By Evie Moriarty, Lead Game Designer
Photo by Fatima Martín Pérez

 

Fallout 4’s hidden liberators of Synths (though not everyone would agree with their methods), the Railroad has declared war on the Institute and anyone else that gets in the way of their mission. In Battle for Boston, the Railroad emerges as the most unusual of the new crews in terms of playstyle, with a completely new way to interact with the Ploy system. Inspired by the tactics of insurgents and resistance fighters, this crew doesn't so much engage the enemy as force them into a dangerous web of traps and ambushes, moving like ghosts who disappear and reappear at speed.

 

Before we get to that, though, let's look at the model selection. Our grunts are Runners, Field Agents, and Tourists.

 

Tourists are the newest recruits, untested but passionate. They're not very reliable, but they are cheap and come with a variety of low-cost pistols, rifles, and hand weapons. They're there to bulk out your force.

 

Field Agents are the backbone of the crew, and far more competent. They carry a variety of rifles, including the iconic Railway Rifle (a personal favourite from the video game), which is an absolutely brutal close-range firearm.

 

 

Finally, Runners are a utility miniature that plays into the unique style of Railroad Ploys. We'll come back to them, but you'll probably want a couple in your crew. They have Sprint, making them quick, and Hit the Deck, which gives them a little more survivability. Their key perk is Scout, which means they count as an Insurgency Token (we'll come back to this!).

 

Our Champions are Heavies and Lead Field Agents. Heavies are solid all-rounders and can bring the Gauss Rifle, a potent Aim (+3) weapon that has the Grisly special rule, making any Confusion tests caused by its kills harder to pass.

 

Lead Field Agents are solid and reliable Leaders, and have some fun weapon choices. The Railway Rifle is iconic, but they can also run with a Precision Combat Rifle or a Deliverer and Hand Weapon. This potent pistol gives them extra mobility, letting them reposition after shots and duck back into cover!

 

Now for the real meat of the crew: Railroad Ploys. Railroad crews start with a number of Ploy Tokens according to their tier, just like any other crew, but they gain a Ploy Token every time they Incapacitate an enemy model. They also have access to five special ploys, giving them incredible flexibility. However, if they want to use any of the standard Ploys (or any special ones), they'll need to spend three Ploy Tokens to do so.

 

Most Railroad Ploys make use of Insurgency Tokens. You'll place one of these at the beginning of the game, represented by the lamp included in the plastic kit, and your Runners also count as these tokens. Most of your Ploys require these tokens, so be careful with them and make sure you have them where you need them. 

 

As for the Ploys themselves, Boobytrap lets you blow up a Search Token when an enemy model gets too close. Tripwire sets a trap in a line between two Insurgency Tokens to catch anyone moving between them. Infiltration lets you move a model between two Insurgency Tokens, getting them across the board at incredible speed. Shock Assault lets you inflict Harm on enemies by closing in on them aggressively, and Concealed Snipers allows models to shoot through Insurgency Tokens, tracing the line of sight from the token instead of their model.

 

 

Altogether, it's a heady package of chaos, carnage, and shocking twists and turns. If you want to play as the ghosts of the Wasteland, leading your foes on a merry chase and jumping out at them when they least expect it, the Railroad will be your best friends. On the other hand, if you're reading this with a heavy heart and wondering what hope there is for a player who just loves a big gun, don't worry, friend, next time we'll talk about the Minutemen and their broadsiders…

Check out all the latest Fallout: Factions goodies HERE!