NCR Field Intel Projections

== What’s on the Menu? ==
You want to survive, so you need to know your potential friends and threats. This section will cover the basics on who the primary groups you encounter are, what their known motives are, how they act and operate, and how you can best interact with them to keep yourself alive.
=== Wastelander, AKA, I’m The Protagonist! ===
The wastelander can be widely varied; an honest citizen of the Republic, a stateless survivalist, a violent anarchist looking for trouble, or an entertainer who likes to tease and prank. They enter the valley with no group, but will quickly join a group, form their own, or create a survival nest. Wastelanders can be a great asset to the smart soldier, if treated appropriately and with caution. If disrespected or harmed, even in a misunderstanding, they can hold a grudge and assist your enemies purely out of spite for your nation, all due to you upsetting them. Gear varies widely, tactics vary widely, treat with caution and do what you can to side them with the Republic.
=== Townie, AKA, Don’t Tread on Me! ===
The townie is very similar to the wastelander in many regards, but mostly in their varied gear, motivations, and tactics. Some may be agitated and looking for a fight, others may value trade and conversation, but almost all of them from settler to sheriff are united. Settlement residents feel just as patriotic about their individual micro-states as you feel about the Republic, and they value their independence greatly, do not even joke about annexation with them. If you slight them, like with the wastelander, they will likely hold it against you. Townies should be avoided if possible, unless they are clearly attempting to assist the Republic or engage in trade. In such a scenario, alert the Captain; only the Captain should negotiate with a landed settlement.
=== Great Khans, AKA, Remember Bitter Springs! ===
The Great Khans are a tribal organization that has clashed with Republic civilians and soldiers in the past. With equipment on the poor side of mediocre, their scout camps usually number conservatively, but they will work to endear themselves to local civilians while undermining Republic authority and reputation. Unlikely to actively hunt and kill Republic citizens, unless a prime opportunity presents itself, such as you wandering into a Khan run establishment alone for a refreshment. Depending on leadership, a Khan party will either be very active or lethargic. There are three primary Khan subsets to concern yourself with; the leader, either appointed by Papa Khan or assuming said title due to lack of existent leadership, the merchant, who can be relied upon to tend bar and trade recreational chems with patrons, and the warrior, who either protects the previous subsets or seeks combat on their own. 
Khans do not care about the Brotherhood of Steel unless there is an easy opportunity to loot their remains. Due to previous periods of conflict, most Khans will hold grudges against the Republic, but some are willing to do business. When it comes to Caesar's Legion, there are the intelligent Khans who recognize their tribe is set to be subsumed by the slave army, and there are those who recognize this but care more for vengeance than freedom. Treat with extreme caution, do not enter their territory unless you are accompanied by your squad and SL. Follow your SL's instructions to the letter within Khan territory. Leave as soon as ordered.
=== Raiders, AKA, Oh God These Clowns... ===
Raider is a very broad category, with many subsets. The most prominent are slavers, who will capture citizens and soldiers to sell to individuals or organizations, tribals, who simply wish to live peaceful agrarian lives or hunt wildlife, merchants, who seek profit and are perfectly willing to acquire their stock at gunpoint, highwaymen, who subsist entirely off robbery and allow cooperative victims to continue on with their lives, sadists, who exist purely to inflict suffering on others, and mercenaries, who are willing to fight for any cause providing there is equitable pay. Note any of these subsets can have the additional variable of chem addiction, which is a wild card, and can be used to your benefit, but adds unpredictability.
Raiders are naturally lethargic, but on occasion a motivated raider will rise to form a gang, mercenary outfit, or tribe. These individuals are designated Gang Leaders. In the case of negotiation, trade, or open conflict, note that the Gang Leader is a primary target. If you can capture or kill a hostile Gang Leader, if said raider group has no base of operations, they will likely make a suicide rush without proper leadership, or scatter into the desert. If the group has an existent base however, a new leader will likely elect themselves with driven vengeance towards those who killed their previous leader, unless internal conflict lends otherwise. Be prepared for an enemy you thought defeated to rebound, with a summoned ally.
Raiders are commonly antagonistic, they often enjoy poking and prodding what they consider to be self-important and stuffy lawmen. To avoid antagonizing this potentially violent group of individuals, understand that enforcement of the law often requires cooperation with the criminal elements of society, to an extent. Do not break the law to appease raiders, but do bend it on advisement of your commanding officer if they deem it required from your active report. 
Do not engage with public discourse with raiders in any venue, this goes with any other group of individuals. You are a grunt, and you are not permitted to speak on behalf of the Republic. They want to turn the local settlements and residents against the Republic, do not give them material. Equipment and tactics vary widely, tribes may wear leather and use bone spears, while a mercenary company may wear reinforced combat armor and wield submachine guns. Engage with extreme caution, avoid conflict if possible, take note of their composition and numbers.
=== Brotherhood of Steel, AKA, Brotherhood of Stealing. ===
The Brotherhood of Steel originate from a rogue US Army powered infantry division, and have the tribalistic and structured mentality a tribe from such origins would come to gain. Each grouping can be found in pre-war military facilities or fallout shelters, led by an Elder, or comparative senior in the ranks, such as a Paladin in certain circumstances. They are considered a terrorist threat, and the war with the Brotherhood is active in the West, as isolated pockets in the Republic state of Maxson are breached and eliminated. They are often less informed on their origins than their own enemies, many unaware of the name of their founder, US Army Captain Roger Maxson. Will reliably hoard technology, with no clear end goal.
The Brotherhood will claim they are preserving technology, but each member lacks vision due to a strict social contract of preserving the secrecy of the Brotherhood and preventing a second global conflict. Unlikely to take legitimate large-scale action, they are often isolated until the surface world comes to provoke them to an active state. Due to this isolation, they are often untrained, and overconfident due to their superior armor and weapons. It is easy to overwhelm attacking Brotherhood if appropriate tactics are taken. Exceptions do exist.
Do not be tempted to harbor sympathy for this backwards tribe, even as they attempt to sell their life mission as a noble goal to save humanity. They are a collection of terrorist cells, who have slaughtered Republic citizens with no remorse at the chance of securing laser rifles. They are extremely antagonistic, and many are aware their tribe is dying out as successive generations are smaller and smaller. If rising to the surface, they will take two modes of operation; violent crusader or subversive saboteur. The violent path is often taken by a paladin or knight who wishes to exact revenge for fallen brothers in arms, usually at the suggestion of alliance by a Legion or Khan ambassador in a joint attack. 
The subversive saboteur is a Brotherhood member, usually a scribe, knight, or initiate, disguising themselves as a wastelander and attempting to gather leads on technology or surface factions. Most often they will do so ineffectively, blatantly asking to purchase power armor and microfusion cells at first chance, or when accused of being a disguised Brotherhood member, will claim they don’t know what the Brotherhood is. Ignore if they are not a clear threat, it's not worth the trouble. This dying breed of terrorist is on its way out, but their base defense is par none. Do not invade their facilities, as they spend the majority of their lives in said bunkers, and have heavy defenses. If you must break into their base, note that explosives are effective.
=== Caesar’s Legion, AKA, Enemy of Civilization. ===
Kill on sight. This is the sworn enemy of the Republic. Members of Caesar’s Legion undergo rigorous physical conditioning, often use a lingering medicinal powder before combat to revive themselves from critical states, and prefer using hard shock attacks with superior melee weapons against their enemies. Most are fanatically loyal to Caesar, AKA Edward Sallow, former NCR Citizen and Followers of the Apocalypse member. They will gladly sell their lives for his cause, and are extremely unlikely to retreat from combat.
You may have noticed this particular collective of terrorists is far more organized and uniform than most raider tribes. They are highly structured, with successive ranks possessing superior armor and weapons. A recruit legionary is a substantive threat one on one, a veteran legionary may require your battle buddies to make it a fair fight. Your primary concern, and primary targets, should be the veteran legionary, veteran decanus and centurion. Their armor is superior, their firepower on par with many Republic infantrymen. If one falls in battle, he will don the equipment of the fallen commander and assume the position. Do not let them corner you alone, do not let them kill your SL. In battle, quickly point out the position of these prime targets via comms. Alone you cannot kill them, but with your comrades it is possible. Look out for the Centurion’s powerfist, and for Legion snipers on the other side of the battlefield, or completely out of sight. Remember to use barricades and point out snipers via comms.
Legionary men, from the recruit to the decanus, will often travel in groups to eliminate Republic soldiers and enslave local civilians to work their farms. To increase your chances of survival, you must also travel in a squad; your sergeant or corporal will have good directional sense in combat, and is more in-sync with command’s regional awareness. More friends with you equals more hot lead to back you up in combat, and patch you up if a legionary bullet finds its mark. If you find yourself outnumbered and on your own, there is no dishonor in tactical retreat. If you and friends are outnumbered, make a collective retreat, no man left behind.
If disengaging from a Legionary, they will likely attempt to throw a bola around your ankle to slow you down, if they did not already toss it when combat began. To catch their bola, ready an empty hand as if you are about to throw something. Use it against them or bag it for later use. When stuck in thick combat, be aware that the legionary will attempt to close the distance and slash at you with superior melee weapons. Use your comparatively superior firepower to wound them from a distance; aim for either the legs to slow them down, or the head for maximum lethal damage. When a legionary is downed, they are not dead, their pre-battle healing powder is going to help them get back up. Use your gun from a distance or pick up their melee weapon, and finish the job. If possible, pocket their melee weapon, it is better than your standard knife.
Important to note is the Legion has a civilian caste, the Followers and Slaves. Slaves can be conditioned to believe in the cause of the Legion, and can be just as fanatic as most followers. In combat, quickly warn them to evacuate the area or stay out of the fight. Do not harm the women if they do not attack you first. Followers have been raised in the Legion life, and are heavily conditioned. But they can have a second chance at life. Once battle is concluded, if they were not healing downed legionary men (which you should engage them in combat for), or attacking Republic soldiers, ask your commanding officer or SL what to do with them. They may request you bring them to the base for processing as citizens. If so, attempt to get their cooperation in coming with your squad back to the base. If not, detain them non-lethally. If this is not possible, and they assault you or your friends, eliminate the threat.