Playing the Fallout board game involves exploring the wasteland, completing quests, encountering enemies, and upgrading your character through card draws and dice rolls.
Wandering the post-apocalyptic wastes can be daunting, but fear not! This guide will show you how to play Fallout board game. We’ll break down the essential steps to get you scavenging in no time.
Starting with character selection and moving through scenario setup, you’ll find everything needed. The game combines exploration, combat, and choice driven story elements.
We will also examine the key mechanics you use while playing, like the card system and using dice for skill checks. Get ready to experience the wasteland firsthand!
How to Play Fallout: The Board Game
Ready to step into the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout, but in a board game format? You’ve come to the right place! Fallout: The Board Game lets you and your friends explore a dangerous wasteland, complete quests, battle mutants, and try to become the most influential dweller. It might seem a bit complicated at first, but don’t worry! This guide will break down everything you need to know to start playing. Let’s get into it!
Setting Up Your Game
Before you can jump into the wasteland, you need to get everything ready. This part is important, so take your time and make sure you’ve got everything in the right place.
The Game Board
First, place the game board in the center of the table. The board shows the different locations you will be exploring. You will see spaces for roads, cities, and other areas. Make sure everyone can easily see the board.
Player Boards
Next, each player chooses a character and takes the matching player board. This board is where you’ll keep track of your character’s stats, items, and other important things. Each character has different starting abilities, so pick one you think you’ll enjoy.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Tokens
Each character has S.P.E.C.I.A.L. tokens. These stand for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. You start with a certain number of these tokens, depending on your character. Place them on the correct spots on your player board.
Quest Cards
There are different kinds of quest cards. Shuffle each deck separately. You’ll have Main Quests, Side Quests, and Event cards. Put these in designated spots on the game board, usually by the side. Main Quests guide the main story, Side Quests are optional adventures, and Events can affect the game in unexpected ways.
Encounter Tokens
Place the encounter tokens in a bag or container. These tokens are used when you explore new areas and can lead to different situations, like finding an enemy or a helpful item.
Factions
Each player chooses a faction which will impact how you win the game. These are usually on separate cards. Place these beside the Main quest deck. This adds a layer of different goals to the game
Other Components
You’ll also need to set out other tokens like caps (money), miniatures (your character figures), and status markers. Keep these organized and close by. The game also includes a variety of item cards which will become useful through out the game.
The Starting Location
Each player starts at a pre-determined starting location on the board which is outlined in the rulebook. Place your character miniature at that location.
Example Setup Checklist:
- Place the game board in the center.
- Each player takes a player board and character mini.
- Shuffle the quest card decks.
- Place S.P.E.C.I.A.L. tokens on player boards.
- Put encounter tokens in a container.
- Place caps, status markers and other components in reachable spots.
- Place each character at their starting location.
Understanding the Gameplay
Now that you’re all set up, let’s take a look at how the game actually plays. Each turn you will be doing different things to get you closer to victory. Turns happen in clockwise order, starting with whoever was determined as the first player during set up.
Player Turns
On your turn, you get to do a few different things, in a specific order. They are as follows:
1. Move
First, you can move your character across the board. You can travel to an adjacent space. The number of spaces you can move is based on the location type. Roads will allow for more movement. Once you end your movement, you may only preform one other action.
2. Perform an Action
Once you have moved, you can do one of these actions, which include:
- Explore: Draw an encounter token and follow the directions. These can be good or bad, and are a big part of the fun! Some will force you to fight.
- Quest: If you are in the right location, you can advance a main or side quest. Follow the instructions on the quest card.
- Rest: If you need a breather, you can rest and recover some of your health. Simply stay where you are and spend your action on this.
- Interact: Use special abilities with an adjacent location. These might allow you to find items or perform a unique action.
3. Draw a Quest Card
At the end of your turn, you get to draw a quest card. These will guide you on your journey and give you objectives to follow. You can draw a main quest or a side quest depending on where you are.
The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. System
Your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats are very important in this game. These affect how well you do in quests and battles. Your S.P.E.C.I.A.L tokens can be used to complete different encounters. Each encounter may tell you the exact S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat you will have to use. If you do not have the right stat, your encounter could lead to some negative consequences. Some encounters will let you choose between stats, so pick the one you have a better score for.
Combat
Sometimes you will have to fight a mutant, raider, or other wasteland beast. When combat happens, you’ll need to use special dice to see if you win. You also will be spending S.P.E.C.I.A.L. to enhance your roll. Here’s how it works:
- Look at the encounter card to see the enemy’s stats.
- Roll a special combat die.
- Spend any S.P.E.C.I.A.L tokens to increase the roll value.
- Compare your roll and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. value to the enemy’s defense.
- If you meet or beat the defense, you win, and earn your rewards. If you don’t, you suffer consequences, such as damage.
Sometimes your items can also effect combat.
Quests and Faction Influence
As you play, you’ll complete quests. Completing these will earn you rewards such as caps, weapons, armor and experience. Quests also affect your chosen faction. Each faction has a specific goal, and as you progress through the game you’ll earn influence, bringing you closer to your specific win condition. Some quests will help one faction and hurt the other. Keep an eye on your faction influence to help you make decisions during the game.
Winning the Game
The game ends when a player fulfills their faction’s win condition. It’s not always about who is the strongest or has the most gear, the player who is aligned best with their faction is the winner.
Tips for Playing Fallout
Here are some handy hints to make your post-apocalyptic adventure even more fun:
Plan Your Moves
Don’t just wander aimlessly. Look at your quests and plan your route to complete them. If you move in efficient ways, you can move through the game quicker.
Choose your S.P.E.C.I.A.L Wisely
Deciding what stats to improve is a critical aspect of the game. When spending experience or gaining equipment, choosing what to enhance is important. Look at the encounters you are facing to make sure you are ready for whatever comes your way.
Pay Attention to your Faction
Keep a close eye on your faction’s goals and how they relate to your quest cards. A lot of times you may think you are making good moves but may be harming your faction, so plan accordingly. Your decisions and quests all impact the score for your faction.
Don’t Be Afraid to Explore
It’s always good to look around and see what is out there, though exploration could also mean running into some dangerous situations. Just make sure you have planned your turns accordingly. Explore to your heart’s desire, but at your own peril.
Team up with your allies
Sometimes certain encounters can be too tough to face on your own. Work with another player to help complete encounters and collect items. Working together will make the game easier. Just be sure that helping other players wont help them win over you!
Manage your resources
Caps, items, health and experience are all resources you need to manage. When going into a big encounter or a quest make sure you are fully ready with the resources that you have to maximize your odds of success.
Sample Gameplay Scenario
Let’s walk through a sample turn to see how everything comes together. Let’s say you are playing as the Ghoul character and you start at the Vault 111 location.
- Move: You decide to move down the road to the next location. Since you moved on the road, your character can move an extra space.
- Action: You choose the ‘explore’ action and draw an encounter token. The encounter token says you find a group of raiders.
- Combat: A combat encounter begins. The raider card says you need to roll a total of 5 on your combat die to win. Your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. tokens for strength are at 3, you roll a 3. You choose to spend your 2 strength tokens, and end up winning the combat, gaining caps as a reward.
- Draw Quest: You draw a side quest card that tells you to travel to a nearby town and help the settlers there.
This gives you an example of how a single turn can play out.
Advanced Strategies
Once you’ve gotten the hang of the basic rules, you can start to think about more advanced ways to play. Try these out!
Card Management
Your hand of quest cards can grow quickly, but you can’t always do everything. Prioritize your quests that will advance your faction the best way possible. Focus on those and complete them first.
Use your Environment
Each location on the board has unique situations. Some may be good for combat, while others will provide resources, so plan your moves based on where you plan on ending your turns.
Timing is Important
Sometimes waiting to do a quest or moving to another location can be a better move. Plan your moves carefully and be patient. Don’t make a rash decision that will effect you negatively.
Adapt to Changes
Events will happen that change the rules of the game. Be flexible and make adjustments as you go. Every game will be different based on the quest and event cards, so adapt as you need to.
Table Summary
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Game Setup | Place the board, player boards, tokens, and quest decks. Each player selects their character and faction. |
| Player Turns | Move, perform one action (explore, quest, rest, interact), and draw a quest card. |
| S.P.E.C.I.A.L. | Use your S.P.E.C.I.A.L tokens to influence your rolls in combat and other situations. |
| Combat | Roll dice and spend your S.P.E.C.I.A.L to defeat enemies. |
| Quests | Completing quest will give you rewards and influence your faction. |
| Winning | The first player to meet their faction’s win condition is the winner. |
With a solid grasp of the rules, you’re now set to embark on your own adventures in the Fallout universe. Dive in, explore, and have a blast!
How to Play Fallout: The Board Game
Final Thoughts
To play, choose a faction and explore the wasteland. Players move, fight, and complete objectives. Skill checks use dice rolls, influenced by your character’s SPECIAL stats. The game progresses as you gain experience and new equipment.
Each game round, a player activates, moving their survivor and engaging in actions. Encounters and quests further the story, leading to a unique conclusion. This overview explains how to play fallout board game simply. Remember, the key is to strategically use your SPECIAL stats.
