Who is the best sheriff for the town of Primm in Fallout New Vegas? Let’s try and understand each potential sheriff and decide who’s the most suitable in this lore article.
Why Primm needs a Sheriff
First of all, let’s understand the background of the need for law in Primm. If you haven’t played the game, which I doubt, you may not know that the original sheriff was murdered. Both he and his poor wife were mercilessly slain by escaped convicts from the NCR Correctional Facility which is not far from the settlement. These crazy criminals even captured the deputy of the town.
After you eliminate the convicts, the town will be free of trouble. But without sturdy law, more trouble is sure to occur. If you’re willing to play the Good Samaritan, or if you aim to complete all the quests, you can choose to help Primm by getting the town a new sheriff. There are three potential suitors for the role: The NCR, Meyers, and Primm Slim.
The NCR
The New California Republic is more or less the government of New Vegas and the Mojave. As you and I both know, governments aren’t always perfect… But the NCR is okay. That’s the best compliment I’m willing to give them. There’s corruption within the troops and the diplomatic side, as with any government. But they protect civilians and keep the savages of Caesar’s Legion from turning the wasteland into something with more similarities to a Buddhist hell.
Sergeant McGee is a 5th Battalion officer of the NCR and he resides just outside the town of Primm. He’s under the jurisdiction of Lieutenant Hayes of the NCR, who’s also stationed at Primm. I won’t go into details on how to get him to be the Sheriff, because I’m sure that you’re competent enough to follow simple quest instructions.
Getting NCR to take over Primm basically grants the NCR more perks in terms of trading and tax collection. Without a doubt, they’re very suited for the job because the discipline and order of a military organisation hardly falter in the presence of bandits or worse. I mentioned tax collection above. That’s an issue for the good folks of Primm because, with the recent attacks, they’ve lost much of their wealth.
Essentially, NCR will control Primm in a disciplined and orderly manner with martial law. The town’s shop (run by the proprietor Johnson Nash) will sell more guns and ammunition. But because they have to pay taxes, the price of every item will rise. In the long run, this is a great way to support NCR because the more under control the Mojave is, the harder it is for bandits or the Legion to penetrate the defences.
Obviously, for a player who’s concerned with the politics of the entire Mojave wasteland and if he’s a supporter of the NCR, this choice may suit him.
Sheriff Meyers
The issue with Mr Meyers is that he’s actually imprisoned within the NCR Correctional Facility along with other Powder Gangers. These criminals are on the opposite side of good and the NCR hunts them down as they see them. But do not be mistaken; Meyers is not a Powder Ganger. He was imprisoned because of a story. You see, he was actually a Sheriff of another town before. Some kind of crime happened in the town and the justice for the victims was ‘slow’, as Meyers describes. He took it into his own hands and exacted revenge on the perpetrators himself. This bold yet reckless move got him into prison. As you can understand, Meyers is a person with a strong sense of justice. But with him taking law into his own hands, he may seem like a harsh person.
Because of his previous reckless act, one is justifiable in believing that he would do something like that again. But if justice is indeed slow and the victims are helpless, taking matters into one’s own hands is like taking responsibility for the community one is serving. It is admirable in certain ways. You can get the NCR to issue him a pardon and he will become the Sheriff of Primm.
In a radio message, he will boldly state this (if you chose him as the sheriff): “Howdy folks. It’s Sheriff Meyers. Be good. Or I’ll kill you dead.” Now, that does sound somewhat harsh and strict. But in the hands of someone like Meyers who’d take matters into his own hands when criminal activity occurs, might be good in a land as savage as the Mojave.
The town’s shop owner will offer you a good discount for the products he offers and he will thank you.
Primm Slim
Primm Slim is a robot with artificial intelligence. In order for him to become sheriff, you need to actually reprogram him to act as the law. There really isn’t much to tell about this choice. Primm Slim being a robot who’s programmed, will not be capable of corruption or other unfavorable things to the community. But appointing a non-human to act as the law for a community with humans may pose some questions. Primm Slim is not capable of feelings and he will always be rational and thinking. This may sound good, but sometimes a ruler must feel what his subjects feel in order to carry out the law in a favorable manner.
Your choice
Now that I’ve explained and discussed the potential lawbringers to the town of Primm, who do you think is the best bet? Because Fallout New Vegas is an RPG that encourages you to think and choose with your own judgment, I refrain from including my personal opinions here.
Tell us on the forums who you chose as the sheriff for Primm.
