Regulator (Fallout 3)

The Regulators are a group of self-appointed lawmen who wear cowboy style hats and Regulator Dusters after the fashion of gunslingers. In the Capital Wasteland they are led by Sonora Cruz and operate out of a farmhouse.

If the player has the Lawbringer perk, he/she can trade fingers taken from the corpses of evil humans killed by the player, for good karma and Bottlecaps. The Regulators will also attempt to claim the bounty on the player's head if he or she commits serious crimes, such as destroying Megaton or enslaving people in the Capital Wasteland.

Members
Regulators wear Regulator Dusters, and seem to have a fondness for laser weapons (Laser Pistols and Laser Rifles) although more commonly they are equipped with Combat Shotguns, Chinese Assault Rifles and Combat Knives. In terms of durability and combat challenge, they are about equal to a Talon Company Merc (although with severely less protective armor). Regulator patrols typically operate in 3-man squads when searching the Wasteland for the player character if that player is evil or very evil. They are very deadly and effective at close range (if they have Laser Rifles, long range) and it would be wise to take out the one with the longest range weapon first and then backpedal (whilst firing) to some cover and take potshots at the one with the Combat Knife or Combat Shotgun.

If you have the Lawbringer perk, a Dead Regulator will be found outside of the entrance to Arlington/Wasteland Metro in Arlington Cemetery North. He will have a bounty note for Junders Plunkett. It says he was last seen in Canterbury Commons, but really he is in the nearby Arlington House. You can kill him and take his finger. It is worth 1,000 caps back at the Regulator HQ.

Lucas Simms, the sheriff of Megaton, is also a Regulator.

Bugs

 * There is a bug where a player can pick-pocket a regulator, and he/she will have a named bounty for the player on them, even if the player is completely good. (confirmed XBOX 360 and PC)
 * Sometimes if the character fast-travels to the Regulator HQ, a giant radscorpion will be attacking the brahmin outside. If the character enters the HQ without killing the scorpion, Sonora Cruz can run out of the HQ into the wasteland and sometimes be found on top of a hill next to the scrapyard just southwest of the regulator HQ or on a hill overlooking the Wheaton Armory. Any attempt to talk to her will result in 'Sonora Cruz is fleeing' and she will continue to crouch and stand up, directly across from a large Raider base. (Wheaton Armory bug). If Sonora is neither near the Armory or hilltops next to, stand in front of the Regulator HQ and look DIRECTLY east, head straight the easterly direction, and she should pop into view just as you start moving towards the collapsed bridge. Look specifically at the pile of rubble gathered near the second bridge support column on the left, Sonora should be there. (Confirmed Xbox 360)
 * Sometimes the Regulators will go through their dialogue as if they are hostile, but upon completion, they do not fire and appear friendly. They do not move or in any way pursue the player. Once fired upon, or more preferentially a well placed grenade, they do become hostile and return fire. They have the players bounty on their bodies. (confirmed Xbox 360)
 * If the player has access to the Regulator HQ and murders all of its Regulator inhabitants, Sonora Cruz will still remain friendly towards you and act as if nothing has happened. (confirmed on PS3 and Xbox 360)
 * CAUTION: If Fawkes is with the player and enters the Regulator HQ, the Regulators will turn hostile and attack him. A second attempt was made to enter the HQ by leaving Fawkes outside, this resulted in the Regulators exiting the HQ and attacking him regardless. Do not under any circumstances allow Fawkes near the Regulator HQ. (Leaving Fawkes outside Canterbury Commons will solve this problem.) (Not Confirmed on Ps3 or PC) (On Xbox 360 Fawkes will NOT get attacked if you bring him close to Regulators or in the HQ. Once you enter HQ with Fawkes some Regulators will start to flee but will not turn hostile. - Confirmed XBox 360 )
 * Rarely, upon meeting a team of regulators with a bounty for your character, after you have killed them in combat, take a close look at their bodies. One man I killed had the face of a white man, and the body of an African American (the arms and legs). I have no idea how this happened or why, but I don't know anybody else who's had this problem (Xbox 360 Version).

Trivia

 * The Regulators may be a reference to the Regulator-Moderator War that took place in East Texas during the 19th century because no proper law enforcement was present at the time. This would also explain the cattle, cowboy hats, and dusters.


 * It is also possible that the Regulators refer to the Regulators in the Andersonville prison camp from the American Civil War. In Andersonville, the "Regulators" were a group of self-appointed lawmen who fought with the "Andersonvile Raiders".


 * The Regulators could also be a reference to the movie Young Guns (1988. Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland), during which a small group of deputies led by "Billy The Kid" fall on the wrong side of the law. The group referred to themselves as The Regulators


 * The Regulators are also possibly a reference to the Lincoln County Regulators, a militia formed in New Mexico in 1878. The above mentioned film is based upon the militia.


 * There is also a book called The Regulators written by Richard Bachman, a pseudonym for Stephen King.


 * If you encounter them for the first time and you're close enough to them and you have used a stealth boy they will Address you and you can even respond with dialog. Then after the conversation you will go back to being undetected by the regulators.


 * They could be a reference to the Capcom game "Darkwatch"


 * The expression "We are the law!" may be a reference to Judge Dredd.

Appearances in games
Sonora's Regulators appear only in Fallout 3. It must be noted that these Regulators are NOT affiliated in any way with Caleb's Regulators in Fallout 1. They share absolutely nothing in common other than, out of pure coincidence (and some irony), the same name.