For many, the New California Republic faction in theFalloutfranchise represents humanity’s best chance at rebuilding a workable society after the Great War. This would be fitting, as it is essentially a faction derived from player choice during the very first game, wherein they choose to help Shady Sands during a side quest, resulting in its ending slide revealing its eventual founding of the Republic. The NCR is known to have accomplished a lot of good in the wasteland, including civilizing the Californian wasteland, respecting human rights, protecting trade routes, and more.
That said, the NCR is somewhat of a reflection ofFallout’sversion of America beforethe Great War: corrupt, imperialist, inefficient, and sometimes rather violent. This means that despite all the good it may have done, the NCR has absolutely made its share of mistakes over the course of its 140-year history. Here is a list of some of the worst things the NCR has done inFallout.
5Destabilizing Vault City Under The Table
Compromising Morals in the Name of Conquest
One of the main sources of tension in the region is the NCR’s desire to expand north and bring more cities under its control,New Reno and Vault Cityamong them. If the player does some digging, they can discover proof that the NCR is not only spying on Vault City but secretly paying the Bishops to occasionally attack it to encourage them to accept NCR protection and eventual control.
The Bishop family does this so that the NCR, once it has annexed New Reno, will place them in control over the city and legalize drugs and gambling to keep the money flowing.
4Manifest Destiny In The Mojave
The Ugly Side of Civilizing the Post-Nuclear Wasteland
The NCR’s eastward expansion intothe Mojave wastelandhas drawn many parallels to the real-life history of American manifest destiny. The idea is that the nation not only has an obligation to spread its ideals as far and wide as possible, but the divine right to do so. In the case of the NCR, this has meant gobbling up whole cities and towns that were once independent. Much of this expansion is facilitated from the barrel of a gun, with many being forced to join either via clandestine means or overt domination.
The corporate institutions of the NCR also play a role in its expansion, such as the Crimson Caravan Company, which is infamous for its ruthless (even murderous) business tactics. All of this is justified by the presence of Hoover Dam, a monumental pre-war structure capable of generating power for much of New California, and the economic potential resulting from it. This has caused friction with the steward of the New Vegas strip, Mr. House, whom the NCR views as a threat to their regional goals.
Miscommunication or Intentional Genocide?
While exploring the Mojave inFallout: New Vegas, the player will likely hear of a place called Bitter Springs, along with some sort of incident involving the NCR andthe Great Khans. Upon asking various people, it becomes clear just how little anyone seems to know about exactly what happened, only that many civilians were seemingly gunned down by NCR soldiers.
The Khans obviously looked at the event with horror and disdain, as many of the civilians, old and young alike, were merely wounded or sick. The event majorly inflamed tensions between the NCR and the Khans in the region and severely damaged the former’s relations with the Mojave’s local settlements overall.
2Usage Of Prison Slavery
So Much for Caring About Human Rights
New Vegasis, at times, a venomously political game, with commentary on a wide variety of real-world issues. A perfect example of this is the NCR’s use of prison labor, as seen in the NCR Correctional Facility, where its occupants have revolted after being forced to perform grueling manual labor as part of their sentence. The prisoners have formed a gang known as the Powder Gangers, and use the prison as their base of operations.
Depending on how the player deals with them, the NCR may arrive and utterly wipe the former prisoners out, which speaks to their tolerance of the rights of prisoners, or lack thereof. The NCR’s tolerance for what is essentially a form of slave labor by prisoners is not unlike howCaesar’s Legiontreats those it conquers, or even how Vault City handles outsiders seeking refuge inFallout 2.
1Colonization Of Baja California
An Example of the NCR’s Ruthless Colonial Attitudes
Upon speaking with Chief Hanlon at Camp Golf inNew Vegas, the player can learn about the NCR’s initial push into the Baja region prior to the events of the game. This effort to colonize the area ended up being far bloodier than was necessary on the part of the colonists, who are stated to have taken control of a vital watering well in a town called Rattletail.
Anyone who approached was shot dead immediately, which by the timeHanlon and his Rangers arrived, had risen to over two dozen innocent people merely seeking water. In some sense, the story is a metaphor for the NCR’s current actions in the Mojave, coveting Hoover Dam in much the same way the colonists did with the watering well in Rattletail.
