Powder Gangers

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

Background
The NCR Correctional Facility is the dominant location of the central Mojave Wasteland. In the distant past, it was the Jean Conservancy, a low-security all-female prison. Under recent NCR control, it was used to house prisoners on work release. The prisoners worked the railroad parallel to the Long 15 under NCR trooper supervision, maintaining the vital land link between the Boneyard and New Vegas. Eventually, prison guards (NCR troopers) were pulled away to run Colorado River border patrol. When the guard staff was low, the prisoners executed a daring and violent escape.

Because the rail crews often used explosives (typically dynamite) to blast through rock or get rid of train cars that were locked/fixed on the line, 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.

NCRCF

 * If left leaderless, after Hoover Dam the Powder Gangers at the Correctional Facility vanish into the wastes, leaving the prison empty. The Correctional Facility becomes another abandoned ruin in the wasteland, its carcass occasionally picked over by enterprising prospectors.
 * If the Dam ends up firmly in its grasp, the NCR turns its attention towards wresting the Correctional Facility from Powder Ganger hands. The Powder Gangers are no match for the battle-hardened troops of the NCR, and summary execution awaits the Powder Gangers who manage to survive.
 * If the Legion advance across the wasteland, most Powder Gangers flee rather than face them. Those brave or foolish to remain are killed or crucified by the merciless Legionaries.
 * If the NCR are battered by the loss of the Dam, they are unable to devote any troops to retaking the Correctional Facility from the Powder Gangers. As a result, Powder Ganger raids on caravans become an unfortunate fact of life in the Mojave for years to come.

Vault 19

 * If Cooke dies, the Powder Gangers at Vault 19 fall apart. Those who aren't destroyed by the Courier flee into the hills or attempt to work their way back through the Mojave Wasteland. Few survive.
 * If armed with a wide array of improvised explosives and stolen weapons, the Vault 19 Powder Gang torment the Mojave Wasteland for years. Citizens of the NCR are favorite targets, and they always suffer the worst fates.
 * If the Vault 19 Powder Gang surrender to the NCR, they are re-incorporated into the correctional system. The NCR do increase their sentences, as they aren't about to take off time for good behavior.
 * If the majority of the Vault 19 Powder Gangers joined the Great Khans, the weaker members scatter throughout the Mojave Wasteland. Though a few manage to erase their pasts, most never survive the journey.

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.

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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