Actually a cool idea: the “Enclave Armed Forces”, short EAF, have advanced the role-playing in Fallout 76. As players, they embody one of the game’s factions, which is morally questionable. However, they have gone too far, monitoring their members, driving other players out of the game, and tyrannizing them – just like their role models.
What kind of group is this? The Enclave Armed Forces basically act as the executive of the Enclave, one of the factions in Fallout 76, which you meet at the end of the original story campaign. The Enclave originally consisted of high-ranking politicians, military personnel, and businesspeople and sees itself as the successor regime of the United States.
The goal of the Enclave is, broadly speaking, to stay in power to rebuild the United States after the war under their own leadership. However, due to isolation during the war, they became increasingly nationalistic and xenophobic – one of the meaner factions in the Fallout series.
Actually, role-playing in Fallout 76 is meant to make the world feel more alive. For example, there are groups that act as police stations, supply newcomers as Responders, or, in true Fallout humor, found a religion around a gas pipe. A big topic of contention was also humorously implemented:
What is the problem with the EAF? Since 2020, the Enclave Armed Forces have contributed to the role-play in the world and have made it their mission to ensure law and order. This means: they search for unscrupulous players on the servers they play on and put a stop to them.
Over the years, they have particularly targeted players who used “illegal” weapons or built so-called “Trap Camps”. Such camps are constructed by crafty tinkerers as deadly traps that creatively annihilate players when they enter.
However, over the years, the role-play has crossed the line. As stated in an open letter from the alleged former member Zero, a pseudo-military hierarchy is said to have formed within the EAF with officers and clear rules.
In the video, you can learn everything you need to know about Fallout 76 in 2 minutes:
Enclave boasts of driving away players
This is what happened: Zero writes in his letter that the EAF has imposed desired control not only on other players in the role-play but also on its own members.
Friend lists are said to have been monitored, and members were forced to delete friends on the group’s blacklist. It has happened that some old acquaintances have lost contact or friendships have broken apart. Zero says: “It feels like I stabbed them in the back.”
Additionally, the members’ social channels are said to have been monitored. Those who express themselves “incorrectly” can expect disciplinary action in true military fashion.
The EAF is also said to have bragged about driving away other players. Holly Green, who embodies a journalist in Fallout 76 and runs her own role-playing newspaper there, shared a message on Twitter. It allegedly states in a communication from the EAF:
In the EAF, we believe in proper behavior. […] This means that ANY player behavior deemed toxic or harmful to the rightful enjoyment of Fallout 76 will be taxed by the EAF. In short: You lose your camp and in some cases your account. The EAF drives toxic players from public worlds daily and is responsible for many account bans.
This is not done because it is a rule, but because the members are leaders who lead by example. As PCGamer reports, even Holly Green herself fell out of favor because she once did not report positively enough about the Enclave.
Moreover, it has increasingly happened that questionable ideology has taken hold in the EAF. For instance, “white supremacists” were part of the project, and homophobic remarks have been made. Such a problem had already occurred in the scene earlier:
What has now happened? After other role-playing groups and many players apparently complained about the Enclave Armed Forces, the group has disbanded, it seems. Their official website and social channels like Twitter and Instagram have disappeared (as of January 15).
However, there has not yet been any message from the leadership. What exactly is happening with the EAF is still unclear. At least they seem not to be playing any further at the moment.
Actually, the role-playing scene of Fallout 76 is much nicer than what one occasionally hears from people like the EAF or similar projects. For example, one group has dedicated itself to creating its own series:
Fallout 76: Players are making their own crime series and it looks great
