NCR Recruit

"“Easy - This is where they send all the fuck-ups and people they don't want. But hey, it's not like I'm bitter or anything.” - Mags, 2281"

Background
You are the Recruit. Given two weeks training and issued a rifle, you were sent from California to defend the borders of your nation against hostile mutants, raiders, and foreign invaders. You have either volunteered to protect your nation or have been drafted, but either way you have to follow the orders of everyone else in the New California Republic Army.

Boots on the Ground
Clear the bolt on your rifle and find your immediate superiors before you do anything else. As the NCR Recruit, you are weak alone, but your strength is in numbers. You'll either be assigned a squad or an individual duty at the garrison. Anyone from Corporal to Captain will be adequate as a superior, but remember that rangers are in a completely separate military branch. Find your superior, introduce yourself, and ask for an assignment. Be prepared to do whatever they ask, and don't complain. You're on the bottom of the totem pole, but if you do well, you will advance.

What are we, some kind of Suicide Squad?
Immediately find a superior to follow. You are a recruit, with barely any training and no combat sense. If you want to survive, find a sergeant or corporal and follow them unless told otherwise. Your superior may form a squad, or assign squad comms. If they do not, remind them you could use a radio, and some organization would be helpful. Remember, you are not a hero. Do not run into the desert alone thinking you can eliminate scores of Legion on your own. You are in the military, so you do what is needed, not what you want. If you want to just fight, go be a raider.

If a sergeant or corporal is not available, find a lieutenant or captain. These are the people in charge of administering to the valley’s Republic forces. If they do not immediately assign you to a squad, they may be short staffed and waiting for more people to form another. Follow them until you get your squad, or ask them for a job like guarding the gate or growing healing powder.

Your Squad is like a good relationship, the more you put in, the more you get out. Familiarize yourself with them, get to know them, protect them. Most importantly, do not lose your squad leader, or SL. If you are separated from your SL for long enough, you will be assumed KIA.

Orders, Sarge?
Your Sarge has seen things you wouldn't believe. Some even got to clock hours in sim-pods in the Heartland, training for insane hypothetical combat scenarios. Be honest with yourself, you have absolutely no idea what's going on and someone just gave you some kind of direction. Trust that direction, as your direct superiors are the only people whose immediate well-being is determined by your survival. Being in the loop is important to being a good soldier.

In fact, most of the wasteland wants to kill you and steal your equipment. Your gear isn't worth very much, but it's worth a lot to people who have literally nothing but utter contempt for any kind of authority. Your SL is there to protect and guide you, you battle puppy. If you are not near your SL to receive orders it’s unlikely you’ll receive them. Because no plan survives contact with the enemy, you should be prepared for accidental separation. Try to get a radio and see if there’s a non-encrypted frequency set up for your squad.

Don’t be a PVT. Jenkins
Let people of authority do the talking. Trust that the career soldier knows how to handle irritated locals better than you, the uninformed trainee. Do not question orders given by a superior officer. When a superior officer gives a bad order, the blame is on them, not you. You are only penalized if you do not follow the order. Bite the crayon recruit. Even if you disagree with the order, consider that your superior may have a plan you are not aware of, and by going against it you could cause a lot of harm. Even then, cohesion is paramount. Do you want to anger your superiors and potentially get your friends killed over a disagreement?

Do not break operational security (OPSEC) to civilians. Do not tell the locals anything about your fellow soldiers, the base, current missions, or anything of importance. PERIOD. There is a fine line between paranoia and healthy suspicion, and everyone in the NCR Army must tread this line. Loose lips sink ships, and if you are caught leaking information you may be immediately imprisoned or executed on the spot by your commanding officer, depending on the severity of the breach. Be very careful about what you say as a recruit, and always check that a soldier’s face matches the one on their dog tags. Minimize risks. If a local asks you for some food and you have extra in your pack? Sure. They want to enter your base? Ask the CPT first.

Leaving the base without informing a superior officer is desertion. At this point, you don't exist to the leadership. They can't give you accurate orders, you can’t defend the base, and you also cannot be healed or retrieved. Having unaccounted units in the field is the first step to getting your ass kicked in by the enemy. Recruits typically do not survive without the NCR. If they go down, YOU go down. This is not an action movie, you operate as a unit.

Survival Mode
Due to minimal training for the modern recruit, the Republic Army has something of a high turnover rate. But you’ve made it this far into your supplemental survival pamphlet, so you might just beat the odds and make it to trooper. You should make sure your squad is in good health, but sometimes you can’t do everything. What’s important is you always do the right thing.

Let us say the worst case scenario happens. The base is destroyed and a majority of your fellow soldiers are dead. Local comms are absolutely compromised. Either you just arrived from the West or you somehow survived this event, because your squad was out at the time or you were on your own for some hopefully justified reason. Do not panic, follow these instructions.

The base is compromised, and news of its destruction will embolden hostile looters. You can no longer remain at this location, remind your commander of this if they show no sign of gathering the men to leave. Otherwise, trust in your commander. He has gone to college and taken tests on these exact hypothetical scenarios, maybe even survived some of them in real life. If you don’t break under stress, neither will he. Now is not the time to get drunk or ditch. You must secure and establish a new base of operations, and gather any survivors.

As you travel to your new base, or as you are scouting for a new base, you may need to travel incognito. Do not abandon your uniform, armor, or dog tags. These are not replaceable. At the very least, put them in your bag when you wear a disguise. If you must absolutely ditch your uniform for some reason, understand you must keep your dog tags. They are the only way to distinguish yourself from a local civilian, your commander cannot trust you without them.

Always have an emergency fallback planned for your new field outpost. Whether for full retreat or to a more secure position within your outpost, make sure all your fellow soldiers know the fallback as well. An emergency plan only works if everyone in your unit knows what to do.

Do not trust the locals. They are also concerned with their own survival, and many will try to curry favor with the apparent winners by selling out any enemy survivors, also known as you. If they legitimately wish to assist you however, by feeding you intel, attacking the enemy, joining your outpost, or growing food/producing medicine, relay this information to your superior. And make sure someone, potentially you, is watching them at all times. They could be a saboteur. Additionally, do not mention any specific locations over the radio. Establish codewords.

This is serious now, be prepared for an attack at any moment by a superior enemy. The enemy is hunting you. Fight to kill, they have proven they do not value your life. Never announce your position, do not even respond to enemy taunts over your former comms. Brotherhood tend to have superiority complexes due to their superior equipment, and their belief in raw strength will lead them to rush headlong into an enemy base. They do not often check for traps, and are prone to ambushes from behind. Raiders are varied from person to person; some may be disciplined and fight to the death, others may retreat at the first sign of a fellow gangster going vertical, some may make a suicidal charge as soon as their friend dies. Legion love to close the distance and use their superior melee skills. Construct barricades and choke points, use range, heal yourself and stem bleeding if they use spears or firearms to tire you out. Gauze and heal your friends as well if you can. Legion prefer to drag wounded enemies away from the field of battle and butcher them well outside your range, do not let them do this. Under no circumstances can you allow them to drag away your friends. Drag them to a safe distance behind your own defenses and call for a medic, or patch them up yourself.

What’s on the Menu?
You want to survive, so you need to know your potential friends and threats. This section will cover the basics on who the primary groups you encounter are, what their known motives are, how they act and operate, and how you can best interact with them to keep yourself alive.

Wastelander, AKA, I’m The Protagonist!
The wastelander can be widely varied; an honest citizen of the Republic, a stateless survivalist, a violent anarchist looking for trouble, or an entertainer who likes to tease and prank. They enter the valley with no group, but will quickly join a group, form their own, or create a survival nest. Wastelanders can be a great asset to the smart soldier, if treated appropriately and with caution. If disrespected or harmed, even in a misunderstanding, they can hold a grudge and assist your enemies purely out of spite for your nation, all due to you upsetting them. Gear varies widely, tactics vary widely, treat with caution and do what you can to side them with the Republic.

Townie, AKA, Don’t Tread on Me!
The townie is very similar to the wastelander in many regards, but mostly in their varied gear, motivations, and tactics. Some may be agitated and looking for a fight, others may value trade and conversation, but almost all of them from settler to sheriff are united. Settlement residents feel just as patriotic about their individual micro-states as you feel about the Republic, and they value their independence greatly, do not even joke about annexation with them. If you slight them, like with the wastelander, they will likely hold it against you. Townies should be avoided if possible, unless they are clearly attempting to assist the Republic or engage in trade. In such a scenario, alert the Captain; only the Captain should negotiate with a landed settlement.

Great Khans, AKA, Remember Bitter Springs!
The Great Khans are a tribal organization that has clashed with Republic civilians and soldiers in the past. With equipment on the poor side of mediocre, their scout camps usually number conservatively, but they will work to endear themselves to local civilians while undermining Republic authority and reputation. Unlikely to actively hunt and kill Republic citizens, unless a prime opportunity presents itself, such as you wandering into a Khan run establishment alone for a refreshment. Depending on leadership, a Khan party will either be very active or lethargic. There are three primary Khan subsets to concern yourself with; the leader, either appointed by Papa Khan or assuming said title due to lack of existent leadership, the merchant, who can be relied upon to tend bar and trade recreational chems with patrons, and the warrior, who either protects the previous subsets or seeks combat on their own.

Khans do not care about the Brotherhood of Steel unless there is an easy opportunity to loot their remains. Due to previous periods of conflict, most Khans will hold grudges against the Republic, but some are willing to do business. When it comes to Caesar's Legion, there are the intelligent Khans who recognize their tribe is set to be subsumed by the slave army, and there are those who recognize this but care more for vengeance than freedom. Treat with extreme caution, do not enter their territory unless you are accompanied by your squad and SL. Follow your SL's instructions to the letter within Khan territory. Leave as soon as ordered.

Raiders, AKA, Oh God These Clowns...
Raider is a very broad category, with many subsets. The most prominent are slavers, who will capture citizens and soldiers to sell to individuals or organizations, tribals, who simply wish to live peaceful agrarian lives or hunt wildlife, merchants, who seek profit and are perfectly willing to acquire their stock at gunpoint, highwaymen, who subsist entirely off robbery and allow cooperative victims to continue on with their lives, sadists, who exist purely to inflict suffering on others, and mercenaries, who are willing to fight for any cause providing there is equitable pay. Note any of these subsets can have the additional variable of chem addiction, which is a wild card, and can be used to your benefit, but adds unpredictability.

Raiders are naturally lethargic, but on occasion a motivated raider will rise to form a gang, mercenary outfit, or tribe. These individuals are designated Gang Leaders. In the case of negotiation, trade, or open conflict, note that the Gang Leader is a primary target. If you can capture or kill a hostile Gang Leader, if said raider group has no base of operations, they will likely make a suicide rush without proper leadership, or scatter into the desert. If the group has an existent base however, a new leader will likely elect themselves with driven vengeance towards those who killed their previous leader, unless internal conflict lends otherwise. Be prepared for an enemy you thought defeated to rebound, with a summoned ally.

Raiders are commonly antagonistic, they often enjoy poking and prodding what they consider to be self-important and stuffy lawmen. To avoid antagonizing this potentially violent group of individuals, understand that enforcement of the law often requires cooperation with the criminal elements of society, to an extent. Do not break the law to appease raiders, but do bend it on advisement of your commanding officer if they deem it required from your active report.

Do not engage with public discourse with raiders in any venue, this goes with any other group of individuals. You are a grunt, and you are not permitted to speak on behalf of the Republic. They want to turn the local settlements and residents against the Republic, do not give them material. Equipment and tactics vary widely, tribes may wear leather and use bone spears, while a mercenary company may wear reinforced combat armor and wield submachine guns. Engage with extreme caution, avoid conflict if possible, take note of their composition and numbers.

Brotherhood of Steel, AKA, Brotherhood of Stealing.
The Brotherhood of Steel originate from a rogue US Army powered infantry division, and have the tribalistic and structured mentality a tribe from such origins would come to gain. Each grouping can be found in pre-war military facilities or fallout shelters, led by an Elder, or comparative senior in the ranks, such as a Paladin in certain circumstances. They are considered a terrorist threat, and the war with the Brotherhood is active in the West, as isolated pockets in the Republic state of Maxson are breached and eliminated. They are often less informed on their origins than their own enemies, many unaware of the name of their founder, US Army Captain Roger Maxson. Will reliably hoard technology, with no clear end goal.

The Brotherhood will claim they are preserving technology, but each member lacks vision due to a strict social contract of preserving the secrecy of the Brotherhood and preventing a second global conflict. Unlikely to take legitimate large-scale action, they are often isolated until the surface world comes to provoke them to an active state. Due to this isolation, they are often untrained, and overconfident due to their superior armor and weapons. It is easy to overwhelm attacking Brotherhood if appropriate tactics are taken. Exceptions do exist.

Do not be tempted to harbor sympathy for this backwards tribe, even as they attempt to sell their life mission as a noble goal to save humanity. They are a collection of terrorist cells, who have slaughtered Republic citizens with no remorse at the chance of securing laser rifles. They are extremely antagonistic, and many are aware their tribe is dying out as successive generations are smaller and smaller. If rising to the surface, they will take two modes of operation; violent crusader or subversive saboteur. The violent path is often taken by a paladin or knight who wishes to exact revenge for fallen brothers in arms, usually at the suggestion of alliance by a Legion or Khan ambassador in a joint attack.

The subversive saboteur is a Brotherhood member, usually a scribe, knight, or initiate, disguising themselves as a wastelander and attempting to gather leads on technology or surface factions. Most often they will do so ineffectively, blatantly asking to purchase power armor and microfusion cells at first chance, or when accused of being a disguised Brotherhood member, will claim they don’t know what the Brotherhood is. Ignore if they are not a clear threat, it's not worth the trouble. This dying breed of terrorist is on its way out, but their base defense is par none. Do not invade their facilities, as they spend the majority of their lives in said bunkers, and have heavy defenses. If you must break into their base, note that explosives are effective.

Caesar’s Legion, AKA, Enemy of Civilization.
Kill on sight. This is the sworn enemy of the Republic. Members of Caesar’s Legion undergo rigorous physical conditioning, often use a lingering medicinal powder before combat to revive themselves from critical states, and prefer using hard shock attacks with superior melee weapons against their enemies. Most are fanatically loyal to Caesar, AKA Edward Sallow, former NCR Citizen and Followers of the Apocalypse member. They will gladly sell their lives for his cause, and are extremely unlikely to retreat from combat.

You may have noticed this particular collective of terrorists is far more organized and uniform than most raider tribes. They are highly structured, with successive ranks possessing superior armor and weapons. A recruit legionary is a substantive threat one on one, a veteran legionary may require your battle buddies to make it a fair fight. Your primary concern, and primary targets, should be the veteran legionary, veteran decanus and centurion. Their armor is superior, their firepower on par with many Republic infantrymen. If one falls in battle, he will don the equipment of the fallen commander and assume the position. Do not let them corner you alone, do not let them kill your SL. In battle, quickly point out the position of these prime targets via comms. Alone you cannot kill them, but with your comrades it is possible. Look out for the Centurion’s powerfist, and for Legion snipers on the other side of the battlefield, or completely out of sight. Remember to use barricades and point out snipers via comms.

Legionary men, from the recruit to the decanus, will often travel in groups to eliminate Republic soldiers and enslave local civilians to work their farms. To increase your chances of survival, you must also travel in a squad; your sergeant or corporal will have good directional sense in combat, and is more in-sync with command’s regional awareness. More friends with you equals more hot lead to back you up in combat, and patch you up if a legionary bullet finds its mark. If you find yourself outnumbered and on your own, there is no dishonor in tactical retreat. If you and friends are outnumbered, make a collective retreat, no man left behind.

If disengaging from a Legionary, they will likely attempt to throw a bola around your ankle to slow you down, if they did not already toss it when combat began. To catch their bola, ready an empty hand as if you are about to throw something. Use it against them or bag it for later use. When stuck in thick combat, be aware that the legionary will attempt to close the distance and slash at you with superior melee weapons. Use your comparatively superior firepower to wound them from a distance; aim for either the legs to slow them down, or the head for maximum lethal damage. When a legionary is downed, they are not dead, their pre-battle healing powder is going to help them get back up. Use your gun from a distance or pick up their melee weapon, and finish the job. If possible, pocket their melee weapon, it is better than your standard knife.

Important to note is the Legion has a civilian caste, the Followers and Slaves. Slaves can be conditioned to believe in the cause of the Legion, and can be just as fanatic as most followers. In combat, quickly warn them to evacuate the area or stay out of the fight. Do not harm the women if they do not attack you first. Followers have been raised in the Legion life, and are heavily conditioned. But they can have a second chance at life. Once battle is concluded, if they were not healing downed legionary men (which you should engage them in combat for), or attacking Republic soldiers, ask your commanding officer or SL what to do with them. They may request you bring them to the base for processing as citizens. If so, attempt to get their cooperation in coming with your squad back to the base. If not, detain them nonlethally. If this is not possible, and they assault you or your friends, eliminate the threat.

Advice from Captain Goldman
You’ve made it this far; you have learned how to organize into a squad, you know how to follow orders, have learned the methods of survival in a desperate scenario, and you are well advised on your potential friends and threats. For the useful information that did not neatly fit into the previous sections, I have listed it all here at the end of your supplemental training guide. You have done me proud, and you have done your nation proud, with your initiative to survive and learn. I wish you a productive career in the New California Republic Army and a safe ride home. - Ryan J. Goldman, Captain, New California Republic Army

Support Personnel & You!
The rifleman is an essential component of the Republic Army. However, your survival depends more on the survival of the base and your friends than your immediate skills in combat. I get it, you're ready to get into the action and kick a legionary into orbit, but your sergeant is bleeding out near the enemy frontlines, and he's just as eager to return to sender as you are, remember that two guns are a lot better than one. If you see a battle buddy go down, don’t let the enemy shoot them to death or drag them off to oblivion. Grab them, pull them to safety, administer medicine if your squad has no medic. Be careful not to overdose them!

It’s important that you provide useful help to your squad. Maybe you volunteer to be the squad medic and carry extra healing supplies at the expense of ammo. Maybe you want to be the combat engineer and carry some materials for field fortifications. What’s important is that you’re more than just a gun. Anyone can shoot a raider dead. Few people can do that alongside patching their squad, making battle barricades, and ensuring sure everyone has ammo. Support personnel are essential to any modern military, that goes for the frontlines especially. A unit with no medics, no logistics, and no recon is little more than a mob.

Ultimately, your goal is to keep your squad alive until you get on the train back home to the Republic. You might be reporting to the nearest army outpost for your marching orders, or if you have leave saved up you may be spending time with your friends and family. Make sure that you survive long enough to return home, and know the best way to do this is to ensure your friends do too. A good support unit can change the tide of combat, so go farm those stimpaks!

This is my Rifle, This is my Gun
Due to rapid mobilization and economic strain, Republic Army recruits tend to have subpar equipment, low ammunition, and at best a single stimpak on deployment. Do not let this dampen your spirits, as you can request superior equipment from your SL or CO. If they say yes, likely if you have proven yourself competent, then your chances have improved. If they deny your request, know that all the advice thus far will get you far enough to pick up a better weapon in the field with your squad. If there is a quartermaster, remember, don’t violate his workspace.

If your stimpak has been used on yourself, a friend, or a civilian, do not worry. The desert is full of medicine if you apply yourself even slightly. Broc flowers and xander root can heal you, and can be turned into healing powder if you take two of each and grind them up. It will heal burns and bruises, but has a side effect of vivid hallucinations, which can impair you greatly. If you are running low on medicine, ask your SL if you can make some. Your squad will appreciate this, and they will appreciate stimpaks even more. See a medicinal guide for further details.

Perhaps you don’t have anything to do, and you’re stuck in the garrison. You can’t even find a superior officer to give you fresh orders. While you try to find a superior, make sure the armory is clean and weapons, armor, and ammunition is not scattered across the ground of the base. If a soldier is very apparently in shellshock, gently escort them past the border so a new soldier can take their place, and they can get their well deserved rest in the Heartland. Do general patrols around the interior of the base; if someone is breaking in, that makes them valid to shoot on sight. Escaping prisoners or those assisting a prison escape are also valid to shoot.

Proper Procedure for the Professional Perpetrator
When beginning patrol with your squad, you should get in a single file line, also known as forming the snake. This is quite simple; your squad lead will be the snake head. Everyone forms a line behind the head, and grabs the person behind them in line. Do not move independently once the line is formed. Your SL will handle the direction, just keep your eyes peeled while they pilot your squad to their destination. It is rapid and organized, so familiarize yourself with it.

Remember that two doses of healing powder is the greatest amount you can safely take in a short span of time, same goes for stimpaks. If you overdose, you will die, and it is very hard to fix an overdose in the field. If you’ve been nicked by an enemy bullet or spear, don’t use your stimpak right away; save it for more severe injuries to stay in the fight longer. Broc flowers give decent healing when consumed directly. Two flowers can fix most moderate wounds.

Has a ranger given you orders? Rangers have more experience than recruits, and likely know where you can be most effective. However, do not let rangers override orders given by your SL or CO. They may be more experienced, but they are battle-hungry, and care more about completing the mission than your survival. Rangers are special forces, keep this in mind.

Chain of Command
Captain/CPT/O-3 Lieutenant/LT/O-1 Medical Officer/LT/O-1 Scout Sergeant/SGT/E-6 Sergeant/SGT/E-5 Heavy Trooper/SGT/E-5 Engineer/SGT/E-5 Corporal/CPL/E-4 Scout/SPC/E-4 Trooper/PFC/E-3 Recruit/PVT/E-2

Who are you?
Sometimes it’s important to remember who we are, and who we used to be, to help us get to where we need to go. You should take the time you need to reflect on who you are, what caused you to get to this part of your life, and where you want to go from here.

Raider Conscript
You used to run with some raider gangs, yeah, they were totally tough. Not tough enough that the judge didn’t give you any options though. Spend time in the slammer breaking rocks and building railways for the national train system, or a tour of supervised duty for your freedom, plus pay. You took the latter option, and you have to admit it's pretty cush compared to your old life. Your squad lead yells a lot, but if you think of the army like a big raider gang, you’re in one of the biggest and baddest gangs around. Just gotta live long enough to brag about it.

Farm Kid
You grew up on a farm, you’re handy around crops and animals, or good with tinkering, maybe you were the kid who wanted to grow up and be the town doctor. When you came of age, the time to serve your nation came. Someone needed to put food on the table for your family, and you either volunteered enthusiastically to serve your nation, or with some dread as you knew someone had to do it for the farm to make it through the winter. You’re probably decent with a varmint rifle, but even if you’re not, at least you have more life skills than a city slicker.

City Enlistee
You live in one of the major Republic cities, which have vibrant nightlives and something to do around every corner. However, living in the cities can be expensive, especially with barons buying up property left and right, raising the rent of surrounding homes and businesses. Perhaps you went to the recruitment office that day because you believe in protecting your nation, maybe it was for a financially stable future, or to pick up the defense skills you always wanted while walking past the gang hangouts of Shady Sands or the Boneyard. You’re here now, with skill potential ranging from competent tradesman to general store clerk.

Former Tribal
Life in the tribe was rough, nature was unforgiving. It was an honest life, but disease would claim the young, the wildlife was vicious, and enemy tribes would encroach on your lands. The threat of the Legion came close to your people, perhaps it consumed them in its great violent hunger. Or the Republic annexed your lands, bringing both fair and foul change to your people. Either way, you are here now, serving in this great collection of warriors, healers, and orators to protect the Great Tribe you have been joined unto. May the Great Bear slumber with ease.

Former Vaultie
Life in the vault was regimented, safe, secure, boring, until that fateful day. Whatever horrible experiment happened, it broke your entire world in short order, with hallucinogens, carnage in the halls, mutagen in the food supply, or even mandatory poetry slams. No matter what it was that broke your society, somehow you escaped the vault during the chaos, maybe with your friends and family, maybe alone. You found your way to the New California Republic, amazed that something so close to beautiful Pre-War America could exist after the bombs dropped. And just like America, you need money if you want to survive. So you enlisted, either out of patriotism for your newfound homeland, or pragmatic understanding that a house requires pay.