“Today, you are the waves of the Pacific, pushing ever eastward. You are the sequoias rising from the Sierra Nevadas, defiant and enduring.”— President Aaron Kimball
The New California Republic (NCR) is a post-War federal republic founded in New California in 2189, comprised at its peak of five contiguous states located in southern California,[8][5] with additional territorial holdings in northern California,[17][18]Oregon,[19]Nevada,[20][21], Arizona and northern Mexico.[22]. Initially without a capital city, Shady Sands became the nation's first capital in 2198, twelve years after the trial council was formed and two years into Tandi's presidency, priding itself on being the first capital of the New California Republic.[6]
Officially, the New California Republic stands for democracy, personal liberty and rule of law,[13] these values have been upheld unevently both within and without. While many NCR citizens greatly benefited from the republic’s expansion, it has also engaged in expanionism and imperialism, both to acquire resources and "civilize" or pacify border regions. After the death of Tandi, these policies intensified, with the Mojave Campaign and general conduct of the NCR drawing criticism and accusations of corruption and militarism. Criticism within was limited to a vocal minority,[23] and the NCR broke ties with the Followers over their opposition to the campaign, forming the OSI instead. While theorized to be death of the New California Republic, it wasn't the Mojave that broke the NCR; following the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, Shady Sands, its first capital, was destroyed by a nuclear device in 2283,[24] resulting in a retreat from New California. In 2296, the last known organized military unit in the Los Angeles Boneyard, operating out of Griffith Observatory and led by Lee Moldaver, was wiped out in a battle with the Brotherhood of Steel, aiming to seize Moldaver’s cold fusion technology.[25]
The New California Republic was first mentioned in the endings for Fallout, and grew to become a major faction in two subsequent games focusing on geopolitical struggles; in Fallout 2 it faces New Reno and Vault City in the competition for control over the northern half of California, while in Fallout: New Vegas, it faces the Caesar's Legion in a titanic struggle for control over the Mojave and the future of the American Southwest which, according tosome, can be described as the single greatest geopolitical conflict since the Great War.[26][27] The NCR plays a significant role in the Fallout TV series, where the fall of Shady Sands and subsequent loss of NCR power in Los Angeles is a pivotal element of the storyline, also giving the Brotherhood of Steel the upper hand in the Brotherhood War.
As of the events of the TV series, the status of the NCR outside of the Boneyard region is currently unknown. However, Todd Howard has suggested in an interview that the NCR may not be gone from the Fallout series for good.[Non-game 2]
The history of the New California Republic dates back to the survivors of Vault 15 who emerged from the shelter around 2097, founding the town of Shady Sands. With the assistance of the Vault Dweller, who destroyed the Khan raider tribe, Aradesh and his daughter, Tandi, led the community into prosperity. With expanding trade routes came cultural exchange, eventually culminating in a movement aiming at forming a national entity. The idea resonated with other wastelanders and won popular support, leading to the formation of the New California Republic in Shady Sands in 2186, with a trial council government established to draft the constitution.[Non-game 1] Three years later, in 2189, the republic proper was voted into existence as a federation of five states organized around major settlements in the wastes.[8] The states are Shady, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub and Dayglow.[28][Non-game 3]
Within a century of its founding, the NCR became a model example of post-apocalyptic success and good ethics. Steady expansion and development led to widespread political enfranchisement, the establishment of rule of law and its enforcement, security from threats within and without (to a reasonable degree) and standards of living above mere subsistence became a reality for its massive population of over 700,000 citizens.[5][Non-game 1][29] The situation improved even further with the Mojave Campaign and the flow of electricity and water from Hoover Dam to the Republic. However, the protracted campaign has come at a cost.[Non-game 3]
The NCR entered a period of transition after the death of President Tandi, experiencing rapid economic growth and dramatic political changes, endangering its original grand ideals. Beginning a policy of expansion under successive presidents, the single greatest example of this change was the morally corrosive, imperialist Mojave Campaign. Championed by President Aaron Kimball, it aimed for the unilateral annexation of New Vegas and surrounding territories as the sixth state of the NCR. Years of campaigning led to a stalemate, with the Treaty of New Vegas locking NCR as the protector of New Vegas from Caesar's Legion, without a single cap in tax revenue from the New Vegas Strip or concessions from Robert House, proprietor of the New Vegas Strip. The war with the Brotherhood of Steel and the Caesar's Legion stretched the NCR thin, with extended supply lines, profiteering and political maneuvers limiting its ability to respond to emerging threats, all while New Vegas benefited from commerce brought in by tourists, traders, fortune seekers and NCR soldiers.[Non-game 3] Additionally, a massacre perpetrated by the NCR at the settlement of Bitter Springs during their conflict with the Great Khans cast a dark shadow over the republic and their military, with men, women, and children being killed alike, without going reported in the NCR press.[Non-game 4] Despite that, the campaign was supported by a majority of the NCR citizens, due to it greatly improving access to electricity and water, with criticism limited to a vocal minority.[23]
However, it was not the Second Battle of Hoover Dam that threw the NCR into a crisis, but the unexpected and unprecedented destruction of Shady Sands in 2283.[24] The loss of the capital city, including key government branches, OSI, and a major logistical hub sent the NCR into freefall.[30] By 2296, their presence in southern California was reduced to a fanatical military unit under the command of Lee Moldaver, based at Griffith Observatory in the Boneyard, destroyed in an assault ordered by the Brotherhood of Steel.[25] The legacy of the NCR was still used and remembered by different people in New California, such as surface refugees in Vault 4, or a Los Angeles gang styling themselves as "the Govermint."
Iconography[]
The flag of the New California Republic is directly inspired by the state flag of California, which depicts a California grizzly bear on a patch of grass.[31][Non-game 5]
The NCR adopted a version of this flag during the formative years as a nation. The first iteration of the flag would be largely different, but similar in design to the California state flag. The first flag of the NCR, seen in 2241, depicted a California grizzly bear with two heads, superimposed on a silhouette of the state of California and capital letters "NCR" in the background, with a single red star in the upper left and a red bar at the bottom. By 2281, a simpler design more directly resembling the California state flag is used, the chief differences being the two-headed grizzly bear and the amended caption of "New California Republic."[32]
For its great seal, the NCR used two different designs: A silhouette of a bear superimposed on a red-and-black field, with three stars on the bottom, used at least until 2241, later switching to a more conventional design, with the double-headed bear from the flag standing on grass beneath the Californian red star, surrounded by text identifying the great seal and the New California Republic's foundation date at the bottom.[33][Note 1]
In general, the NCR uses some American motifs in their iconography, reinforcing their perception as the inheritors of Old World democracy (theory, not the practice of the United States). Instead of futurism prevalent in the pre-War world, most of their aesthetics invoke the mythologized Wild West era. The variation of the California flag featuring the two-headed bear is an example of that. The bear is one of the symbols of the NCR, as a symbol of strength and resilience (though detractors may say the two heads are fighting one another), and the Presidential Vertibird is identified as Bear Force One to reinforce that nature.
Other symbols of the Republic include its major cities, its founders, and of course, the NCR Rangers and Army soldiers, citizens willing to serve the Republic and fight for it. Several elements of Ranger equipment, such as their iconic attire and weapons, are also used in propaganda materials to appeal to population within and without.
NCR uniforms often come with a distinct early 20th century look, usually coming in dull faded army-greens, and equipped with a leather breastplate. There is some variation in uniforms, with some coming with an extra bandolier, or cloth shoulder covering, with simple flat metal helmets that typically come with a pair of goggles to shield the eyes from sandstorms. NCR Ranger Uniforms are old Pre-War LAPD riot armor with the addition of a leather duster.
Abstractly, the NCR represents progress; while disorganized wastelanders and tribes rely on subsistence farming and face hardship in their daily lives, citizens of the NCR gained access to what's essentially wasteland luxuries: A steady economy, healthcare, laws and organized government, not to mention the largest military. At its peak, every citizen of the Republic had a decent chance at living a life that's more than just survival.[34] The sheer size of the Republic also resulted in a very diverse population, from affluent merchants and highly educated inhabitants of NCR's urban centers, through hardy soldiers and settlers expanding its borders, to farmers and ranchers responsible for its economic might.[Non-game 3]
That economic power was one of the key factors in the transformation of society between 2241 and 2281. As survival ceased being a major concern for the vast majority of NCR citizens, the problem of collective welfare has been largely superseded by concerns about individual prosperity. People providing services free of charge are now the exception, rather than the rule, with skilled workers routinely charging for their services, from tailors to surgeons. Moreover, after over 80 years of scavenging, the wastelands of New California have been largely picked clean of salvageable goods. NCR citizens who can still make a living exclusively by scavenging and hunting are an uncommon sight. The combination of these cultural and economic factors led to the rebirth of wage labor; most citizens have to seek an employer at a mill, factory or farm and work to earn their keep and earn money necessary to survive.[Non-game 3] But these jobs are easy to find in one of the many mills and farms in New California.[35]
The citizens themselves held a variety of opinions on these developments. While many praised the economic strength hammered out in the furnaces of the wasteland, many others decried the loss of communal spirit. Some even cursed the selfishness of other citizens, usually while pursuing goals just as selfish. One thing was common, the belief that opportunity has largely dried up at home and real fortunes awaited further east.[Non-game 3] This became an objective fact after the destruction of Shady Sands, which forced the NCR to retreat from New California, with the heartland becoming once more a lawless expanse, and even the coveted Black Armor of the NCR Rangers becoming a part of a salvager's equipment.[36] However, the dream of the NCR remained alive, especially in the minds of the youngest New Californians, desiring more than just digging through the dirt.[37]
Equality[]
Founded on principles of freedom and liberty, the Republic has been putting these into practice over the years. The most important achievement was the banning of slavery in NCR territories, thanks to concerted efforts of influential politicians and the Rangers.[38][Non-game 6] One exception was penal labor, which remained on the books and undermined this grand achievement.[39]
Under President Tandi, the NCR also passed laws that limited the number of cattle head and the acreage of fields that could be owned by a single person, limiting the power of the Stockmen's Association and the Republican Farmer's Committee.[Non-game 3] Her presidency also saw the passage of laws prohibiting persecution and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or religious belief (so long as said religion did not advocate violence). In 2205, protection was extended to ghouls and other mutants.[Non-game 7]
Enforcement of these laws varied over time. The NCR was generally successful in creating a more egalitarian society, although the results varied. Economic regulations enacted by Tandi were slowly eroded after her death, and finally overturned during the presidency of Aaron Kimball. As a result, wealthy farmers and ranchers (commonly known as brahmin barons) were able to exert a disproportionate amount of influence, despite having just one vote on paper.[Non-game 3] The reactionary undercurrent amplified under his presidency, especially among males, led to a disproportionately high number of promotions for male military officers, while discourse arguing the differences between males and females has reappeared.[Non-game 7] The ongoing war with the Legion and the fate of women captured by legionaries has also led to the NCR redeploying female troops away from high alert combat zones like Camp Forlorn Hope, inadvertently providing ammunition for this undercurrent.[40]Homosexuality was generally accepted in the core states of the NCR, though frontier territories away from the more affluent center tended to show prejudice.[41]
Since its inception, the NCR's market[45] economy based on two resources: Great brahmin herds and vast swaths of land restored to arable condition, providing meat, leather, milk and other goods. As a result, ranchers and farmers held great sway. Aforementioned anti-cartel regulations enacted by Tandi prevented concentration of wealth. Their weakening and overturning by President Kimball resulted in much of the NCR's agricultural production and brahming herding concentrated in the hands of brahmin and agricultural barons: Wealthy capitalists who exerted a lot of influence thanks to their money. Their emergence led to the emergence of cottage industries, restarting production of luxury goods and pseudo-journalism reporting on the latest purchases, commissions and life lessons of the new rich and famous.[Non-game 3]
Other branches of industry have also developed over time. Light industry, including tools, clothes making, mills and other manufacturing, form a significant part of the NCR's industrial output.[35] Another element of the NCR's economy were its ordnance workshops, producing standardized weapons and armor for the New California Republic Army and Rangers.[29] These remained in the hands of merchant houses, who competed for ever more lucrative government contracts.[45] Coupled with the ever-expanding trade routes, powerful merchant houses emerged, many of them rooted in pre-NCR New California: Crimson Caravan, the Far Go Traders and the Gun Runners, which all but completely dominated all trade within New California. Lucrative government contracts for weapons, ammunition, armor and other necessities fueling the NCR's expansion solidified their position in the economy.[45]
The NCR introduced its own money around the start of the 23rd century, initially relying on coins minted from gold. By 2241, the economy of NCR dominated the West Coast and coins became universal currency, used by the three regional powers: NCR, Vault City and New Reno. During this time bottle caps had become worthless in these regions.[46][Non-game 8][Non-game 9]
During the conflict with the Brotherhood, the NCR's gold reserves out in the frontier were raided by the Brotherhood to the point where the NCR was forced to stop minting new gold coins so as to put an end to the raids completely, indirectly resulting in NCR paper money no longer being properly backed with gold. NCR citizens panicked and rushed to reclaim the listed face value of currency from NCR's remaining gold reserves. Since the NCR was unable to realize these withdrawals, particularly towards the frontier, faith in their currency considerably dropped. In order to contain the financial fallout from the inevitable inflation to come, the NCR government abandoned the gold standard and established fiat currency, not payable in specie.[47][Non-game 9] Since then, many wastelanders lost faith in it as a medium of worth, both as a result of it not being backed by anything but the government's word and the inevitable inflation.[Non-game 10] In response to the loss of faith, merchant consortiums of the Hub re-established their own currency, the venerable bottle cap, backing it with water (exchanging a standardized measure of water for caps).[Non-game 11][Non-game 12]
By 2281, the NCR dollar is valued at about 40% of a water-backed cap[48] and only 10% of a silver Legion Denarius. In the Mojave Wasteland, these notes can be seen in the $5, $20 and $100 denominations. The notes are issued by the Republic Reserve Bank located in Angel's Boneyard. In 2281, the current Treasurer of the Republic and head of the NCR Treasury is John Michael Henderson, whose signature can be found on the front face of all NCR notes found in the Mojave Wasteland.[49]
Population[]
Since 2241, New California has been radically growing in population.[29] This growth allowed the NCR to become the largest known post-War country, with a total population number above ~700,000 (excluding transients and people without citizenship) by 2241 (40 years before the events of Fallout: New Vegas).[5][Non-game 1] The NCR's massive population has meant a diverse range of commerce and the development of sprawling urban centers.[Non-game 3] The NCR's sheer number of citizens gave its armed forces a large pool of manpower the NCR Army could conscript at any time. When properly armed and led, the NCR defeated even the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel without suffering Pyrrhic victories,[50] by withering limited enemy numbers through a combination of ranged fire and giving ground as necessary. This was the favored tactic of Chief Hanlon when fighting the Legion in the First Battle of Hoover Dam, securing victory through tactical use of the surrounding terrain and forcing the enemy to suffer extreme attrition.[51][52] However, when led by sub-par officers, the Army suffered: General Lee Oliver, wanting a decisive victory over the Legion to eclipse Hanlon's ingenuity, planned to amass troops at Hoover Dam and outfight Caesar's Legion in a pitched battle (the Second Battle of Hoover Dam), hoping to rout, pursue and destroy any remaining Legion forces after the initial victory.[53]
Pitching a battle was possible due to the manpower at the disposal of President Kimball, which allowed him to send Rangers into parts of Baja, while the Brotherhood War continued and the second confrontation over Hoover Dam loomed. The sheer amount of soldiers and citizens in the NCR allowed these decisions, as even sworn enemies like the Brotherhood of Steel and the Van Graffs were hesitant to retaliate against the NCR, because of the number of troops the NCR had at any given time and many more that could be raised in crisis.[54][55]
The burgeoning population was also a drawback that likely factored into the expansionist politics of its leaders after Tandi: The growth pushed the NCR's agricultural capacity to its limits. Without acquiring new territories and sources of food, the NCR risked suffering food shortages by 2291, and eventually famine.[56] The Office of Science and Industry started research projects to address the matter and improve agricultural capacity, including computerized farm management and salvage operations to find any Old World research to address its food problems.[57] The government also enacted the Thaler Act to incentivize farmers to move east and work farms to increase agricultural output,[58] on top of migration eastwards in pursuit of opportunities that seemed to have dried up in the heartland. That is, unless someone was willing to perform wage labor in the NCR's numerous farms, ranches, factories or mills. The only way to strike gold is to make for the frontier.[Non-game 3]
Though seen as necessary from a strategic perspective, expansionism led to problems. Key among these was supplying the NCR's armed forces. Units and armaments were shifted according to strategic needs, and areas of relative peace, such as areas around New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland after 2277, were not considered a priority. The occupation was maintained by conscripts and green recruits, armed with surplus weapons and whatever gear the quartermasters issue them. Some recruits did not even receive body armor.[59][60][61][62]
Politics[]
The New California Republic is a federal republic based on the principle of representative democracy, established as the successor of the pre-War United States.[63]
The executive branch is the Council, headed by the president of the New California Republic and their vice president, elected by representatives of the NCR Congress.[64][Non-game 13] When elected, the president and their cabinet serve a term of five years before elections are to be held again. Effectively, a president can serve for life as there are no term limits to the presidency as there was with the United States.[64][65] Powerful and charismatic presidents can dominate NCR politics, with Tandi selected unanimously for each term and implementing out her policies without obstruction,[66] due to their effects (for example, Tandi's success at negotiating with Vault 15 ensured her policies were implemented; failure to do so would result in her removal from office in favor of Roger Westin or Frank Carlson).[67]
The New California Republic Senate (originally the NCR Congress), forms the legislative branch and is staffed by representatives.[Non-game 13] Each state sends multiple representatives to sit in the Hall of Congress,[64] and towns joining the NCR may negotiate to be granted a seat in the Hall of Congress as one of the conditions for joining, as was the case with Reddings.[68][17] Members of Congress are elected in popular elections by NCR citizens, as the NCR has universal suffrage,[69] and depending on the territory may be called "councilor," "counselor," "councilman," "senator" or even "governor," like in The Hub.[Non-game 13] The NCR Congress is responsible for selecting the president to lead the NCR council, passing laws,[70] carrying out congressional hearings on a broad variety of matters,[71] including investigation into criminal actions and profiteering,[72] and acts as an advisory body to the government of the NCR.[64]
The judicial branch is comprised of courts and judges ruling in accordance with NCR's law and each citizen has the right to vote for a representative of their choice to sit in the Hall of Congress.[69] The courts are known to be slow, but once action starts it is difficult to stop and may bring even great merchant houses to heel.[73]
Territory[]
The New California Republic was founded as a federation of five states,[8][74] but additional territories were acquired over the decades since its foundings, reaching as far as northern California, Oregon, Baja and the Mojave.[75]
Other cities also joined the NCR between 2241 and 2281, as territories were incorporated into the existing five states. No new states were formed after the initial foundation, with New Vegas and the Mojave being the only prospective territory poised for becoming the sixth state of the union after its potential annexation.[74]
As mentioned above, NCR citizens have the right to vote for their representatives to sit in Congress. Both citizens and non-citizens enjoy the protection of NCR's courts (although courts tend to favor citizens in disputes).[82][83] Freedom of religion is considered a right within the NCR, as long as the religion is not violent or psychotic. At the same time, it enforces a strict separation of church and state thanks to Tandi's policies.[Non-game 15] Equality legislation is a prohibition of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality or aforementioned religious beliefs. Mutants are also protected since 2205, but enforcing this part of the law has been spotty.[Non-game 7]
Intellectual property laws have been enacted and remain a source of ongoing controversy, particularly patents. The Followers of the Apocalypse are particularly staunch critics of the latter.[84] Marriages and divorces are likewise handled by the courts.[85]
Immigration laws[]
Immigration into the NCR is open to both humans and mutants, provided they are law-abiding and peaceful. The process is simple. The person in question moves to an NCR territory, presents their claim for immigration, undergoes citizenship training and once their application is processed, is granted the status of a provisional citizen (PC). Full citizenship is granted shortly afterward.[86] All registered citizens are required to pay any appropriate and associated taxes.[87]
Territories can petition the NCR for annexation. Once the petition is accepted, the NCR grants the town territorial status and establishes the police and army presence in the location to establish the rule of law and eliminate law-breakers. Once this process is completed, the territory can apply for full statehood.[88] Between 2241 and 2281, no new territory has been granted full statehood. The frontier New Vegas was the closest to becoming the sixth state of the union.[74]
Criminal law[]
The NCR dedicated itself to bringing peace, security and justice to the people within and without their borders.
Common criminal laws in the NCR include:
Dismissing caravan members suspected of theft without pay, as per NCR caravan bylaws.[96]
Penalties are generally proportional to the offense, with capital punishment reserved for serious offenses. Murder may, but does not necessarily carry with it a capital sentence.[97] Punishment for criminals inside NCR proper means serving prison time at any number of correctional facilities[98] and penal labor as part of the NCR's work-release program.[99][89]
Law enforcement to become more relaxed on the frontier. One major exception to this rule is the pursuit of former Enclave members. Due to their involvement in various atrocities and attempted genocide, membership in the organization is grounds for arrest, trial as a war criminal, and life imprisonment.[100] Failing that, NCR Rangers and bounty hunters are authorized to pursue targets.[101] The policy was adopted after the Enclave's defeat by the NCR's government under the left-leaning President Tandi.[102]
Outside the NCR's territory is a different story. The NCR Army isn't keen on peacekeeping activities and usually swiftly punishes crimes committed in and around New Vegas with death.[103] Part of this includes the setting of bounties and delegating the responsibility of capture to able civilians that can bring in criminals that have eluded NCR lawmen or military.[104] At least for the military, bounties require proof in the form of an intact head; anything less conclusive results in a fraction of the bounty being rewarded.[105]
Military law[]
With laws enacted during President Tandi's administration, the NCR also recognizes the rights of prisoners of war and approaches their care humanely and free from abuse. Most officers find these laws to be constricting,[106] but resourceful officers find ways around it by employing the service of outside consultants.[107]
Laws pertaining to soldiers are quite severe. Cowardice before the enemy, especially desertion, is punished with death by hanging[108] or to be shot on sight.[109] Dishonorable conduct usually leads to a court-martial and may result in execution by firing squad for particularly severe crimes.[110]
Internal conflicts[]
In theory, the NCR relies on a sound and well-balanced system. In practice, every state tried to assert its independence and work towards furthering its own agenda. For example, there was much friction between the states of Hub and Shady Sands, usually related to trade rights and caravan routes. The president was the biggest factor in deciding on the course the NCR should take; Under Tandi (who served over ten terms as president, something Caesar mocks as indicative of monarchy, rather than democracy),[111] the NCR developed substantially, focusing efforts on rebuilding the pre-War infrastructure and restarting technological development, before expanding into Northern California using a combination of diplomacy and subterfuge to overcome Vault City and New Reno.[112] Under Aaron Kimball, the NCR became more imperialistic and expansive, pursuing a foreign policy of expansion by force of arms, all the while overextending itself in the process thanks in no small part to General Oliver's incompetence and bureaucratic red tape.[113]
However, presidents don't enjoy immunity. The most obvious example is Wendell Peterson, voted out of office for his failure to react to the deaths of NCR citizens in the Mojave region. However, the most precarious position was that of President Tandi. Though remembered as a landmark figure in the NCR's history, in 2241 she headed a tenuous coalition with the right-wing Frank Carlson as her vice president. Her plans for northward expansion hinged on the diplomatic annexation of Vault 15, and failure of this policy would be an embarrassment sufficient enough to remove her from office, replaced by Roger Westin, a prominent councilor and brahmin baron.[114] The Bishops of New Reno, while negotiating for Reno's membership in the NCR, were also attempting to create a more favorable environment, with Westin marked for assassination by John Bishop. His death would allow Carlson to force Tandi into retirement, claiming her involvement in Westin's assassination, lining his own pockets and leading the NCR to stagnation.[115] And if Carlson was assassinated by the Bishops, the death of such a popular figure would have galvanized right-wing elements, leading them to seize control of the Congress, which would set the NCR on the path to military rule and providing a safe haven for Enclave survivors in the ranks of the NCR military.[116]
Beyond politics, significant pressure was also exerted on the political and economic direction of the NCR by a variety of private interests; in particular, the aforementioned brahmin barons and other rich, whose wealth gave them disproportional influence among politicians seeking support in their political ambitions. With the armed forces, the Gun Runners were granted special privileges, as the primary suppliers of the Army's arsenal.[117][118] Monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and similar trading families dominated the trade routes to the detriment of the NCR, using their wealth to influence government policies and squeezing smaller competitors out, unable to compete with both the oligopolic competition and NCR taxes.[119][Non-game 17]
Subordinated to the president and the Congress, the military of the NCR was one of its most distinguishing elements. The core component, the NCR Army, had thousands of servicemen at its peak, drawing from both volunteers and conscripts. They were organized into divisions and battalions, equipped with standardized weapons and armor, and represented a diverse range of training and competence.[120] They were the proverbial sledgehammer, a tool used to crush enemies of the NCR and build order in the lands under its control, and a shield protecting them from harm that may come from its numerous enemies. Supported by the industrial might of the Republic and unique technologies reclaimed from the wasteland (like Vertibirds confiscated from the Enclave), the Army was the foundation of the security policy of the NCR, with uniformed police formations responsible for enforcing the law within the territory of the NCR. The NCR made no special distinction between the genders when it comes to serving in the military. Super mutants and ghouls are also known to serve in the elite Rangers.[Non-game 7]
Military honors were commonly awarded for acts of valor, such as the Star of Sierra Madre.[121] However, the most coveted honor was serving with the elite of the Republic's military: The New California Republic Rangers,[122] who grew out of a paramilitary abolitionist militia dedicated to the eradication of slavery in New California. They have grown into one of the most professional and deadly military outfits in the wastes and were folded under the military command of the army. Commonly respected for their valor and skill in battle, Rangers were commonly folk heroes, with an unblemished, heroic reputation and access to top of the line weapons and armor, often coming from recovered and restored pre-War goods.
Foreign relations[]
The NCR was one of the only known entities after the War to have their own division dedicated to foreign relations, possessing their own Department of State. It was responsible for the country's embassies, and also held the power to empower individuals with the authority to act on behalf of the government.[4]
While generally respected, many people in the western wastelands had mixed feelings about the NCR. Some people strongly supported the NCR's goals of spreading democracy and the rule of law, and others vehemently oppose their methods of "controlling" everything they come into contact with. Wastelanders who were used to having no more than a mayor or sheriff and who suddenly became part of a complex political structure (including taxes),[35] were the most vocal, with some view it as a loss of the frontier lifestyles. As the NCR's power and territory grew, it made progressively stronger enemies who would test the resolve of the NCR.
Under President Tandi, the NCR made slow but sustainable territorial expansion, allowing towns and other small communities, who were impressed by the principles of the NCR, to join of their own volition while defending their borders from hostile raiders like the once legendary Vipers and Jackals, who would be ravaged by the NCR's military until they became broken shadows of their former glory. Eventually taming southern California, these achievements would garner such respect for President Tandi that the people would come to adore her, and tribals outside the NCR's borders would refer to her as the "Great Mother."[Non-game 18]
Viewing the NCR's growth and success as a threat to their already stagnating power and influence, the Brotherhood of Steel launched a military campaign with the goal of pacifying the NCR and asserting its dominance over the wasteland and its technology. The NCR would ultimately prevail and force the Brotherhood into retreat and hiding. The NCR had defeated their strongest opponent yet.
After the death of President Tandi, her successors would gradually change the direction of the NCR. Rapidly expanding the NCR's borders in every direction in a more imperialistic fashion, they sacrificed some of the NCR's principles and moral high ground in the process. Tribals that once revered the "Great Mother" began to become "domesticated" as the nation sweeps through tribal lands.[123] Under President Aaron Kimball, the NCR's expansion has led it to the Mojave Wasteland, where it would encounter the impressive city of New Vegas, and the even more promising Hoover Dam. However, it would also encounter its greatest enemy to date, Caesar's Legion, across the Colorado River.
The NCR initially had great success in the Mojave Wasteland, setting up bases and an embassy on The Strip. The front line of the new conflict between the NCR and Caesar's Legion moved towards the Colorado River. The Legion attacked the NCR with its full strength during the First Battle of Hoover Dam. The NCR successfully repulsed the Legion's assault on Hoover Dam, devastating the Legion's elite forces by luring them into a trap at Boulder City in the process. After their defeat, the Legion regularly conducted raids on the west side of the Colorado River, even creating permanent bases at Cottonwood Cove and sacking towns like Nipton and Nelson with little response from the NCR. Known wars and military conflicts in which the NCR was involved include those with the Enclave, Brotherhood, Great Khans, Legion and the Raiders.
Technology[]
Overall, the NCR can be readily described as the most advanced entity in post-nuclear North America at its peak. While smaller organizations possessed more advanced weapons, armor or tools (like the Enclave, Free Economic Zone of New Vegas or the Shi), no one could rival the NCR's agriculture, industry, economy and military, with the sole exceptions of the Caesar's Legion and Brotherhood of Steel. Aided strongly by the Followers of the Apocalypse, the NCR thrived and harnessed its greatest resources. When the shift in foreign policy occurred with Kimball's election, the relations soured and the NCR eventually lost the Followers' support. However, disillusioned Followers flocked to the government and formed the Office of Science and Industry in 2275, becoming a dedicated, NCR-aligned research and development house. By 2281, their achievements included implementing computer simulations to aid with agricultural planning and cultivation,[124] maximizing the output of Hoover Dam and restoring the power grid between the Mojave and Shady Sands,[125] and even developing solutions for a famine projected to affect the NCR in 2291.[126]
However, the technology was not limited to just agriculture. The Hoover Dam powered every city and major settlement in New California,[127] while the OSI continued to (re)develop and implement new technologies in fields such as medicine, engineering and biology.[128] Building on the strong infrastructure established during the 52 years of President Tandi's rule, which includes roads, railways, transportation, manufacturing, forts and more, the OSI increased the NCR's technological advantage over its competitors.[Non-game 18] By 2281, the NCR's powerful merchant companies established access to facilities and materials allowing them to manufacture standardized armaments, weapons and ammunition to fully outfit the largest standing army in the wasteland, to the point of different companies actively competing with each other for supply contracts (such as the Crimson Caravan and Far Go Traders)[45] considered an unofficial branch of the Army (the Gun Runners).[118]
Advanced technologies were also harnessed by the NCR for the benefit of its citizens. The annexation of Vault City granted the NCR access to advanced medical and scientific technologies, including organ cloning, performance-enhancing implants, armor grafts and other refined procedures.[18] Other advanced technologies utilized by the Republic included satellite communications,[129][130] power armor taken from the Brotherhood,[131][132][133][134] and even global positioning system satellites.[130][135] The NCR also had the ability to construct concrete bunkers on vital frontlines, such as the Colorado River,[136] and restored railroads into full use,[137] with refurbished Vertibirds salvaged from its war with the Enclave providing a fledgling air force. One example of this was Bear Force One, the personal transport of NCR presidents.
Notes[]
The president utilizes a vertibird for transport named "Bear Force One."
Follows-Chalk pronounces the name of the NCR as "enseeyar." He also refers to them as "the Sunset People."[138]
Caesar was once a citizen of the NCR and his family resided near the Boneyard.[139]
A Citadel terminal entry mentions the New California Republic's state of Maxson.[140]
A radio broadcast announcing the formation of the New California Republic in 2189 can be heard during the Fallout 4 quest Shattered.
The New California Republic uses the same fanfare as the pre-War United States did for presidents, playing the song "Hail to the Chief" as President Aaron Kimball arrives at the Hoover Dam in 2281.
Ulysses is one of only a few in the wasteland who knows of the NCR flag's Old World origins; he will remark to an NCR-affiliated Courier that the bear featured on the flag "had one head back then... better off for it." He also observes of the NCR, that "they have an idea of trying to do what's right, never quite getting there."[143]
In Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible 6, a version of the NCR flag has a one-headed bear and mentions the NCR utilizing jeeps and tanks.[Non-game 19] The flag shown in Fallout: New Vegas bears more of a resemblance to the version shown in the Bible, due to its resemblance to the actual California state flag, though it utilizes a different color scheme, font, and overall design for the bear and grass patch.
The NCR Flag is portrayed inconsistently in Fallout: New Vegas. The version flown on flagpoles throughout the game features the bear and grass patch offset to the right side slightly, whereas the version painted on signs and seen on a banner at Hoover Dam features the bear in the center of the flag, as in the real-life flag of California.
Joshua Sawyer stated that the NCR is both self-interested and willing to protect New Vegas, having sacrificed much already to do so.[Non-game 20]
“NCR's imperialism is pretty kid glove stuff compared to Caesar's Legion. That said, though they are extremely self-interested, NCR genuinely *does* protect New Vegas and has sacrificed a lot to do so. Then again, it was the Desert Rangers, not the residents of the Mojave Wasteland (and certainly not Mr. House) who asked them to do so. [...]”— Joshua Sawyerwhen asked about the portrayal of imperialism in Fallout: New Vegas
↑Fallout 2 NCR town screen shows the Republic's seal, while the advertisement outside city limits provides the coloring. It is also featured prominently on NCR propaganda posters in New Reno. The 2281 variant is seen in Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 5: "The Past" on the Shady Sands billboard.
↑The particular form of republic practiced by the NCR is vague and remains undefined, displaying traits of both the parliamentary and presidential systems, which may point towards a semi-presidential system or something else.
↑ 5.05.15.25.35.45.55.65.75.8NCR history holodisk: "Founded eighty years ago, the NCR is now comprised of the states of Shady, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub, and Dayglow. Approximately 700,000 citizens are pleased to call NCR home."
↑ 7.07.17.2The Chosen One: "{106}{}{I'm new to NCR. What can you tell me about your town?}" Karl: "{114}{}{This is NCR, capitol of the New California Republic. Population 3000 and growing. No slavery, no gambling, no drugs. President is Mrs. Tandi, my boss is Sheriff Dumont. That answer your questions?}" (Karl's dialogue)
↑ 8.08.18.28.3The Courier: "What's the New California Republic?" Hayes: "Where do you come from that you haven't heard of the NCR? Nevermind, it doesn't matter much. If you haven't heard of us, you must not be from the Legion. Put simply, the NCR is the greatest nation currently functioning." The Courier: "Can you tell me more about the NCR?" Hayes: "Sure can. The NCR was founded from the survivors of one of the great Vaults. We started as a small settlement called Shady Sands. We now consist of 5 states, that make up the greatest nation since the Great War." (Hayes' dialogue)
↑Robert House: "The General's "accident" was unfortunate... with Kimball dead, the angry Californian public could've used an alternate scapegoat to pillory..." (Robert House's dialogue) Note: This line is heard as part of a larger conversation when Mr. Hosue appears as a Securitron at the Legate's camp, if both Aaron Kimball and Lee Oliver are dead.
↑The Thaler Act encourages NCR citizens to settle in the Mojave, an occupied foreign territory, and build sharecropper farms that use up resources needed by locals, forcing them to either relocate or join the NCR for aid. Similar efforts were made by NCR colonists in Baja to less success.
↑Brahmin barons and lobbying organizations such as the Stockmen's Association have successfully argued for uninhibited private ownership in the ranching industry by 2281.
↑ 17.017.117.2Fallout: New Vegas endings: "Despite distinguishing themselves during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the rangers' victory was short-lived due to the Courier's interference. Chief Hanlon personally directed the evacuation of the rangers to Mojave Outpost as they fell back into NCR territory. Bitter over the waste of life in the Mojave, Hanlon stepped down from his post. After a campaign in which he denounced Oliver's and Kimball's hawkish, imperialist ways, Hanlon was elected as the senator of Redding." Note: This ending is if the questReturn to Sender is not complete, or it was completed by not interfering with Hanlon's plans, and either No Gods, No Masters or All or Nothing was completed.
↑ 18.018.118.2Of the 6 possible endings for Vault City in Fallout 2, 3 involve the city's destruction, 2 involve the city's annexation by the NCR, and 1 involves the city remaining independent because the NCR halts its expansion northward. As established in Fallout: New Vegas, the NCR did not halt its northward expansion, incorporating Arroyo, New Reno, and Redding. As the game also establishes that Vault City is still intact and inhabited, this leaves only the 2 endings in which the city is annexed as possible canonical outcomes.
↑ 19.019.1The Courier: "How long have you been with the Followers?" Emily Ortal: "About five years now. I have family back in Arroyo, but this is where all of the good work is being done, so to speak. NCR taxes and inflation have been hard for a lot of people to deal with, and most of the money is going to the war effort. There's not much funding for medical research with OSI or any other group - not unless it has a military application, anyway." (Emily Ortal's dialogue) Emily Ortal is referring to NCR taxation and inflation in Arroyo, which is only possible, if Arroyo is a part of the NCR. The Mojave is not integrated into the NCR and neither taxes nor inflation apply in the territory.
↑The Courier: "What did you do to end up here in the first place?" Carter: "I worked in a casino in New Reno, and one of the pit bosses decided he didn't like me. Framed me over some caps, and I ended up in here." (Carter's dialogue) As this character is incarcerated by the NCR, this demonstrates that New Reno is under the NCR's legal jurisdiction.
↑ 23.023.1Behind the Bright Lights & Big City: "The NCR spread east into Nevada in large numbers just five years ago on a 'humanitarian mission' to 'bring the light of civilization to the savage wastes of the Mojave.' Hoover Dam was the symbol of the expedition-reports from the Followers of the Apocalypse had confirmed that it was still intact as early as 2170-and its occupation by NCR troops in 2274 was a celebrated event. Even more exciting was the restarting of the dam's hydroelectric plant eleven months later, which dramatically improved the access of many NCR citizens to electricity and water. Since then, most of the news has been bad. Skirmishes with local tribes and the first battle for Hoover Dam have cost the lives of more than 400 of the NCR's soldiers and civilians. Until the oft-promised annexation of New Vegas becomes a reality, the government continues to spend much of its budget on 'safeguarding the region' while in return receiving not one Cap in tax revenue. The expedition has proved to be an enduring, low-intensity political embarrassment for President Kimball. Among NCR citizens, the most common political attitude is impatience. They want Vegas annexed; they want it over with. Most expect that this will finally occur once Caesar's Legion has been 'beat for good.' Opposition to the Vegas occupation amounts to a vocal minority, and of these, most oppose it as a waste of lives and tax caps. The more radical opinion that the expedition amounts to the imperialist subjugation of an unwilling territory is seen as unpatriotic: the kind of pap spouted by the good-for-nothing agitators like those Followers of the Apocalypse."
↑ 24.024.1The End script: "MAXIMUS (19) is getting the shit beaten out of him, encircled by other ASPIRANTS. They wear dirty white t-shirts and khaki fatigues. [...] FLASH (102-C): A barely-conscious YOUNG MAXIMUS (6) opens the door of a fridge, half-buried in rubble." Note: Maximus is stated to be 19 in the script, placing his date of birth in 2277. The script also identifies that the fridge scene, which is set shortly after Shady Sands was nuked, took place when he was six. This gives the year of Shady Sands' destruction as 2283.
↑The Courier: "What should I expect at the dam." Robert House: "Imagine two snarling dogs fighting over a curve of bone, perhaps the rib of their master, long dead. It'll be a pitched battle, that's a certainty. Perhaps the greatest battle the Earth has seen since the human race nearly made itself extinct." (Robert House's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "What should I expect at the dam?" Caesar: "Lanius will be waiting for you. Your arrival will signal to him that it's time to launch the attack. As for what to expect, it's going to be the greatest battle - and victory - mankind has seen since it almost wiped itself off the face of this Earth." (Caesar's dialogue)
↑NCR history holodisk: " Founded eighty years ago, the NCR is now comprised of the states of Shady, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub, and Dayglow. Approximately 700,000 citizens are pleased to call NCR home."
New California Republic: The territories of NCR are located far to the south of Vault City. Trades mechanical equipment, gold, and various surplus products in exchange for Vault City medical technology. NCR has recently stepped up efforts to absorb Vault City as a border territory, so Vault Citizens should exercise extreme caution when traveling to NCR. Population: Though a census has been conducted, we do not have access to the figures. NCR is believed to have many tens of thousands of people. Government: President and a Congress. Background radiation count: Current readings are unavailable. Mutation rate: Varies amongst territories."
↑Lee Moldaver: "Rose was so clever. Like you. Lucy, your mother discovered that something was siphoning the vault's water away. From that one clue, she deduced that maybe... civilization had returned to the surface. When she told her husband, he said it was a ridiculous idea, and that she should tell no one."
Hank MacLean: "Lucy, let's go. Let's..."
Lee Moldaver: "And that's when she realized that her husband, the Overseer, was hiding things."
Hank MacLean: "Lucy, let's go. Let's get out of here."
Lee Moldaver: "So she ran away. Like you did, Lucy. And took her children. And she found this wonderful city that was everything the vaults had promised to be."
Hank MacLean: "She is lying!"
Lee Moldaver: "But then, her husband came after her. And when she decided not to return home, he took the children. And he burned that city to the ground."
Lucy MacLean: "Shady Sands."
Hank MacLean: "She's lying, Lucy."
Lee Moldaver: "That's how Vault-Tec deals with competition. Just like they did 200 years ago." (The Beginning)
↑The Courier: "You have a lot of hate for NCR. That kind of hate isn't new in the Mojave." Ulysses: "No... not new. And not new among all those in the shadow of the Bear. You know their flag, a bear with two heads. Symbol's an Old World one, had one head then, better off for it. Their flag speaks to their spirit. They're split like any two-headed animal, trying to go in different directions, ending up nowhere. In the Mojave, that'll only get you sand between your fingers - or over your grave. (Ulysses' dialogue
↑The Courier: "Tell me about the NCR." Cassandra Moore: "I don't have time to discuss all the different aspects of the NCR with you, but if you want it all in a nutshell - the NCR is progress. If you wander around the wasteland you'll find all sorts of tribes, villages, and such where people spend most of their time trying to survive. The NCR gives its citizens a shot at something more. We have laws, currency, healthcare, government. All the things that were lost. It's not perfect, but it's worth protecting, which is why we also have the largest military in existence." (Cassandra Moore's dialogue)
↑ 35.035.135.2The Courier: "Are you from California?" Jas Wilkins: "Born and raised. Things back in California are better than they've ever been, according to my grandpa. The Raiders are mostly gone now and it's easy enough to get a job at one of the mills or farms. But now there's taxes and laws and other things. The NCR keeps things safe and orderly, but it's all very boring. So, I came out east towards the frontier." (Jas Wilkins' dialogue)
↑Tommy: "I'm sorry."
Tommy's dad: "Tell him, son. Just tell him."
Tommy: "I didn't want to spend my life digging through dirt. I want to build something, and we have the chance..."
Tommy's dad: "Tell him what he wants to know! Or else he's gonna kill us all! Including your little sister." (The Radio)
↑Elise: "{115}{}{I'm Elise. That's Gond. We're members of a 'group' that's trying to do right for folks.}" The Chosen One: "{117}{}{Sounds interesting. Right in what way?}" Elise: "{157}{}{Simple. We believe slavery is wrong and we'll do what we must to fight it. In NCR, we got a lot of friends in high places. Thanks to them we've already banned slavery down south, but now we're hoping to spread the word north.}" The Chosen One: "{158}{}{The Rangers sound like a group I'd be proud to join. Sign me up.}" (Scelise.msg)
↑The Courier: "What is this place?" Dawes: "This? This is - or was - the big house. The New California Republic Correctional Facility. Not much "correcting" went on here, just slave labor. One day, us prisoners decided to liberate ourselves. Killed the warden, killed the guards, took over the whole damn territory." (Dawes' dialogue)
↑The Courier: "[Confirmed Bachelor] You didn't tell me your name." Knight: "Oh - Knight. You must not be from around here. If so... it doesn't do to get too friendly." The Courier: "What do you mean?" Knight: "This isn't the Republic. Oddly enough, Legion's a little more forgiving about... friendships. Out here, it's not as accepted.Not that I mind being friends, it's just being open about it in the Outpost... well, I have to work here." The Courier: "Didn't realize NCR was so spineless." Knight: "Now wait a minute - Republic's a sight better than... other alternatives. Women are serving here, after all. The rest... well, might take some time. And they're more accepting back West, like I said. In the meantime..." The Courier: "Forget it, then, you're a waste of time." Knight: "Wait... wait a minute. Look. Some things in the NCR are... aren't ideal. But I want to help. If you need something repaired... let me know, I can sign the work order. As long as caps change hands, I can put them back in yours." The Courier: "So is that a 'no,' you don't want to be friends, or..." Knight: "I... would, perhaps some other time. When my orders take me to Vegas, perhaps. Wish things were different, but might take some time. If you need something repaired... let me know, I can sign the work order. As long as caps change hands, I can put them back in yours." (Knight's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Do you know anything about that Super mutant walking around town?" Klamath Bob: "Oh, heh. Yeah, that's Mean Sonofabitch. I know the name sounds bad, but he likes it. He's one nasty old coot. Far as I can tell, he's one of them original Super Mutants, what came from the Boneyard. Wandered about after that 'Master' fellow died. Eventually got caught somewhere around the Hub, back in NCR. Boy, they sure treated him mean down there. Cut him up so bad he can't talk no more. I tried to buy him, just so they'd stop hurting him, but they didn't want any of it." (Klamath Bob's dialogue)
↑ 45.045.145.245.3The Courier: "Give them a deal on the price, you'll have the upper hand in future, more important negotiations." Blake: "[SUCCEEDED] Well, the Far Go Traders have been trying to edge us out on the new armor contract for the troops. This could swing things in our favor. All right, let McCarran know they should expect the first shipment in a week or so." (Blake's dialogue)
↑Vault City travel log: "The territories of NCR are located far to the south of Vault City. Trades mechanical equipment, gold, and various surplus products in exchange for Vault City medical technology. " Note: Only the NCR trades in gold; other cities - Redding and New Reno - trade in gold ore, indicating NCR processing.
↑The Courier: "You don't get paid in caps?" Chomps Lewis: "Nope. The NCR's been trying to switch over to using paper money, like in the Pre-War days. Trouble is that the exchange rates ain't exactly fair. For example, a hundred bucks in NCR money is valued at roughly half that in caps around here. Seems like a rotten deal for us, but work is work." (Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Shouldn't there be more people than this defending a power plant?" Haggerty: "There should. But we're not getting much power out of it so none of our enemies have a big interest in it either. Not like Hoover Dam, anyway. We had a real fighting force here just long enough to take it from the Brotherhood of Steel. Then they got sent east to the dam like everybody else. Caesar's Legion sends skirmishers every so often. Prodding for weaknesses, mostly. The reality is, if they really wanted it, we'd all be dead." (Haggerty's dialogue) Note: The NCR was able to redeploy immediately after Operation Sunburst concluded. Attrition warfare and wave tactics would preclude that.
↑The Courier: "I'm ready. What is the plan?" Lanius: "In the past, the NCR has relied upon attrition, withering our numbers with ranged fire and falling back as necessary. Not this time. The dam contains tunnels to its heart, overlooked by the NCR... now occupied by the Legion. When the battle begins, the NCR will find our teeth at their throats in a dozen places. There will be no attrition, no falling back, only carnage." (Lanius' dialogue)
↑Mr. New Vegas: "Unconfirmed reports say NCR's General Lee Oliver may have uprooted from his post at Camp McCarran in order to be present at Hoover Dam. NCR sources say that holding the Dam against Caesar's Legion has become their main strategic priority, and this move would not be unexpected." (Mr. New Vegas on Radio New Vegas)
↑The Courier: "How will the NCR defend Hoover Dam?" Robert House: "General Oliver's strategy - or 'tunnel vision,' as I like to call it - has been to mass troops at Hoover Dam. He wants to out-fight the Legion in a straight-forward slugging match, and then, when they rout, pursue and destroy them in detail. A crushing, decisive victory of this sort would overshadow the tactical ingenuity of Chief Hanlon's defense four years ago, you see." (Robert House's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "What do you think of the NCR?" Veronica Santangelo: "I'm worried they'll be the death of the Brotherhood. They take what they want. We defend our interests to the death. But there's a handful of us and tens or hundreds of thousands of them. So it's not going to end well. Last time we clashed we lost a lot of people. Retreated to our bunker. Now we're afraid to even move around during the day." (Veronica Santangelo's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "What do you think of the NCR?" Gloria Van Graff: "You must not know a lot about my family or you wouldn't have asked that. The Van Graffs and the NCR have been enemies for decades. They've tried to block our expansion for years, but we've managed to grow regardless. The problem is they have, too. The NCR is huge, now. We're talking on a scale that's difficult to imagine. Time was, we could fight them and hold our own. Not so anymore. My family has enough men and guns to field a small army, but the NCR can field a really, really big army. Fighting them is out of the question now." (Gloria Van Graff's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "NCR has a food shortage?" Thomas Hildern: "Not yet. But our government understands the value of proactive thought. Our studies project an imbalance between production and consumption. Or, for a layman such as yourself - not enough food, too many mouths to feed. Mass starvation. In a decade or so." (Thomas Hildern's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "How did you end up selling weapons?" Arms merchant: "Going home didn't feel right, not with those savages camped on the other side of the river, sharpening their knives. And I still get to see my old platoon when they pass through here... make sure the new C.O. is treating them right, and sneak them extra ammo. Anyway, I was always complaining about the standard issue gear. The new kids don't even get body armor, can you believe that?" (Arms merchant's dialogue)
↑President Aaron Kimball's speech at Hoover Dam: "[....] There are some back home who ask me, 'But who are we protecting? What is Nevada to us?' Sometimes we forget that the light of our society shines beyond our borders. Sometimes we take those privileges for granted that our forebears fought so hard to achieve. We must always remember that wherever Californians stand, we carry our principles with us: equal respect, representation, and protection under the laws of a just republic. This was the same fire that burned in the heart of the Old World that preceded us. We are the heirs of that civilization, torchbearers eastward of the Pacific, into the darkness of this wasted land. [....]" (Aaron Kimball's dialogue)
↑ 64.064.164.264.364.4NCR history holodisk: "Who's in charge here? NCR may be a bit different from what you're used to. There are no chieftains, town bosses, kings, or dictators here. Our leaders are elected by the people! That's right -- every state has the right to send representatives to the Hall of Congress. These representatives select the President and Vice-President to head the council and it is their advice which guides the President's decisions. For ten terms now, President Tandi has been the unanimous choice of the council, who respect her wisdom and foresight."
↑Tandi served as president from 2196 to 2248 which is 11 terms, but technically only 10 as she died before fulfilling the entire term
↑Tandi: "{284}{tand40}{Back, are you stranger? So's the job done? Do we have access to the vault?}" The Chosen One: "{292}{}{I've handled this already. The squatters want a deal. You help them become self sufficient and they'll give you the vault. Also, here are the parts.}" Tandi: "{255}{tand33}{So, they finally got reasonable. I can bull the Congress into sending supplies and techs. You sure we can get into the vault?}" The Chosen One: "{257}{}{Quite sure. There were some lowlifes there but I kicked their ass.}" (Shtandi.msg) Note: These lines can be spoken if the quests at Vault 15 are completed.
↑Fallout 2 endings: "Several years after buying the Excavator Chip from the Chosen One, Marge LeBarge is able to purchase and control both the Morningstar and the newly opened Kokoweef mines. Marge is an easy choice for Mayor, and using her new political power, she makes Redding join the growing New California Republic in return for a seat in the NCR's Hall of Congress."
↑ 69.069.1NCR history holodisk: "To ensure justice and liberty, all citizens have access to NCR's courts and the right to vote for a representative of their choice to sit in the Hall of Congress."
↑The Chosen One: "{116}{}{What is this place?}" Feargus: "{131}{}{This is the Congress House, law-making body for NCR.}" (Feargus' dialogue)
↑The Courier: "If you can promise it gets where it needs to go." Jackson: "I can promise that, what happens after... not even God himself could move the Congress in or out of session. And this... this is a tricky matter." (Jackson's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Sure... no problem." Jackson: "Hmmm. All right - you change your mind and start shooting, then I can't help you. Show up here after, I'll put you in chains. Get on now, I'll make sure this gets West and let the wheels of law start turning in the courts." (Jackson's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Won't killing President Kimball just anger the NCR?" Caesar: "I don't have to explain the reasoning behind my commands. I just give them - and you do them. That said, every once in a while I hear something so ignorant, I have to respond. This is one of those times. The Profligates' morale is in the shitter. They've occupied the Mojave for years, getting picked off one by one. They were told it'd be easy. They keep being told that victory is right around the corner, that Vegas will roll over, become the sixth state of their little union. It's President Kimball who's been telling them that. When he dies, the enormity of his lies will come crashing down, the punchline to a bad joke." (Caesar's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas endings; New California Republics: "The New California Republic celebrated its second victory at Hoover Dam, establishing definitive control over the entire Mojave Wasteland. Soon after, they negotiated terms to annex The Strip, Freeside, and many surrounding communities. The Mojave Wasteland, at long last, had entirely fallen under the NCR's banner."
↑The Courier: "What did you do to end up here in the first place?" Carter: "I worked in a casino in New Reno, and one of the pit bosses decided he didn't like me. Framed me over some caps, and I ended up in here." (Carter's dialogue) As this character is incarcerated by the NCR, this demonstrates that New Reno is under the NCR's legal jurisdiction.
↑The Courier: "Tell me about Happy Trails Caravan Company." Jed Masterson: "We're a smaller company out of Sac-Town, up in the northern part of the NCR. We run some business through New Reno, there on the "Little Loop." Had a nice run to Salt Lake City, too - but then we lost contact with New Canaan, and that went all to hell." (Jed Masterson's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas endings, Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Despite the destruction of Cassidy Caravans, Cass lived for 30 more years. She made her way back West and passed away in a small shack outside of Vault City, the rose pendant still around her neck."
↑The Chosen One: "{142}{}{Tell me about this town.}" Mira: "{148}{}{Name's NCR. Used to be Shady Sands, but after the Master's defeat, Aradesh and the others founded the Republic. Now, NCR sits right on the border. Everything south of here's Republic ruled.}" The Chosen One: "{151}{}{Hmm.}" Mira: "{149}{}{Word of advice. Keep your nose clean in town. Courts aren't too friendly to our types, if you know what I mean. Citizens got more rights than you.}" (Mira's dialogue)
↑NCR history holodisk: "The New California Republic is dedicated to bringing peace, security and justice to the people of the great west. NCR's fine police forces constantly patrol and arrest any raiders, cannibals, slavers, and lawless mutants within the country, and the NCR army valiantly protects the borders against outside marauders. To ensure justice and liberty, all citizens have access to NCR's courts and the right to vote for a representative of their choice to sit in the Hall of Congress. In the words of President Tandi 'A safe people is a strong people."
↑The Courier: "Are the Followers part of the NCR?" Usanagi: "We've worked with them in the past. The NCR became too focused on things like patents and profitability, so the Followers go their own way now. The NCR and the Followers have a cool relationship at the moment. We see them as oppressive, and they view us as anarchists." (Usanagi's dialogue)
↑The Chosen One: "{130}{}{Who the hell's Mira?}" Jack: "{135}{}{Like I said. My ex. I catch her sleeping around and now she's saying I'm the bad guy. Got the court to give her everything and she's still trying to screw me.}" (Scofjack.msg)
↑NCR history holodisk: "All law-abiding and peaceful people, human or mutant, are eligible to become citizens of NCR. To become a citizen all you have to do is move to NCR and present your claim for immigration. After citizenship training and processing your application, you will be notified of your new status as a PC (Provisional Citizen). From there, it's only a short step to full citizenship!"
↑The Courier: "I got extra troop support for Primm." Hayes: "Yes, I just got word of that. There's a squad of rangers standing by. Sergeant McGee will take over as sheriff and the rangers will be his deputies. This town will be an NCR territory. This means that aside from protection, the citizens will also need to become registered NCR citizens and pay any appropriate and associated taxes." (Hayes' dialogue)
↑NCR history holodisk: "Depending on where your town is located, NCR does accept petitions by villages, towns, bases, city-states, even minor kingdoms for annexation by NCR. Once the petition is accepted, NCR will grant your town territorial status. Once the needed police and army presence is established and any banditry or other lawlessness has been dealt with, your village can apply for full statehood in the NCR. It's that simple!"
↑ 89.089.1The Courier: "What can you tell me about the prison?" Eddie: "The NCR called it a 'work-release' prison. We lucky prisoners got the privilege of fixing up the rail lines and blasting rock for new lines. They got sloppy, though. Some of us managed to hide away some dynamite, and look who's in charge now." (Eddie's dialogue)
↑vNCRCivilianDialogueFaction: "You know it's illegal for us to gamble back home? The government wants to keep us poor."
↑ 91.091.1Captain Parker: "Keith! In the name of the NCR, I'm placing you under arrest for illicit gambling and the sale of unlicensed chems." Keith: "Fuck you man, I ain't going nowhere with you." Parker: "Come quietly now, I don't want to have to hurt you." Keith: "Why don't you go cry to your wife, then - oh that's right! She left your worthless stinking ass!" Parker: "You son of a bitch!" (Keith's and Parker's dialogue)
↑ 92.092.1The Courier: "I've got proof that Keith is selling drugs and using marked cards." Captain Parker: "Drugs and crooked gambling? Can't say I'm surprised. Here, you've earned this. I'm going to go take Keith into custody. If you're interested in a little extra pay, I wouldn't mind the back-up." (Parker's dialogue)
↑The Chosen One: "{115}{}{Tell me about NCR}" Buster: "{125}{}{New California Republic - that's what it is. President Tandi and the bunch say they're trying to rebuild the old days; I figure they're just trying to grab whatever they can. Hell, I got no complaint with them - the old days is all before my time. They're kind of a prissy bunch, though - don't like slaves, gambling, whatnot. That's why I set up out here. Don't like rules - never have.}" (Buster's dialogue)
↑Karl: "{113}{}{Look, take my advice - get your friends to take you home so you can sleep it off. Drunk in public's a crime here.}" (Karl's dialogue)
↑Nording: "{104}{}{Uh, there were some things missing from the caravan. NCR bylaws don't allow me to pay a thief. Sorry.}" (Nording's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Powder gangers?" Trudy: "Chain gangs, really. The NCR brought them in from California to work on the rail lines. Problem is, it turns out that giving convicts a bunch of dynamite and blasting powder isn't the best idea. Was a big escape not too long ago. Some of 'em stuck together so they could make trouble. That's what we're dealing with now." (Trudy's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas endings: "Though Arcade was crushed by the Legion's victory at Hoover Dam, he was not among NCR's casualties. During the NCR's retreat from the Mojave Wasteland, he helped defend NCR citizens and refugees on their way to Mojave Outpost. Unfortunately, a NCR ranger identified his father's armor as Enclave property. He was arrested, tried as a war criminal, and imprisoned indefinitely." Note: Explains the NCR's policy towards Enclave members.
↑Fallout: New Vegas endings: "Though Arcade had not hoped for an NCR victory, he was proud of his role in the defense of Hoover Dam against the forces of Caesar's Legion. Unfortunately, when word spread that Arcade was once a member of the Enclave, he was forced out of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Pursued by bounty hunters, NCR rangers, and the Brotherhood of Steel, Arcade pushed deep into the eastern plains and was never heard from again." Note: Explains the NCR's policy towards Enclave members.
↑Fallout 2 endings: "Shaken by the assassination of Vice-President Carlson, right-wing elements seize control of the Congress and set the New California Republic on a path to military rule. Eventually the survivors of the Enclave found a new home in the ranks of the NCR." Note: Non-canon endings explain the circumstances in which Enclave members would be permitted to integrate without problem, noting explicitly that right-wing politics are a precondition
↑Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "The NCR's military doesn't like being in the role of 'peace-keeper'. Crimes across the Mojave are typically punished by death."
↑Gorobets: "I'm Lieutenant Gorobets, First Recon. If you're looking to collect a bounty, you should talk to Major Dhatri." The Courier: "Does the NCR usually offer bounties on people?" Gorobets: "If they've proven hard to kill, yes. Whatever it takes to get the job done, even if means hiring help from outside the military." (Gorobets' dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Anything else I need to know?" Dhatri: "One more thing. If you want the full reward, you need to bring me a recognizable head. My superiors need proof they're gone. That means no headshots. No decapitations 'til after they're dead. And no damage to the face. If you want to be safe, aim for the chest. You bring me a head that looks like a rotten tomato, people will be doubting, and I won't be authorized to pay the entire bounty. Good luck to you. And don't get careless." (Dhatri's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Why don't you just beat your prisoner senseless?" Carrie Boyd: "I like the way you think. Have I said that yet? Problem is that the NCR frowns on using that sort of tactic. There are some restrictions still in place from President Tandi's administration. But here's my favorite thing about you - you're not in the NCR. Plus, for all this guy knows, you're completely insane. That's a winning combination." (Carrie Boyd's dialogue)
↑Carrie Boyd: "You did well. I don't know how you did it without putting a scratch on him, and I'm a little disappointed personally, but it saved the NCR some face. And it could save us more than that when all is said and done. I'm gonna talk to some people when we're through here. This is about double the standard fee we'd give a 'consultant,' but from what I saw, you're more of an artist. So think of this as your commission." (Carrie Boyd's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas endings: "The Misfits' laziness caught up with them when the Legion attacked Camp Golf. Those who weren't killed in the attack attempted to flee, but were caught at Mojave Outpost, court-martialed, and hanged from the ranger monument."
↑The Courier: "I imagine the NCR doesn't deal with deserters kindly." Layla: "Yeah, if we see the NCR, they'll be waiting for us with a bullet to the brain pan. So what are we supposed to do, just run?" (Layla's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas endings: "Driven into a frenzy by their use of psycho, The Misfits inflicted heavy casualties on the Legion during the defense of Camp Golf. At first they were commended for their valor, but eventually, desperate for more of the chem, they turned on travelers in Outer Vegas. For their dishonorable conduct, the NCR court-martialed and executed them by firing squad."
↑The Courier: "What do you think of the NCR?" Caesar: "Do you want my opinion as a former citizen, or future conqueror? Actually, my opinion's the same either way. As a young man I was taught to venerate President Tandi of Shady Sands. 'The Founding Mother of the New California Republic.' Did you know her Presidency lasted 52 years? And that her father, Aradesh, was the Republic's first President? Does that sound like democracy to you, or a hereditary dictatorship?" The Courier: "President Tandi was voted into office each time." Caesar: "Because the council didn't dare oppose her. She was too popular. She had the people's love. So things ran smoothly, more or less. And as soon as she was gone, as soon as there really could be 'democracy' - what happened then? Ever since losing its queen, the NCR has been weaker, more diffuse. Democracy has been its weakness, not its strength." The Courier: "How is the NCR weak?" Caesar: "Greed runs rampant. The government is corrupt, accepting bribes from Brahmin barons and landowners, to the detriment of citizens. The NCR is a loose conglomerate of individuals looking out for themselves. It's lost virtue. No one cares about the collective, the greater good. It's not built to last. I'm just hastening the inevitable." The Courier: "Surely, the NCR is a powerful foe?" Caesar: "Of course. The most powerful my Legion has faced. Also the first to which I am ideologically opposed. Until now, every tribe I've conquered has been so backwards and stunted, enslavement has been a gift bestowed upon them. My conquest of the Mojave will be a glorious triumph, marking the transition of the Legion from a basically nomadic tribe to a genuine empire. Just as my namesake campaigned in Gaul before he crossed the Rubicon, so have I campaigned, and will cross the Colorado." (Caesar's dialogue)
↑Fallout 2 endings: "Your help with Vault 15 launched the New California Republic's push to civilize its neighbors. Though there were many more obstacles to overcome, the NCR now had a foothold into the northern wastes."
↑The Courier: "How does spreading false intel help anything?" Chief Hanlon: "People back home don't listen. They don't care. Senators, Brahmin barons, folks who are just trying to make it from day to day. It's been so many years that people forget about it. Conscription brings in fresh troops to die here every month. Like it's routine. And even if we hold this dam, what then? Are we going to send the NCR's men and women to die here for another five years? Ten? Patrol the whole length of the Colorado for hundreds of miles? Holding this dam. It'll be the death of us." (Hanlon's dialogue)
↑Fallout 2 endings: "The failure of diplomacy at Vault 15 slowed the New California Republic's growth into the north. Embarrassed by the failure, President Tandi was replaced by Roger Westin. When the new government finally returned to Vault 15, they found nothing but a ghost town."
↑Fallout 2 endings: "Already weakened by the failure to annex Vault 15, President Tandi was forced to retire when her own Vice-President Carlson accused her of complicity in Councilman Westin's death. As President, Carlson wasted no time in securing his grip on power. Under his rule, expansion slowed, since he was more concerned about lining his own pockets than furthering the cause of civilization."
↑Fallout 2 endings: "Shaken by the assassination of Vice-President Carlson, right-wing elements seize control of the Congress and set the New California Republic on a path to military rule. Eventually the survivors of the Enclave found a new home in the ranks of the NCR."
↑ 118.0118.1The Courier: "Tell me about the Gun Runners." Alexander: "The Gun Runners have been putting rapid-fire death-dealing in the hands of anyone who needed to defend himself for over a century. We're the NCR's #1 supplier of weapons and ammunition. You might call us an unofficial branch of the army." (Alexander's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "Troopers are volunteer and conscripted forces in NCR's military. They vary widely in devotion, experience, and even in basic equipment. What they lack in consistency they make up for in numbers."
↑Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "The New California Republic Rangers are volunteer elite special forces renowned as much for their shrewd reconnaissance capabilities as their bravery and combat prowess."
↑The Courier: "Your mother was a tribal?" Cass: "You know, like one of the tribes from the East - we got 'em out West, too. NCR's herding 'em up, though, domesticating them. Mom was from East of the Colorado, though, not sure what tribe. Was before the time Caesar rounded them up, made them Legion. She walked a hell of a way until she crossed paths with my Dad and he convinced her to stop walking. And lucky for me, he was a horny old bastard." (Rose of Sharon Cassidy's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Trent Bascom says he's not getting his full allotment of water." Romanowski: "The Office of Science and Industry has carefully calculated the amount of water needed for these crops. The whole thing is handled by computer. Besides, most of these crops look fine to me. If the farmers can't handle the job, they shouldn't have signed up in the first place. If there really is a problem, they can take it up with Lieutenant Boyd at McCarran. Farming isn't my department." (Romanowski's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Are you a scientist?" Angela Williams: "I know I don't sound the part. Get raised by brahmin ranchers, and you never lose the twang. Drives Hildern crazy. But I know every inch of the power grid from Hoover Dam to Shady Sands. That's what we do here - try to optimize the power output from the Dam. Some of the others are working on an agricultural project, but... truth be told, they aren't making much progress. Not yet, anyway." (Angela Williams' dialogue)
↑The Courier: "NCR has a food shortage?" Thomas Hildern: "Not yet. But our government understands the value of proactive thought. Our studies project an imbalance between production and consumption. Or, for a layman such as yourself - not enough food, too many mouths to feed. Mass starvation. In a decade or so." (Thomas Hildern's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "What can you tell me about Hoover Dam?" Cassandra Moore: "It's of immense strategic value to the NCR. Hoover Dam sends enough electricity west to light every city and major settlement. It's moderately defensible, with a single point of entry on the east side. To get to the power plants below, the enemy has to cross the entire top. The Legion's tried to cross the water on a few occasions, but slow-moving boats make easy targets for sharpshooters." (Cassandra Moore's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Tell me more about the OSI." Thomas Hildern: "The Office of Science and Industry. That's a rather expansive topic. I could talk for hours, but I'm sure I'd bore you. Suffice to say, we are the leading edge of the NCR. Our work focuses on practical matters. Medicine, engineering, biology. The Dam, for instance. OSI routes its energy supply to our cities in the west. That's only one responsibility of this office." (Thomas Hildern's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Tell me about the heavy troopers." Hanlon: "They have the best equipment the NCR can get its hands on, power armor salvaged from our war with the Brotherhood. Techs strip out the joint servos so you don't need special training to wear it. It feels like you're carrying a Brahmin on your back, but it can take a heck of a lot of punishment." (Hanlon's dialogue)
↑Todd: "NCR, no better than common thieves. Where do they get off stealing our armor?" (Todd's dialogue)
↑Todd: "This is unacceptable, we demand the immediate return of our power armor. It is not your armor, that power armor is property of the Brotherhood of Steel and you have no right to claim it as your own." Cassandra Moore: "You know what? I don't need this bullshit right now. We'll take off that goddamn power armor, if it'll just shut you up. A battle is about to be fought out there, to come here requesting our men to give up their armor is insane." (Todd and Cassandra Moore's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "I wanted to check on the troopers sent from Camp Forlorn Hope." Haggerty: "Yeah, they were here a while ago. Gave them all I could, which wasn't much. But as many problems as we're having here, I know they've got it worse. I've seen soldiers get assigned there. It's like they got told they were gonna die. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. If you're trying to track them down, we put a GPS marker in the supply crate. You can track it with your Pip-Boy. Good luck." (Haggerty's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "What's the concrete used for?" Ike: "The NCR has been constructing bunkers up and down the river. From what I've heard, it's a little late for that. Travelers over at the 188 - just up the road - said that the Legion has overrun a couple of towns to the south." (Ike's dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Wait, what about Caesar?" Follows-Chalk: "When Joshua first came to us, he was servant to a man he called Caesar. He led his master's armies, and we were ready to follow him into war. Then he lost his master's army to a tribe called Enseeyar, the Sunset People. When he returned, he was as you saw him - burned, broken, but changed. He led us away from Caesar, led us to our own destiny in Zion." (Follows-Chalk's dialogue)
↑Courier: "How did you rise to power?" Caesar: "Ironically, I was born a Profligate myself, a citizen of the NCR. My family lived not far from the great Boneyard. After Raiders killed my father, my mother sought the Followers' protection. I was two years old. She found work at their Library, cooking and cleaning. I learned how to read and soon I was taking courses, free of charge." (Caesar's dialogue)
↑The Mysterious Stranger (note): "Sightings range from the NCR all the way to the East Coast, stretching back decades. Now he's come to the Commonwealth."
↑The Courier: "You have a lot of hate for NCR. That kind of hate isn't new in the Mojave." Ulysses: "No... not new. And not new among all those in the shadow of the Bear. You know their flag, a bear with two heads. Symbol's an Old World one, had one head then, better off for it. Their flag speaks to their spirit. They're split like any two-headed animal, trying to go in different directions, ending up nowhere. In the Mojave, that'll only get you sand between your fingers - or over your grave." (Ulysses' dialogue)
↑ 1.01.11.21.31.4Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 41: "New California Republic The New California Republic was born from the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 and the small walled community they founded, Shady Sands. Under the leadership of Aradesh, and with the assistance of the Vault Dweller (who saved Tandi, Aradesh's daughter and a future president of the NCR), the community prospered. Trade routes with other settlements allowed cultural exchange, and a movement to form a national entity gradually took root and won popular acceptance. In 2186, the town of Shady Sands changed its name to 'New California Republic' and formed a trial council government to draft a constitution. Four more settlements joined the council, and in 2189 the NCR was voted into existence as a sprawling federation of five states: Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub, and Dayglow. By post-apocalyptic standards, the NCR is a paragon of economic success and good ethical character: political enfranchisement, rule of law, a reasonable degree of physical security, and a standard of living better than mere subsistence are daily realities for its 700,000+ citizens. Currently, the NCR in a state of transition, with rapid economic growth and a sea change in political leadership endangering its grand humanitarian ideals. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mojave, where the occupation of Hoover Dam has improved access to electricity and water, but at the cost of straining its budget and embroiling its armed forces in a morally corrosive imperialist project. The NCR government's aim is to annex New Vegas as the Republic's sixth state. While it already controls Hoover Dam, its treaty with Mr. House and the three families compels it to allot one-fifth of the dam's electrical and water production to local use free of charge. Adding injury to insult, the NCR is locked into protecting New Vegas from invasion by Caesar's legion even as it receives not one cap in tax revenue from the Strip's highly lucrative resort operations. NCR citizens in the Mojave have largely come here for economic reasons, whether as paid citizen soldiers or as prospectors and fortune-seekers." (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles)
↑Alex Stedman: "I'm curious how you guys see the NCR as it stands now. Is it demolished or is it kind of more like the Minutemen where it's just fractured?" Todd Howard: "One of the takes that we always have is to approach things very locally when we're doing Fallout. We're careful about saying what's going on in other parts of the world. And we always take this view of, communication is difficult. And look, if you look at the background, the NCR is a wide-ranging sort of organization and group across not just California, but other places. So the show focuses on this period of time and this group here, and that's what we can say right now. But I don't think you've heard the last of the NCR." (IGN: "The Big Fallout Interview: Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan Answer Our Burning Questions About Season 1")
↑ 3.003.013.023.033.043.053.063.073.083.093.10Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.456: "Controversy over Economic Development The NCR's economy is based on two resources: its great Brahmin herds, and swaths of land that have been restored to arable condition. These provide the nation with meat, leather, and starchy vegetables. During President Tandi's presidency, regulations limited the number of cattle head and the acreage of fields that could be owned by a single person. Despite constant pressure from the Stockmen's Association and Republican Farmer's Committee, such regulations loosened only a little so long as Tandi was in office. Following her death, however, they eroded until President Kimball overturned them completely. As a result, the past 12 years have seen the rise of the Brahmin Barons and Agri-Barons: captains of industry who are, by post-apocalyptic standards, spectacularly wealthy. This has given birth to a number of cottage industries, from the rebirth of luxury goods production to 'journalism' that reports on the latest purchases, commissions, and 'life lessons' of the newly rich and famous. The past 12 years has also seen a change in attitudes towards collective welfare. Citizens of the NCR rarely face significant dangers on a daily basis, and survival is an assumption rather than an aspiration. Citizens are far more reluctant to share food and other resources, and the person who provides services free of charge, whether it's something as quotidian as sewing or as rarefied as surgical expertise, are now the exception rather than the rule. An added economic strain is the scarcity of salvageable goods. Sixty-five years of scavenging has done a good job of picking clean the wastes of what was once Southern California. Rare are those individuals who can make a living by scavenging and hunting what they need. A consequence of these economic and cultural transformations has been the rebirth of wage labor. Whereas one's labor was until recently seen as benefitting and belonging to a collective (whether a family or small town), it has now become a commodity. To earn their keep, many citizens must seek an employer and trade the sweat of their brow for Caps. Citizens of the NCR hold a variety of opinions about these developments. Many boast of their nation's economic strength; others decry what they feel has been lost. Many curse the selfishness of their fellow citizens, usually while pursuing aims that will benefit only themselves or their families. Here in the Vegas wastes, however, nearly all citizens will agree on one matter: opportunity has dried up back home, and to earn a fortune, one must come East." (Behind the Bright Lights & Big City) Note: The cited excerpt was written when Fallout: New Vegas was still set in 2253. Dates were updated to match the current date, 2281.
↑Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.458: "Important Dates "2248 President Tandi takes ill and dies at the age of 103. Her presidency has lasted 52 years. Vice-President Joanna Tibbett assumes office." "2253 President Tibbett is removed from office by a vote of no confidence following her "timid" response to the massacre of 38 NCR citizens at the hands of Mojave raiders. Her replacement, President Wendell Peterson, orders three battalions of NCR infantry into the Mojave." "2270 The extirpation of tribals in the area of present-day Bullhead City is complete. "The Pacification of the Mojave," as it comes to be known, makes General Aaron Kimball a national hero." "2273 Aaron Kimball retires from the NCR military and runs for office as one of Hub's political representatives (or "governors," as Hub idiosyncratically calls them). Less than two months into his term, Wendell Peterson is voted out of office and Aaron Kimball becomes the NCR's next President." "2274 NCR forces move east and occupy Hoover Dam. The NCR reluctantly signs the Treaty of New Vegas recognizing Mr. House and his stewards, the Three Families, as the rightful owners of the Strip. The Strip opens for business." "2275 Camp McCarran is established as NCR Headquarters in the Mojave. Sporadic fighting begins with the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel. The NCR government withdraws official support from the Followers of the Apocalypse and founds The Office of Science and Industry." "2276 Conflict with the Brotherhood of Steel escalates, culminating in decisive victory at HELIOS One. The Mojave Brotherhood is considered "neutralized."" "2278 Following the abduction and killing of four soldiers, NCR troops assault the Great Khans' settlement at Red Rock Canyon and massacre several dozen men, women, and children. This event goes unreported in NCR press." (Behind the Bright Lights & Big City) Note: the Guide states that Red Rock Canyon, rather than Bitter Springs, was attacked by the NCR.
↑Fallout Bible 6: "NCR has outlawed slavery in their territories, have one of the best and largest standing armies in the wastes, and have benefited under their current President, Tandi, who has been with the Republic since she was a young girl in Shady Sands (see History, below). On the plus side, the NCR has outlawed slavery in their territories, has attempted to bring civilization and law back to the wasteland, and they don't (openly) discriminate against ghouls and mutants."
↑ 7.07.17.27.3Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 457: "Equality By law, the NCR prohibits persecution and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or religious belief (so long as said religion does not advocate violence). Legal protection of Ghouls and other mutants was added in 2205, though enforcement of these rights has been spotty. For the most part, the NCR's practices live up to its ideals, but there has been some retrenchment since the death of President Tandi. Aaron Kimball's popularity was amplified by a reactionary undercurrent, especially among males, calling out a need for a 'strong man' to lead the NCR forward. In the years since Kimball took office, male military officers have been promoted disproportionately to females, and discourse arguing the differences between males and females has reappeared." (Behind the Bright Lights & Big City)
↑Fallout 2 manual: "Not all trade is done by pure barter. Some of the towns are printing money again. Money makes a great way to store lots of value, since it is very lightweight and takes up no real room in your inventory. When you have the chance, convert your heavy loot into portable cash." Note: This is cross-referenced with the later reference where Joshua Sawyer states that BoS raided NCR's gold reserves until NCR could no longer generate gold coinage, explaining the origin of the gold coins in Fallout 2.
↑ 9.09.1Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "And this is discussed in-game: BoS raided NCR's gold reserves until NCR could no longer generate gold coinage nor back their paper money. They abandoned the gold standard and established fiat currency, which is why its value is inflated over both caps and (especially) Legion coinage. (...) People in eastern NCR and the Mojave Wasteland lost faith in the NCR government's a) ability to back the listed value of paper money and b) stability overall. If you're living in Bakersfield, staring at a piece of paper that says 'redeemable for value in gold' and you have no faith in the government's ability or willingness to do that -- or if you see that the government has changed the currency to say that it is not able to be exchanged for a backed good -- you may very well listen to the strong consortium of local merchants offering to exchange that paper note for currency backed by water."
↑Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "Traders from the Mojave travel the Short Loop into NCR, which means that they have to go through a few hundred miles of solid desert. Carrying enough water to travel from New Vegas to the Boneyard (or vice versa) would undercut cargo capacity significantly. Even the communities around the Mojave Wasteland (other than New Vegas itself) have water brought in and stored in local towers. Of course, the Colorado River is nearby as long as you don't mind walking through an active war zone."
↑Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "'How does the Hub 'back' caps? Can you exchange a certain number of caps for a standard measure of water?' Yes."
↑Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "It happened during the BoS-NCR war. I believe Alice McLafferty mentions it, but I'm not positive. She doesn't detail the events in this much detail, but here they are: The attacks caused NCR citizens (and others who held NCR currency) to panic, resulting in a rush to reclaim the listed face value of currency from NCR's gold reserves. Inability to do this at several locations (especially near the periphery of NCR territory where reserves were normally low) caused a loss of faith in NCR's ability to back their currency. Though NCR eventually stopped the BoS attacks, they decided to protect against future problems by switching to fiat currency. While this meant that BoS could no longer attack a) reserves or b) the source of production (all NCR bills are made in the Boneyard), some people felt more uneasy about their money not having any "real" (backed) value. This loss of confidence increased with NCR inflation, an ever-looming spectre of fiat currency. Because the Hub links NCR with the Mojave Wasteland and beyond, the merchants there grew frustrated with NCR's handling of the currency crisis. They conspired to re-introduce the bottle cap as a water-backed currency that could "bridge the gap" between NCR and Legion territory. In the time leading up to the re-introduction, they did the footwork to position themselves properly. If some old-timer had a chest full of caps, they didn't care (in fact, they thought that was great, since the old-timers would enthusiastically embrace the return of the cap), but they did seek to control or destroy production facilities and truly large volumes of caps (e.g. Typhon's treasure) whenever possible."
↑ 13.013.113.2Fallout Bible 6: "Government:The government of NCR is much like the Pre-War United States, with a House of Congress staffed by elected representatives (Congressmen elected by their states). These representatives decide upon the President and Vice-President to head the council and govern the Republic - under advice from the representatives, of course (NCR, at the time, has no existing term limits - Tandi was currently serving her tenth year at the beginning of Fallout 2). The titles for these representatives have ranged from 'Councilor,' 'Counselor,' 'Councilman,' 'Representative,' 'Senator,' and in particular, the Hub (in its own obstinate way) prefers to call their representatives 'Governors.' (There is a lot of friction between the Hub and Shady for a variety of reasons, usually related to trade rights and caravan routes.) In any event, all titles are recognized and accepted outside of the council chambers, but within the chambers, the titles are occasionally used as insults and spark furious debates - nothing more than petty displays of each state trying to exert its independence."
↑Fallout Bible 5 Questions: 14. One thing - what's happened to Junktown? Was it just too little to be it's own state? Or maybe it has managed to survive as an independent enclave inside NCR, a hive of scum and villainy, so to speak. And what kind of folks would live in Glow? After all, that place must still, well, glow, at least somewhat. Ghouls?"Junktown became part of NCR as part of the state of Shady, and it was one of the first provisional states, considering it was one of the first (and most trustworthy) of the Shady Sands trading partners during its early formation. Its alliance with Shady Sands did cause some alarm from the caravans in the Hub, but it didn't hurt the Hub communities any... and the Hub eventually became part of NCR as well." "As for the Glow (or the state of Dayglow), most of the state is actually north and west of the glow, but they are still able to see the Glow from their borders. A number of ghouls are rumored to live there now, as part of the Great Migration from Necropolis - once the ghouls learned of West Tek, they were eager to see if they could scavenge technology from the abandoned center. Some ghouls formed partnerships with scavenging companies from New Adytum and the Hub and have built quite a profitable corporation from their salvage efforts. At least one super mutant, a refugee from the Cathedral, was also rumored to be working with the ghouls and humans in Dayglow."
↑Fallout Bible 6: "Religiously - while Aradesh believe in the teachings of Dharma, Tandi always believed in the separation of church and state - and resisted any attempts to canonize the Vault Dweller within the city limits (the statue's fine, but that's it). Both Aradesh and Tandi found politics and religion don't mix, especially when they got more exposure to the people of the Hub and visits from a few well-spoken members of the Followers of the Apocalypse. In any event, the NCR allows any non-psychotic religions within their capital (they are all for freedom of religion, as long as it doesn't involve human sacrifice or dipping people in Vats) and the crosses were just holdovers from Fallout 1 scenery. It is quite likely that the members of Shady Sands were Catholic, but as a general rule, you have to be careful about bringing real world religions into games from a development standpoint - it's worse than profanity in the "Top Ten List of Things People Will Get Up in Arms About."
↑ 18.018.1Fallout Bible 6: "Although nearly hitting a hundred years of age, Tandi has done more to unite the people of the wastes than any other leader born from the ashes of the Great War, and she is revered as a saint and even a "Great Mother" by some of the tribals outside of the Republic territories. Tandi's State of the Republic messages were famous for inspiring countless people to join the 'service' and rebuild civilization. Under her rule, the Republic has grown, and she has focused efforts on rebuilding the pre-war infrastructure to support the growing population, finding new forms of transportation and manufacturing, clearing roadways and rail lines, building forts, fostering caravans and trade in the Republic (and with other territories), and dealing with threats swiftly and efficiently. In all her years, she has never forgotten her roots in the small village of Fallout 1, and she has always strived to put the welfare of the common man above the wheels of progress. When people talk about 'good people,' Tandi's good people."
↑Chris Avellone on Twitter (August 11, 2011) elaborating on his Fallout Bible 5 paragraph.: "@ChrisAvellone In Fallout Bible, it mentions that NCR have a cav. division, but also says that horses died out. Could you please explain? @Francis1605 Fallout Bible is no longer canon, but when I first wrote it, it meant mechanized cav. (a FEW scav tanks and jeeps)."
↑Joshua Sawyer: "NCR's imperialism is pretty kid glove stuff compared to Caesar's Legion. That said, though they are extremely self-interested, NCR genuinely *does* protect New Vegas and has sacrificed a lot to do so. Then again, it was the Desert Rangers, not the residents of the Mojave Wasteland (and certainly not Mr. House) who asked them to do so." (Sawyer on Formspring)
Note
↑The seal in the TV series also contains two lines of illegible text within the central field, just below the bear. The recreation on the wiki doesn't include them as of the series' release.