Some random thoughts about Fallout

Disclaimer; this blogpost contains my personal observations. I'm open to different interpretations but this is how I will roll my campaign.


The old Fallout PnP ruleset is d100 roll under with other dices for damage etc., and occasional d10 stat check and rapid fire. I decided to use it as written; meaning that it's based on Interplay's Fallouts' (1, 2, and Tactics) S.P.E.C.I.A.L. rules. The PCs are at 3rd-ish level and are deadly at combat, probably because players remember their walkthroughs of 2 (that, despite being very good game, didn't really require other skills than combat skills), but have managed to get some useful secondaries. That is both good and bad in equal measure, because violent conflic tends to be useful in directing the intrest of characters; but in the end, trusting only your guns to solve problems will take the PCs into situation where they cannot survive.


And I'm not going to pull punches there. I've already established that pissing the Outcasts is very bad idea. The objective is in the hands of the Outcasts. If the players decide to kill themselves off by trying to get it by force, fine with me.


That brought to my mind, that we talked about critical rolls during last session, as mostly they're very unforgiving, but contain only one d10 table. That can be solved by descriptions, but keeping track of such stuff is a challenge. Additionally the crits and combat doesn't really have rules for crippled limbs etc effects, but have for instance light level table. So I adopted more "on the fly" ruleset, trying to adhere to Fallout feeling; critical hits may shatter bones, causing "crippled" effects, or even sever the whole part. But it also requires some tweaking, as the Luck score is almost useless dumpstat unless it's houseruled. We initially decided to use it as base for critical rolls (Luck 3 = 01-03 roll crits, Luck 8 = 01-08 roll crits), but it became very powerful that way with criticals being powerful effects. Additionally it didn't initially accomodate the increasing skill at all, and ruling that 1/10th of skill is too much, especially coupled with high Luck score... Well, we will return to this later.


The crapsack world of Fallout used to be about rebuilding and recovering in face of adversity (1, 2). I see earlier Fallouts as "post-apocalyptic (spaghetti) westerns", since player may, if so chooses, be morally more like Eastwood than Cooper or Wayne, or other way around. The later Fallouts (3, NV, 4) are... different, more concentrated on war over leftovers and the concept of struggle for evolution (of both society and biology). Hence, I will try to offer the players an more "frontiery" feel, with less focus on ruins of old and more on the civilization striving to succeed and thrive. Slavery and cannibalism will feature, but will be overall more muted than in F3-4. I'd love to expand the campaign into (re-)settlement led by PCs, although I cannot see current characters being the "leadery" types.


We will see, as I tackle the next hooks. I will try to advance the timeline taking players actions into account, so that there will be "living" feel to the world.
- The Outcasts will continue their strikes on known caches of old world tech. They haven't been affected by player actions at all. This means PCs perhaps seeing Veribirds overhead, or being confronted by a patrol.
- Blood Axe is furious at losing half of his gang to some random vaulters. He'll start negotiations with other raider bosses in order to track down these fools.
- The Old Church posse tries to seek a safe way south. Desmond is livid by the flooding and considering abandoning the others, so that he may get in time to his destination.
- Clowns are pretty much ignorant about PCs actions, and concentrate on probing on southern communities for added profits and checking the Outcasts positions. As soon as they realistically might start worrying about one of their probing teams gone missing, they might start sending more serious bands southwards.
- Friend has noticed one functional Pip-Boy of Vault 48 transmitting position outside the vault but is distracted by "dissident actions" inside. It has also finally deducted that the transmission loop originating from old naval base in Keys is not a communist plot, and that there is high possibility that there is U.S. government officials alive who may relieve it from goading the unruly bunch of meatbags.
- Bonville is currently ongoing a small scale siege by super mutants. They're high on supplies but are trying to send a messenger to seek the heroes who killed the giant centaur.
- Super mutants have been driven out from the swamp by the aggressive slaver operation. They're pissed and hurting, and lash out against any human settlement. They do not know or care that most folks aren't affiliated with slavers.
- Slaver excavations are progressing slowly, especially as they try not to attract attention by Clowns or Outcasts. The leader is contemplating an diversionary action to press the Clown-Outcast relations to a breaking point. Small hunting parties have been dispatched to capture more slaves from Green Hell, as the operation in the Keys has suffered casualties by automated defences.