I'm not saying you aren't their leader. I'm saying that being their leader is an honorary position of first among equals. Its not a real *rank* because the MM don't have real ranks. Because they aren't a military.

The commander at Quincy ordered reinforcements to head to Quincy, they did not come.

I don't have any kind of issue with it. I'm just pointing out that they make it clear that they don't have to obey the orders of their General.

I don't recall being able to tell Maxson that "The Brotherhood ain't a military, and I don't have to take orders from you Maxson."

We know The Brotherhood is a military. It has ranks, and functions just like a normal military. Their lore has been well defined since the first Fallout. Danse at one point flat out says if you refuse an order that "Like hell you don't. I'm your commanding officer soldier."

What's worse? Saying you wont do something and doing it? Or Saying you Will and not doing it? lol

Whats wrong with being a first amongst equals? Why does rank have to be such an issue? Maybe the generals job is to inspire, not just boss people around? Not everyone wants the responsibility as leader but yet want someone to look up to. It's not just about standing in line and taking orders. The minutemen dont work that way and I honestly like it that way better, hense why I am defending them and you prefer the BoS. That's fine, no two people are alike. lol

In the military, one might have to issue or obey orders that are not in one's own personal best interests, but are in the interest of the wider War Effort. If you cannot reply on your unit commanders to obey lawful orders, how do you expect to win wars, or even battles? And yes, by rights, Maxon should have had the SS shot for Insubordination....he chose not to do so, most likely because he had been forced to realize his synth policy had flaws and didn't care to paper them over with the SS's life, which should lay to rest any idea that Maxon is a socipath.

There's nothing wrong with it, unless you want a functioning regular army to protect the Commonwealth. I'm just pointing out that's how the MM are. Their general is an honorary title. They can refuse orders at will. They aren't a military. etc.

I mean if you prefer it that way. More power to you. I don't like it myself, but to each his own.

The minute openly admit it's not a military though. They aren't pretending to be anything they're not. They also did not sign any papers stating they have to follow orders even if it goes against their personal morals. Why do the minutemen have to live up to the militaries standards? They are meant to protect the innocence of the commonwealth during a time where the military or police forces dont really exist. The minutemen are not enemies with the BoS so any outcome that pertains the BoS is not in their hands. The problem here is that it appears you guys think there's one specific way to be a leader or "in charge" and there's not.. because people are not robots and not everyone is cut out to be an obedient order following soldier like the military. But the minutemen are atleast doing something rather than nothing for the CW and whether they are the absolutely best for the job or not is not what's important.

At some point you realize that you don't have to return to Preston to receive credit for successfully completing his tasks.

Eventually they will 'complete' in your journal, once enough time has passed...

Cleaning up your journal nicely!

However (as noted) the quests given by the settlers themselves, and this is important, are timed.

If you ignore them - or worse, complete them but don't speak to Garvey - they will fail.

If this seems inconsistent to players, they'll keep running back to Garvey and NEVER get out from under Garvey's endless string of tasks...

So a bit of experience with the game and the subtleties of the Minutemen faction helps.

The Minutemen questline just feels so ufinished compared to the three other factions, not sure if this was intentional or not, like a make your own story thing. Still they have fewer unqiue quests and to much repetition. It does not help that when Preston expresses himself i almost fall asleep because of his monotone voice. He is not a bad or uinteresting character, not really, but he lacks the umph to make me care. Also the radiant quests are just really off, and the whole Settlement system (building up the Commonwealth) needed a better pay off. Make the Settlers into people you actually do care about, there are a few ofc.

I personally prefer rules and regulation, this is why we have the government. I think the Minutemen is the third best ending, so I'm not against them or anything, but in term of effectiveness, a structural government like the BoS would be preferred for me. We give up some freedom to let the government protect us and pay a certain amount of taxes to keep them afloat. If the MM keeps operates the same way, nothing changes, and nothing to prevent it from getting corrupted again. The Founding Father did try something similar to the MM, but no one getting paid to maintain stuffs and there is no authority and there were protests and riots everywhere. This is why forming a central government was necessary. What the BoS missing is basically just a check and balance, something like a BoS council to check on the Elder's power in each region.

Hopefully a DLC, which I hope includes new questlines for all the factions, will allow the MM General to begin building a proper 'Continental Army'.

I'm hopeing for some Faction Quest DLC as well as Companion personal quests (like Mass Effect 2)

I hope they let you customize your minute men more. Such as which weapons they carry when on patrol and what they wear.

I doubt it. No DLC really touched the factions in Skyrim, plus each of these factions are tied to the MQ so any kind of change could require some major re-working of all MQ paths. I imagine it will be like prior FO DLC, new area, new bosses, new items, etc.

Assuming someone uses the MM MQ I agree the Common Wealth's scenery doesn't change much. Still have feral's, Super Mutants and raiders. Unless the MM really grow in size there will still be settlement attacks, kidnappings, etc. going on forever. Nothing really changes overall. I would like to assume that the major settlements may try again to set up a governing body (like the one the Institute ended before it began) but we really don't know I suppose. Preston makes no mention that I recall of pursuing something like that in the future.

I think the best that can be hoped for is a decent mod to revamp the MM.

That is patently absurd. Everyone knows pirates fight better when drunk.

I would point out that the DLC 'Broken Steel', FO3 did in fact continue the Protagonist faction story.

I would not want a DLC that changed the MQ, but one that enabled or disabled storylines based on the victorious faction. Bethesda could do it, and I want them to, but I am also doubtful that they would.

True, but that was really only because of player outcry. And, to be fair, its not like there was much choice in the Fallout 3 main quest. It was pretty much Brotherhood.....or fourth-quarter-seconds-remaining-on-the-clock 'defection' to The Enclave.

But who knows? I certainly wouldn't say no to an Institute DLC.

Bartholomew Roberts would like a word with you.

Personally, I don't hate the Minutemen. However, General seems like a pretty meaningless and only really an honorary title. Bethesda should have given Preston a conversation topic specifically related to Settlements. If you wanted to do a Settlement related quest, you would have to choose that topic when talking to Preston. Preston would then give you a random quest to either Defend a Settlement, Talk to the Settlers at a Settlement about Raiders, Ghouls, Super Mutants, etc who are threatening, or Rescue a Settler who has been kidnapped. The first time you speak to him for a Settlement related quest, Preston would briefly explain that the quests he gives are based upon intel that Minutemen in the field have gathered. This system would be less tedious than the current system and would not result in Settlements being attacked at a potentially very inopportune time.

That why my SS would request volunteers to go thought training and establishing a standing force with structure. Afterwards send words for representatives from various settlements to meet in Diamond City, S. Hills or another settlement to discussed forming a government like founder fathers did.

Please don't do "what if they don't want to?" because that just a what if. I could easily say there was say "What if there was a civil war in capital wasteland?" or "Super Mutants put the BOS on the defensive?" or "What happen with the Midwest chapter show up?" Basically those are Schogier Cat scenarios.

I think the General title came a little too early. Maybe after taking the Castle, or maybe even after the MQ it would have made more sense. Minuteman Gopher would have been more appropriate actually.

I now dislike all you in this topic.

I really haven't still played through the game but this does disappoint me in the direction of the Minutemen. I guess I should have assumed it was only a militia. Is the goal of Bethesda to make us see that government, especially dictatorial government is bad? Now I dislike all the fractions and a desire to complete this game kind of slips away . Would/ could the MM become something of an eastern form of NCR? A government system of some type has to be established to protect rights and punish crimes. All my beautiful settlements could just end up being "in it for themselves."

Now we have the BoS, who are not interested in the welfare of the wastelanders, besides their contrived "protect civilians by discovering weapons" Toooo use? To lock up? It never made sense. Now they have gone back to crazy again. I like the Midwest BoS.

So now that leaves the institute... which how can one condone such experiments? Should a murderer be damned his entire life or life be taken away from him. The FEV experiments not only killed people but their released experiments repeatedly kill people. The kidnapping and replacing people. Sure... you can have a pipe dream that you can bring "ethics" into the Institute.. but what happens if they replace you. Kill you? After you are gone? If Bethesda has said anything in their games... Science and scientists are not to be trusted to hold ethics in their experiments (Vault Tec, Big Mt, Enclave, BoS to some extents, countless R and D companies throughout the fallout universe, and now Institute). And throughout the entire game, they are portrayed as evil or amoral.

Where does the future of the Commonwealth lies? I feel bad for these people. Maybe one of my settlements will become the next NCR.

Each ending has an extended "narrative", for the Institute, you will stand before all the scientists, braving the new world, and humanity is saved in this ending, so all their research and finding do bear fruits and end up saving humans.

The BoS does help people, they created a water system for the Capital Wasteland, but they just have control over it, the killed supermutants and ghouls to protect people. They're basically govern the people so that they don't tamper with anything that could destroy humanity. I don't think they have problems with people having weapons, they have no problem with the Minutemen or guards and people like that, just advanced weapons and information that could result in the destruction of the world once again.

Define "humanity".

That is the crux behind the Institute saving it in the end. Remember that the Enclave wants to save humanity as well.

Pretty sure I've answered this already. The people inside the Institute.

According to mama Murphy it would be up to the player director to define it.