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Minutemen Minutiae

    • 215 posts
    May 25, 2017 1:29 PM EDT

    So, it struck me today that Garvey promotes you to General because he is the "last Minuteman" and comments that the previous General was not able to be replaced because the remaining MM were unable to come to a consensus.

    So, fast forward just a little and you run into several Minutemen with Garvey when you go to retake the Castle.  None of them appear to be settlers from your settlements, and there shouldn't be a full scale recruitment going on (at least not without your knowledge as the General right?) prior to retaking the MM base (Castle) and then forward just a bit more and you run into Ronnie Shaw who even Garvey admits is a member of the Minutemen.  Granted she went AWOL when her commander died...and when did this fall into the timeline as I don't think HER general was the same as Garvey's general. 

    Anyway, I wonder if you have the right to be General with all these other minutemen wandering around.  Also makes me wonder what else Garvey lied about.

    • 700 posts
    May 25, 2017 1:54 PM EDT

    The "right" to be General no longer seems relevant, as the General has almost no actual power. It's a really strange thing. The title makes you more of a figurehead than anyone with an actual rank. You effectively become the face of the Minutemen and lead through charisma and messages of hope rather than...actually...leading. Remember that quest where the Institute is trying to get to that smart guy in the house, but the Minutemen show up to try to interfere? You can talk them down...with a speech check. But no General should need a speech check. The fact that you can straight up fail to command the people who are supposed to be your subordinates says it all. Preston set you up as an image to rally behind and nothing more. 

    • 224 posts
    May 25, 2017 2:54 PM EDT

    I actually think the title of General is more of a placeholder in a sort until the Commonwealth is rebuilt. Preston gives you that title after you have helped a bunch of people, settlements out, rebuild said settlements, etc. I have always seen it as once you get rid of the Institute and such then they will build a form of government because this always happens with situations like this and you will be given the title or be elected as President because it was you who rebuilt the Commonwealth, it was you helped rally the people of the Commonwealth, and so forth. So the title of General at first is a placeholder, but I like to think in the end it actually means something. I really enjoy the Minutemen, but Bethesda didn't do a good job of fleshing them out like the others.

    • 284 posts
    May 25, 2017 5:23 PM EDT

    I agree with Legion, The Sole Survivor is more of a face of the MM then an actual leader. I believe that the MM operate in small cells. One settlement = One cell. You lead Garveys group at Sanctuary while the other settlements have their own leaders. They only cooperate with you while taking the Castle and during other missions.

    • 1441 posts
    May 28, 2017 3:14 AM EDT

    Ragin Cajun said:

    So, it struck me today that Garvey promotes you to General because he is the "last Minuteman" and comments that the previous General was not able to be replaced because the remaining MM were unable to come to a consensus.

    So, fast forward just a little and you run into several Minutemen with Garvey when you go to retake the Castle.  None of them appear to be settlers from your settlements, and there shouldn't be a full scale recruitment going on (at least not without your knowledge as the General right?) prior to retaking the MM base (Castle) and then forward just a bit more and you run into Ronnie Shaw who even Garvey admits is a member of the Minutemen.  Granted she went AWOL when her commander died...and when did this fall into the timeline as I don't think HER general was the same as Garvey's general. 

    Anyway, I wonder if you have the right to be General with all these other minutemen wandering around.  Also makes me wonder what else Garvey lied about.

    Well, they're a lot like the militias in legit Revolutionary days. Basically they all listened to a commander they all liked, hence why, for a certain Institute quest, the Minuteman there barely listen 2 you

    • 248 posts
    May 29, 2017 12:09 PM EDT

    It sort of reminds me of some skyrim faction quests where you do a couple things and boom - head of the faction...only even less developed and fleshed out. It ALWAYS bothered me that you had to pass that speech check Legion referenced. You're the freaking general! 

    I don't neccedarily think it's for sure just a title without power though. You're addressed and respected most of the time wherever you go and meet MM (with the exception of the aforementioned "Pinned" quest). One reason I think this is that upon completing Old Guns, Ronnie tells you to take General McGann's outfit. And when you show up to take the Castle, it's your call on how to proceed. There's obviously some show of military order.

    Honestly though, I think it's just sloppy writing. The MM quests are so annoying I rarely meet Preston back in Sanctuary anyway...unless I go to build some stockades and commmand them to lock themselves up :)

    • 69 posts
    May 31, 2017 1:56 PM EDT

    Mottyskills said:

    It sort of reminds me of some skyrim faction quests where you do a couple things and boom - head of the faction...only even less developed and fleshed out. It ALWAYS bothered me that you had to pass that speech check Legion referenced. You're the freaking general! 

    I don't neccedarily think it's for sure just a title without power though. You're addressed and respected most of the time wherever you go and meet MM (with the exception of the aforementioned "Pinned" quest). One reason I think this is that upon completing Old Guns, Ronnie tells you to take General McGann's outfit. And when you show up to take the Castle, it's your call on how to proceed. There's obviously some show of military order.

    Honestly though, I think it's just sloppy writing. The MM quests are so annoying I rarely meet Preston back in Sanctuary anyway...unless I go to build some stockades and commmand them to lock themselves up :)

     

    And besides the fact that all of this happens can you not just completely ignore the MM and do the SAME exact quests that Preston has you do to ally to that settlement? 

    I for one would've liked to see different quests during the MM and maybe even an option to go further than just "saving" the Commonwealth one settlement at a time. (Like having more quests like taking back the Castle and only when you actually begin to gain a siginificant group of followers then you can take the Castle)

    You basically reach the climax of the whole MM campaign in about 4 quests imo, their are no real Institute options until you end up building the portal to the Institute which you can build with the MM, but i don't believe that this effects their questline any. A follower tracker (like going out and actually recruiting people) that will show whenever you go to your Workshop tab under Data (like: Minutemen - 32) .

    Anyhow that's my rant over the Minutemen, but i must admit the General's outfit is quite an eye pleaser to an extent :P