Spent last 2 days trying out some various things to try and improve my mapping ability. Would like feedback because I feel like I've started going in circles. Cyowari, whose amazing work you can find here is my inspiration.
(Thank you to the HOI4 Old World Blues team for making an incredible template map for this project. Its the best fallout mod, if not best fallout game, I've ever played. Go play it).
Oh boy I can already see the crosses getting made. Anyway:
Why the Long Dead Horse?
It's less a nation than the range they regularly patrol. We know they extend as far west as Zion, even disputing territory with the Sorrows if they remain there, and as far east as Colorado, where a mentioned New Canaanite settlement presumably falls under their protection. That also fits neatly along the north bank of the Colorado River.
Are the 80s super powerful?
No. They're not substantially stronger than other tribes. Their strength comes from using motorcycles to control a huge amount of territory with relatively few people. They dominate the I-80 (obviously) and I-50 (which they can lose if the Sorrows stay in Zion).
Why no Shi?
This will be controversial. In a cut line of New Vegas dialogue, the Enclave traced the Chosen One's tanker to San Francisco and nuked the city in revenge. The line was only cut because Bethesda wanted to keep San Francisco available for a future game. However, Fallout has shown repeatedly that a city being nuked doesn't stop it from becoming a setting. More importantly, an empire like the Shi never being mentioned by the NCR would be a little odd and runs against the series' broader narrative of the two major empires of the region colliding. This one's just my personal interpretation though, so feel free to disagree.
The Legion is bigger than the NCR. Doesn't that make it stronger?
No. The NCR enjoyed over a century of relative peace and stability, allowing its population to boom. Legion territory simply hasn't. I'd expect at most half the population density of NCR territory, probably much less.
Why does the NCR own all the north?
Because I think that's the most likely outcome based on previous games. The Chosen One consistently helped Tandi and the NCR expand, so a northern annexation feels like the natural continuation.
I cannot stress enough that this map is built from a few hard facts / references, and a lot of vibes informed by the games and regional geography. It's meant to be a plausible interpretation, not the undisputed canon. The main reason I made it was because I got tired of maps where the NCR owns the entire West Coast and the Legion somehow stretches into Kansas and deep into Mexico.
Just in-game screenshots taken from the Lo-Fi website and the wiki that I then layered three effects on (ink-sketch, oil painting, quantize) using paint. net.
IDK thought it looked neat. I'm just burned out from work currently and doing anything more creative than slapping on layers requires more braincells than are currently active. So trying out some style stuff. LMK what you think.
Obligatory Disclaimer - This timeline sucks. I just like studying “evil” factions and making maps. Hence this series.
This is the latest map in my axis timeline, which is a middle ground between the two popular Hoi4 Mods of Thousand Week Reich and T^(.)N^(.)O. Specifically focusing on less covered areas in Axis Victory scenarios. And in very isolated chunks to prevent burnout and the general problem of larger map projects causing compounding speculation that can ruin the scenario.
Previous Posts in this series:
Brief Scenario Background - A British officer shoots Gandhi in 1939, sparking riots that destabilize the empire, leading to Italy successfully seizing Egypt/Suez and India breaking away, with Japan jumping in too. A crippled U.K is forced to sign an armistice. The Soviets and China are both cut-off from outside aid and are slowly conquered (mostly). By 1948 every Axis Member had achieved their main territorial war aims. (spoiler) And like Thousand Week Reich things start falling apart fast.
This entry focuses on France. Mainly TWR inspired, but with a few changes to account for other Axis powers taking bits. Also including the “closed zone” going to Germany since Alsace-Lorraine was absolutely not the only part they’d take.
Next map, if there is one, might be on Italy. And/or the Latin Bloc.
P.S. I probably forgot some obscure islands, just assume Perfidious Albion took those too.
Obligatory disclaimer: This timeline is awful for everyone. I'm just drawn to evil factions in both fiction and irl, and almost nothing's more evil than the Axis. Think like how wanting to watch serial killer documentaries doesn't mean you support their actions.
This is map is in the same universe as my last two posts. One on China specifically (borders now updated based on feedback). And one on the middle east. Basically putting a spotlight on the less covered areas of an Axis Victory.
Relevant lore is in previous posts, no use repeating everything here. Short version: A British officer shoots Gandhi in 1939, triggering riots across India and the Middle East. Letting Italy capture the Suez and India breaking away, forcing the U.K. to make peace by 1942. Russia and China are cut-off from lend-lease and both are slowly, painfully beaten. With Western Europe "at peace" so early the U.S. never got the opportunity to join the war.
Essentially this is Thousand Week Reich but for every axis power, not just Germany. Like TWR the Axis gets a solid decade of looking big on the map, then things rapidly fall apart.
I'm considering the next post being on Reichskommissariat Kaukasien. Mostly because I want to recreate the weird map on its wiki page in English.