FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are some frequently asked questions:

What dice does the game use?

The game is based around the d100 dices (that is, two 10 sided dice, one for the first digit, counting in ten-steps and one for the last digit, counting in steps of 1).
Damage is mostly rolled using d6 dice or d3 dice. Some optional rules use the d20.

Why base it on the old time Fallout games?

When I started, Fallout 3 was barely a year old. I must also say, that I was less than impressed with Fallout 3. I think the Honest Game Trailer said it best: "the most mediocre Fallout".
My love is basically reserved for the old Fallout games. Also, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Fallout 4, are all set around geographically restricted areas, exploring one huge pre Great War city.  I wished to have a larger canvas with more and different opportunities. Each town, city and faction I used from the old games was a bit changed.
Also, the towns, as they were in the old Fallout games, are all faced with unique challenges.

How does character creation work?

Character creation works in this PNP mostly as it does in Fallout 1, 2, Tactics and New Vegas:   You start with the SPECIAL stats (with an 8th value, COurage, added). Wait, actually, you first pick the race: it is possible to play as either a Super-Mutant or a Ghoul, as well as humans, and their SPECIAL-C stats are differnt.
You then can add traits, some of which are familiar to players of either the old Fallout titles or Fallout New Vegas.
After the traits are added or not (some of which may change the characters SPECIAL-C values), one should calculate the starting values of the skills and the derived stats.  Last come the tag skills, which are usually 4 in number. Those tag skills are skills that not only get a one time bonus of 15 skill points, but also are raised twice as fast.
Some further skill points are allocated if one uses a class. Classes were added mostly for roleplaying reasons: while I have yet to add a large number of classes, those that exist can be used as template for a completely new one.  Classes give some starting bonus to each character. Last come the extraordinary skills.

What is that extraordinary skill thing you added?

Extraordinary skills are special bonuses that are either given to a character in character creation or earned at the disgression of the Dungeon Master:  For example, the "I <3 *this city*" extraordinary skill can be given to any character from a particular town or city. Or it can be earned by playing several adventures in that locale.
The "cowboy" extraordinary skill and most of the others that revolve around combat, were added to prevent all players from wanting to use either high tech assault rifles or energy weapons:  Sure, your Sheriff with more than a whiff of Old West in his background story could trade his Winchester for a Pulse Rifle. But it would be out of character even if it does a lot more damage.
So, I added the extraordinary skill "Cowboy" (as well as more powerful versions of typical Old West weapons) to give the character (or rather his player) an incentive to stay true to their background.
To be blunt, I disliked that the Chose One, a skilled hunter or warrior from a primitive tribe in the Rockies eventually had to use all that high tech equipment. So I gave the players a choice with the extraordinary skills:  Stay true to the idea of the character or lose some bonus because your character switched from what they really know how to use to something else.
Furthermore, most extraordinary skills are bonuses that cover more than one skill. Cowboy applies to all cowboy weapons, from six shooters to Gatling guns. I <3 *this city* gives bonuses to many skills, depending on the situation.

Why do all guns using the same ammo do the same damage?

Because I always found it rather stupid, that one gun shooting 9mm Luger ammo would be a one shot kill gun, while a different gun using the same ammo is basically a glorified air gun.
The balistic differnces that I'm very aware of, are here expressed by having different ranges for different guns, even those using the same ammo. Also, I dislike the idea of this or that being "better".
Better in what regard? Do you want a more concealable gun? Or one with more range? More damage, but hardly able to move? There is still a lot of questions to answer, even if staying with only one caliber, when chosing a gun.

Why is the combat table top?

For several reasons:
1.) If you really squint and look just right, you get the feeling you're once more playing the old Fallout games. ;)
2.) I liked the combat system of Fallout Tactics (if not everything else in that game) and by making combat table top, it was easy to adapt many rules.
3.) Table top is an easy system to use for every type of combat: you can quickly see how many people are hit by a grenade. Or what the distance is between a sniper and whatever the sniper wants to hit. Or how close you are to whoever you wish to slam a Super Sledge into.

Why are the Rangers the full military of the NCR when New Vegas had that very different?

Quite simply: I had not yet played Fallout New Vegas, when I wrote that. After I finally got around to playing New Vegas, I had to decide which of the new stuff I considered canon for this game.   I eventually decided to disregard all Fallout titles but Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. That made it easier for me, since I didn't have to go back to change stuff later, when Fallout 5 or Fallout New Vegas 2 would come out.
As to the NCR Rangers being the military, in Fallout 2 there is a mention of the NCR military in the end credits, depending on choices one made in Vault-City. BUT: whenever one travelled in the area around Shady Sands/The New California Republic, one had a great chance to meet a group of patrolling Rangers. One never met any soldiers though. Hence my decision to not only have the Rangers part of the military, but to add some backstory that explained how they were founded to combat slavery, but eventually were made the official military of the New California Republic by President Aradesh.