Powder Gangers

"Problem is, it turns out that giving convicts a bunch of dynamite and blasting powder isn't the best idea."

- Trudy

The powder gangers are raiders operating in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Background
When the NCR expanded eastward into Nevada they took over the old Southern Nevada Correctional Facility in Jean, and created the NCR Correctional Facility. The facility is located near train tracks that run parallel to highway I-15 and the convicts were used to maintain and expand them. As explained by Powder Gangers, no correcting was done - only manual labor. So when the majority of NCR troops guarding the facility were called away to patrol the Colorado River, the convicts decided to take things into their own hands and took over the facility using improvised weapons and explosives.

Because the rail crews often used explosives (typically dynamite) to blast through rock, the prisoners inevitably acquired small amounts which they hid in their cells. When they made their break, they blasted their way out. The interior of the prison was clearly the scene of a large riot where the prisoners used explosives, improvised weapons, and stolen NCR trooper equipment to break through multiple walls and scatter through the desert. Most of the prisoners were not in on the escape plan formally; they were caught up in the moment. Consequently, a lot of them didn't really know where to go when the dust settled. A large contingent of Powder Gangers can be found in Vault 19 though many squatted in the prison and have been informally raiding since.

Organization
The smaller Powder Gangs are all lead by a strong or cunning underboss, like Joe Cobb. The largest group of Powder Gangers in the Mojave serve under Eddie, and another large group lives at Vault 19 with Samuel Cooke, the main organizer of the original prison-break.

Their primary headquarters is their former prison, although they are spread far along the southwestern part of the Mojave Wasteland, all the way down towards Nipton.

Relations with the outside
Due to their hostility, the Powder Gangers have little to no friendly relations outside their groups. They are hated by both the NCR, for reasons that should be obvious, and Caesar's Legion, for harassing Legion raiding parties west of the Colorado river. In fact, if the Courier gets too close to their camps without wearing clothing of their Faction, then they would typically attack without reason even if the courier is on good terms with them.

Neutral relations are not completely unheard of, as seen in Nipton, although they are very rare.

Technology
The favored and most common weapons amongst the Powder Gangers are explosives, primarily the Dynamite which they used during their serving time and escape. However, they also have a large (if somewhat weak) arsenal of guns, some stolen, other found on the remains of the former NCRCF guards.

Beyond weaponry, the powder gangers seems to have very little technology, beyond basic food, aid, and whatever they can steal from Caravans.

Appearances
Powder gangs appear in Fallout: New Vegas and J.E. Sawyer's Fallout RPG. The 215 Rail Line Powder Gang was also to appear in Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3.

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