Let's Make a Fallout Wargame!

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**The Wise Dane**

Title. What would a good Fallout Wargame be to you? What could be done to make a unique system that works well for Fallout?

BTW, I have seen Fallout: Warfare, but doesn't seem like it's the sort of game that would do Fallout justice. I mean, paper cutouts? With the models that could be made in the Fallout setting, that's just too low.

**Shadow Captain Edithae**

http://worldsendpublishing.com/this-is-not-a-test/

This Is Not a Test, or TNT for short, is a skirmish warband game set after the nuclear apocalypse. Using these rules players choose a faction, such as tribals, raiders, mutants, etc., and fight other warbands, gaining power, equipment, and prestige through each victory and defeat. Each battle is hard won though as players not only have to deal with their opponents, but also the challenges of the wasteland, through hazards and radioactive monstrosities.
This is Not a Test Features

Playtested rules. Hundreds of games hours have been spent by groups across the country to make sure that TNT has been put through its paces. The rules have been revised and refined to a metaphorical razor’s edge. Be assured that TNT is not just a throw away ruleset to gather dust on your wargaming bookshelf.
No I go U go. Letting one player activate his entire warband before you can go is outdated and unrealistic. Instead TNT uses a dynamic activation system where at any time play can switch between players, allowing for a true anarchic battlefield.
Warbands of 5-20 models max. There is no need to go out and purchase a huge assortment of models. Chances are you might even have enough models in your collection to get playing immediately.
Six factions to choose from. Raiders, mutants, preservers, peacekeepers, tribals, and caravanners. All have different options and play a little differently. There is a warband for every taste. Plus each faction has a sub-type with different agendas, even friends can be enemies.
Plenty of mutations, skills, and abilities. TNT has over 60 different mutations, skills, and abilities. Different models types can choose individual skills, which encourages warband diversity. While there are a lot of skills, most models will have one or none, keeping the game relatively simple and not bogged down in minutia.
Plenty weapons and equipment. With more than 60 separate weapons, armor, and equipment there is plenty of options to go around and a great chance you can use any model in your collection, no matter what their armed with.
Harness the power of the past. No wasteland is complete without powerful ancient weapons littered about. Everything from laser carbines, plasma casters, and the ever popular power armor. There are over 25 separate relics waiting to vaporize your opponents.
Multiple scenarios and full campaign. TNT has five balanced scenarios to challenge your warbands and more will be released in the future. Further, a fully detailed campaign system is included to keep track of injuries, income, experience, new skills, and overall reputation. Watch your warband go from a bunch of softbellies to full wasteland legends.
A truly dangerous wasteland. TNT includes full rules for wasteland hazards such as emberquakes, ripwinds and other natural occurrences that are as dangerous to your warband as your opponent. Additionally, a bestiary is included with over 30 entries for various wasteland creatures. Everything from the simple rad zombie to the terrifying landsnapper has been catalogued and presented for your hunting pleasure.

**Wyrmalla**

Indeed, This is not a Test is literally Fallout the miniature's game. To the point that the creators used to use it for Fallout before they brought it to the market and just changed the setting a little.

**Nostromodamus**

Use Brother Vinni's Fallout minis with This is not a Test.

Done.

**Wyrmalla**

Well if you want to start getting into what models to use there was another thread on this particular board months ago where I made suggestions. That or just go into my own Fallout thread, or visit the Lead Adventure forum's Post-Apocalyptic board.

**Smacks**

I think it would be good if it had a game-mechanism the simulated VATS in some way. Here's my initial idea (that I just thought of): we have a bunch of different coloured, customized dice, representing different body parts for targeting. So for example:
These are just examples, the dice wouldn't necessarily have to be D6.

Hitting different areas would obviously have different results, and players might have some choice in where they want to aim. Body-shots have a very high chance of hitting, but are more likely to run into armour. Head-shots have a high chance of killing, but are less likely to hit. Arm and leg shots have a fair chance of hitting and injuring, but will tend not to be fatal, and might instead inflict status effects such as "winged" and "lame" (respectively).

Different weapons might get bonuses if they are more likely to inflict a certain type of injury. For example landmines are extremely likely to injure legs, so they might roll 3 extra Orange dice. Knives are more likely to cause defensive wounds, so maybe they roll 2 extra Purple dice, but any arm hits replace hits on other areas.

A sniper rifle is very accurate, so perhaps that can roll 3+ dice, all of the same colour. A characters skills, and things like range, might also allow them to roll extra dice. A weapon like a sawn-off shotgun might stipulate that extra dice have to be of different colours to emphasise it's imprecision.

**Shadow Captain Edithae**

Alex C wrote:
Use Brother Vinni's Fallout minis with This is not a Test.

Done.

Indeed that's what I'm doing. Got a big 100 Euro order with them, just waiting for them to sort out the problems with their resin supplier.

**The Wise Dane**

Smacks wrote:
I think it would be good if it had a game-mechanism the simulated VATS in some way. Here's my initial idea (that I just thought of): we have a bunch of different coloured, customized dice, representing different body parts for targeting. So for example:
Green = Head-shot dice, chance of hit = 1/6, hit symbol = Head. Black = Body-shot dice, chance of hit = 3/6, hit symbol = Torso. Orange = Leg-shot dice, chance of hit = 2/6, hit symbol = Leg. Purple = Arm-shot dice, chance of hit = 2/6, hit symbol = Hand.These are just examples, the dice wouldn't necessarily have to be D6.

Hitting different areas would obviously have different results, and players might have some choice in where they want to aim. Body-shots have a very high chance of hitting, but are more likely to run into armour. Head-shots have a high chance of killing, but are less likely to hit. Arm and leg shots have a fair chance of hitting and injuring, but will tend not to be fatal, and might instead inflict status effects such as "winged" and "lame" (respectively).

Different weapons might get bonuses if they are more likely to inflict a certain type of injury. For example landmines are extremely likely to injure legs, so they might roll 3 extra Orange dice. Knives are more likely to cause defensive wounds, so maybe they roll 2 extra Purple dice, but any arm hits replace hits on other areas.

A sniper rifle is very accurate, so perhaps that can roll 3+ dice, all of the same colour. A characters skills, and things like range, might also allow them to roll extra dice. A weapon like a sawn-off shotgun might stipulate that extra dice have to be of different colours to emphasise it's imprecision.

I like this idea, though I'd reduce the ability to use V.A.T.S to Hero characters, and only to one Hero every turn (assuming direct control from the gamer, essentially). In general some weapons, like the ones you mention, might do the specific kinds of damage on a critical hit. So, a model with a Sniper may make a Headshot by luck, but a NCR Veteran Ranger might make a Headshot with any weapon, as long as you V.A.T.S. with the model.

Also, here I'm trying to get a conversation going about a game that'll never happen, and all you guys do is link me to possible ways to simulate a Fallout game? Come on, you are more creative than that

**Shadow Captain Edithae**

Shouldn't it be restricted to models equipped with a pip boy? I thought the VATS system was unique to the pip boy.

**Nostromodamus**

The Wise Dane wrote:

Also, here I'm trying to get a conversation going about a game that'll never happen, and all you guys do is link me to possible ways to simulate a Fallout game? Come on, you are more creative than that

Well, you asked "what would a good Fallout wargame be to you?". This is Not a Test is what a good Fallout wargame is to me, especially with Brother Vinni's miniatures.

Guess it's not what you were looking for

**Dark Severance**

Smacks wrote:
I think it would be good if it had a game-mechanism the simulated VATS in some way. Here's my initial idea (that I just thought of): we have a bunch of different coloured, customized dice, representing different body parts for targeting. So for example:
Green = Head-shot dice, chance of hit = 1/6, hit symbol = Head. Black = Body-shot dice, chance of hit = 3/6, hit symbol = Torso. Orange = Leg-shot dice, chance of hit = 2/6, hit symbol = Leg. Purple = Arm-shot dice, chance of hit = 2/6, hit symbol = Hand.These are just examples, the dice wouldn't necessarily have to be D6.

To simulate VATS aiming I would suggest using Dice Stepping, than different D6 dice. It is easier to implement and gives you more control and variables depending on weapons/skills. Various weapons and abilities adds to the amount of dice you can roll, the target to hit is the same. For example the "To Hit" is 4. Then depending on where you target determines what dice get rolled: Head D4, Hand D6, Arms/Legs D8, Torso D10. Weapon types determine damage done with each hit as well as how many dice you would roll. Skills can modify the "To Hit" number, like Rifle skill may lower the "To Hit: 4" to a "To Hit: 3", increasing the chances of a Head shot.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Alex C wrote:
Well, you asked "what would a good Fallout wargame be to you?". This is Not a Test is what a good Fallout wargame is to me, especially with Brother Vinni's miniatures.

Guess it's not what you were looking for

I think it would be better that he probably meant in his statement, is that "This is Not a Test" is a post apocalyptic environment game. The setting is correct, however the game doesn't play or simulate Fallout so that is where it probably fails. At least that is what I'm taking from the discussion so far.

**Smacks**

Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
Shouldn't it be restricted to models equipped with a pip boy? I thought the VATS system was unique to the pip boy.

Yeah... Maybe it doesn't have to literally be V.A.T.S. , I was just trying to suggest a shooting system which would be unique, and would feel reminiscent to how the game played. If we're just gonna do "hit's on a 4" then it's just gonna be 40k, but with power armour (err... I mean the other power armour.)

In any case, I don't think a game should have more than one shooting system, that would just complicate things unnecessarily, and slow it down.

**Shadow Captain Edithae**

Percentile dice then?

**Wyrmalla**

Dark Severance wrote:

Alex C wrote:
Well, you asked "what would a good Fallout wargame be to you?". This is Not a Test is what a good Fallout wargame is to me, especially with Brother Vinni's miniatures.

Guess it's not what you were looking for
I think it would be better that he probably meant in his statement, is that "This is Not a Test" is a post apocalyptic environment game. The setting is correct, however the game doesn't play or simulate Fallout so that is where it probably fails. At least that is what I'm taking from the discussion so far.

This is Not a Test covers pretty much everything in Fallout bar VATS. Power Armour, Super Mutants, Plasma Rifles, the works. Why doesn't it cover that though? ...Because that'd be an obtuse way of playing the game. You could emulate it by including a rule for targeting specific body parts or giving a bonus to hit, but guns are lethal as it is, so you're pretty much killing what you hit anyway. VATS could perhaps work with that game by making it so you go straight to killing the model (in that game you do all your rolls to wound at the same time at the end of a bout of shooting rather than as they happen to simulate the chaos of combat. Yes it is a good way of doing things actually). However that'd screw with the mechanics and is a bit unnecessary considering its up to the player if they want to snipe a guy or unload a gunline on them.

Point though, This is Not a Test is the ruleset for Fallout. Plenty of people have made home brew ones (I made one from 7Tv), but with those rules coming out you'd be better to check them out, see what you think of them, then maybe make your own ones. So aye, at least read This is Not a Test before going off to work on your own, as they're going to be tighter than what most people can come up with themselves (and if there's any mechanics which you want to add in then you can easily stick them on top of that instead of starting from scratch).

**BrookM**

TNT is Fallout in all but name. As Wyrmalla said, V.A.T.S. can easily be implemented by giving the shooter either a buff to his or her shooting roll or just outright killing the target if rolling well enough.

And yes, double yes, Brother Vinni is your friend when you want Fallout themed minis.