Note: This section is here to give a concise summary of how the game works, not to cover every small detail in the rules. If you want a complete summary of Fallout: The Board Game’s rules, click here to view the rulebook online. Additionally, if you want to read actual impressions of the game, feel free to skip this section.

There are two big questions people tend to have about Fallout: The Board Game, and you probably have at least one of them on your mind, depending on where your fandom lies.

If you’re a tabletop fan, you might be wondering, “Is this just a cash grab reskin of an existing board game archetype?” And if you’re a Fallout fan, the big question might be, “Is this anything like the games?”

Put simply, the answer to these questions is no and yes. Fallout: The Board Game is unlike any other tabletop game I’ve ever played, for better and for worse, and in every playthrough, it felt as familiar a romp through the irradiated wasteland as my previous experiences in the video games.

The Object of the Game

Fallout: The Board Game plays like an interactive adventure on the tabletop. Each player starts out together on a single exposed hex, assuming one of the eccentric roles of various wasteland dwellers. Your character choice isn’t just cosmetic; it will give you some kind of trait that can affect your experience in the wasteland.

True to the spirit of the games, the entire wasteland lies unexplored in front of you, represented by flipped over tiles that are revealed as you explore them. With every piece of the world that is exposed, new locations, quests, and monsters will be made manifest, presenting new options to the players. Every player will make their own mark in the wasteland, and while there is almost no direct player interaction, the actions of each player will affect the overall world, thus influencing the options that are available to everyone else.

The object of the game is fairly simple — each player has secret objectives, and they earn points for each one that they fulfill. Everyone is dealt two objectives in the beginning of the game, and can earn more throughout the game. Acquiring a new objective card (referred to as agenda cards in-game) can open up a whole new window of possibilities that informs your strategy going forward.

There is a point threshold that determined victory (based on the number of players). Once a player has fulfilled enough objectives throughout the wasteland, they reveal their hand and win the game. In Fallout: The Board Game, every player has different motivations, making every session a unique experience.

How it Works

You might still be confused on how exactly the game works. While you’d be better off reading the rulebook online to learn all the fine minutiae, I’ll explain the basics here.

The gameplay of Fallout: The Board Game is actually relatively simple. The game is played in rounds, and in every round, each player gets one turn. On your turn, you get to perform two actions. There are six actions to choose from, and you can mix and match as you please.

The Actions

Explore: Exploring allows you to uncover one of the undiscovered hexes, opening up new locations and opportunities in the wasteland.

Exploring allows you to uncover one of the undiscovered hexes, opening up new locations and opportunities in the wasteland. Move: Allows you move a certain amount of spaces across the board, determined by your character and gear.

Allows you move a certain amount of spaces across the board, determined by your character and gear. Quest: Allows you to fulfill an action on a quest card (described below). This is a context-specific action that is only available on certain occasions.

Allows you to fulfill an action on a quest card (described below). This is a context-specific action that is only available on certain occasions. Encounter: This is a fun action that allows you to have “encounters” in the wasteland, either in the wilderness or in settlements (also described below). This can be triggered in specific locations, providing you with choices that will be met with rewards — or consequences.

This is a fun action that allows you to have “encounters” in the wasteland, either in the wilderness or in settlements (also described below). This can be triggered in specific locations, providing you with choices that will be met with rewards — or consequences. Fight: You can use this action to engage in combat with enemies on the map. You can only fight wasteland enemies, not other players directly.

You can use this action to engage in combat with enemies on the map. You can only fight wasteland enemies, not other players directly. Camp: Allows you to take a rest, regaining some lost HP, and opening up a window to trade with other players who might be sharing the same spot.

Quests and Encounters

Again, much like the video games, Fallout: The Board Game is driven by a narrative that’s presented via quests. You, of course, have the power to choose your own destiny. Will you be the moral paragon who fights for the good of the common people, or the morally bankrupt sleazebag? The choice is yours, which is a big part of Fallout’s charm.

Quest Cards

In the Fallout video games, your experience is defined by two different types of quests — the main story, and side quests. The board game is no different. There is indeed a story that plays out through the main quest, and as the game continues, various side quests manifest themselves that can give you different objectives.

Every quest card has a narrative that provides lore and context, along with objectives. There are multiple ways to resolve each one, each option having its own rewards or consequences. Furthermore, these represent branching paths — the way you resolve a quest determines how its story pans out.

One of the earliest quests has you investigating the phenomenon of synths in the Boston wasteland — artificial beings who look, feel, and sound exactly like humans. Do you kill a synth on the map and pick them apart to learn more about them, or head to Diamond City to learn more information through word-of-mouth? Each one will have its own implications, and the choice you choose will determine the card that’s drawn to continue the storyline.

The bulk of Fallout: The Board Game is spent pursuing the objectives on quest cards. These will reward you with gear that will make your life easier, advance the story, and quite often help you to complete the tasks on your personal agenda cards (through which the game is won).

Encounter Cards

Encounters are similar to quest cards, but instead of being on-going story threads that are available for every player to pursue, they are one-time events that are triggered by players when they stumble upon certain locations. They are presented and resolved in one turn, and typically present the player with some kind of moral dilemma, true to the spirit of the Fallout games.

Encounters can happen out in the wild, or in settlements, and in every occasion, it’s fun to see how the players at the table decide their fate.

The Other Stuff

If I were to explain every little component of Fallout: The Board Game, we’d be here for a while, and that’s not exactly the point of a review, even a comprehensive one. The goal here is to give you a general idea of the game’s main takeaways, but there are still a few facets that are worth mentioning.