PLAY

Inspired by the incredible Fallout TV series, I recently read the Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook PDF by Modiphius. Drawing heavily from Bethesda's award winning video game, Fallout 4, the game promises to deliver the iconic Fallout experience.

The game uses Modiphius's 2d20 system, with familiar attributes like stats and skills mirroring the video game mechanics. Character creation offers a variety of origins, including Vault Dwellers, Survivors, Mister Handy robots, Ghouls, and Super Mutants, along with perks earned through levelling up, similar to the video game progression system.

The game excels in emulating the scavenging and crafting mechanics of the video game with remarkable granularity, mirroring the gritty gameplay of the video game series. It encompasses managing hunger, thirst, rest, radiation levels, inventory, and scavenging for supplies as players navigate the wasteland. With rules for equipment modification, food and drink effects, drugs, power armour creation, hit locations, and more, it offers a massive, well-written experience close to the video games. However, I believe its focus on fidelity to the video game results in a loss of playability due to this granularity.

Despite its potential, unless you and your players LOVE the Fallout universe and enjoy a high level of granular mechanics such as meticulous resource management, then I'd recommend exploring alternative post-apocalyptic RPGs.

Having said that though, the game is rated 4.5 out of 5 on DriveThruRPG, so this high level of fidelity definitely has an audience.

READ

The Walking Dead Universe RPG review

By Jared Rascher on Gnomestew.com

In his article on Gnomestew, Jared Rascher dives into the gritty world of The Walking Dead Universe RPG, exploring its mechanics, setting, and modes of play. Set within the shared universe of AMC's hit series, the game captures the essence of survival amidst a world overrun by the undead. Rascher highlights the game's focus on local regions, particularly Georgia USA, where the original series unfolds.

Mechanically, the game draws from the Year Zero Engine, offering a familiar system for players. Stress mechanics pulled from the Alien RPG add tension, but with a level of risk. Characters face three levels of injury, with outcomes determined by charts, emphasising the fragility of life in this world.

Rascher notes, “Once a character takes their third level of injury, they are broken, meaning they can’t take actions that would be resolved with dice.”

Combat against walkers and humans is distinct, with detailed rules for each scenario. The absence of initiative cards streamlines close combat, focusing on contests to determine actions.

Character creation revolves around archetypes, each offering unique talents and starting gear. While inventory remains strict to reflect scarcity, players can customise attributes and skills freely. Relationships, issues, and drives add depth to characters, influencing gameplay and narrative.

Rascher notes, “While the recent trend in RPGs has been to make inventory more flexible, this game isn’t one of those RPGs. If you don’t record something on your character sheet, you do not have it available. This is, in part, to reinforce the scarcity of items in the current world, and to encourage PCs to scavenge for useful items when they have the opportunity to do so.”

Havens serve as sanctuaries for survivors, with rules for management and defence. Projects enhance havens, but threats like walker swarms constantly test their security. Campaign modes offer diverse playstyles, from free play to survival scenarios.

While praising the game's mechanics, Rascher acknowledges its shortcomings in addressing sensitive topics like disability and resource allocation.

Rascher notes, “The fact that the game text even brings up the idea that people with disabilities might be a liability, and that people in the haven may need to assess who they can “afford” to support, but then leaves those concepts without any deeper discussion, is a huge problem.”

The Walking Dead Universe RPG can be found on DriveThruRPG, where it has a current rating of 4.8 out of 5. But, despite its strengths, Rascher suggests buyers ensure the game aligns with their preferences before digging in.

SUPPORT

A quick shout out to Jacob Rodgers, who writes for popular tabletop RPGs like The One Ring, BEOWULF: Age of Heroes, and Ruins of Symbaroum. He's currently working on a cool apocalyptic RPG called Ashen Frontiers.

It takes a lot of determination to stick with a project of this scale, so I encourage you to support him by checking out his work. You can subscribe to his newsletter to see how he designs and iterates different aspects of his game. Jacob can also be found on Patreon, Threads, or his website.

If you missed Issue 005, where we went to war (with Never Going Home; Achtung! Cthulhu; and Twilight: 2000) you can read it here.

Next week, we'll look at tabletop RPGs that are more fantastical in nature. See you then!