Fallout TTRPG Campaign Ideas

[MGibster]

Greetings, wastelanders! I'm contemplating running the Fallout RPG produced by Modiphius based on the computer RPG series of the same name. Originally I was thinking of setting the campaign in Seattle, but as this would be a completely new RPG system for me and my group, I thought I might keep things simple and just stick with the setting of the book which is the Commonwealth, the same setting as Fallout 4 CRPG, because my players are all familiar with that game. If you're not at all familiar with Fallout in general, this thread will probably be confusing. For those of you familiar with the wasteland, I'd like to pick your brains.

I'll set the game after the events of Fallout 4 with the following assumptions:

1. The Institute was destroyed (remnants exist both good and bad).
2. The Brotherhood of Steel was defeated. (BoS is returning to Boston, but what does that mean?)
3. The Minutemen are a functioning milita that keeps the peace (more or less).
4. The Railroad. (With their main goals of destroying the Institute and freeing synths complete, what will they become?)

The big threat to the Commonwealth will be the Sea People, a mysterious group of humans and mutants operating from an aircraft carrier off the coast. Their goal is to access the Institute's bio-lab in order to find a means to allow super mutants to reproduce naturally. Given the destruction of the Institute's main facility, this goal appears out of their reach, but maybe there are hidden caches of information elsewhere? Or scientists who are still around?

Anyway, since the players are all familiar with the setting I don't need to start them off as naive vault dwellers who don't know the way of the land yet. They've been in the Commonwealth for a while, and are familir with the movers and shakers as well as recent history. But I'm wondering how best to start them off as a cohesive group in the beginning? I could have them be members of the Minutemen, and make sure Preston doesn't complain about settlements too often, but right now I'm leaning towards having them form their own mercenary company like the Gunners or the Talon Company from Fallout 3 (depending on whether they want to be jerks or good guys). Any other ideas for a cohesive group? I went them to have some interest in the Commonwealth and a reason why maybe they want to do something about the Sea People raiding.

I'm also interested in learning what I should do with the Railroad. With the Institute having been destroyed and most of the synths freed (or destroyed), I figure their numbers have dwindled quite a bit since the events of Fallout 4. There are probably some remnant Institute forces to go after, but for the most part their reason for existence is gone. I figure they might pivot, but to what? They've never shown a keen interest in the abuse of humans or ghouls, so what might interest them? I was thinking of having them be sympathetic to the Sea Peoples cause. Those poor mutants were created by scientist, maybe we should give them a chance and help them access the technology needed to reproduce naturally? Anyway, its just a thought.

Generally speaking, you have any ideas for such a campaign?

 

[DeviousQuail]

For the players as a group you could go with refugees from another area. Perhaps DC got overrun by the main army of the Sea People and they've come to the commonwealth only to find more of them.

Another option is a group hired by the Institute to find something far from the commonwealth. They've come back only to find the Institute destroyed and massive changes to what they knew. They don't have to have been members of the Institute but they have a long journey to tie them together. Perhaps they get jumped by the Sea People as their looking for Institute remnants.

Last one if you're looking for something weird. They are all Institute creations. Human, synth, supermutant, ghoul, or whatever. The players don't know this. Have them make backstories, connections, the works. Then one day the Sea People are after them because they learned the truth and think they can get the info they want from their DNA. Revealing their lives are false should be fun.

As for the campaign, I'm a big fan of bad guys that have an obvious goal that everyone knows and a secret goal to be discovered later. Sticking with the Sea People you could have them be like the BoS. They are looking for advanced tech but unlike the BoS they are like locusts. Scour areas, take anything they find valuable, and leave destruction in their wake. The reason they are actually doing this is to find the bio-lab and get to reproducing.

As for the remaining factions the railroad might be split on the Sea People because their goal is understandable but their methods suck. Some might want to help them so that they can get what they want and leave before they destroy too much. Others disagree but that means more war. The Minutemen are frustrated because they finally achieved peace only to have that threatened right away. They have to deal with the Sea People while also ensuring trade route safety, food supply, burgeoning political stuff, etc. The BoS are adamantly opposed to the Sea People but their position in the commonwealth sucks and they are making it worse for everyone by racing against the Sea People to recover tech even though the Sea People are really only interested in a specific set of tech. The Institute is in shambles and cells have formed from the survivors. They are varied in their goals and outlooks. Think Followers of the Apocalypse, chem dealers, xenophobic communes, and terrorists out for revenge.

 

[Art Waring]

Exodus RPG was a Fallout RPG until they lost the license, and released their game for free with the OGL. I haven't seen it in years, but i remember it was the best fallout resource I could find at the time. It was going to be the official rpg until they lost out.

Edit: Found it for purchase as a bundle on drivethru Link to drivethru

 

[wicked cool]

i would go with vault dwellers
-easier to create a city with resources and more mystery in the world for low level
-i would pick an area that you are familiar with or might be easier with a state that is full of smaller cities-For me i would pick Maine . Its got everything (near mountains, lakes, near ocean, all sorts of weather)

 

[MGibster]

For the players as a group you could go with refugees from another area. Perhaps DC got overrun by the main army of the Sea People and they've come to the commonwealth only to find more of them.

That's a possibility. I was going to have refugees be a problem as they pour into the Commonwealth from surrounding areas fleeing from the Sea People. Good idea.

i would go with vault dwellers
-easier to create a city with resources and more mystery in the world for low level
-i would pick an area that you are familiar with or might be easier with a state that is full of smaller cities-For me i would pick Maine . Its got everything (near mountains, lakes, near ocean, all sorts of weather)

My initial thought was Seattle. I went with the Commonwealth because all my players are familiar with it. I also wanted to give them the option to play different types of characters one might find in the wasteland.

 

[wicked cool]

That's a possibility. I was going to have refugees be a problem as they pour into the Commonwealth from surrounding areas fleeing from the Sea People. Good idea.


My initial thought was Seattle. I went with the Commonwealth because all my players are familiar with it. I also wanted to give them the option to play different types of characters one might find in the wasteland.

Did you run the campaign. Curious what you thought of rules etc

 

[MGibster]

Did you run the campaign. Curious what you thought of rules etc

We decided on Cyberpunk Red instead. So I've shelved Fallout and hope to run it in the future.