texas, former Legion lands, the Midwest, and the East even warrant that due to cost-profit ratios? I don't think it would. There was a route to the region of Salt Lake, but it was utterly and completely destroyed by the legion. If the NCR wins the war, the legion's empire would break down into competing statelets - if they even deserve the name - forming a new chaotic region for a generation or two. So along the south, along the middle, there's nothing. That leaves the area of the north, around Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming, which could fall under a Khanate, a Khanate formed of people with a bone to pick with the NCR. This also applies overall to anyone going East to West, though maybe the Khanate, inspired by Mongolian traditions, would leave merchants very well alone; but that merchant still has to cross the plains, the great lakes region, the Appalachians and the coastal wasteland.

What is still more realistic for the scope of the games is indirect trading.

If you read my description carefully, that "railroad" is a link made up of a lots of indirect trading along the route. Unless you are a fugitive of NCR or Mid west BoS, I don't think anyone would travel 6 months (one way) just to do trade. Regarding to the radioactive dust storm, in the Fallout universe, there are 2 race who don't give a fxxk about radiations: ghouls and super mutants. So how about some trade groups make up of ghouls (the brain) and SM (the muscle)? Whenever those smooth skins need something NCR/Legion/BoS can't manufacture, they barter with the "railroad"s' agents/members in Vegas, Denver or Chicago or Sandysands/Hub...etc. And the Agents would spread the words to those all the way east. May be trade it from local, may be trade it with your enemy, may be scavenged from somewhere east, the railroad will get you the stuff, just don't ask where does it come from or how they get it. Huh, that may be a good reason for an union/coalition of traders and caravan drivers.

Does the east of NCR/Rockies really have nothing worth to trade with NCR? Rock salt will be a precious commodities in Fallout universe as the coast is heavily polluted. Isn't there a place called Salt Lake City on the route? How about we dug up some salt (skip the radiated top bit of coz) from the salt lake, and we can sell them to NCR, Legion, all inland tribes, Mid-west BoS for good bucks. Minerals will be another one, especially those NCR don't have. And of coz, sometime, there is a demand for something simply because it is rare or hard to get. and so it becomes a luxury (just like the vault suits) item just to show-off your wealth.

Not to mention if Legion can mint their own gold coins, there must be some gold mine up east.

 

[naossano]

It is mentioned quite a few time that legion territory is one of the safest place to travel. Also, there is a big question mark about what lands are actually controled by the midwestern brotherhood of Steel and what is their policy. (which depends on your choices during Tactics)