New California Republic

The New California Republic (NCR) is a democratic federation based in California, with holdings in Nevada, Oregon, Mexico and along the Colorado River. The Republic is dedicated to old world values, such as democracy, liberty and the rule of law. The NCR also strives to restore order and progress in the Wasteland, though in recent years, it has faced difficulty living up to those standards.

History
The New California Republic was born from the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 and the small walled-in community they founded known as 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 the "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 provinces: Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub, and Dayglow.

By post-apocalyptic standards, the NCR is a paradigm 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 is in a state of transition, with rapid economic growth and a sea of change in political leadership, endangering its grand humanitarian ideals. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mojave, where the 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 5% (percent) of the dam's electrical and water production to local use, free of charge. Adding insult to injury, the NCR is locked into protecting New Vegas from invasion by Caesar's Legion, even though it doesn't receive a single 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.

Society
Most of the NCR is made up of farmers, merchants or settlers seeking protection from the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world. In exchange, the NCR collects taxes from them to arm, train, and supply their troops.

Structure
The NCR is a democratic federation, modeling itself on the government of pre-War United States. The government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative branch is the Congress, staffed by representatives elected by their states and senators, forming two houses: House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congressmen use a variety of titles: "Councilor," "Counselor," "Councilman," "Representative," and "Senator." In particular, the Hub (in its own obstinate way) prefers to call their representatives "Governors." The executive branch is the Republic council, headed by the President and Vice-President. The President and Vice-President are elected by NCR citizens, with advice from the Congress. Last, the judicial branch comprises courts and judges ruling in accordance with NCR's adapted version of American common law. United States uses common law, so it's logical that its heirs would continue to use it - after adapting it to post nuclear needs, of course.

In theory, this is a sound and well-balanced system, but in practice, every state tries to assert its independence and work towards furthering its own agenda. There is much friction between the states of Hub and Shady Sands, usually related to trade rights and caravan routes, while New Reno remains dominated by various criminal interests. Significant pressure is exerted on the political and economic direction of the NCR by a variety of private interests; in particular, the Brahmin barons whose wealth gives them great influence at the ballot box and whose needs are often placed first by officials seeking support in their political ambitions. With the armed forces, the Gun Runners gain special dispensation and influence as they are the primary contributor to NCR's weapon arsenal. Elsewhere, monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and similar trading families dominate the trade routes and use their wealth to gain influence with the NCR government and extort large amounts of money. Smaller competitors who are unable to compete with both the larger competition as well as the high taxes are inevitably muscled out.

The president is the biggest factor in deciding on the course the Republic should take. For example, under Tandi (who served over ten terms as President; something Caesar mocks as indicative of monarchy, rather than democracy), the NCR has grown substantially, focusing efforts on rebuilding the pre-War infrastructure and restarting technological development, while under Aaron Kimball, the NCR became more imperialistic and expansive, overextending itself on multiple fronts in the process.

There is little to no sexism in the NCR (unlike many other factions in the wastes), most likely due to the community's origins in Vault 15 and Tandi's extended presidency. The republic also has shown little discrimination against ghouls and mutants, though many political analysts argue that this is because NCR has had limited contact with them (the NCR did have little contact with Necropolis or the Master's Army). However, some politicians use lingering anti-mutant sentiments to boost their popularity among the voters.

There is a clear separation of church and state. NCR has resisted any attempts to canonize the Vault Dweller within the city limits (the statue outside the Hall of Congress is fine, but that's it). Both Aradesh and Tandi found that 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 in the past and in the present allows any non-psychotic religions within their capital, the NCR are very tolerant of religions as long as they don't involve human sacrifice or dipping people in vats of Forced Evolutionary Virus.

States

 * (State) - (Capital) If there is an *, the State and Capital have the same name.
 * Arroyo
 * Boneyard
 * Dayglow - *
 * The Hub - *
 * Klamath - *
 * Maxson - *
 * Redding - *
 * Shady Sands - New California Republic
 * Vault City - *

Military
The NCR's military is composed of several Divisions, including special cavalry and mechanized units. In addition, many of their major cities are protected and patrolled by heavily armed police officers. One of their Special Forces units consists of the New California Rangers, a select group that is pledged to protect the people of the Wastes much like the Texas Rangers of old. The Rangers are said to have numerous safehouses throughout the wastes, and they use these to strike at slavers outside of NCR territory (usually in the North). As expected, the two groups hate each other with a passion. NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories, responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic. Ghouls, super mutants, and humans were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces. But in the events of New Vegas, super mutants are no longer welcome in the NCR, even in the rangers. They also have access to multiple vertibirds from their battle with the Enclave over Navarro and their war with the Brotherhood of Steel. They may also have access to the blueprints of the vertibirds, because there were copies at Navarro and in possession of the Brotherhood of Steel.

Relations with the outside
Many people in the western wastelands have mixed feelings about the NCR. Some people strongly support the Republic's goals of spreading democracy and the rule of law, and others vehemently oppose their methods of "controlling" everything they come into contact with. With wastelanders who were used to having no more than a mayor or sheriff now suddenly being part of a complex political structure and having to pay taxes, some view it as a loss of the frontier lifestyles that once defined them. As the NCR's power and territory grew, it made progressively stronger enemies who would test the resolve of the Republic.

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".

Viewing the NCR's growth and success as a threat to their already stagnating power and influence, the Brotherhood of Steel would launch a military campaign with the goal of pacifying the NCR and asserting its dominance over the wasteland and its technology. After narrowly avoiding defeat in the early days of the war, 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 Republic's borders in every direction in a more imperialistic fashion, they sacrificed some of the NCR's principles and moral highground in the process. Now led by 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 ever, Caesar's Legion, across the Colorado River.

Known wars and military conflicts in which the NCR was involved:
 * NCR-Enclave War
 * NCR-Brotherhood War
 * NCR-Great Khan War
 * NCR-Legion War

Technology
The NCR seems to have access to a lot of pre-war technology. Standard NCR soldiers have Service rifles along with the standard armor. Similar to the Brotherhood of Steel, the NCR uses Power armor, but, unlike the Brotherhood, the NCR is forced to use salvaged and refurbished suits, which are far less effective than the armor employed by the Brotherhood. Its arsenal of power armor is also much more limited than the Brotherhood's, meaning that only a small fraction of the NCR's army uses power armor, being used only by NCR heavy troopers. Additionally, these soldiers are far less skilled in the use of power armor than Brotherhood forces. The New California Republic does not use Energy Weapons in their forces. However the NCR special forces, the NCR Ranger Veterans, use pre-war riot gear and armor. The weapons used by the Rangers include Anti-materiel rifle, Ranger Sequoia, Hunting revolver, Brush gun, among others.

As for civilian technology, they appear to have knowledge of irrigation (As apparent in the NCR sharecropper farms). They can also maintain some pre-war transportation, such as the Monorail at Camp McCarran. The NCR also had an extensive railroad network in the New Vegas area and in the Core Region. This network was used for things like transporting the limestone from Quarry Junction to Boulder City; That is until the Powder gangers revolted and the efforts to curb Deathclaw expanding in population failed. However, the railroad system in the Core Region is still likely active.

After annexing Vault City, the NCR got access to many new kinds of technology, such as energy weapons, though they do not use them. Due to Vault City, the NCR can mass produce chems and stimpacks, as well as perform radiation removal and sophisticated surgical procedures, including replacement of lost limbs and organs via cloning and grafting armor plating to one's skeleton. Vault City also allows them to access the ability to make their own weapons, repair pre-war weapons, and make their own power armour, this may mean that only the original NCR Ranger Veterans have pre-war riot gear and that the others were given new models based off of the original that were created at Vault City.

Appearances
The New California Republic was first mentioned in the Fallout end cutscenes for Shady Sands and it first appeared in Fallout 2, and was to appear again in the canceled Van Buren project. It appears in Fallout: New Vegas as one of the major factions fighting over the control of the Mojave Wasteland.

Currency: Bank Notes/Coinage
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