Having examined the storied past of the Brotherhood, you can get a good idea of what kind of people they are, but that is only one part of their character. Knowing how they think, operate and organize themselves is equally important. That's what we'll be looking at here. What makes these elite warriors tick?
“The Chain That Binds is the cornerstone of our organization, the rock that supports the great tree of the Brotherhood and its myriad branches. It holds that:
1. Orders are to flow from on high down through the ranks. An order from a superior must always be obeyed, that their wisdom may be carried out without hesitation.
2. Orders are to observe the flow and not skip ranks. A superior may only give orders to his direct subordinates, and not to those beneath them. In this way harmony of intent and cohesion of thought is maintained.”
I. Organization
Just as it's roots were military, the Brotherhood today is military organization, and it's ranks suggest as much. That said, their hierarchy bears little resemblance with the Old World military that they were born from, which is natural, considering the cause of their divergence.
The Brotherhood is led by a council of Elders, who are usually former Paladins. Each Elder is elected by the council and may oversee a chapter in addition to their role on the council. Some Elders function more exclusively as the heads of chapters, as some of them are spread quite widely across the continent. The Elders defer to a High Elder, the true head of the organization, who has often been a descendant of Roger Maxson. However, that too is an elected position, and need not remain in the bloodline. The body of the Brotherhood is divided into three castes covering all it's primary objectives:
Members of the Brotherhood in training are called Initiates, and eventually join the Scribes or the Knights, though sometimes they are groomed through the Knights to become Paladins. Arthur Maxson, the last living descendant of Roger, was an initiate receiving instruction with the D.C. chapter of the Brotherhood, mentored by Elder Lyons and his daughter, Sarah Lyons.
II. Objectives
The Brotherhood's mission, at least as it is written, is to preserve technology and the knowledge of its use for future generations. The believe that technology is what will restore humanity to its former glory. However, the Brotherhood focuses almost exclusively on combat tech; weapons and armor, which they believe must be kept from those who would misuse until they deem the populace "ready" for it.
However it is often (reasonably) argued that the ideology of the Brotherhood has been corrupted from what it once was. A long policy of isolationism has bred extreme distrust for outsiders, and has evolved into a belief that the Brotherhood is superior to all other peoples and factions, and rather than trading technology to those who might be "responsible" with it, they now almost exclusively hoard it. And "preserving technology for those wise enough to use it" has been reduced to "outlast the rest of the world, so that we alone inherit it."
One of the weaknesses in the modern Brotherhood mission is that almost all non-combative knowledge is ignored or looked down on. Were the Brotherhood actually to inherit the Earth, they would have little to no knowledge in how to provide for themselves.
III. Brotherhood Life
The vast majority of the Brotherhood are descendants of Roger Maxson's security detail and surviving scientists from the Mariposa research base; they rarely recruit outsiders except in dire situations, and when these outsiders prove to be exceptional individuals. A notable exception is the chapter under the command of Elder Lyons on the East Coast, who has numerous recruits from the wastes. Because of their isolated nature and small numbers, it is often viewed as an imperative that members of the Brotherhood reproduce. As a result, same-gender relationships are strongly discouraged. Despite these measures, though, the Brotherhood continues to dwindle. The average modern Scribe or Knight probably spend more time cataloging and maintaining stockpiles than anything, and even major Brotherhood bunkers like Hidden Valley now struggle to survive, making for a very cynical, sober collection of individuals.
However, radical change has become more and more frequent in the Brotherhood. Lyons' chapter, though not considered rogue, had lost official support from the Council for his drastic shift toward protecting wastelanders, and recruiting outsiders. However, even when Arthur Maxson assumed command, outsiders were still brought into the order in extreme circumstances. It remains to be seen if the Council has made any accommodations for the chapter now that they are led by a Maxson. In the Mojave it is becoming increasingly apparent that isolation is not enough to preserve them, let alone allow them to prosper, and rumors and discussion of more open policies abound.
IV. Future
It remains to be seen if the changes that have taken place in the Brotherhood in recent years will have a lasting effect or pave the road to new success for the organization. Their golden age has long passed, and the Council continues it's tradition of endlessly arguing while nations like the NCR and Legion continue to whittle away Brotherhood strength. It seems that it will take something drastic for the Brotherhood of Steel to last another century.
Sources: In-game texts/dialogue; Fallout 1,2,3 and New Vegas, Fallout Bible
Having examined the storied past of the Brotherhood, you can get a good idea of what kind of people they are, but that is only one part of their character. Knowing how they think, operate and organize themselves is equally important. That's what we'll be looking at here. What makes these elite warriors tick?
“The Chain That Binds is the cornerstone of our organization, the rock that supports the great tree of the Brotherhood and its myriad branches. It holds that:
1. Orders are to flow from on high down through the ranks. An order from a superior must always be obeyed, that their wisdom may be carried out without hesitation.
2. Orders are to observe the flow and not skip ranks. A superior may only give orders to his direct subordinates, and not to those beneath them. In this way harmony of intent and cohesion of thought is maintained.”
I. Organization
Just as it's roots were military, the Brotherhood today is military organization, and it's ranks suggest as much. That said, their hierarchy bears little resemblance with the Old World military that they were born from, which is natural, considering the cause of their divergence.
The Brotherhood is led by a council of Elders, who are usually former Paladins. Each Elder is elected by the council and may oversee a chapter in addition to their role on the council. Some Elders function more exclusively as the heads of chapters, as some of them are spread quite widely across the continent. The Elders defer to a High Elder, the true head of the organization, who has often been a descendant of Roger Maxson. However, that too is an elected position, and need not remain in the bloodline. The body of the Brotherhood is divided into three castes covering all it's primary objectives:
Members of the Brotherhood in training are called Initiates, and eventually join the Scribes or the Knights, though sometimes they are groomed through the Knights to become Paladins. Arthur Maxson, the last living descendant of Roger, was an initiate receiving instruction with the D.C. chapter of the Brotherhood, mentored by Elder Lyons and his daughter, Sarah Lyons.
II. Objectives
The Brotherhood's mission, at least as it is written, is to preserve technology and the knowledge of its use for future generations. The believe that technology is what will restore humanity to its former glory. However, the Brotherhood focuses almost exclusively on combat tech; weapons and armor, which they believe must be kept from those who would misuse until they deem the populace "ready" for it.
However it is often (reasonably) argued that the ideology of the Brotherhood has been corrupted from what it once was. A long policy of isolationism has bred extreme distrust for outsiders, and has evolved into a belief that the Brotherhood is superior to all other peoples and factions, and rather than trading technology to those who might be "responsible" with it, they now almost exclusively hoard it. And "preserving technology for those wise enough to use it" has been reduced to "outlast the rest of the world, so that we alone inherit it."
One of the weaknesses in the modern Brotherhood mission is that almost all non-combative knowledge is ignored or looked down on. Were the Brotherhood actually to inherit the Earth, they would have little to no knowledge in how to provide for themselves.
III. Brotherhood Life
The vast majority of the Brotherhood are descendants of Roger Maxson's security detail and surviving scientists from the Mariposa research base; they rarely recruit outsiders except in dire situations, and when these outsiders prove to be exceptional individuals. A notable exception is the chapter under the command of Elder Lyons on the East Coast, who has numerous recruits from the wastes. Because of their isolated nature and small numbers, it is often viewed as an imperative that members of the Brotherhood reproduce. As a result, same-gender relationships are strongly discouraged. Despite these measures, though, the Brotherhood continues to dwindle. The average modern Scribe or Knight probably spend more time cataloging and maintaining stockpiles than anything, and even major Brotherhood bunkers like Hidden Valley now struggle to survive, making for a very cynical, sober collection of individuals.
However, radical change has become more and more frequent in the Brotherhood. Lyons' chapter, though not considered rogue, had lost official support from the Council for his drastic shift toward protecting wastelanders, and recruiting outsiders. However, even when Arthur Maxson assumed command, outsiders were still brought into the order in extreme circumstances. It remains to be seen if the Council has made any accommodations for the chapter now that they are led by a Maxson. In the Mojave it is becoming increasingly apparent that isolation is not enough to preserve them, let alone allow them to prosper, and rumors and discussion of more open policies abound.
IV. Future
It remains to be seen if the changes that have taken place in the Brotherhood in recent years will have a lasting effect or pave the road to new success for the organization. Their golden age has long passed, and the Council continues it's tradition of endlessly arguing while nations like the NCR and Legion continue to whittle away Brotherhood strength. It seems that it will take something drastic for the Brotherhood of Steel to last another century.
Sources: In-game texts/dialogue; Fallout 1,2,3 and New Vegas, Fallout Bible
That first quote is almost a mixed metaphor, or exactly is a mixed metaphor. Either way I love it.
The second and third quotes are food for thought. "...harmony of intent and cohesion of thought is maintained.” Does this mean that every decision comes from the council, or do the heads of each chapter have autonomy and freedom to pursue BoS aims as they see fit?
Basically, is it a massive game of chess or more fluid, if that makes sense.
That first quote is almost a mixed metaphor, or exactly is a mixed metaphor. Either way I love it.
The second and third quotes are food for thought. "...harmony of intent and cohesion of thought is maintained.” Does this mean that every decision comes from the council, or do the heads of each chapter have autonomy and freedom to pursue BoS aims as they see fit?
Basically, is it a massive game of chess or more fluid, if that makes sense.
Does this mean that every decision comes from the council, or do the heads of each chapter have autonomy and freedom to pursue BoS aims as they see fit?
In most cases, probably the second one. An order can originate at any point in the chain, but it then has travel through direct subordinates. There is probably a little "chess play" at work, as if a subordinate, like a Chapter Elder gives an order the council doesn't approve, they would ostensibly have the power to immediately reverse it. It probably accounts somewhat for the Brotherhood's slow growth, and steady decay; the philosophy doesn't lend itself very well to rapid change.
Does this mean that every decision comes from the council, or do the heads of each chapter have autonomy and freedom to pursue BoS aims as they see fit?
In most cases, probably the second one. An order can originate at any point in the chain, but it then has travel through direct subordinates. There is probably a little "chess play" at work, as if a subordinate, like a Chapter Elder gives an order the council doesn't approve, they would ostensibly have the power to immediately reverse it. It probably accounts somewhat for the Brotherhood's slow growth, and steady decay; the philosophy doesn't lend itself very well to rapid change.
Members of the Brotherhood in training are called Initiates
So it comes to light through a series of radiant quests in Fallout 4 that Initiates can be children. In fact, all of them are in this particular quest. It has the player take child Initiates into live combat as a training exercise, and even Lancer Captain Kells refers to this as "mentoring".
Do you have any information on this? About how the Brotherhood views children and what other sorts of trials members who grow up in the BH are put through?
Members of the Brotherhood in training are called Initiates
So it comes to light through a series of radiant quests in Fallout 4 that Initiates can be children. In fact, all of them are in this particular quest. It has the player take child Initiates into live combat as a training exercise, and even Lancer Captain Kells refers to this as "mentoring".
Do you have any information on this? About how the Brotherhood views children and what other sorts of trials members who grow up in the BH are put through?
No, but that's definitely something I'll be looking for. I'm reminded of the NV quest where the two initiates lose a laser pistol outside the bunker, though they weren't on any training mission. But at least there are some other children to compare against. Thanks, Legion :)
No, but that's definitely something I'll be looking for. I'm reminded of the NV quest where the two initiates lose a laser pistol outside the bunker, though they weren't on any training mission. But at least there are some other children to compare against. Thanks, Legion :)
You have got to be shitting me!? The BoS take kids out on live fire exercises? Talk about getting 'em early. My level of respect for the Brotherhood just went up a notch
You have got to be shitting me!? The BoS take kids out on live fire exercises? Talk about getting 'em early. My level of respect for the Brotherhood just went up a notch