NCR (Pro) vs Caesar's Legion (Con)

Outline:I. Caesar's LegionII. Fallout New VegasIII. SoldiersIV. Allies and EnemiesV. TechnologyI. Caesar's LegionCaesar's Legion, commonly referred to as "The Legion," is one of three major factions in Fallout New Vegas. The Legion is a mighty, imperialist empire based off of the ancient Roman Empire. It was founded in 2247 by Edward Sallow, now known as Caesar, and Joshua Graham. The Legion's army consists of slaves and tribals. II. Fallout New VegasFallout New Vegas takes place in the year 2281 in the Mojave Wasteland. At this time, the NCR has a weak grasp on the Mojave. While they've established various camps throughout the Mojave including Camp Golf and Camp McCarran, and while they have annexed some farms and villages, they face a great deal of opposition from groups such as the Powder Gangers, Mr. House, and, most notably, the Legion. The Legion have advanced to Cottonwood Cove, and have established campsites beyond NCR lines, already demonstrating the NCR's failure in maintaining their territory. At this time, the NCR and Legion are fighting over control of Hoover Dam and, while the NCR currently controls it, the Legion is not far from taking it.The game, Fallout New Vegas, tasks the player, the Courier, with deciding the fate of the Mojave Desert by joining a faction, be it the NCR, Legion, Mr. House, or Yes Man. Ultimately, the one who will control Hoover Dam and the Mojave is the one the Courier sides with. III. SoldiersThe legionaries and the NCR soldiers are very different. Firstly, unlike the Legion soldiers, NCR soldiers are conscripts, people who voluntarily join the NCR around the age of 18. On the contrary, Legion soldiers, typically descendents of reconditioned tribals or slaves, are trained at a young age, spending most of their childhood studying tactics, discipline, and using weapons. Their years of experience make legionaries far more superior in combat than NCR soldiers. Secondly, upon interacting with a NCR soldier, you may get one of the following responses: "Patrolling the Mojave makes you wish for a nucear winter," "When I got this assignment I was hoping there would be more gambling," or "It's been a long tour, all I can think about now is going back home." Legion soldiers, however, would say "Ave, true to Caesar," "Give me cause, Profligate," "Degenerates like you belong on a cross," or "Retribution!" The quotes of NCR soldiers demonstrate their disinterest in their job, instead concerning themselves with the dreams of being able to return home to their family, relaxing, or gambling. This behavior can also be drawn by the NCR soldiers' behavior in the city of New Vegas. Many NCR soldiers in New Vegas drunkenly walk the streets, holding an empty bottle of beer, laughing with their fellow intoxicated soldiers and catcalling nearby gamblers and residents. The Legion, on the other hand, show great zeal for their cause. They proudly chant "Ave, true to Caesar!"and set themselves aside from citizens, jeering at them with titles like "proflogate," clearly showing that, unlike the NCR troopers, the legionaries strongly believe in their cause and will even be willing to die for the Legion's cause.IV. Allies and EnemiesThe NCR has few allies in the Mojave, with only the Followers of the Apocalypse and Mr. House. While the NCR has strong ties with these groups, its imposing presence in the Mojave has made many enemies. Local raider gangs including but not limited to the Vipers, Jackals and Fiends often raid NCR camps, hurt and even kill NCR citizens, and steal important food, ammunition, and gun shipments. The NCR, however, is unable to fight back (without the Courier's help) because of its small numbers, issues in communication, lack of resources, and because the NCR is occupied in far more pressing issues such as the Legion. The NCR also faces fierce opposition from some of the larger players in the Mojave including the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Great Khans. The BoS and Great Khans have both been involved in conflicts with the NCR, such as the Bitter Spring Massacre and the Battle of Helios One, and have since then passionately abhorred the NCR.The Legion, on the other hand, are rich in allies. They have strong ties with the Omertas, a powerful group of mobsters that own the very popular casino in New Vegas, Gomorrah. They are also allies with the Great Khans, which I have explained earlier, zealously hate the NCR, and ten tribes including including the Twisted Hairs and the White Legs.V. TechnologyFinally, I'd like to address the technology both the NCR and Legion use. While the NCR tends to rely on technology, the Legion rejects it, instead committing to prewar weaponry including fragmentation grenades, assault carbines, and explosive collars, and slave labor. The Legion's rejection of most prewar and postwar technology, however, does not necessary mean that the NCR is far more superior. It can be argued that they have suffered from their reliance on technology. Firstly, the sole reason as to why they want to take control of sites such as Hoover Dam and Helios One because of their potential to produce energy necessary for their many encampments and towns, yet, controlling these areas have been costly. To hold Helios One from the Brotherhood of Steel, they had to enlist hundreds of soldiers and use a myriad of weapons, ammunition and other supplies. The Battle of Helios One also resulted in the BoS' unconditional hatred towards the NCR. However, even after successfully taking Helios One, the NCR have failed to utilize the power plant's full potential. They're completely clueless on how to use the facility and have been so desperate to find out how to use it that they've enlisted the help of Fantastic, the idiot wearing sunglasses, who also has no clue as to how to operate the facility. As we all know, holding Hoover Dam has been a very costly struggle as well, spurring the fierce war between the Legion and NCR, and with the war going on, the NCR has not been able to use the dam to generate power. Secondly, the NCR usually lakc the "superior technology" such as arms and medical supplies because of the army's inability to extend their resources to other camps or because local raiders threaten shipments and steal their supplies. This can be witnessed at Camp Forlorn Hope, a destitute NCR camp on the verge of collapse. They see the most action from Caesar's forces among all the other NCR camps, however, their supplies are scarce, lacking enough medical supplies and weapons to protect themselves. Because of the nearby raider groups and Caesar's Legion, many of their supply lines have been destroyed. Without the Courier's intervention, they are undoubtedly doomed to fall to the Legion. On the other hand, the Legion is very self-sufficient. Its constantly-expanding territory has won the empire a wealth of resources, soldiers, and slave labor. And, with its surplus of slave labor, the Legion has managed to produce enough resources including food, clothing, weapons, and other goods to sustain itself.