Each time the issue comes back (and it's been since I've started to play, so well over a year), I've asked the same question - what on Earth are newbies doing in the North? I've never, ever seen a satisfying answer. It's always "because I want to go there" or some lulzy variation of "I have the right to be there" or the occasional pacifistic "but I roleplay, you have to write an explanatory essay if you want to shoot me!". At the very best it's "I didn't know it can be done elsewhere, thanks". There's absolutely no reason for a newbie to go there. Everything can be done some other place. Some quests are there, yeah, but they're supposed to be risky - and you can get that exp without getting the briefcase to Metzger. Not to mention the simple fact that if a guy marked you for death at the hands of Militia with his Mauser, he could've just as well blown your head off with a sniper rifle. And no, sniper rifle ain't cheaper than 15 militiamen.
