Fallout: The Board Game
A narrative board game set in the Fallout universe.
Fantasy Flight Games released Fallout: The Board Game in 2017, a narrative-driven adventure set in the world of the Fallout video games. Andrew Fischer and Nathan I. Hajek designed it.
Players become survivors exploring a post-apocalyptic wasteland on a hex board that can be arranged to resemble locations from Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. For one to four players, a typical game lasts two to three hours. Each player picks a character and completes quests to earn points. Quests come from a deck of over 150 cards, drawn when visiting certain spots. Along the way, players fight enemies, deal with factions, and gather gear. Characters gain experience and level up using the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system.
The first expansion, Fallout: New California, arrived in 2018 and adds content from the original Fallout and Fallout 2 games, including new scenarios, characters, map tiles, loot cards, and a cooperative scenario. A second expansion, Fallout: Atomic Bonds, came out in 2020, introducing cooperative play for all existing competitive scenarios along with new mechanics like fast travel, an assist die for combat, workshop upgrades, item modifications, and player mutations.
Kotaku praised the game’s quest, exploration, and storytelling. Ars Technica noted that players “will immediately be hooked on the choose-your-own-adventure plot” but felt the story arc “never quite reach[es] a climax.” Polygon called it a “surprisingly excellent board game adaptation.”
- Publisher
- Fantasy Flight Games
- Release Year
- 2017
- Designers
- Andrew Fischer, Nathan I. Hajek
- Players
- 1–4
- Play Time
- 2–3 hours
- Setting
- Fallout video game universe
Lore & Background
Fallout: The Board Game was released in 2017 by Fantasy Flight Games, designed by Andrew Fischer and Nathan I. Hajek. The game is set in the post-apocalyptic fictional universe of the Fallout video game series. Players take on roles as survivors exploring ruins, interacting with factions, creatures, and characters from that universe. The game uses a hex board that creates configurations based on Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. Quests are generated from a deck of more than 150 quest and encounter cards, and characters level up using the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system.
Reader's Guide
Fallout: The Board Game adapts the popular video game series into a tabletop experience, emphasizing exploration and storytelling. Its quest and encounter system, drawn from a large deck of cards, allows for varied playthroughs. The game received positive attention from outlets such as Kotaku, which praised its quest, exploration, and storytelling systems, and Ars Technica, which noted players would be hooked on the choose-your-own-adventure plot but critiqued the story arc for never quite reaching a climax. Polygon called it a surprisingly excellent board game adaptation. Two expansions were released: Fallout: New California in 2018, adding content from the original Fallout and Fallout 2, and Fallout: Atomic Bonds in 2020, which introduced co-op for all competitive scenarios along with gameplay modifications like fast travel, an assist die, workshop upgrades, item modifications, and player mutations. The game remains a notable entry in licensed board game adaptations.
Did You Know?
- Fallout: The Board Game was designed by Andrew Fischer and Nathan I. Hajek.
- The game uses a hex board that creates configurations based on Fallout 3 and Fallout 4.
- The first expansion, Fallout: New California, was released in 2018 and includes a co-op scenario.
- The second expansion, Fallout: Atomic Bonds, added fast travel and an assist die mechanic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fallout: The Board Game and who published it?
It is a story-focused adventure board game set in the post-apocalyptic world of the Fallout video game series, released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2017. Players role-play as survivors exploring a modular wasteland while completing quests and fighting enemies.
How many players can join a game of Fallout: The Board Game and how long does a session last?
The game supports one to four participants, with a typical playthrough taking roughly two to three hours. Each player chooses a character and works through quests pulled from a deck of more than 150 cards to accumulate points.
Who are the designers behind Fallout: The Board Game?
Andrew Fischer and Nathan I. Hajek created the game's rules and structure. Their design emphasizes cooperative exploration and narrative choices over competitive scoring.
What does the playing area look like in Fallout: The Board Game?
The game uses a hex-tile map that players can configure to mirror recognizable locations from Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. As survivors move across the hexes, they trigger encounters, quest draws, and faction interactions.
Why do fans consider Fallout: The Board Game a standout entry in the tabletop space?
It was one of the first board games to translate the Fallout universe into a cooperative, choice-driven experience with a large quest library. The modular hex board combined with over 150 quest cards gives each playthrough a different feel, which fans cite as a major reason for its replayability.
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