And here we are, another week of ReNuking the Commonwealth begins. This time, however, there'll be a bit more meat for people to sink their teeth into. Because, for the month of July, the focus will be entirely on Factions!
Fallout, at its core, is all about the society of the post-apocalypse and how people act, react, and rebuild within it. It's more post post-apocalypse, really. And what's more natural to humans than to form groups? We're an inherently tribalist and semi-communal species, so (when the world has been set back so hard) we'll fall back on that in order to survive.
In the Fallout universe, this is represented by Factions.
Brotherhood of Steel
Followers of the Apocalypse
Unity
Enclave
New California Republic
Boomers
Caesar's Legion
Great Khans
Powder Gangers
New Vegas
All of these depict various people gathering under a common banner. Why? For a variety of reasons. Each member has their own. For some, they believe it's the best chance at survival. For others, it's a diehard loyalty to the faction's tenets.
As a whole, however, these factions represent a greater push in a region. A central ideology of how best to pick mankind out of the Apocalypse and strive onward into a new tomorrow.
Renuked will follow these footsteps as it reworks the existing factions and even add new ones!
First of all, we need to discuss what needs to change. While it is true that Fallout 4 has factions, they are... not as fleshed out as they could be. They are all quite surface level, focusing on one or two tropes and making that their entirety.
The Brotherhood of Steel is an authoritarian military.
The Minutemen are altruists who want to help everyone.
The Institute are isolationist 'because science' scientists.
The Railroad are secretive idealists who put Synths on a pedestal.
So, how do we go about fixing this? Well, let's follow ERA.
Evaluate the existing tropes of the factions.
Revision of the tropes to create a more solid foundation.
Addition of more details on top of the foundation.
Couple this with a few rules of what factions should fulfill;
should represent/fulfill a need of Wastelanders
be viable in the world, re:survival & thriving
have distinctly separate, yet adjacent ideologies
And the result will be sufficiently deeper factions.
Now we move on to the factions themselves. I'll be giving a brief rundown on them here, as I'll be going into more depth on them during the Friday updates.
Established within the ruins of the CIT (Commonwealth Institute of Technology), this faction is made up of some of the brightest minds in the Commonwealth, if not all of Post-War America. With such talents, they have turned their alma mater into a stronghold. Surrounded by high walls and defended by a legion of deadly robots, they are safe enough to continue work on their ultimate goal; finding a way to adapt mankind to this new world and ensure the survival of the species.
Counter to the vanilla Institute, this reworking leans harder into scientific pursuits while creating a two-faced approach. From the outside, The Institute appears to be a closed-off society that doesn't care about the common wastelander. Inside, however, are people genuinely trying to find solutions to the problems of Post-War Massachusetts. At any cost.
Founded as an independent militia to defend a few settlements, the Minutemen soon became beacons of strength in the more chaotic years of reconstrution. As more people flocked to them for aid or purpose, they soon became a force for peace across the Commonwealth. From the Castle, they operate a network of volunteers who act on a call to defend independent settlements from danger.
In Fallout 4, having the Minutemen be largely destroyed was a huge missed opportunity for what could have been an interesting faction. Built upon community and co-operation, they facilitate the existence of independent settlements that aren't beholden to a greater faction.
The raiders of the Commonwealth are a faction of chaos. At one point, the three distinct groups were united as one. But, a civil war broke out and divided them into three;
- The Forged,
who occupy and reignite Pre-War factories to fuel their conquests.
- The Rust Devils,
who salvage robotics to ease their burdens and bolster their numbers.
- The Tunnel Runners,
who make the sewer systems beneath Boston their home, shadows acting as their shield and their sword.
While in the standard Fallout 4, there were minor implications that raiders had formed individual gangs/groups, this amounted to little more than some notes or terminal entries. So, instead of all raiders being a homogenous group of shooting targets, they are now three distinct groups within a larger (possibly reconstructable) faction. With the simple mantra of; dog-eat-dog.
The Commonwealth Provincial Government
One of the new factions reated specifically for ReNuked, the Commonwealth Provincial Government (CPG) aims to bring back the old world, in an attempt to organize and stabilize the wasteland. With numerous settlements under CPG protection and a functioning governmental system, their reach is far and wide. But, time has corroded the once-solid bedrock and the termites of corruption are gnawing at the ivory tower.
A large problem with Fallout 4's worldbuilding is that... no one has begun to rebuild. After 200 years, there should be renewal. Society should be reforming. People should be rebuilding. The NCR, for example, was founded by five states in 2189 (98 years before Fallout 4!) and maintained up to 2281 (at least). So, the CPG is ReNuked's answer to that issue. A government of settlements that (like the NCR) is repeating the problems of the old world, while still providing some benefit for the wasteland.
Now comes another vanilla faction, but one that has been hugely reworked due to some story changes surrounding the Institute and Synths (primarily that Synths are no longer a major part of the narrative).
The Railroad, in Fallout 4, are the attempted liberators of Synths from the Institute. In ReNuked, this had to change due to... well, Synths not being sentient anymore.
Instead, the Railroad has been taken from Anti-Institute to Anti... Faction. Founded in opposition to CPG overreach, the Railroad firmly holds it's belief in independence. To the point of anarchy. They fight to dismantle the major factions and ensures that every settlement is independent, self-sufficient, and "freed from their oppressors." To The Railroad, goverment = oppression, no matter the form it takes.
Finally, we have our last faction, and the second one created specifically for ReNuked. Through this list you may have wondered; Where's the Brotherhood? Well. Here they are. Sort of.
The idea of the Brotherhood of Steel being across all of the US has been... contentious among Fallout fans. To say the least. And, while I do like the Brotherhood, I'm one of those people who don't believe they need to be in every game.
As such, we now have a replacement. Blacksteel.
Founded in Fort Strong by remnants of the US Army, they follow a strict regimen of obedience, loyalty, and service to the greater good. Every man, woman, and child is considered a single gear in a machine of survival. Each one required to be dedicated to their cause; survival.
Similar in ways to Fallout 4's militarized Brotherhood, but also distinct enough to be it's own thing.
The above factions are just the... cliffsnotes, let's say, of what I hope to create. They will undoubtedly change from what I've written here, though still keep the essence of it.
Throughout this month, I'll be making each friday update focus around one or two of these factions (depending on what I manage to get done.) As well as sprinkle some little things on the blog, in between.
This week, look forward to some more information on Blacksteel. I've already got some progress done on them, so it makes sense to spearhead them.
As always, thanks for reading all this (if you did) and I hope you enjoyed it. I can't wait to show you guys more. Feel free to send in suggestions, questions, or whatever else you'd like.
