John McDonnell
First time out of the vault
This isn't so much a story as a collection of background and RP notes from a forum RPG I ran inspired by Fallout, but set in the UK. Elements were added to carry the faction over to conventional Fallout settings.
Albion is a nation born from fire and water; a community of British military and civilians who fled the apocalypse and found salvation out in the open sea. To understand Albion, one must first understand the nation they came from, Great Britain, and the fate it suffered during the end of days.
The fall of the United Kingdom began when the European Commonwealth collapsed. With their stockpiles dwindling, Great Britain soon found its European allies looking toward the North Sea Oil with envy. The Resource Wars loomed, and fearing their own destruction the British Government officially declared their stockpiles had run dry, neglecting to mention hidden deposits that still remained, untapped, beneath their sovereign soil.
Yet this hidden resource did little to help the common people. By the 22nd Century Britain, along with most of Europe was descending into chaos. The British Government responded with lies and self-delusion, speaking aloud to themselves that all would be right if they kept a stiff upper lip. Yet the crises worsened, and in the face of the inescapable truth the politicians did the only thing they could; the Independent Party blamed the global catastrophe on the Conservatives, and the Conservatives blamed it on the Independent Party. Satisfied the problem was no-longer of their causing, Parliament utterly failed to notice that their nation had erupted in civil war. Ireland and Wales declared independence as Scotland had centuries before, but before long even that division was insufficient. Major settlements became city-states, each hoarding what little there was left to hoard while trying to loot its neighbours. Eventually, there was nothing left but to allow the nation to die. Military officers closed the gates to their bases, Parliament and the Royal Family fled to their bomb shelters, and anyone who could lay hands upon a ship took to the open sea.
When the atomic bombs fell it was almost an afterthought. They were summoned by one last, stupid act of a deluded Prime Minister, a man who remotely launched Britain's nuclear arsenal as America fired its own. The retaliation burned everything from Manchester to the Cliffs of Dover. The last transmission from Parliament's bunker was a panicked, garbled message indicating a catastrophic failure of the bunker's key systems, likely ruined when London took a direct hit. Nobody mourned their passing; there were precious few left to do so.
This was the end of Great Britain, but it was not the end of the British. Out in the Atlantic, off the coast of Ireland an ad-hoc flotilla of merchant ships gathered together at an offshore wind farm, hoping to tap into the power network. They were joined by warships and submarines of the Royal Navy. Some had fled the falling bombs, while others were returning from Canada and a futile effort to protect the British Commonwealth. In time these ships were contacted by Sea Queen VToLs of the RAF flying from Windsor. The castle had escaped the bombs almost untouched, and with no semblance of government remaining, royalty stepped up to take charge once more. The coalition of displaced peoples were banded together under one banner - a new nation of Albion. King George VII vowed that the United Kingdom would rise again, and wasted no time in making his dream a reality.
Reclaiming Britain was no easy task. Although they possessed a significant number of soldiers and a good quantity of military hardware, Albion was still resource-stricken and struggling to survive. Food, water and power they could manage, but weapons and armour could not simply be fished from the sea. The Canadian front had allowed Albion to salvage a precious few suits of T-45d Power Armour, and reverse engineering the suits became a top priority. Sea Queens flew scouting missions, but the threat of pirates or attack by rogue military powers kept the fleet well clear of land. After successfully establishing small settlements in Ireland, General Doncaster was eager to push for Britain proper and orchestrated a large scale sortie to claim a mainland airbase. The resulting operation, known now as the Battle of Sealand, was both a great success and an unmitigated disaster. Although Doncaster was able to secure RAF Sealand and the dirigible fleet within, he did so at a heavy cost in lives and over half the Sea Queen force. Doncaster was summarily discharged, and a week later drowned himself in the Irish Sea.
The Battle of Sealand confirmed Albion's worst fears; the tribal nations of Britain were not going to go down quietly. Rogue military forces were equal or superior to Albion in equipment, and had the home-ground advantage. In order to turn the tide, Albion would need an ace in the hole; something that no mainland force could hope to match.
With that in mind, they turned their eyes west...
The British Expeditionary Force
Albion dirigibles reached Canada sometime around 2260 and were fortunate to encounter relatively peaceful locals. A coastal outpost known as Foothold Merlin was established and trade agreements made with the Canadian Tribals. Within a few short years the BEF felt confident enough to move on to their main objectives, and began to push forward in search of stockpiles of American technology. Their ultimate goal was to discover, secure and return with American laser, plasma and Power Armour technology, allowing them to reconquer their nation for King and Country.
Although few in number, the BEF are well-organised, well-equipped and supported by local friendlies known as the British Foreign Legion; a force of both soldiers and civilians, mostly Canadian, who aid the British in their mission.
The British Expeditionary Force in Fallout: New Vegas
The BEF reached the Mohave shortly after the first battle for Hoover Dam. Their original target was Nellis Air Force Base, hoping to use it as a landing zone for their dirigible fleet. However, the presence of the Boomers and their heavy ordnance forced the BEF to turn north and relocate elsewhere. They advanced south into the Mojave on foot and established Foothold Lancelot. From there they began to search for facilities belonging to Poseidon Energy and REPCONN.
The BEF are generally distrustful of local factions, but not overtly hostile. They generally focus their attentions on trying to recruit, displace or destroy the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel. They hate the Fiends and Caesar's Legion, and distrust the more violent Tribals. Due to their lack of robots, or familiarity with the same, they try to avoid Mr House and New Vegas in general.
The first and most important thing to remember is this: Albion is not the Enclave. They do not seek to destroy native forces; they simply don't like the idea of allowing someone more heavily armed than they are run wild. Albion's ultimate goal is to rebuild, and lack of troops and resources means that it tends to do so via indirect, non-combat means (for now...). The BEF in particular may resort to underhanded tactics, such as starting inter-Tribal wars, dealing in chems or other unsavoury actions if it will achieve some suitably lofty goal. While their intentions are noble, the ends must ultimately justify the means.
British Troops favour bullpup carbines (using 5.56mm), Enfield Sniper Rifles (.308) and Mk VI Enfield smei-auto rifles (7.62mm). The latter in particular ensures that, though lightly armoured, a typical British soldier is more than a match for any Wastelander, and can threaten even Combat Armoured troops.
Albion / The BEF make use of two groups of specialists. The SAS are highly trained veterans who favour air-drop via Sea Queen (Albion only) or dirigible. They never hold positions for long; their role is to clear a target for the Foreign Legion or conventional troops to hold.
The second group of specialists are the BAPS - British Army Powered Soldiers. Equipped with B.A.P.A Type-5, they are an imperfect copy of T-45d American Powered Infantry. Their inferior armour coupled with a total lack of energy weapons means that the BAPS cannot go toe to toe with the likes of the Brotherhood or Enclave, but can (and will) overwhelm lesser troops. They are exceptionally few in number, however.
British troops do not possess energy weapons or robots unless they are recovered from American soil.
A History of Albion
Albion is a nation born from fire and water; a community of British military and civilians who fled the apocalypse and found salvation out in the open sea. To understand Albion, one must first understand the nation they came from, Great Britain, and the fate it suffered during the end of days.
The fall of the United Kingdom began when the European Commonwealth collapsed. With their stockpiles dwindling, Great Britain soon found its European allies looking toward the North Sea Oil with envy. The Resource Wars loomed, and fearing their own destruction the British Government officially declared their stockpiles had run dry, neglecting to mention hidden deposits that still remained, untapped, beneath their sovereign soil.
Yet this hidden resource did little to help the common people. By the 22nd Century Britain, along with most of Europe was descending into chaos. The British Government responded with lies and self-delusion, speaking aloud to themselves that all would be right if they kept a stiff upper lip. Yet the crises worsened, and in the face of the inescapable truth the politicians did the only thing they could; the Independent Party blamed the global catastrophe on the Conservatives, and the Conservatives blamed it on the Independent Party. Satisfied the problem was no-longer of their causing, Parliament utterly failed to notice that their nation had erupted in civil war. Ireland and Wales declared independence as Scotland had centuries before, but before long even that division was insufficient. Major settlements became city-states, each hoarding what little there was left to hoard while trying to loot its neighbours. Eventually, there was nothing left but to allow the nation to die. Military officers closed the gates to their bases, Parliament and the Royal Family fled to their bomb shelters, and anyone who could lay hands upon a ship took to the open sea.
When the atomic bombs fell it was almost an afterthought. They were summoned by one last, stupid act of a deluded Prime Minister, a man who remotely launched Britain's nuclear arsenal as America fired its own. The retaliation burned everything from Manchester to the Cliffs of Dover. The last transmission from Parliament's bunker was a panicked, garbled message indicating a catastrophic failure of the bunker's key systems, likely ruined when London took a direct hit. Nobody mourned their passing; there were precious few left to do so.
This was the end of Great Britain, but it was not the end of the British. Out in the Atlantic, off the coast of Ireland an ad-hoc flotilla of merchant ships gathered together at an offshore wind farm, hoping to tap into the power network. They were joined by warships and submarines of the Royal Navy. Some had fled the falling bombs, while others were returning from Canada and a futile effort to protect the British Commonwealth. In time these ships were contacted by Sea Queen VToLs of the RAF flying from Windsor. The castle had escaped the bombs almost untouched, and with no semblance of government remaining, royalty stepped up to take charge once more. The coalition of displaced peoples were banded together under one banner - a new nation of Albion. King George VII vowed that the United Kingdom would rise again, and wasted no time in making his dream a reality.
The Long, Hard Road
Reclaiming Britain was no easy task. Although they possessed a significant number of soldiers and a good quantity of military hardware, Albion was still resource-stricken and struggling to survive. Food, water and power they could manage, but weapons and armour could not simply be fished from the sea. The Canadian front had allowed Albion to salvage a precious few suits of T-45d Power Armour, and reverse engineering the suits became a top priority. Sea Queens flew scouting missions, but the threat of pirates or attack by rogue military powers kept the fleet well clear of land. After successfully establishing small settlements in Ireland, General Doncaster was eager to push for Britain proper and orchestrated a large scale sortie to claim a mainland airbase. The resulting operation, known now as the Battle of Sealand, was both a great success and an unmitigated disaster. Although Doncaster was able to secure RAF Sealand and the dirigible fleet within, he did so at a heavy cost in lives and over half the Sea Queen force. Doncaster was summarily discharged, and a week later drowned himself in the Irish Sea.
The Battle of Sealand confirmed Albion's worst fears; the tribal nations of Britain were not going to go down quietly. Rogue military forces were equal or superior to Albion in equipment, and had the home-ground advantage. In order to turn the tide, Albion would need an ace in the hole; something that no mainland force could hope to match.
With that in mind, they turned their eyes west...
The British Expeditionary Force
Although few in number, the BEF are well-organised, well-equipped and supported by local friendlies known as the British Foreign Legion; a force of both soldiers and civilians, mostly Canadian, who aid the British in their mission.
The British Expeditionary Force in Fallout: New Vegas
The BEF reached the Mohave shortly after the first battle for Hoover Dam. Their original target was Nellis Air Force Base, hoping to use it as a landing zone for their dirigible fleet. However, the presence of the Boomers and their heavy ordnance forced the BEF to turn north and relocate elsewhere. They advanced south into the Mojave on foot and established Foothold Lancelot. From there they began to search for facilities belonging to Poseidon Energy and REPCONN.
The BEF are generally distrustful of local factions, but not overtly hostile. They generally focus their attentions on trying to recruit, displace or destroy the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel. They hate the Fiends and Caesar's Legion, and distrust the more violent Tribals. Due to their lack of robots, or familiarity with the same, they try to avoid Mr House and New Vegas in general.
Albion / The British Expeditionary Force in Fallout RPGs
The first and most important thing to remember is this: Albion is not the Enclave. They do not seek to destroy native forces; they simply don't like the idea of allowing someone more heavily armed than they are run wild. Albion's ultimate goal is to rebuild, and lack of troops and resources means that it tends to do so via indirect, non-combat means (for now...). The BEF in particular may resort to underhanded tactics, such as starting inter-Tribal wars, dealing in chems or other unsavoury actions if it will achieve some suitably lofty goal. While their intentions are noble, the ends must ultimately justify the means.
British Troops favour bullpup carbines (using 5.56mm), Enfield Sniper Rifles (.308) and Mk VI Enfield smei-auto rifles (7.62mm). The latter in particular ensures that, though lightly armoured, a typical British soldier is more than a match for any Wastelander, and can threaten even Combat Armoured troops.
Albion / The BEF make use of two groups of specialists. The SAS are highly trained veterans who favour air-drop via Sea Queen (Albion only) or dirigible. They never hold positions for long; their role is to clear a target for the Foreign Legion or conventional troops to hold.
The second group of specialists are the BAPS - British Army Powered Soldiers. Equipped with B.A.P.A Type-5, they are an imperfect copy of T-45d American Powered Infantry. Their inferior armour coupled with a total lack of energy weapons means that the BAPS cannot go toe to toe with the likes of the Brotherhood or Enclave, but can (and will) overwhelm lesser troops. They are exceptionally few in number, however.
British troops do not possess energy weapons or robots unless they are recovered from American soil.