Powder Gangers

The Powder Gangers are a gang of escaped prisoners acting as raiders operating in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Background
In the distant past, the NCR Correctional Facility was the Jean Conservancy (aka Southern Nevada Correctional Center), a low-security all-female prison. When the NCR occupied the Mojave, it became a perfect spot to house prisoners on a work-release program. The inmates were tasked with maintaining a railroad alongside the Long 15 under military supervision, keeping the vital link between the Boneyard and New Vegas alive. However, as the war with the Legion escalated, more and more prison guards were redeployed to the Colorado River against the warden's objections. Coupled with the fact that the inmates routinely worked with explosives to blast through rock or old train cars littering the tracks and were essentially used as slave labor for a major infrastructure project in grueling conditions, an uprising was a question of time.

Under the lead of Samuel Cooke, a small group of inmates gathered weapons and explosives before rebelling against the military police staffing the facility. Blasting their way out of the cellblock, they quickly overwhelmed what little NCR personnel were present at the site, killed the warden and established their own rule. The prisoner population dispersed, with some following Cooke into Vault 19, others staying with Eddie as Powder Gangers and some heading out to cause mayhem throughout the Long 15.

The revolt shut down Highway 93 and the NCR's main road to Vegas. The situation worsened when the Powder Gangers stole Sloan's dynamite supply, shutting down Quarry Junction and inadvertently unleashing deathclaws on the quarry and the highway. Eventually, the gangers established a sizable presence outside the prison, with a ring of camps around it, focused on raiding caravans that tried to push through to Vegas and launch attacks to terrorize the local towns of Goodsprings, Sloan and Primm.

Organization
There are several groups of loosely organized Powder Gangers that organized quickly after the prison break. Many remain in the prison and have been raiding surrounding areas under the leadership of Eddie. There are factions of Powder Gangers spread far along the southwestern part of the Mojave Wasteland, all the way down towards Nipton.

The smaller groups of Powder Gangers are all lead by a strong or cunning underboss, like Joe Cobb. A large contingent of Powder Gangers can be found in Vault 19, under the leadership of Samuel Cooke, although there they are identified as escaped convicts.

Relations with the outside
Due to their hostility, the Powder Gangers have little to no friendly relations with outside groups. They are hated by both the NCR, whom they were former prisoners of, and Caesar's Legion, for harassing their raiding parties west of the Colorado River. The Brotherhood of Steel also seems to dislike them due to interfering with patrols near and in Hidden Valley.

Neutral relations are not completely unheard of, as seen in Nipton, although they are very rare. The willingness of Samuel Cooke's group in Vault 19 to join the Great Khans suggests at least some respect is held for the Khans, though no formal relations exist between the two groups without intervention from the Courier.

Technology
The favored and most common weapons among the Powder Gangers are explosives, primarily the powder charges and dynamite which they acquired during their time in prison and escape. However, they also have a large arsenal of guns; some stolen, others looted from dead NCRCF guards. Their guns tend to be weak; they carry single shotguns, 9mm pistols, varmint rifles and .357 Magnum revolvers. However some members who have moved further away from the prison, such as those found at Whittaker farmstead, are significantly better armed, sometimes equipped with laser or Plasma rifles.

Quests

 * Run Goodsprings Run: Side with Joe Cobb against the town of Goodsprings and help kill Ringo.
 * Eddie's Emissary: Earn the trust of the Powder Gangers in the NCRCF.
 * I Fought the Law: Run errands for Eddie in the NCRCF.
 * Why Can't We Be Friends?: Help Samuel Cooke or Philip Lem with a few tasks in Vault 19.
 * Booted: Free the enslaved Powder Gangers from the Legion camp.

Effects of player's actions

 * Completing Ghost Town Gunfight will earn a negative reputation with the Powder Gangers.
 * If the player character has a negative reputation with the Powder Gangers, groups of one to three of them will occasionally ambush them south of Primm and west of the Prospector's Den.

Notable quotes

 * - Trudy

Appearances
Powder Gangers appear in Fallout: New Vegas and J.E. Sawyer's Fallout RPG. The 215 Rail Line Powder Gang were also due to appear in Black Isle's canceled Van Buren.

Behind the scenes
Commenting on the differences between the Fallout: New Vegas Powder Gangers and the 215 Rail Lain Powder Gang in Van Buren, Joshua Sawyer stated that the Van Buren faction had much more developed characters and were to play a larger role, while in Fallout: New Vegas, their focus in the game was greatly diminished.