Rightyo folks. So I am currently designing a huge "Would-If" scenario that puts the New California Republic in a position where they were forced to give up any ideas of conquest in the Mojave, and instead set their eyes somewhere else. In this scenario, The Legion gets REALLY busted up to the point where they are forced to shrivel back to their main territories and heal for a very long period of time.

Let's say that the NCR was already setting other interest up to the north during the events of Fallout: New Vegas. What cities do you folks think would be of prime interest to them, as well as regions? My first thought is Springfield in Utah, thanks to its proximity near a lake and several reservoirs, along with the fact that the vegetation would probably be fantastic in the area, but I am uncertain if this would work out due to possible... possibilities!

Would love some very good input and ideas regarding this. I am thinking that we should go into... I'd say, seven years past the events of New Vegas if we are going to talk about possible conditions of NCR territory.

Perhaps directly North of the NCR into the Pacific Northwest? I don't think we've heard a thing about anything North of Arroyo and Klamath.

I could see them going into Portland Oregon. I also think they would make their way to Salt Lake City and have some mini war with the white legs and the 80's.

I believe that if House or Independant was Canon, the NCR would just go around the area and conquer more land. The Legion seems to get crippled in all the endings except theirs, where the NCR wins the dam, and then just leave because of the Securitron army, so I don't think the Legion remains a real threat to the NCR.

This sounds feasible.

I personally see them eventually taking most of the coastline, (but this is a very long term prediction) as far up as Seattle, but I really don't see them going too far inland in the foreseeable future. From what we've seen in Honest Hearts, the interior regions are very remote and dangerous as of yet, especially in comparison to the more developed Core Region. Considering their advanced industrial state, it would be feasible to see them eventually turning to the sea, and exploring and settling the Pacific.

The thing is NCR needs more resources such as water, the ocean isn't the best option to get that water. So until they figure out some solution I think they will have to keep moving inland where it may be less dry.

When I was in Seattle, it did nothing but rain, so correct me if I'm wrong, but Washington State isn't exactly what I would call 'dry'. To be honest, I felt that the whole 'water shortage' thing is simply a matter of making mountains out of molehills. The territory that makes up the real-life US is rather blessed, geographically speaking, and I just don't see water as a big issue for the NCR, especially compared to say Saudi Arabia or the Sahel countries in Central Africa. They have plenty of empty, fertile, and undeveloped territory to settle all around them particularly to their colder and less 'dry' north, and they've already expanded into southern Oregon (and as far as we know without facing the resistance they have in the Mojave) Although water is no doubt a concern for them, it hardly seems an existential issue that would convince them go venturing out into indian country looking for water.

Northward and Westward exploration and expansion seem so much more likely (and easy) for the NCR considering the difficulty of controlling these remote, backwards, interior regions as we saw in New Vegas. Win or lose, I really don't see them undertaking a strategic push Eastward, when instead they could take the best harbors on the West Coast and in the Pacific (Hawaii) and establish themselves as the preeminent naval power of the known world for much less cost in blood and treasure. Of course, this is only speculation on my part. The way the Fallout games present their lore purposefully leaves us in the dark about everywhere except the place it's currently set in, so I really don't know what the north is like, and if there are any entrenched power structures there, like in the Mojave.

Well apparently the nuclear war changed global climates, so no gurantee anything is the same.

And the NCR is running out of water. Hanlon tells you how they have used up entire lakes to satisfy the need. And the ground isn't really fertile. In fallout and fallout 2 it was mainly desert.

And east expansion could also be just as easy. Once they go north they can go east. The mojave isn't the only way to go east. And it is easier to walk east instead of building seafaring vessels.In the end they will probably go North, then East, and eventually out west to the Ocean.

Quite honestly there's little to nothing stopping the NCR into expanding further into Northern Nevada. I mean there's A big interstate (I-80) that runs through Nevada that goes through Reno. They already control Reno. They'll most likely have to deal with the only once talked about 80's gang but I sure they'll want it because of the Humboldt river which I'll assume is still there. Then there's Route 50 and 6 which if going on what I've inferred from in-game would be trade routes. Here's a map of Nevada to mull over http://www.nevadatourism.com/images2/nevada-map.jpg