The title of this thread is “Could They Do This at Level One?” The first sentence describes that this is a fictional scenario. I have nice players. I am lucky to have a very good group, and so I want to run a very good game for them. Back in June (after running 7 sessions of this game) I had noticed some weaknesses in the rules. Then I examined the rulebook more closely, and I found many, many more issues that could make being a good Overseer more difficult as the game went on.
So, I wrote this made-up, hypothetical scenario to illustrate just how cartoonishly unbalanced the gear, modding, looting, combat and XP were in the rulebook. It was also a challenge to the community to show me if I was misreading the rules. And in places, I was (most notably movement.)
And now, after running 30 four-hour sessions of this game, I stand by every criticism I laid out, and have a few more. The core of the 2d20 system, (betting on each roll with AP and Luck Points, generating AP with exceptional success which supports other players who are having a harder time) is beautiful, probably my favourite core mechanic of what I’ve played in 30 years of TTRPGs. The art, lore and GMing sections of the Fallout 2d20 rulebook are top-notch, but many of the stats are a clumsy port of Fallout 4 assets that are not balanced for a tabletop experience.
I agree with the sentiment that rules are secondary to the interpersonal aspects of a TTRPG. Any system can be Min/Maxed. But by showing that this game can be Min/Maxed into absolute absurdity in the first hour of the game we see how little support the rules give an Overseer. I don’t need rules to run a good game, there are plenty of diceless systems and storytelling games out there. But I like rules, if they are good rules that help me create an enjoyable experience for my players.
I love my Fallout 2d20 game, I’m running it again on Sunday. But if I had used the looting rules out of the GM Toolkit, the Modding rules as written, Damage Effects stacking, the encounter difficulty suggested by the rulebook, and the XP distribution they offer, I would not like this game. It would be random and silly. I love my homebrewed version of the game, but only because I disregard a bunch of the rules as written, and because I wrote elaborate spreedsheets to generate more balanced loot and encounters.
So, I’m still very grateful to Modiphius for purchasing this license and printing this system. I don’t know what Bethesda/Zenimax/Microsoft requires them to do, or what Covid did to the production process of this book. I have no ill-will toward Modiphius and will probably buy Fallout 2d20 supplements in the future. But the original post on this thread is a warning to Overseers that if you simply take many of these rules as written, you may find that gear makes players grow wildly in combat power, different player builds are vastly different in their effectiveness and your combat encounters have bizarre outcomes.
If you’re okay with that, a salut. But my style is very long term, slow growth, narrative driven play. I average about one combat encounter a session, so it better be challenging, cinematic and have a meaningful outcome. And I’m looking for a 150+ session campaign, so I need to create 150 interesting encounters. Balanced, supportive rules go a long way to help me with that, and many other TTRPGs provide those.