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Errata: Wasteland Warfare came out in 2018, and the RPG came out in 2022.
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"Loaded with beautiful art"
I mean… yeah, they just used the concept art of the games. Seriously, just google Fallout 4 concept art, you are going to recognize a lot of the images in the book. And it's really obvious, because the book doesn't show groups of characters together, it always just shows singular characters, environments, it's very obvious that they created almost no original art for this book, if any at all.
The image for a standard super mutant is literally Virgil t-posing. The standard image for a wastelander is Sturgess concept art. The Brotherhood "initiate" is an old man for some reason. The ghoul is feral. The Mr. Handy is from a cover of "Guns & Bullets". It was only in expansions like Wanderer's Guide that we started seeing some art actually made for the system.
I also think you should have mentioned how broken the combat system is. Within only a few levels, you can start sniping deathclaws, single handedly… pretty quickly, even the strongest NPCs from the book, become fairly easy prey for the players. But at the same time, the players can die extremely easily. Two heavy hits on a single player basically guarantee that player's death. Every heavy hit inflicts an injury and going down inflicts an extra injury. Weapons are also wildly unbalanced.
I’m so excited to play this game
I feel like this a game that could have benefited from a lot less crunch, a bigger focus on fast combat that embraces the campy, pulp side of fallout instead of combat that seems a little more suitable for something like Twilight 2000. Unfortunately as much as I love Fallout as a universe, the Roll under d20 couple with strange d6 mechanics and ammo/damage minutia means this one will likely be a skip for me.
I really love this game, and the focus on story. I hope that rules clarity and a little simplification can come when we finally get the captains log equivalent of fallout (announced last year) and a 2e similar to Star Trek adventures. The STA 2e greatly clarified so much and the writing is stellar.
Movement being so loosely defined it barely exists is very disappointing. Would love to buy but I can't support a game that doesn't provide decent game design for something as basic as movement
Having recently started with the game, there are some things I liked and other things that bog down play. 2d20 is not the best system. Also not a fan of the AP system for extra d20s, and extra actions. Yeah, meta currencies create messes during play. Also don't like zones. A hard range system is far better. The combat dice system really sucks. It's clunky. 4 types of damage. I tried this many years ago in a home brew game. I dropped it. – again, hate zones. Leveling up. I changed the XP requirements, resetting their xp to 0 at each level. This still allowes faster leveling up early on, but slows it later. Better balance.
I like that three part criteria for vault design, especially since so many vaults were a lie in order to get test subjects. I play more fantasy ttrpgs, so the 5 room dungeon is a similar philosophy I often turn to.
Total hard-core fallout fan here I’ll be using the core rules but using my local area that I live in to base that on my own campaign setting means a lot of work for me as a GM but it would be a labour of love
13:33 it’s a mob for PC fallout no crossed over to the consoles but yeah, you can do it
I am going to be running a game might make the scavenging system a little closer to 76
I would say to just play GURPS. Fallout was built literally from the GURPS system.
Excellent video… thanx!
I’m making a moth man home brew class for a Appalachian playthrough
Nuke world is another great STL maker for fallout minis along with Vermillion
You are my goto whenever I need an opinion on a RPG. I love your reviews even if I disagree once in a great while. It's nice that you allow us the opportunity to voice our feedback in the comments section as well. Great job. The only thing I would say about some of your concerns is that a good GM will make sure that ammo types are available to players, as well as anything else they would need. Of course, finding it is another matter. lol
Thank you.
Great Review!
I'm running a quickstart module of this for Free RPG Days next week. This little video essay has been a great help!!!
Since we use miniatures in out campaign, we simply use a 6-inch ruler to determine zones in combat.
Zones seem like they could be rooms or areas in a parking lot. But ive never olayed a rpg that uses zones
Dog armor is not a DLC? Wtf, Todd?!
If players don't like the meta currencies…surely they don't have to use them. The game will work fine without them
Ive ran most of the 2d20 games and have enjoyed them all…. but I have a library collection and enjoy man many different rpgs and systems!
So I had an idea of my players having their phones out to act like pipboys. There is so much info that I’ll just text them like it showed up in the pipboy sorter
Fallout tactics
Brotherhood of steel start and finish as brotherhood.
BOS: Another settlement needs your help.
BOS FA3: Another settlement needs your help DLC.
Table top, you can have death claw tribe that train them join.
Pick your backstory tribal this was your tribe if you ask GM.
Super mutant someone fell into vats or drank it one of those players in the campaign with low intelligence and so now the bos Midwest chapter allows them.
I would be that player, can I drink it I drink it.
Why do people seem allergic to any games heavier than D&D 5e nowadays? This isn't THAT crunchy. 20 years ago it would have been on the heavier side of rules-medium at worst.
The salvage/scavenge mechanic sounds like it should have taken a cue from D20 Apocalypse (yes, D20 Modern during 3e Dungeons & Dragons) where you collected units of scrap types. A gas station would have a higher chance for mechanical scrap that could be used for some things while a Radioshack would have a lot of electronics scrap, etc. (There was more to it, but way simpler than this Fallout RPG.)
So many gun mods would require some amount of mechanical scrap with something like a laser finder would need electronic scrap. Like how some of the survival OSR games have generic "survival supplies" that can stand in for fire (heat/light/morale), food, and water.
Question for combat encounters, would it be possible to say a group of raiders has better gear, and just say they have better range/damage and not specify the gun mods? And once defeated, let the players sort use that to mod their stuff to something appropriate?
In an age where the design philosophy of many TTRPGs is "as little as possible, to the detriment of any actual cohesion", a lot is a good thing.
If I remember correctly, the first printing of the core rulebook (which I have) was in need to a fairly substantial errata due to errors, typos, and some layout issues that while fixed in future printing and pdf means that if you get one of those books you will either need the errata on a phone, nearby computer, or printed out with your book. If you get the book in physical, I have heard that some of the first printings are out there and getting shipped out to those that don't know this or are uniformed.
Modiphius churn out a lot of franchise RPGs & it feels very much like an automated money making exercise. Which is why I don't consider any of their products.
Some of the games they make are for things I like – but I wont buy them because I feel they are produced as a trend exploting strategy rather than with love.
Maybe my perception is wrong?
I also wonder this about Free League these days, but I have a few of their products & they seem very different & made with a great deal of passion.
I think there's a Witcher RPG, ever considered doing that one?
Wish this video included stuff for people who don't know anything about Fallout. I have to buy the tabletop game for my teenage nephew, and there are so many options, add-ons, expansions, guidebooks, etc that play with the starter kit, that I am just so confused. Would have been very nice if at the start of your video you include all the necessary components that one needs to buy before going into the details.
I'm sure you're already aware of this but there are actual Perk Cards from Modiphius that you could hand to your party members as they level up. They're just physical representation of the book ones, but they add a nice tactile touch.
GURPS or gtfo!
question, if a skill check is a difficulty of say 4 does that mean i roll 4d20s or do i get the 2d20s and then have to buy extra dice
This game tries way too hard to be the Fallout 4 video game, and that's where a majority of its failings are. The awkward way it tries to recreate the crafting system, the perks, etc. I mean, it even keeps the awful Outfit layering from the video games, which is one of the more hated aspects of Fallout 4, and an unforced error, since the limitation in the video game is clipping along layered objects in the 3D renders. You're writing a literal pen and paper RPG. That isn't a thing. Stop trying to recreate every item found in a video game, and focus on making a fun TTRPG.
Especially since fans of the Fallout IP have different games and settings. I would venture to guess a sizable number of prospective players aren't even playing in the Commonwealth setting, and may not even like Fallout 4 all that much and have no interest in crafting their Hardened Piercing Automatic Beef Supreme Heavy Rail Rifle.
Very in depth review. Some points I agree with. Some I don’t. Overall good job.
That Fallout video games are now synonymous with "run and gun" kind of sickens me to hear out loud lol
The ttrpg sounds pretty decent though.
i never understood the big variety of ammo in Fallout, i mean come on even Call of Duty has just four types (pistol, shotgun, assault, sniper). The only reason i could come up with is: it forces you to use different weapons and try different playstyles…and this could make sense in a viedogame, but in a TTRPG? i don't know…
I've never been a fan of the school of thought that says simulationist games have to be as granular as possible. You're likely gonna hit a wall at some point. I prefer more narrative games (like Fate) for simulation over hyper-crunchy systems like Twilight 2k