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Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
Description
In 2077, the storm of nuclear war reduced most of the planet to cinders. From the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization will struggle to arise. A civilization you will shape.
How will you re-shape the world? Will you join with a plucky band of survivors to fight off all-comers and carve out your own settlement? Will you team up with pre-existing factions like the Brotherhood of Steel or Super Mutants to enforce your own ideals on the Wasteland? Ghoul or robot, paladin or raider, it’s your choice - and the consequences are yours. Welcome to the Wasteland. Welcome to the world of Fallout.
This 438-page hardbound rulebook features a gorgeous cover design evoking the iconic Vault-Tec jumpsuit. Inside, you will find rules and lore for roleplaying in the Fallout world, as well as concept art from the Fallout videogames. Utilizing Modiphius’ celebrated 2d20 cinematic role-playing system, the Fallout RPG will take players on an exciting journey into the post-apocalypse!
Create your own survivors, super mutants, ghouls, and even Mister Handy robots. Immerse yourselves in the iconic post-nuclear apocalyptic world of Fallout, while gamemasters guide their group through unique stories and encounters. The 2d20 edition of Fallout is as close to the bottlecap bartering, wasteland wandering, Brotherhood battling excitement as you can get.
Immerse yourself in this genre-defining setting with the official Fallout™ tabletop roleplaying game.
Create your group of original characters including vault dwellers, ghouls, super mutants, and even robots. Tell your own stories of survival in post-nuclear America using a host of non-playable characters and horrific mutated creatures.
Use iconic weapons, armor, chems, and items transferred straight from the video game. Scavenge the ruins of the old world and make your mark on the Wasteland.
Utilize the 2d20 System - a roleplaying rules set that supports both story-led adventures and detailed gameplay. Use Action Points to power your incredible wasteland wanderers, and augment their actions with your fantastic Perks.
Use an extensive catalogue of creatures and characters from the world of Fallout.
Gamemasters can kick things off with story hooks immersed in the Fallout universe, roll and build random encounters from tables inside the book, and even randomly generate locations and loot for their players.
'With a Bang or a Whimper' 18 page introductory adventure
* When you purchase this pre-order, you will receive a copy of the core rulebook in PDF format by email.
© 1997-2021 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Fallout and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bethesda Softworks LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved.
In 2077, the storm of nuclear war reduced most of the planet to cinders. From the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization will struggle to arise. A civilization you will shape.
How will you re-shape the world? Will you join with a plucky band of survivors to fight off all-comers and carve out your own settlement? Will you team up with pre-existing factions like the Brotherhood of Steel or Super Mutants to enforce your own ideals on the Wasteland? Ghoul or robot, paladin or raider, it’s your choice - and the consequences are yours. Welcome to the Wasteland. Welcome to the world of Fallout.
This 438-page hardbound rulebook features a gorgeous cover design evoking the iconic Vault-Tec jumpsuit. Inside, you will find rules and lore for roleplaying in the Fallout world, as well as concept art from the Fallout videogames. Utilizing Modiphius’ celebrated 2d20 cinematic role-playing system, the Fallout RPG will take players on an exciting journey into the post-apocalypse!
Create your own survivors, super mutants, ghouls, and even Mister Handy robots. Immerse yourselves in the iconic post-nuclear apocalyptic world of Fallout, while gamemasters guide their group through unique stories and encounters. The 2d20 edition of Fallout is as close to the bottlecap bartering, wasteland wandering, Brotherhood battling excitement as you can get.
Immerse yourself in this genre-defining setting with the official Fallout™ tabletop roleplaying game.
Create your group of original characters including vault dwellers, ghouls, super mutants, and even robots. Tell your own stories of survival in post-nuclear America using a host of non-playable characters and horrific mutated creatures.
Use iconic weapons, armor, chems, and items transferred straight from the video game. Scavenge the ruins of the old world and make your mark on the Wasteland.
Utilize the 2d20 System - a roleplaying rules set that supports both story-led adventures and detailed gameplay. Use Action Points to power your incredible wasteland wanderers, and augment their actions with your fantastic Perks.
Use an extensive catalogue of creatures and characters from the world of Fallout.
Gamemasters can kick things off with story hooks immersed in the Fallout universe, roll and build random encounters from tables inside the book, and even randomly generate locations and loot for their players.
'With a Bang or a Whimper' 18 page introductory adventure
* When you purchase this pre-order, you will receive a copy of the core rulebook in PDF format by email.
© 1997-2021 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Fallout and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bethesda Softworks LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved.
438 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2021
11 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 17, 2021
A great interpretation of the Fallout universe for tabletop.
October 1, 2025
I've yet to actually run the game, but from multiple read-throughs it seems pretty intuitive, almost like a fusion of D&D and Call of Cthulhu in terms of its mechanics and progression, and I expect my players will enjoy the mix-up from those other systems.
Though some of my critiques are somewhat resolved by the game's supplements, I still do have some nitpicks :
-The character creation system is a little odd, with very limited options in the base book. Unlike a game like D&D, your player race is functionally also your "class," providing different tag skills that will influence your gameplay and also restricting you to certain equipment loadouts without the freedom to have a starting amount of money with which to buy equipment.
-Rules can be somewhat ambiguous or downright nonsensical, depending on the rule. For example: The Mr. Handy player race uses key art of one holding a shotgun, but then implies that they are restricted to their ingrained weapons that they choose at a character creation, but also that they cannot perform actions such as lockpicking without at least one claw hand, suggesting a near-human level of dexterity that should allow for other weapons to be used. Another one that gets me is the fact that it takes a minor action to draw or stow an item (a pretty fast process IRL), but reloading is just baked into the combat for free, even though reloading a firearm would logically be much more cumbersome than pulling one out in a firefight.
-The book itself isn't particularly well organized, doing things like separating the rules for crafting from all the tables of item mods and what they do, or having a "Mutated Humanoids" section of the bestiary that only contains ghouls, then having an entirely separate subcategory for "Super Mutants" several pages later. The formatting is also odd if you're used to other RPGs that use the 2-column style of print, as the text is presented as 2 columns, but they only proceed as far as the big page-break banners, which takes a moment to adjust to coming off of something like 5e.
-I figure this is probably included in the GM's toolkit (a separate product that I'm not going to shell out for), but there really should have been a quick reference sheet for both the GM and players included somewhere.
From having read most of the other available content for this game, the Core Rulebook is really the best you're gonna find in terms of actual polish and lack of issues with the editing/printing (though there are some problems here and there). I also take issue with how much it jerks off the Commonwealth as a setting, but I can understand that this was done due to the fact that most people these days are coming into the Fallout IP via Fallout 4; I just feel that it would have been more engaging to loosely extrapolate on other areas of the setting to get the creative juices flowing, such as the allusion to the fact that there may or may not be people canonically living on Mars that's just randomly dropped in a sidebar on page 235.
Though some of my critiques are somewhat resolved by the game's supplements, I still do have some nitpicks :
-The character creation system is a little odd, with very limited options in the base book. Unlike a game like D&D, your player race is functionally also your "class," providing different tag skills that will influence your gameplay and also restricting you to certain equipment loadouts without the freedom to have a starting amount of money with which to buy equipment.
-Rules can be somewhat ambiguous or downright nonsensical, depending on the rule. For example: The Mr. Handy player race uses key art of one holding a shotgun, but then implies that they are restricted to their ingrained weapons that they choose at a character creation, but also that they cannot perform actions such as lockpicking without at least one claw hand, suggesting a near-human level of dexterity that should allow for other weapons to be used. Another one that gets me is the fact that it takes a minor action to draw or stow an item (a pretty fast process IRL), but reloading is just baked into the combat for free, even though reloading a firearm would logically be much more cumbersome than pulling one out in a firefight.
-The book itself isn't particularly well organized, doing things like separating the rules for crafting from all the tables of item mods and what they do, or having a "Mutated Humanoids" section of the bestiary that only contains ghouls, then having an entirely separate subcategory for "Super Mutants" several pages later. The formatting is also odd if you're used to other RPGs that use the 2-column style of print, as the text is presented as 2 columns, but they only proceed as far as the big page-break banners, which takes a moment to adjust to coming off of something like 5e.
-I figure this is probably included in the GM's toolkit (a separate product that I'm not going to shell out for), but there really should have been a quick reference sheet for both the GM and players included somewhere.
From having read most of the other available content for this game, the Core Rulebook is really the best you're gonna find in terms of actual polish and lack of issues with the editing/printing (though there are some problems here and there). I also take issue with how much it jerks off the Commonwealth as a setting, but I can understand that this was done due to the fact that most people these days are coming into the Fallout IP via Fallout 4; I just feel that it would have been more engaging to loosely extrapolate on other areas of the setting to get the creative juices flowing, such as the allusion to the fact that there may or may not be people canonically living on Mars that's just randomly dropped in a sidebar on page 235.
April 14, 2024
What type of survivor will you be?
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook is a fully fleshed out tabletop version of the fallout video games we all know and love, and it does a decent job of capturing the feel of the world.
Character creation is (naturally) inspired by the SPECIAL system and there are various bonus perks you can select based on certain stat prequerisites and what not.
Rather than pigeonholing someone as just a vault dweller (as presumably you would be playing in a group rather than the typical solo game experience of the fallout series), they offer a range of options. Beyond the typical vault dweller, survivor, or brotherhood of steel backgrounds, you also have the option of being a ghoul, super mutant, or Mr handy (all three of which seem to have way more character potential in my option). Depending on your background, you also have starting gear and weapons.
Equipment is fairly diverse, mimicking the options in the game, down to food, chems, and various armor and weapons. A robust modification system is also in the book (since I know lots of crafters who like to diversify their gear). Robot improvements (either for a Mr handy character or other robot) are also in large supply. A few pages are also given to various models of power armor and those mods.
The antagonist options are limited to the games, a mix of wastelanders, enemy organizations, and critters. Synths are presented but you don’t have the option of taking one as a background (which I agree with).
While I imagine most GMs would prefer to craft their own setting beyond those of the games, the book does go into great detail on the Commonwealth (the setting of fallout 4) as a sample setting. Those who have played it won’t be too surprised by all the info there but it’s fun to check out.
More valuable is a chapter focusing on. Stupid corporations and companies, many of whose remains and facilities can be found throughout the wasteland. It presents a good example of locations survivors can encounter (including sample side quests).
A whole chapter is given to vault-tec, their operations, and the vaults of the commonwealth, which is useful if you choose to craft your own vaults in a new setting.
Reading is fundamental, and the book covers various periodicals you might come across similar to the fallout games. Random magazine generators are presented and naturally you get a bonus in something depending on what “issue” you might find (when relevant).
If you want a fallout game with your friends; then this is definitely the way to go.
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook is a fully fleshed out tabletop version of the fallout video games we all know and love, and it does a decent job of capturing the feel of the world.
Character creation is (naturally) inspired by the SPECIAL system and there are various bonus perks you can select based on certain stat prequerisites and what not.
Rather than pigeonholing someone as just a vault dweller (as presumably you would be playing in a group rather than the typical solo game experience of the fallout series), they offer a range of options. Beyond the typical vault dweller, survivor, or brotherhood of steel backgrounds, you also have the option of being a ghoul, super mutant, or Mr handy (all three of which seem to have way more character potential in my option). Depending on your background, you also have starting gear and weapons.
Equipment is fairly diverse, mimicking the options in the game, down to food, chems, and various armor and weapons. A robust modification system is also in the book (since I know lots of crafters who like to diversify their gear). Robot improvements (either for a Mr handy character or other robot) are also in large supply. A few pages are also given to various models of power armor and those mods.
The antagonist options are limited to the games, a mix of wastelanders, enemy organizations, and critters. Synths are presented but you don’t have the option of taking one as a background (which I agree with).
While I imagine most GMs would prefer to craft their own setting beyond those of the games, the book does go into great detail on the Commonwealth (the setting of fallout 4) as a sample setting. Those who have played it won’t be too surprised by all the info there but it’s fun to check out.
More valuable is a chapter focusing on. Stupid corporations and companies, many of whose remains and facilities can be found throughout the wasteland. It presents a good example of locations survivors can encounter (including sample side quests).
A whole chapter is given to vault-tec, their operations, and the vaults of the commonwealth, which is useful if you choose to craft your own vaults in a new setting.
Reading is fundamental, and the book covers various periodicals you might come across similar to the fallout games. Random magazine generators are presented and naturally you get a bonus in something depending on what “issue” you might find (when relevant).
If you want a fallout game with your friends; then this is definitely the way to go.
December 24, 2022
Fallout, Fallout never changes.
Well, except it does. What i grew up with was Fallout 1 & 2. Isometric games. Now you have Fallout 3 and 4, which use 3rd person. Then there are Tabletop games and now Tabletop Roleplaying games. And so, what are my thoughs on this game as someone who has been involved with this franchise for decades?
Not bad. Not bad at all. While it takes more from the system of Fallout 4, when it comes to crafting, weapons and perks, it is still quite the interesting take on the game. Setting is set to the Commonwealth of Massachutes of F4.
The system uses primarily 2d20. Where the target number you want to get below is set by your Attribute + Skill -20. So if you have a Charisma 5 and a Speech of 2, you want to get 13 or lower. And all 1's rolled are critical successes which gives 2 successes, and all 20's are critical fumbles.
A bit different system wise from DnD. But it makes itself quite hand, especially with the use of Action points, which the group can save up in a pool, or keep some to themselves. For re-rolls or additional actions.
I have ran a few one-shots of this system and the players enjoyed it and as did i. It was quick and easy to grasp for people that hadnt even touched the core book itself before. And to those even unfamiliar with Fallout as a game or franchise.
If you are a fan, this is a book i recommend getting and running for friends. It might be better served with actual Campaigns than one-shots, but it works well for either in my mind.
Well, except it does. What i grew up with was Fallout 1 & 2. Isometric games. Now you have Fallout 3 and 4, which use 3rd person. Then there are Tabletop games and now Tabletop Roleplaying games. And so, what are my thoughs on this game as someone who has been involved with this franchise for decades?
Not bad. Not bad at all. While it takes more from the system of Fallout 4, when it comes to crafting, weapons and perks, it is still quite the interesting take on the game. Setting is set to the Commonwealth of Massachutes of F4.
The system uses primarily 2d20. Where the target number you want to get below is set by your Attribute + Skill -20. So if you have a Charisma 5 and a Speech of 2, you want to get 13 or lower. And all 1's rolled are critical successes which gives 2 successes, and all 20's are critical fumbles.
A bit different system wise from DnD. But it makes itself quite hand, especially with the use of Action points, which the group can save up in a pool, or keep some to themselves. For re-rolls or additional actions.
I have ran a few one-shots of this system and the players enjoyed it and as did i. It was quick and easy to grasp for people that hadnt even touched the core book itself before. And to those even unfamiliar with Fallout as a game or franchise.
If you are a fan, this is a book i recommend getting and running for friends. It might be better served with actual Campaigns than one-shots, but it works well for either in my mind.
January 3, 2024
J'ai globalement bien aimé.
Le 2D20 système y est mieux expliqué que dans Dune.
Et bizarrement semble bien fonctionner avec les points abordés dans ce livre.
Une création de personnages simples et surprenantes pour ce qui est des origines. Du Super Mutant au Robot Mister Handy, il y a quelques possibilités de jeu assez loufoques même pour cet univers.
En parlant d'univers, je suis assez mitigé.
A la lecture, je ne peux avoir que le ressenti que j'aurais dû jouer à Fallout 4. En effet, tout tourne autour du dernier opus du jeu. Que ça soit l'environnement avec le Commonwealth, aux factions. J'ai l'impression qu'il me manque un truc ou que celà est une copie du jeux vidéo.
Assez dommage car cet univers est vaste. Peux être des suppléments sur d'autres régions voir des régions inédites aux jeux vidéo.
Dans l'ensemble j'ai bien aimé, ça donne envie d'y jouer. Il y a pas mal de choses jouables et si j'ai une panne d'idée, j'ai l'impression qu'il me suffira juste de lancer le jeu.
Un bon livre de jdr qui se lit sans prise de tête.
Le 2D20 système y est mieux expliqué que dans Dune.
Et bizarrement semble bien fonctionner avec les points abordés dans ce livre.
Une création de personnages simples et surprenantes pour ce qui est des origines. Du Super Mutant au Robot Mister Handy, il y a quelques possibilités de jeu assez loufoques même pour cet univers.
En parlant d'univers, je suis assez mitigé.
A la lecture, je ne peux avoir que le ressenti que j'aurais dû jouer à Fallout 4. En effet, tout tourne autour du dernier opus du jeu. Que ça soit l'environnement avec le Commonwealth, aux factions. J'ai l'impression qu'il me manque un truc ou que celà est une copie du jeux vidéo.
Assez dommage car cet univers est vaste. Peux être des suppléments sur d'autres régions voir des régions inédites aux jeux vidéo.
Dans l'ensemble j'ai bien aimé, ça donne envie d'y jouer. Il y a pas mal de choses jouables et si j'ai une panne d'idée, j'ai l'impression qu'il me suffira juste de lancer le jeu.
Un bon livre de jdr qui se lit sans prise de tête.
November 16, 2023
“War. War never changes…”
This book takes the incredible post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland from the Fallout video game series, and provides rules and framework to run a tabletop adventure.
Because this is created with Bethesda leads, there is so much information. My understanding of the Great War and of the history has grown from reading this alone. I hope I get the chance to play this with a group soon.
Like with the history, all the mechanics came over as well. Crafting, settlements, and other things could lead to conflict in what the group wants. Creating a story might be a little difficult because it’s left so open to do whatever.
I gave it a 4/5 because the sheer information is very interesting, but until I play it I’m concerned about the large amount of mechanics in it.
This book takes the incredible post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland from the Fallout video game series, and provides rules and framework to run a tabletop adventure.
Because this is created with Bethesda leads, there is so much information. My understanding of the Great War and of the history has grown from reading this alone. I hope I get the chance to play this with a group soon.
Like with the history, all the mechanics came over as well. Crafting, settlements, and other things could lead to conflict in what the group wants. Creating a story might be a little difficult because it’s left so open to do whatever.
I gave it a 4/5 because the sheer information is very interesting, but until I play it I’m concerned about the large amount of mechanics in it.
July 31, 2023
Not A novel but a core rulebook for the 2D20 Fallout Roleplaying Game by Modiphiüs. An excellent rulebook covering the essential rules of the system and copious amounts of fluff for the background and inspiration of the setting. Those who may have played the videogame Fallout 4, or any of it's predecessors will know some of it. It is well laid out, with clear rules and guidance for newbie players and Game Masters, although I think I will use the term Wasteland Overseer as my title when I run this game. Easy rules, well written and concise.
May 8, 2024
Attractive presentation and rules to play in the fallout universe in a tabletop role playing game. I really like the supplied adventure with its collaborative storytelling approach to invest the players in the narrative and the art/layout is clear and effective in evoking the setting.
I think it would benefit from more tools for the GM - faction creation tables, monster creation tables, settlement generators, bigger encounter tables and more guidance on what adventures look like in the setting.
*Rating based on impressions reading - content not played.*
I think it would benefit from more tools for the GM - faction creation tables, monster creation tables, settlement generators, bigger encounter tables and more guidance on what adventures look like in the setting.
*Rating based on impressions reading - content not played.*
May 23, 2024
A note, this is a review of the free 64 page PDF quickstart of the Fallout RPG, not the core rulebook.
Overall this seems like a really fun ttrpg! I've never used the 2D20 systems before, but after reading the rules it seems pretty straightforward. They seem to do a good job of capturing the feel for the Fallout games in a ttrpg system. I do wish there was more info on the settings outside of the Commonwealth, but perhaps that will change in the core book. The short adventure included seems like it will be fun to run. Definitely planning to get the core book when the physical copy releases!
Overall this seems like a really fun ttrpg! I've never used the 2D20 systems before, but after reading the rules it seems pretty straightforward. They seem to do a good job of capturing the feel for the Fallout games in a ttrpg system. I do wish there was more info on the settings outside of the Commonwealth, but perhaps that will change in the core book. The short adventure included seems like it will be fun to run. Definitely planning to get the core book when the physical copy releases!
March 2, 2022
4 stars before playing it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews