But just temporarily standing down to assess the situation? Thats the order that sends them into a tizzy?

Its obvious that the MM are happy to salute their 'General' and pretend to have trappings of leadership when it suits them. But the very moment that becomes even slightly inconvenient to them, they throw up the "I don't have to listen to you" trump card. Because that's absolutely what it is: a 'get out of orders free card.'

No a leader doesn't have to be a unquestioning dictator. But the MM aren't a High School Chess Club: its supposed to at least have some sort of military organization (or at least pretends to). Yet being "General" of them apparently means about as much as being President of said Chess Club. That's how unimportant the leadership of the MM is: when push comes to shove, they'll do what they want. If they want to obey you, they'll obey you. If they don't: they won't.

Personally I think Preston became annoying because the Minutemen Quest line didn't complete properly.

It is something that is claimed to be remedied in the latest patch.

From my experience with the patch that is the case.

A couple of the more scripted Minutemen mini quests became unstuck and were given to me followed by a quiet Preston and Freedom Radio.

One would have thought that once all the settlements were on your side you would no longer need to get them on your side by redoing the quests.

Just do a few things to help them out from time to time.

The icing on the cake for me was when we had just blown the Institute to smithereens and when i spoke to Preston he went on about a settlement I had previously helped but not turned in and then when I spoke to him again he said he had word of another settlement that needed help.

Finally when i spoke to him again he got excited about what we had just done.

They've already assessed the situation. The Institute, who is known for kidnapping people, is there trying to kidnap someone who signaled for the MM to come and stop the Institute from kidnapping him. Some [censored] hit the fan and now there's a standoff that the MM have to end before the Institute can vanish into thin air like it also has a habit of doing. Just before they can do that, however, you show up and tell them to stand down because you just know better? I, don't, think, so.

And they assessed it wrong thats the whole point. They didn't want to even remotely consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the General that had helped them this far might have some other intel on the situation that could change things. They don't even give the slightest [censored] what their 'General' thinks at all. That's how little respect they have for the position. Its like some random guy came in and told them to back off. Being 'General' means bupkiss to them.

No, they wanted to go in shooting and kill some Institute bastards. Despite the fact that Dr. Thompson was just there to offer Wallace a job. And that they weren't going to kill him.

The only time they're going to obey you, is if they want to do it. And that's absolutely no basis for any kind of military leader. Unless the MM are nothing more than a social club, their leadership position ultimately means jack.

But they aren't military. That's the point.

And as for the job offer, as far as Wallace is concerned, it's a kidnapping until you talk him down. And what happens if you fail to talk him down? THE INSTITUTE KIDNAPS HIM. Which kind of throws a big kink in the whole "Those MM don't actually know what's really happening here." thing.

Exactly. And that's also why 'General' doesn't mean jack. Despite it having the trappings of a military position, its obviously not: because they aren't a military.

Like I've said, they're more than happy to 'pretend' that the General is in charge when its suits them. But the moment they don't want to obey an order, that all gets thrown out the window. Which means that, for all intents and purposes, "General of the Minutemen" is a completely meaningless title.

At best, its an honorary title. And nothing more.

Yeah, but thats only because he thinks they're going to kill him. Which is not what's going to happen either way. He's getting a cushy job in The Institute in one of its most prestigious departments, which he's eventually thankful for.

The MM think they're there to kill him. Which again, is completely incorrect.

Here's another possibility about what can happen with the MM:

Say there's a ghoul settlement being attacked by raiders. You tell the MM to defend the settlement but they say no because they don't want to risk their lives to save "filthy ghouls".

there's nothing you can do. How many other times will something like this happen?

Good point. And as we've seen with Diamond City, obviously hatred of ghouls is not uncommon in The Commonwealth.

If the MM only obey orders they personally agree with, that just opens up a whole can of worms.

What about if they don't want to defend another town because they feel they need to defend their own town as the top priority?

Which, again, shows that you're assuming leadership = dictatorship. The MM leadership is built on respect. The person they respect most is given the title General. That doesn't mean that they have to follow every order given, nor does it mean that the title is meaningless. Under most circumstances they will obey your orders. But when you give an order that runs so contrary to their beliefs that it completely undermines everything they set out to achieve, then they have every right to disobey that order.

So they're kidnapping him for his own good (which they are not BTW), so that makes it OK? Sorry, but life doesn't work like that. Just because they don't want to kill him doesn't justify kidnapping him. I doubt that the police would just turn around and go home if you told them you weren't going to kill the lady, you were just going to take her against her will to some strange place to work for you.

Yeah, under most circumstances that they agree with.

Its a completely pointless position. Like being 'President' of a social club.

Doesn't change the fact that the MM are completely oblivious to The Institute's actual purpose. Which is not to kill Wallace, but offer him a job that he ends up liking anyway. Wallace sends up the flare because they're here to harm him, which they aren't.

Instead, they want to go in shooting, kill Enrico and possibly get Wallace caught in the crossfire anyway. But of course, they don't give the slightest damn what they're 'General' has to say. Again, all it shows is that The MM care all of bupkiss for their General's orders. If they don't want to follow them: they won't.

And who's fault is it that the MM don't know that it's supposed to be a simple job offer? Not like the Institute bothered to tell anyone it was career day. And again I point out that they end up kidnapping the man anyway, so the MM were right all along.

If the MM don't want to follow the General's orders, then maybe that person doesn't deserve to be General.

Their own, since they don't want to listen to the General.

I'm not sure the General wants to be in command of a bunch of gun-toting farmers who do whatever they hell they want, whenever the hell they want.

Only because the General has obviously lost his marbles and has no idea what he's saying when he orders them to abandon a kidnapping victim that is asking for help.

Then the General can go kiss a brahmin because there's a man that needs saving in there and they are the only ones around able and willing to do it.

Yes, he's lost is marbles when he asks them to calmly step back and let him go in and talk things over because, maybe, he has intel that suggests that something is amiss here.

The Minutemen are hot-headed jokers.

Intel which he conveniently neglects to inform them of.

"You don't have all the information here. I do. And I'm telling you, this isn't what it looks like. That man's is not in danger."

Say again?

"You don't know what's happening. I do."

May as well be saying "I'm going to screw you over because I know better than you, ignorant plebs."

Funny, I don't see anything in there about a job offer. Do you?

He tells them outright that Wallace will come to no harm.

If the MM don't stand down, temporarily, after hearing that from their 'trusted' commander. Then obviously, they don't give a [censored] to begin with.

Because there's never a situation where a superior officer might actually know more than the grunts about a situation?

"They are there to offer him a job."

How hard is that?

At the very least it's a thousand times more respectful and loyalty building than a dismissive "You don't know what's really happening so just stand down."

I honestly, really, doubt they'd believe that anyway. He assures them that Wallace would come to no harm.

Either they respect their 'leader' enough to obey an order, even if they're leery of it. Or they don't. And clearly, they don't. Becase 'General' ultimately means jack to them. He's a drinking buddy basically that they obey when they feel like it.

And really, if they get their feelings hurt over a *supposed* superior officer telling them that they don't know the full story, they need to step back and reevaluate what they're doing.

*Sits down, eats popcorn*

I hope you brought enough for all of us.

What? The giant truck of prepopped corn not enough?

All the problems that this faction have, has been reported in previous posts and I agree with everyone. Still, they are my favorite for two simple reasons. The first is that I love complete a quest and have the opition to tell that is the MM that helped. Second, is the hats.