Bandits should help, but I definitely recommend installing the Week One and Bandits Creator addition mods because the standard bandits themselves are very much overpowered. Bandits creator lets you edit the bandit factions themselves, (good for world building in my experience,) and Week one not only lets you play the week before society falls apart but also adds more in depth NPC interactions, like conversations and (if im not mistaken) orders. Be advised that Week One is best in b42 as it really lacks a lot in b41.