Fallout: The Roleplaying Game

Fallout is a role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic future after a devastating nuclear war. The game is inspired by the 1950s fear of nuclear war, and a retro-futuristic look permeates everything. If you have tried the classic video games, many of the game's elements will seem familiar, including the use of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and the focus on collecting parts, equipment, and materials from defeated enemies.

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Fallout takes place in a fictional version of the USA in an alternate reality that diverges from ours after World War II. In this universe, technology is a bizarre mix of advanced robots, nuclear-powered cars, energy weapons, and other futuristic technology; but at the same time, we find 1950s versions of computers and televisions. The entire Fallout setting is dominated by the aesthetics and mindset from the post-war paranoia about the Cold War, the fear of nuclear war but also an optimistic belief in new technologies.

A global energy crisis in 2052 leads to a worldwide conflict that ultimately culminates in a 2-hour exchange of nuclear weapons. Fortunately, the American government had anticipated this outcome and had built several underground self-sustaining protection facilities called Vaults decades before. Here, groups of people have survived for years, with the gate to the surface permanently closed.

But now it's time to step into the light and reclaim the wilderness! Hostile groups of survivors, bizarre mutants, ghouls, and many other dangers lurk everywhere. But you will also meet people who need your help to solve local problems, or even a larger vision of rebuilding a society.

In Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, players are characters trying to survive in the wilderness. Here one can play everything from "vault dwellers" - who are stepping into the wilderness for the first time, to Mr. Handy’s – hovering household robots with built-in tools for any occasion. One player acts as the Game Master and is responsible for creating the world and the miniatures that the players encounter. The game proceeds as a kind of verbally improvised drama, where the players and the Game Master together create a story with the players' characters in the lead role.

The game uses several mechanics also found in the newer video games. This includes the use of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck), which help determine how good a character is at a given attribute. Another familiar element is the use of Perks: unique abilities that give the player access to special bonuses.

Combat in the game can be challenging. This is because you generally do not deal much damage and many times, it may therefore be a better idea to avoid the wilderness monsters. The game uses special 6-sided dice that show how much damage you do to your enemies, and if they are subjected to additional effects. It is also important to note where on the body you damage them, as these special effects vary depending on where you hit an enemy. However, you cannot completely avoid combat, as survival and gathering materials are an essential part of the game. Many rare materials can only be obtained by defeating the wilderness's most dangerous monsters. Like in the video game, the materials are used to build, repair, or upgrade weapons and equipment.

Inspiration for Fallout

Fallout was originally a computer game, developed by Interplay Productions. The first game in the Fallout series was released in 1997, and introduced many of the classic elements that have since characterized Fallout, e.g. Vaults, Pip-boy, vault-boy, and the iconic Vault-dweller uniform.

Fallout can be said to be the spiritual successor to the computer game Wasteland, which was released in 1988. Other sources of inspiration include Harlan Ellison's classic novella "A Boy and his Dog", where the protagonist Vic and his telepathic dog Blood search for supplies in the wilderness while trying to avoid looters, berserker androids, and mutants. The Mad Max movies, with their depiction of a post-apocalyptic wilderness, have also inspired the Fallout series.