This thread will sort of be a two-parter...

Currently doing a playthrough with roleplayer's alternative Start mod and going off of the preset history as what defines my character. The history is basically "As an up and coming politician from the Hub (reputation for having greedy people), you traveled out to the Mojave to see things as they happen, and maybe earn a few favors."

Because of that, I've put a lot of thought into whether I want him to support House or the NCR, and two things have occured to me while doing so and I find myself re-asking these questions:

1) Is an NCR victory actually the best thing for the NCR?

Let me just sum this up quick and concisely with a nice little pros and cons list for an NCR victory:

Pros:

-The NCR will have resources to provide water and power to all of their population, as the Hoover Dam easily provides enough of both to service their population size (with New Vegas' communities included)

-The NCR, for all their faults, are a rather fair and free civilization where all are welcome and life is similar to what we know now. It's possible to be peaceful with every group under NCR rule

-The NCR can take measures to create peace with some of their enemies, such as the Great Khans and portions of the Brotherhood of Steel

-Expansion east continues (***potentially bad)

-As we've attempted to calculate it out ourselves, House's prices for water and electricity seem....rather steep. House could potentially be svcking the NCR dry and practically holding water and electricity ransom if he's allowed to hold the Dam; this of course doesn't happen with NCR rule.

Cons:

-People like Oliver, Kimball and Moore remain in power, as "the end justifies the means" will justify their leadership. People like Hsu and Hanlon are forgotten and/or overlooked

-Expansion east continues (***potentially good)

-Hanlon has openly stated the NCR has been quite wasteful with resources, having pumped every lake in California dry. While pumping the Colorado river dry isn't exactly plausible by any means, it does say something about NCR's consumerism and how their expansionism may never stop, their hunger never satiated. AKA, the NCR continues to look to war to solve their problems rather than looking within themselves and trying to solve them that way.

Overall, it's as though the victory itself is objectively good but what's bad is that through the victory, the NCR learns all the wrong lessons and continues misguided leadership because of it.

My second question...

2) What's the appeal of House?

It's funny, House was my faction-of-choice for a good year after the game's initial release. Now, after a good break from the game, I look at House and ask what exactly is his appeal and why do we all like him?

What I mean is....when we first meet House, this is the man who saved Vegas and this is the man who preserved it as it was and as we in real life know it. He's fighting a defensive war, every decision he makes is logical, rational and reasonable, and he's offering us all the fame, fortune and luxury in the world if we support him. I really loved when he said he had no interest in expanding his nation, as I think having various nations with various different ideals in the post-apocalypse is good; gives people variety to choose from.

....Looking at him lately though, despite all this, what does he accomplish for the people today? Set aside his good deeds of the past, set aside his hopes for the future: what does he accomplish for the people within the timespan of New Vegas? The answer is casinos.

When I tried to roleplay reasons for my politician to support either side, I found little reason to support House aside from the above point about not teaching the NCR all the wrong lessons, and....personal greed. I mean really, I got nothing. And yet I found it fascinating that despite all this, few can argue he's not reasonable, logical and that his past deed of saving Vegas was good.

I think when I initially supported him, my thought was how this was a guy who could defend his people against any and all, and how that was good for mankind and that he could bring about progress. But now? When I look at it, it feels like "his people" that he defends are an incredibly small, select group of people and the vast majority of Vegas benefits only as a side-effect or consequence, and they don't even benefit that much sometimes. They feed off the scraps, and it's mere chance that sometimes the scraps are those of Brahmin Wellington. So for all the NCR's inefficiencies and failings with pleasing the people, the NCR still seemed like the undeniable winner when it came to pleasing the people, simply because the NCR actually tries to please the people, whereas House...well, he doesn't. It's like yes, it's easy to point at the corrupt brahmin barons of the NCR and be disgusted, but it's also quite true and quite sad that the victims of Brahmin barons still enjoy more freedom and justice than the people of the Legion simply because the NCR makes an active attempt (however poor) to provide those things. Same concept here, except with happiness being the topic.

But nevertheless, I'd love to hear opinions on both counts.