Andy (Fallout: New Vegas)

"It's funny, you get stuck in your room for a few weeks, you start to worry the world's gonna fall apart without you."

Ranger Andy is a retired New California Ranger living in Novac in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
A veteran of the NCR Rangers, Andy is the closest Novac has to a proper lawman, watching the town while Vargas and Boone watch the highway. He's currently out of the loop, allowing frauds like Ada Straus to prowl the streets of Novac, as he fell down the motel stairs, injuring his leg. Although it was not the worst injury in the world, Andy was knocked flat on his back and forced to stay in his bungalow for several weeks, counting cracks in the ceiling, courtesy of the town's mayor, Jeannie May. This recent injury has been a serious blow to Andy's self-worth and is currently feeling useless and more of a burden than anything else.

If he was still in his prime, he wouldn't bat an eye and keep limping about. However, Andy has problems with his arm and leg, leftover from his service and the incident that forced him into retirement. A few years back, he led a team of Rangers to act upon intel that there were Legion slavers holed up in a burned-out house a few kilometers from their station. The place was deserted, save for a scrawny child hiding in the closet. Andy tried to pick him up, to take him to the station and into proper care, but the child hid back in the closet, leaving him with a live grenade at his feet. Although he survived the explosion, half his body was mangled and he couldn't continue to serve.

He settled at Novac, becoming the closest the town has to a sheriff. He had an eye for people and was one of the few who didn't dislike Carla Boone based on her behavior. He considered her a sweet girl, even if she had a tendency to be pretty direct about the quality of life in Novac. He believed it was just a coping mechanism with living on the frontier, reminding herself that there was a better life out there. To keep his spirits up, he stays in touch with the Rangers over at Ranger station Charlie through his ham radio, with patrols checking up on him regularly. They joke it's paying respects, something Andy takes in stride with a smile on his face - one of the few his retirement affords him. But as of when the Courier arrives in Novac, Ranger Station Charlie hasn't responded in a couple of days and has had him worried enough to ask a stranger to check up on them for him.

Quests

 * Andy and Charlie: The old Ranger will suggest something might be amiss at Ranger station Charlie, as they haven't responded to his messages for a couple of days.
 * One for My Baby: Andy can be fingered as the one responsible for Carla's disappearance.
 * Old School Ghoul: He's one of the several elders the player can interact with for the purposes of Raul's companion quest.

Other interactions

 * The player can learn Ranger Takedown, a special move knocking enemies off their feed, from Ranger Andy. Doing so requires a Speech 30 check or completing Andy and Charlie, both of which help Andy cope with his status as a retiree.
 * Andy is scripted as an NCR character and will react negatively to players with a negative reputation.

Bugs

 * If the conversation with Andy bugs out after using the Speech 30 check to bypass the quest and learn Ranger Takedown, making it impossible to talk to him (the screen zooms in, then out), the player can fix it by using the following console commands: or  that should force the scripts to allow speaking to the elder Ranger.
 * If Raul's quest bugs out, the player can correct it by entering the following command in an indoor area: then leave to an outdoor area. Raul should talk to the player then. An alternative includes using  and talking to Raul directly, picking the option to discuss Ranger Andy.

Appearances
Ranger Andy appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.