History VideoGame / FalloutTacticsBrotherhoodOfSteel

It's 2197, and the Midwestern Wasteland is a horrible place to live. Chicago is in ruins, there are monsters everywhere that can tear your head off easier than you could swat a fly, almost all the water is irradiated, and large groups of Super Mutants have escaped the destruction of [[VideoGame/{{Fallout1}} The Master's army]] and roam the land wanting to KillAllHumans. But it's not like you have a choice.

It's 2197, and the Midwestern Wasteland is an okay place to live. Sure, Chicago is in ruins, there's monsters everywhere that can tear your head off easier than you could swat a fly, almost all the water is irradiated, there are large groups of Super-Mutants who escaped the destruction of [[VideoGame/{{Fallout1}} The Master's army]] that want to KillAllHumans, and... Actually, the Wasteland is a horrible place to live. But it's not like you have a choice.

And then everything changed. A huge storm caused gigantic airships to crash-land nearby, and soldiers in huge suits of technologically advanced armor marched out of them, setting up bases. They are the Brotherhood of Steel, and they are not happy to be here. They are the descendants of the United States military, surviving the Great War in a secret military base, and their stated duty is to protect the technology of the past, so that the future may benefit from it.

''Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel'' is the third installment in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series, and the series' first spinoff. Released in 2001, it was developed by Micro Forte and published by Creator/InterplayEntertainment. The game took a departure from the first two games. While, at its core, still an [=RPG=] and uses the same SPECIAL system as the previous games, the focus is now on tactical combat. The official stance on the game from the current IP owners {{Creator/Bethesda}} is that it's BroadStrokes canon.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Midwestern Brotherhood is still a quasi-fascist militant organization with the goal of monopolizing all technology like [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} its parent organization on the West Coast]]. Unlike the original [=BoS=] they allow outsiders into their organization, operate similarly to the [[VideoGame/{{Fallout2}} NCR]] in that they provide protection and aid to nearby tribes in return for manpower and supplies, and aim to share the technology they possess to their protectorates for the common good. [[spoiler:In all of the endings they eventually transform the Midwest into a stable, secure place to live and share non-military technology with their protectorates, though they are still non-democratic]].

-->-- '''[[DrillSergeantNasty Paladin Rychek]]''', welcoming the main characters.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Paladin Rychek.

It's 2197, and [[RunningGag the Midwestern Wasteland is an okay place to live.]] Sure, Chicago is in ruins, there's monsters everywhere that can tear your head off easier than you could swat a fly, almost all the water is irradiated, there are large groups of Super-Mutants who escaped the destruction of [[VideoGame/{{Fallout1}} The Master's army]] that want to KillAllHumans, and... Actually, the Wasteland is a horrible place to live. But it's not like you have a choice.

* AKA47: Averted, surprisingly, and this is often cited as one of the less-popular aspects of the game. Instead of the fictionalised guns of the first two games, many of ''Tactics''' weapons are modern weapons appearing under their own names.

* AwesomePersonnelCarrier: The player finds an APC in one of the missions. Slow, but well-armoured and carries a lot of gear.

** Deathclaw recruits. They are fast. They are strong. They are tough. They tear through metal armour and supermutant skin like tissue paper. Their blows have a knockdown effect that stunlocks anyone they hit. They have no weapons or armour whatsoever, require a lot of micromanaging, do not gain perks as fast, and show up just in time for the point where Big Guns become the alpha and omega.

* BrainInAJar: [[spoiler:The BigBad, the calculator, is an amalgam of around a dozen of these. Potentially you or Barnaky as well, in the ending.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: The Midwest Brotherhood in a nutshell, even dips into DesignatedHero at times. Sure, they'll bring peace to the wasteland and protect your communities. And sure, they'll very willing to accept surrenders and offers of truce. But they'll still demand conscripts for their services, muscle their way into your territory, and even have labor camps for captured enemies [[spoiler:and mutants in the Barnaky ending]]. In one instance they even force captured raiders and Beastlords to transport a radioactive nuke to a irradiated tunnel for safekeeping, but refuse to provide Rad-X or Radaway due to short supply.

** The 'Mutate' perk. Worthless in ''Fallout'' and ''Fallout 2'' where you pick your traits at the beginning of the game. In this game however, it can be used to make all your squad members Gifted retroactively, and is well worth the perk slot.
** The water gun. You then realize that you can find bottles of concentrated acid lying around, and the robots aren't exactly acid-proof.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Midwestern Brotherhood is still a quasi-fascist militant organization with the goal of monopolising all technology like [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} its parent organization on the West Coast]]. Unlike the original [=BoS=] they allow outsiders into their organization, operate similarly to the [[VideoGame/{{Fallout2}} NCR]] in that they provide protection and aid to nearby tribes in return for manpower and supplies, and aim to share the technology they possess to their protectorates for the common good. [[spoiler:In all of the endings they eventually transform the Midwest into a stable, secure place to live and share non-military technology with their protectorates, though they are still non-democratic]].

Not to be confused with ''VideoGame/FalloutBrotherhoodOfSteel'', the ActionRPG developed by ''Creator/Interplay'' for consoles that has since been declared CanonDiscontinuity.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: According to Fallout lore, Ghouls are actually [[HealingFactor healed]] when [[FeedItWithFire exposed to]] [[RadiationImmuneMutants radiation]]. However, due to a limitation of the game's engine, the Ghouls you can recruit in this game are poisoned by radiation just like normal humans. They do get a bonus to radiation resistance though.

** There's also the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Devilthorn_jacket Devilthorn Jacket]], which isn't only a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}''[[note]]And, as it happens, an [[CaptainErsatz ersatz]] of the infamous DummiedOut Demonspike Coat set.[[/note]], but also the definition of WrongGenreSavvy in this setting: while it costs a hefty price, it offers some powerful bonuses on top of being as durable as an Advanced Power Armor... Except it asks for a minimum of 75 STR to be equipped. In a game where the system caps at ''ten''. Yep, you just got scammed by the Fourth Wall!

** As things progress FromBadToWorse, the Mid-Western Brotherhood expands their membership to former raiders, Ghouls, Super-Mutants (which are still on the Holy Genocide List back west), intelligent deathclaws, and even a robot not controlled by Calculator.

* GoodIsNotNice: The Mid-West Brotherhood in a nutshell, even dips into DesignatedHero at times. Sure, they'll bring peace to the wasteland and protect your communities. And sure, they'll very willing to accept surrenders and offers of truce. But they'll still demand conscripts for their services, muscle their way into your territory, and even have labor camps for captured enemies [[spoiler:and mutants in the Barnaky ending]]. In one instance they even force captured raiders and Beastlords to transport a radioactive nuke to a irradiated tunnel for safekeeping, but refuse to provide Rad-X or Radaway due to short supply.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Potentially your squad, but certainly the Mid-West Brotherhood by necessity. After being cut off from the main branch back west the Brotherhood had to start conscripting local tribals to bolster their numbers. After that they start including friendly ghouls. Then they ally with intelligent deathclaws. Then they form an alliance with Super Mutants. Then form an uneasy truce with the Reaver Movement, a bunch of technology worshipping raiders. Finally they include [[spoiler:salvaged humanoid robots.]]

** There is also a new flavor of Nuka Cola available in the MidWest: Nuka-Yellow. It isn't lemon...

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Midwestern Brotherhood is still a quasi-fascist militant organization with the goal of monopolising all technology like [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} its parent organization on the West Coast]]. Unlike the original [=BoS=] they allow outsiders into their organization, operate similarly to the [[VideoGame/{{Fallout2}} NCR]] in that they provide protection and aid to nearby tribes in return for manpower and supplies, and aim to share the technology they possess to their protectorates for the common good. [[spoiler:In all of the endings they eventually transform the Mid-West into a stable, secure place to live and share non-military technology with their protectorates, though they are still non-democratic]].

** The Peoria mission is this in spades. To get the best ending to this mission, which unlocks ghoul recruits, ''every'' defender must live. Since the mission features waves of super-mutants going against lightly armored and armed ghouls, you will be SaveScumming quite often on this section. Oh, and the mutants begin their attack the moment you step on the field, and you are required to guard 4 entrances separated by long and windy sections of fencing. This leads to GuideDangIt moments as the player figures out how to win this scenario [[spoiler: (Hint: beginning turn-based combat IMMEDIATELY upon entering gives you a fighting chance.)]]. At least the ghoul's AI is pretty good in this section, with the defenders using cover and not charging into the hordes of mutants.

''Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel'' is the third installment in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series, and the series' first spinoff. Released in 2001, it was developed by Micro Forte and published by Creator/InterplayEntertainment. The game took a departure from the first two game. While, at its core, still an [=RPG=] and uses the same SPECIAL system as the previous games, the focus is now on tactical combat. The official stance on the game from the current IP owners {{Creator/Bethesda}} is that it's BroadStrokes canon.

->''"There are three simple rules to follow with Brotherhood equipment: if you damage your weapon, you will spend a week in the box. If you damage your armor, you will spend a week in the box. If you ''lose'' either, [[ThisIsUnforgivable I'll kill you myself]]. And one more thing, ladies... Welcome to the Brotherhood of Steel."''

* ShroudedInMyth: In-universe. The whole game is a transcript from Brotherhood archives about achievements of the Warrior, your character.

''Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel'' is the third installment in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series, and the series' first spinoff. Released in 2001, it was developed by Micro Forte and published by Creator/InterplayEntertainment. The game took a departure from the first two game. While, at its core, still an [=RPG=] and uses the same SPECIAL system as the previous games, the focus is now on TurnBasedTactics. The official stance on the game from the current IP owners {{Creator/Bethesda}} is that it's BroadStrokes canon.

''Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel'' is the third installment in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series, and the series' first spinoff. Released in 2001, it was developed by Micro Forte and published by Creator/InterplayEntertainment . The game took a departure from the first two games settings-wise and gameplay-wise. While, at its core, still an [=RPG=] (it uses the same SPECIAL system as the previous games, you gain experience, level up, there are sidequests, random encounters, etc.) the focus is now on tactical squad-based combat. The game is a ContestedSequel with some liking it for its solid tactical combat while others dislike it for the minor continuity errors, occasionally iffy game balance, and departing from many of the RPG elements that made the first two games so good. The official stance on the game from the current IP owners {{Creator/Bethesda}} is that it's BroadStrokes canon.

''Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel'' is the third installment in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series, and the series' first spinoff. Released by Creator/InterplayEntertainment in 2001, it was developed by Micro Forte and published by Interplay. The game took a departure from the first two games settings-wise and gameplay-wise. While, at its core, still an [=RPG=] (it uses the same SPECIAL system as the previous games, you gain experience, level up, there are sidequests, random encounters, etc.) the focus is now on tactical squad-based combat. The game is a ContestedSequel with some liking it for its solid tactical combat while others dislike it for the minor continuity errors, occasionally iffy game balance, and departing from many of the RPG elements that made the first two games so good. The official stance on the game from the current IP owners {{Creator/Bethesda}} is that it's BroadStrokes canon.

* MultipleEndings: Once the final enemies are defeated, the squad is offered a decision; [[spoiler:save the Calculator by donating a squad member's brain, or let the Calculator self-destruct. However, more endings are available if one was able to spare General Barnaky or make it to the Calculator with a 100% Good Karma squad member. The canon ending, however, is the one where the Calculator is destroyed]].

* MultipleEndings [[spoiler:Depending on your alignment and how you choose to answer the calculator's request. Every ending is morally gray except the one where you convince Barnaky to join with the machine. That is very much a DownerEnding. The canon ending, however, is the one where you destroy the calculator.]]

* SaveGameLimits: Enabling "Tough Guy" mode at the start of the game limits saves to in-between missions ala ''FireEmblem'', but gives bonus XP in return. Otherwise, you can save at any time, as many times as you want.

** There's also the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Devilthorn_jacket Devilthorn Jacket]], which isn't only a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}''[[note]]And, as it happens, an [[CaptainErsatz ersatz]] of the infamous DummiedOut Demonspike Coat set.[[/note]], but also the definition of WrongGenreSavvy in this setting: while it costs a hefty price, it offers some powerful bonuses on top of being as durable as a Power Armor... Except it asks for a minimum of 75 STR to be equipped. In a game where the system caps at ''ten''. So you basically burned your campaign's funds for an epic facepalm due to your own carelessness.

** There's also the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Devilthorn_jacket Devilthorn Jacket]], which isn't only a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/Diablo''[[note]]And, as it happens, an [[CaptainErsatz ersatz]] of the infamous DummiedOut Demonspike Coat set.[[/note]], but also the definition of WrongGenreSavvy in this setting: while it costs a hefty price, it offers some powerful bonuses on top of being as durable as a Power Armor... Except it asks for a minimum of 75 STR to be equipped. In a game where the system caps at ''ten''. So you basically burned your campaign's funds for an epic facepalm due to your own carelessness.

*** And in case you think you can outsmart the joke by hacking the armor into one of your characters, you'll find out that not only [[TheComputerIsALyingBastard the armor does nothing it stated in its description]], [[NoFairCheating it also plummets the character's agility to rock bottom]]. ''[[DevelopersForesight Hah hah!]]''

* JokeItem: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauchat The chauchat]], a French UsefulNotes/WW1 light machine gun whose frequent jams have been [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] to epic proportions. It can be found in a hidden cache, but it's not even usable as a melee weapon! To clarify, literally the only thing a character with it equipped can do is reload it, you won't even get any cash for selling it!