By James Hewitt
Photography by Fatima Martin
Howdy, Fallout: Factions fans! James here, back once more to give you some insights into our new Fallout tabletop miniatures game. If you haven’t seen the other posts in the series, head on over to the blogs page and get yourself caught up.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved games that link together to form an overarching narrative. I’ve spent countless hours following the adventures of a rag-tag group of misfits as they dive through dungeons, quest through ruins or seek their fortunes amid the stars. Tabletop roleplaying games are a great source of this kind of magic, but I love it when miniatures games do it. There’s something ever so special about assembling and painting [1] your models, then sticking with them through a series of games, maybe adding new ones as they’re hired, or removing them when they suffer a grisly fate, and maybe even engaging in a spot of kitbashing or resculpting to reflect the events that have happened on the tabletop.
When we started work on Fallout: Factions, we knew that this was the kind of experience we wanted to create. So… we did!
As we’ve discussed previously, you stick with the same crew from game to game, until they claw their way to the top of the pile or throw in the towel and leave Nuka-World for good. But… how does this actually play out?
Well, after each battle ends, you resolve the Story Phase.
First up, you’ll roll to determine the fate of any models that were Incapacitated - they might have serious injuries that affect them in future games, they might have to miss a game to recover, or they might be killed outright, and removed from your roster.
Then, your crew gets to make two Story Actions. There are six to choose from…
If you’ve got models with serious injuries, a Recuperate action lets you restore them to health.
If you want to expand your crew, a Recruit action gives you the chance to spend some caps and add some new faces.
If you’re feeling short on funds, a Barter action lets you throw your weight around Nuka-World and bring in some caps.
If you’d like to get the advantage in future games, a Scout action lets you earn Scouting Points in one of the park’s five Locations. We’ll talk about what these do in another post!
If you’ve earned enough Experience Points, [2] a Crew Training action lets you spend them to upgrade your models’ S.P.E.C.I.A.L. profiles, and potentially gain some new Perks (special rules).
Finally, if you’ve managed to find some Parts while scavenging the wasteland, a Modify Weapons action lets you upgrade the weapons your models are carrying, in true Fallout style.
The Story Phase only takes five or ten minutes to resolve, but it lets you make some decisions about the direction your crew will develop in. I find it one of the most exciting parts of the game - and it always leaves me wanting to play another scenario as quickly as possible!
Okay, that’s it for this blog. We’ve still got a few to go - check back in next time for a look at Chems, Ploys and Scouting Points, and how they bring even more strategy to the game! Don’t forget to sign up for updates and alerts over at the hub page. Until then - James out!