Fallout board game on the way from Fantasy Flight

Fallout is a new board game on the way from Fantasy Flight Games, makers of the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game and XCOM: The Board Game. Based on the worlds of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 as created by Bethesda Softworks, Fallout the board game is due out in the fourth quarter of this year.

“With just a few locations pinpointed on their map,” said Fantasy Flight in its announcement, “players choose whether to work together or individually to explore these mysterious regions that lay before them. Along the way, each player will face a wealth of choices, deciding whether to pursue experience or Caps, collect loot or loyal companions, and progress the main questline or veer off to the vaults.”

Fantasy Flight Games

The game will support one to four players, each drawn from the modern Fallout games and various DLCs. Players can take on the role of a simple scavenger or a Vault dweller, or start things off as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. There are even nonhuman character types such as Super Mutants and Ghouls. Stats will be managed from a sideboard, and include the classic Fallout-style S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character generation system with stats for Strength, Perception, Intelligence, Luck, etc.

The scenario-based game will also include a number of pre-generated quests centered around walking off into the wasteland and making discoveries.

“When you set out to explore the world before you, you’ll have a few landmarks to guide your quest,” said Fantasy Flight. “These landmarks and the map surrounding them will depend on the scenario you and your fellow survivors choose to play.

Grid View

• Locations in Fallout will be unique to each scenario. Some can only be accessed if you have influence with a certain faction. Fantasy Flight Games
• Influence cards contain secret objectives. Players will compete to achieve their influences first. Fantasy Flight Games
• The character sideboard from the Fallout board game. Note the hidden influence card to the right. Fantasy Flight Games
• A two-player setup for Fallout. Fantasy Flight Games

“The four scenarios included in Fallout will be familiar to seasoned fans of the franchise, featuring The Capital Wasteland, The Pitt, The Commonwealth, and Far Harbor. Though the distinctive locations in each scenario are predetermined, the rest of the map will vary with every setup, allowing each survivor to suffer as many unique deaths as they please, game after game after game.”

To win, players must achieve the conditions on secret cards in their hand called an Influence card. Influence can also be used to gain access to the territory held by certain in-game factions, including the Brotherhood of Steel and The Institute.

Fantasy Flight’s announcement comes on the heels of another Fallout-themed game, announced in April. Called Fallout: Wasteland Warfare and being published by Modiphius Entertainment, it’s a hobby miniatures game along the lines of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe. It’s expected to go on sale in November.

It’s expected that a playable version of Fallout will be on the vendor floor at this year’s Gen Con in Indianapolis. Polygon’s coverage starts Aug. 17.