Fallout Tactics explored the 'bigotry of the Brotherhood of Steel' long before Bethesda: 'I enjoyed killing off the noble of them'

Nearly every Fallout game is defended by a devoted fanbase: people who swear that New Vegas or 3, or 2 or 1 are the best games in the series, and maybe the best games of all time. The Wasteland inspires a lot of fanatical devotion. Usually.

Fallout Tactics may be one of the few titles that you would struggle to find a fan who is willing to play it until the end. The combat-focused sequel to Fallout 2's RPG and tactics elements didn't find favor with fans of either genre. Who knows, maybe Fallout fans were offended by its depiction of Brotherhood of Steel.

Ed Orman, Fallout Tactics' lead designer, told PCG recently that he enjoyed "killing off the nobility" of them. In Tactics players were given the opportunity to take on the role as a squadron of Brotherhood soldiers. This was one of the most in-depth looks at the faction yet (although had heavily featured in both the first game and the second).

"Anybody who gets that level of power through all of their technology and stuff, post-apocalyptically, I don't believe they're going to remain a noble enterprise," says Orman. He doesn't believe the Brotherhood "really was all that noble" anyway. Tactics' backstory revolves around a split within the Brotherhood about whether or not to accept "unpure recruits": Mutants and ghouls who now inhabit Wasteland. Some want to expand membership, while others with a more, shall we call it, fascist bent want to keep things the same.

Orman says, "[What] We were Exploring was Basically Racism." "The bigotry was built into their ethos. In [tabletop role-playing game] Gamma World, there's a concept of pure strain human beings. I know this concept is also in Fallout from the Brotherhood perspective.

I really enjoyed playing with that. It's why I liked the end, where they get over it -- they get over their prejudices and sexism and accept that everyone's help is needed to survive."

Tactics was a game that asked questions about the ethics behind the Brotherhood's underlying philosophy, long before Fallout 3 split or New Vegas' waning xenophobic portrayal. It was ahead of its time, which is easy for a game that is so under-loved to forget.

Orman says, "I enjoyed breaking that mold for them and forcing them to accept new people." I don't think we landed, but it was a good ending. By the end of the campaign they were no longer the Brotherhood. At that point, they are open to everyone because they realize that is the only way to survive. It's not only the technology; it's also the people. "I always liked that note." I'm thinking about giving Fallout Tactics a second try.