Miami Dice: Fallout

[@brycelomonaco9113]

I appreciate you guys giving honest feedback on high profile games. It’s easy to get sucked into a license you love and burning your game cash on something less than stellar when there are better options out there.

[@ThymeKeeper]

So, full disclosure, I have played Fallout 3, New Vegas, Fallout 4, and all of the different DLC. I also have played the hell out of the board game. So I think I have an educated opinion. This is a very fair review. It's a good board game, but it's not great. Perhaps expansions will help, but who knows. For what's there a 6-6.5 is probably fair, given that your mileage will vary depending on how much you like the theme. For Fallout veterans, a 7-7.5 might be reachable. Most of what they said was fair, but there were a couple of things I wanted to expand on or that I thought they missed. Component quality is very good, but the tiny artwork on cards and tokens makes it less immersive to me. Also, there's not a lot of backstory or color on the items, monsters, companions, factions, and locations. Someone not familiar with the video game would not get a lot of immersiveness there. It's fair to say that it's really sort of a love letter to Fallout fans. I can't imagine I'd like it much if I didn't know the material (although Sam seemed to like it OK). The rules and card text are occasionally problematic. Some of the cards are not very clear and some of the rules need fleshing out. Some situations played according to the rules aren't really fair or fun. For example, the opening quest might tell you to kill a raider to advance one faction, but you have influence with the other faction. But you may not be able to avoid killing a raider depending on how the map tiles are laid out or where enemies are in the stack. It can't be difficult to recover from that. This is an example of randomness that they all said they hated. The scoring is pretty much what they said it was. It is possible to get to a situation where you really can't win because you need one faction to be in the lead and there are no more quests to complete with that faction. Yes, you can swap out cards, but you never know what you're going to get, leading to a very dissatisfying end game experience. The branching storyline is great, but you will play the initial quests many times and might never reach all of the branches. I guess this would be true of any branching storyline system. The modular map is really cool, but you are going to be seeing those same locations a lot and there isn't a lot of differentiation except where locations occasionally figure into the quests. The funny thing about the theme is that it's really not a board game about combat and adventure in a post apocalyptic wasteland. The video games are about that, but in a very real sense the theme of Fallout the Board Game IS Fallout the Video Game. It's a board game about a video game about adventure and combat in a post apocalyptic wasteland. I knew this would basically be the case, but to degree to which it is true was surprising. I think it does an excellent job at recreating a Fallout the Video Game experience. It relies on you essentially using the video game as back story. Apart from the link to the video game I didn't find the theme very strong. I played each scenario several times with different character combos and then sold it. I was done. I hope there are expansions and I hope they flesh out and improve the game. If they do, I will be back. It's worth playing. But you're not still going to be playing in a year. I wanted to LOVE this game. I liked it. Occasionally a lot. But I did not LOVE it. But again, it's a game almost built to have expansions so we'll see. I may have to adjust my opinion in a year.

[@khyronkravshera7774]

They are releasing a expansion for Co-Op play called Fallout Atomic Bonds.

[@aprilw2287]

Zee nailed it. My husband and I have a blast playing this game because we enjoy the experience and don't care about winning. Fantastic game if you don't mind the randomness.

[@loganfox3091]

I recently bought the game and wanted to give a brief review of playing the game solo, which is the only way I’ve gotten it to the table so far. I felt that the game really encapsulates the feeling of playing fallout (glitches and all) and for that reason I loved it. I like the pressure of the monsters following you anywhere you go, the choice between whether to stay and fight, the moral choices on the encounter cards, and the VATS dice. That being said, I do agree with the randomness of the scoring being problematic. For multi-player games, I can see wanting to add some house rules. Here are my suggestions for house rules in a multi-player game. 1) No influence card is worth more than 2 points. This doesn’t alleviate the randomness, but I think it does limit the power of the randomness. 2) pickpocket a survivor. Fallout is built on interactions with members of a post-apocalyptic society, so being able to do more than trade will help with that feeling. I would suggest a test of A4, if you fail, take 2 wounds 3) backstab a survivor Become vilified (or if your backstabbing someone who is vilified, become idolized), if you kill them, you may loot one item at random from them. To backstab you are rolling for the head only. 4) monsters become inactive moving over difficult terrain. This simply requires monsters to make an extra movement to get over the terrain as well. 5) you can shop at any camp/settlement, but if the card doesn’t say to shop, you don’t put out any extra items. I like the game a lot as is, because I love fallout, but I feel like these rules might balance the game and encourage more player interaction. Positives: Component Quality Encounter Cards morality Feels like Fallout Lots of replayability to explore the different choices Negatives: Influence cards imbalanced Trench insert Not enough opportunity for player interaction. Shopping opportunities limited Overall rating: 7/10

[@antirnator8194]

I wish: Seventh Continent gameplay and Fallout IP in the future

[@sauce773]

Damn even the board game is full of bugs and glitches.

[@klaskteacup]

Hearing Tom say “scurry” at the beginning of this made my day 🏆

[@KristoVaher]

How the HELL was this scoring system playtested without this being obvious after single play!?!? Gosh damnit.

[@andyanderson4918]

seems like a somewhat easy fix too. just make the objectives different in some way

[@Kentchangar]

That's Fantasy Flight for you - very little playtesting.

[@BoscoBlood]

You can really see this is a super honest review. Thanks guys (also, money saved). You are always the best around

[@rasmadrak]

It's amazing how different a game can feel depending on the presentation. I saw another Fallout (solo game) review and I was hooked. Watched 4 episodes of it and it looked like a great game. So, to anyone considering any game; check out multiple reviews for it before deciding. :)

[@nicksims2827]

I know everybody seemed to want this review sooner, but it’s interesting to see so many comments here from people who’ve clearly played the game. This may not be a positive review, but based on these comments it’s a very fair one

[@ThymeKeeper]

Also, on the scoring, if you are lucky and draw the card that gives you bonus influence for finishing the SPECIAL track and the one for revealing all of the tiles, you are going to win. There are plusses to the scoring. As you get close to the end of the game and that influence deck is getting shorter, you know the end of the deck is going to advance one or both factions to the end...it can get VERY tense. I played one game where a character won on the very last card flip with the factions breathing down their neck. Random, yes, but exciting at times.

[@Spudkitty513]

I am an avid Fallout video game fan ... played all of them multiple times. I am also a huge fan of the board game. If you haven't played the video game, then enjoyment of the board game will probably be diminished. Anyone who has played Fallout 4 will bring the emotions evoked by what the Railroad/Brotherhood/Institute are trying to accomplish to the board game. I was also more sympathetic to the Brotherhood than the Railroad or Institute, so that affects my gameplay in the board game. That's what bringing a video game saga to a board game is all about, and it is why people who haven't played the video game won't fully appreciate what it's all about.

[@atticusfinch9287]

solo Fallout the boardgame works great for people like me who don't like modern video games and are no good at them. Joseph D

[@EinheriV]

I feel like this game is underrated too much, it's probably my favorite board game. The scoring/endgame is not ideal, but really not a deal breaker. Just end the game only when a faction reaches max power - bam, no more surprise ending. And if you focus on playing the game and not winning at all costs, it is a great experience.

[@Himerion]

I would like to ask for another video with an updated review in the case that Zee or Sam try the game solo, since I may consider buying it if it plays better solo, thank you for the review.

[@ThymeKeeper]

I played it solo a lot. I enjoyed it. It's long for a solo game though. That will be your evenings entertainment, so plan accordingly.

[@cheezeret]

Himerion Biggest issue with solo play is the length. The fiddliness can be handled, but the length is comparable to Eldritch Horror and much longer than Mansions of Madness. The opportunity cost for playing this game compared to more engaging solo titles is high.

[@Himerion]

I already own Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition to play it solo, so if this one takes that long to play solo, I would certainly leave it for others to enjoy, I only have that much time to play long solo games and money to spend. I like Mansions of Madness more that what it feels I would like this game, so thank you for both answers.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Solo is nice but as I said in my other comment, even there it breaks down a bit. There are quests and companions where other players are needed and that breaks it. You'd have to know this ahead of time and take them out else get into an awkward situation where you have to decide how to do it (house rule on the fly). As always, if playing to win the Agenda cards will still haunt you and with a need for 11 influence you are required to stack faction cards or its impossible to get enough points with the hand limit. I believe (would have to check the track again) if the secondary faction moves more than 3 times on the track it's impossible to win, meaning you'd know long before the game is finished the outcome. I hope this is enough information to inform you on whether this is a good fit for you or not as a solo gamer. I did play solo and mentioned it in my review.

[@ajw5388]

For me I think it is best played multiplayer IF you have a friend who is a big fan of the Fallout franchise. I think the theme comes through really well and since the video games are single player, this was a fun way to get a Fallout multiplayer experience. I’d probably favor just popping in the video game for a solo experience, but I found the solo play to be worthwhile enough in the board game too. I think this will be a game where it will appeal much more to fans of the theme than average gamers so beware of that.

[@Blackwarrior2003]

Perhaps Zee or Sam can do a live play-through of this when they play it solo.

[@m00npie]

Thanks for the review, gentlemen! Couldn't agree more with your points - has good ideas, some good story mechanics, and some really thematic components despite outstaying its welcome and being entirely too lucky for its length. Keep up the good work! :)

[@Steve-L]

When I beta tested this, I knew it was gonna be a Miami Dice review. I have similar feelings about the game. Its good, but not great, and because of length, it won't get replayed.

[@polskaprince]

You guys should do a "better then fallout" rpg boardgame or best video game rendition boardgame

[@RapidVisionLoss]

Great explanation Sam.

[@SamHealey6]

Rapid Vision Loss Thanks for saying so!

[@hawkeye137137]

Good review guys, everything you talked about was quiet spot on. Like you said it is a very good game if journey is more important for you than result. Only issue for me is randomness of the agenda deck, but I expect FFG to fix it with an expansion like what they did with SW: Rebellion's expansion. Btw to Sam and Zee, solo game is quiet good, since most of the problems aren't an issue there. There is no downtime after all and topdecking agendas issue becomes irrelevant, since you don't play against other players, so it isn't unfair anymore. Also you have more chances to get agenda cards, since you are the only one going after quests rewarding them. You can gear up and get rerolls easier too, since you don't compete against other players for shop items either. Definitely give it a chance.

[@Drang2008]

What could revive this game and make it much more satisfying would be to replace the agenda deck with a “Dead of Winter” style of win conditions. I.e. you get an Agenda to start with which dictates which faction you need to progress, plus you get other goals such as have 1 Armor, 1 weapon, and 1 follower, or have the most caps, or have not died and respawned, or complete “SPECIAL” Then if your faction won AND you completed your secret agenda you win.

[@TechnoGolem]

I love this game, as a single player experience only. It is a lot of fun seeing how different scenarios can play out but it is a bit repetitive at the start of the game since you see the same stuff so often. The game has a lot of problems with two or more players. The biggest is the influence system that determines who wins. It can still be fun to play with others but only if you are playing to see what happens and winning isn't too important to you.

[@bretttodd2961]

I’ve thought about home brewing the rules for 2 players: each player picks one of the factions and the winner is the one who advances that faction to the end first. Otherwise the point system is wonky to Zee’s point. There also should be some player interaction built in.

[@spifeca]

Only played once, had very similar feelings about the randomness and not being able to push the end game, Friend sold his copy... the only thing that could easily help the scoring is that when you have declared your association to a faction, that when you draw an opposing faction you discard and redraw. after playing I counted the scoring cards 1/3 faction #1, 1/3 faction #2 the other 1/3 random individual goals... I think only 7-8 cards each.

[@codyknoxable]

I agree completely. My girlfriend and I had such a difficulty grasping what was going on with the scoring system. By the time we realized how simple and random it was, we'd stopped having any semblance of fun. Quit about 2.5 hours in, and I doubt we pick it up again. A bummer because the theme, quests, and encounters are fun.

[@Olvenskol]

Solid summary of the good and bad. Nice job guys.

[@stevepruneau6561]

I'm a huge Fallout fan, so this was a must-buy as soon as I heard any information about it. I have played a bit of it solo just to get the feel for it, but I have not played out a full gaming session. I'm sure some house rules can be used to fix a few nagging things like downtime, etc. I really like most elements of the game, and the Fallout theme is definitely there in spades. If the game was really *BAD* I would have been quite surprised. Most people that played this at Essen etc, found it to be quite exciting.

[@TheKingofAverage]

This is why in my review I stated I'd now only play it without Agenda cards. They are only used for enemy activations. It works quite well as a sandbox game. Some other issues they didn't mention: * It's game over once you get enough influence, even mid story. That's not fun. * Not all faction quests are even in difficulty. One might require you to kill any human enemy and the other one the same card might have you go to dangerous territory and spend an action with a companion. * You can lose before even playing the game. If, when dealt your starting objective cards, you get faction shield for instance and the 3 other players all got dealt faction star, you will lose. It's 3 v 1 now from the outset. * With how enemies damage you there is no difference, they are all the same. A mole rat can hurt you just as much as a deathclaw. * When playing solo, there are both quests and companions that break the game. Some companions require other players and so do some quest options. That's off the top of my head, I'm sure there are others. Again, a great casual sandbox game for story and theme which the game excels at, but everything else just seems to fall apart.

[@benoitpoulin6836]

Fallout reminded me of Firefly the board game which was basically, at first, a long solo game that you can play with other persons at the same time (with minimal interactions) but with a good theme. Now, the extra content of Firefly make it more interresting... still long but more enjoyable for fans. I hope too that expansions for Fallout will fix some of the issues mentioned in this video. I'm playing it solo right now, will keep it for some time in hope for improvements but if nothing comes out, it's gone from my collection.

[@GRex7777]

Unsure on what I think about this game...but I might see if I can get it on sale, if only for the minis.

[@1simo93521]

GRex7777 me also, the minis will be great for my table top rpgs.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Might want to check out Fallout Wasteland Warfare. Not sure if the price is better if that's all you are after.

[@barretmusselman9977]

I wonder how the Modipheus version will stack up. I know its more of a miniature skirmish game but maybe that will be better.

[@rabidpickle]

I really love Fallout. But I did not like this game at all. The story elements are neat...the first time. Then you know exactly how they will go, and there aren't enough to keep the game fresh for very long at all. There weren't enough influence cards for everyone to go for, so the game wasn't very competitive. Also, the game ends when someone has enough influence. Several different things can change how much influence your cards give you so the end game could trigger at any time. Very unsatisfying. Combat was also not fun. Just my opinion.

[@EclecticCamel]

rabidpickle This game was so disappointing.

[@tonybowers9490]

Same here. I had very high expectations, but the game missed the mark on just about every game element. Too much randomness, no bosses, no dice mitigation, not much leveling because I never felt much more powerful. Never really got very far into the story and when I did it was nothing new. Spent a lot of time much moving from location to location. The miniatures were nice.

[@xGarrettThiefx]

...Kind of like the time of bought Wrath of Ashardalon and found the game play so bad it made me cry !

[@Ad3tr]

I wish this review had come out sooner. Their reviews of big popular games need to come out a lot faster. I know it's harder, but it's how they'll keep their market share and give the most help to gamers.

[@bigsucculenta1]

Completely agree - waiting so long shows a significant disconnect between the crew and their audience. As a Kickstarter backer this year to the dice tower I hope they take audience demand into account in expediting reviews.

[@KissellMissile]

If they had done this one right away, people would be saying the same thing about Gaia Project, or some other game. Or they would be saying, "did you even play it enough for a review?" Good reviews take time, and when 50 popular games drop at once at Essen, it will take time to do good reviews of them.

[@Ad3tr]

Ian Kissell but this was sold out twice, and the audience for it was so much greater. People knew that if they liked the game Gaia was based on they would like it. I bought fallout and don't regret it, but I would have really liked the review. I bought Civilization New Dawn and kind of regret that since the review came out way late. They don't all have to get the Miami Dice treatment

[@joeliodos3007]

Yeah, I agree with Ian. They can only review games as they come to them as well. Sometimes they don't receive review copies until until a couple weeks before it gets to retail. They can't choose when they get review copies or how publishers handle things like this. If you really put a lot of your decision on buying a game on The Dice Tower reviews then just wait.

[@nicksims2827]

I agree with the other replies. Also, you kind of know the verdict BECAUSE it didn’t pop up sooner, like with First Martians (and I think Seafall?)

[@BrutalBarracuda]

Nailed it, random, long, no interaction. What else annoys me is the fact you could start a quest, complete the first 5 stages yourself (receiving no victory points), then someone else can come in and finish the final part of the quest and basically steal the victory points. I love Fallout but this game is incredibly meh. Also the same quests keep popping up every game. Its fun the 1st and 2nd time you play but on my 5th and 6th playthrough im done. Will be most likely selling, and i never sell my games.

[@MoBachh]

I love the board game. The way I play it is coop style with 3 others. We change the rule a little so the gameplay is how we want it. Also the expansion New California adds a lot more to it. I say get it and search coop rules online to experience the board game in full swing.

[@pgaidarov]

On BGG there are really good suggestions how to fix the scoring and other issues, which makes the game A LOT more fun! If you do not mind introducing "house rules", which do not contradict with the main mechanic of the game, try them, you won't regret!

[@topgun5054]

Got a link to that?

[@ajw5388]

I really liked it, but I am a HUGE Fallout fan and I like having a stash of games I can play solo. I also don’t mind the randomness because it reminds me of the percentage based VATS system in the video game. I think the game could be improved a lot with a couple of expansions, extra characters and extra scenarios to keep it fresh. After 3 plays it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites, but I feel like this is probably a niche that speaks to me much more than most people.

[@ajw5388]

After finishing the video I have to say that Zee’s final thoughts were perfect. This game is great for people who don’t care about winning (like me). It is a fun experience with a really wonky scoring system that determines an arbitrary winner at the end.

[@Nurgleprobe]

Add some story cards/quest cards to Talisman, and that's basicly how I feel about this game. Way to long, gather some gear, role some dice and do what you need to progress further, get knocked down, respawn, and run back to the location you need to be. Gonna give it another try or two but, it was not a super good first experience. The story cards were neat tho, but once the novalty of "options" go away the game feels very flat.

[@Toytoonsreviews]

We totally agree with this review of the game. It is wonderful to look at but it is long and lacks motivation. We tried many times to like it. Unfortunately we will not be playing it any longer.

[@DanThorpeGamingWithIdiots]

There are actually some pretty good variants to the Agenda scoring on BoardGameGeek. Namely things like you play it pre-selected Agenda cards at the game start. But none of them actually score you points unless you activate them. To activate them each time you find the outcome of something would "draw" an agenda, instead you can activate one of your pre-selected agendas. And you cant select two of the same agendas. Basically means you pledge focus at the start of the game and dont randomly draw 10 points (which I did in one game). Anyway just saying this based on what ive seen on BGG. Go take a look as it defo makes the game better to play.

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

maybe it being fiddily/clunky is their way of staying thematically accurate to the glitchy game ;)

[@scottishduck88]

It's not a bug, but a feature.

[@soundabyss]

@@scottishduck88 if its broken, break it some more to see if something funny happens

[@gambit82283]

Good review guys, I'm really hoping an expansion helps alleviate the biggest issue which would be the scoring mechanics. Also, I realize you mentioned how it's based on a game that is 1 player... well Fallout 5 was just announced at E3 and being multiplayer! Not really important to the review but there ya go.

[@Yeomen1986]

I feel like some house rules can fix some of the games glaring issues

[@skolodji]

I agree with the guys, branching out the different story lines is the best part. I don't like scoring system, but overlooked it because I enjoyed exploring and fighting monsters to get loot. I do worry the game will get stale after a few more plays after doing all scenarios and getting through all the encounter cards. We'll see if they can put out an expansion with different scoring like Sam said and new encounters to give it more life.

[@janpawedwa4590]

I wouldn't worry about FFG not putting expansions. I would worry if I can afford all of them.

[@eierkoek]

maybe for scoring make it everyone needs 8 points, no double agenda cards and every faction related card is max 2 points worth (if your faction is ahead, it is worth a extra point.) others work as intended.

[@RuleBritannia1987]

Does anyone know if there's a full version of the intro music, it's really catchy?

[@terrysalt]

In case you're still interested a year later, this is the intro song. www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/Rockin%27+Retro/Give+It+Away/

[@steveg7000]

Sam, thanks for the rules explanation.

[@GamesOffTheShelf]

It seems like if your a big fan of Fallout the video game series and enjoy solo board games then this game is right for you.

[@cheezeret]

Games Off The Shelf I have played it solo, and I found it incredibly fiddly and random. This game is definitely more about the journey than the destination, and it has fun moments, but isn't consistently engaging.

[@GamesOffTheShelf]

It sounds like a good opportunity lost. At least it has some cool minis and fingers crossed there could be an expansion that might help the game smooth out. Thanks for your opinion.

[@ajw5388]

Both things apply to me and I like the game quite a bit so you probably hit the nail on the head there.

[@EclecticCamel]

Games Off The Shelf No, playing solo changes nothing about the experience. There isn't much interaction in the first place, so bumping down to one player just means everything is coming at you. And this just isn't a good game.

[@diceatdusk3990]

Games Off The Shelf I am a pretty big fan and did enjoy it. My biggest issue is that I believe the ending of the game doesn't do it justice. They have definitely opened it up for expansions, in typical Fantasy Flight fashion.

[@seanfrazier1731]

I think the randomness is both in the video game and the board game, I think the scoring is a little weird but there was no scoring in the video game so take it with a grain of salt. Point is if you like the video game you will like the board game

[@shaneannigans]

I'm a solo boardgamer and a Bethesda fan, but I'd rather play Runebound 3e+Unbreakable Bonds or Mage Knight.

[@antoinebrady4794]

I wonder if the atomicité bond expansion solved it

[@man-yp1gb]

You have to spend currency to fight a enemy.......ok.

[@necrotoaster94]

Curious about the "sponsored by" at the beginning of this video. This is the first time I've seen this here (pardon if I've missed it on others) and was a bit surprised. I was under the impression that the KS campaign covered video production except for paid KS previews. Did I miss something/am I incorrect? Not a complaint, just curious. :)

[@searose6192]

I would like to see a Skyrim (or better yet Oblivion) board game built around exploration.

[@ew467w6]

While I agree that this isn't the best game out there, it seems fun to me. I like the different mechanics to it, and that is probably why I like it in general (because its different). I wouldn't say its a bad game though, just not a great one.

[@fredericofilho4075]

If you take the theme away this seems like a really, really bad game. Too bad, I really enjoy the video game series. May give it a shot to play at least once purely because of the theme.

[@cheezeret]

Great review, gentlemen. This strongly echos my thoughts on the game. I love the IP, but found the randomness, lack of enemy scaling and game length off-putting. Not sure I will be playing again.

[@seamuspadraigmcgowan3677]

We need you to review Fallen Land, do see which is the best Post Apocalyptic Board Game of all time.

[@skinflutey]

Seems like it’s better as a solo game. I’ll wait for the west expansions.

[@TheSharpshell]

The Agenda cards really are a big problem. Even if you don't care who wins because they lead to wild variability in game length. If someone gets lucky and top decks the same faction three times in a row (I don't know the odds on this but i have seen it happen several times) the game can be over extremely quickly. Other problematic aspects of luck in this game: the way leveling works. For instance, if the brotherhood of steal character pulls an I on his first level then he basically just got to skip ahead to level 3. Encounter card draws is a function of luck. Tile placement can really help or hinder certain players as the quest cards come out. The loot cards. Etc. But, despite all that, there is something about this game I enjoy more than I thought I would... I do play with some house rules, including a variant for the agenda cards I consider necessary. However, there will always be a lot of luck in this game, which is fine for what it is: Ameritrash. But man, those Agenda cards really suck the fun out of the game in the vanilla rules. Even winning feels like 'meh' because you know you didn't do that much to deserve it. But I liked the game enough to spend the time to try and fix it. It's a weird one!

[@OmegaViper]

HOUSE RULES, The blessing of boardgames over video games. You can add pvp rules, changes things, whatever, to make it better. I personally got a lot of great ones if you ever want. :P

[@antone1azet]

The game is quite random and obviously pushed to early release unfinished. But I like simplistic concept of it. Nice simple graphics, simple combat, simple exploration. It feels like playing computer Fallout. At least to me. Also I did not care much about points and winning, I cared more about story cards and options/decisions. Played 3 times so far (3 or 4 players) and for sure will play more.

[@xenothonstelnicki597]

I was excited for this game because FO4 is my girlfriend's favorite game and elements look excellent. Everything I've heard is mixed at best, though.

[@Power-Mad]

Hey Tom, how would you compare this to Xia?

[@overtured]

I really liked the game. Everybody in my group enjoys FALLOUT video games and the experience with the BG was great. Like zee said, the journey was awesome. We don't even remembered who won. :)

[@fredwmanzo8580]

I agree with your review. the game is too long for what it is and the random nature of the bad guys makes getting up to speed much too hard. This tends to slow down the start of the game even more. Plus once you have health problems your turn is over in 5 seconds. I'd suggest that, at a minimum, the movement rates be increased. At least then you'd be getting somewhere important each turn.

[@ericcampbell9553]

Solo play. zee review ?

[@capefury8731]

Coo review guys as always. top 10 idea! top medium difficulty games after gateway games

[@grahampearson161]

The game is fun, and a reasonable recreation of the video game, but as has been pointed out there are issues. Agenda cards need rebalancing and the faction based ones need nerfing in a future expansion. Also, it would be good if each character had their own personal story quest line that only they could partake in.

[@oldenretriever]

I agree with you guys. I love the theme, it is my favorite videogameseries and thats why i tolerate the flaws of the boardgame. If the theme of the game was anything else than Fallout, id get rid of it immediately.

[@Mackerachi]

I really enjoyed the game.. cept the points system. It’s so broken and such an integral function in the game that I’m not really sure how to fix it. I’m going to keep giving it chances though. They need to have more ways to get victory points. I had one friend level a ton, but he got nothing for it. Maybe like Xia and it’s many ways to get points. Something like get to level 5, get a VP. Fill all your gear slots, VP. Nab your first perk, VP. Finish a quest card, VP. Kill each enemy type, VP. Killed a Side A agent, VP, Killed a Side B agent, VP. *shrug

[@missmuscle]

I think the game works awesome as a two player and I think solo and two player the sweet spot for it, wouldn't play with any higher player count. I've been having a lot of fun with it and yeah you just kind of have to not care about winning, it's all about the journey. My friend for instance was going down one path that wasn't helping him AT ALL just because he wanted to see where it went. Meanwhile I was an idiot and kind of accidentally pushed one faction to winning the game :P If you are a Fallout fan then it's worth a try but like I said, play with one or two players and don't play the game to win, play to experience and enjoy the journey :)

[@rasmusolesen5307]

I wish someone would do a fallout 1,2/Wasteland boardgame. This game is so disappointing.

[@svavarbjorgvinsson1208]

A work in progress....

[@thegrimdestiny]

As a fan of the Fallout Franchise (Fallout 4 is the best) I liked the game. Rather than that, I won't play it if it had another thematic. That being said, this is a pretty fair review by the Dice Tower, and I see no reason to complain about biased views by the guys (as we read in the comments, from those who LOVE this game). Just saying ... and this is from a guy who has 120+ hours on Fallout 4 and a fan of the franchise, I repeat. This game is great as a theme, but average as a game. I agree it is somewhat random in gameplay and super random in the winning conditions. Cheers and thanks for the review guys!

[@searose6192]

Sounds like it would be ideal solo....

[@crimsonstudios680]

I agree with Sam, I like Skyrim more than Fallout. I just prefer medieval fantasy setting over post nuclear

[@MrKeller13]

This game is definitely a little long for a board game. It is keeping with how long the video game is. So there's that. But I do agree with almost everything that they said. The randomness of the victory point cards can really screw people over. Or when people do a quest to set up somebody else to get points out of the next quest is frustrating. This game is definitely a fan service to fans of the video game. It definitely has the feel, at least to me, of the Fallout world. No doubt about that. But some gameplay mechanics just don't fit the theme. Was a little to abstracted.

[@HALOX30]

Disapointing, glad for the review. My money goes to another game.

[@Yriel129]

This game was one of those games I was going to buy as soon as it hit the stores. Luckily I couldn't afford it when it did, and that I checked out these reviews now that I do. Very disappointed.

[@ryusorata]

The game looks very bad, and thats a big issue with ffg games recently. They release a game bad, just to release something. And eventually the push expansions to fix things bad about the game, but just half o the expansion is actually good, but you gotta use it all, and then they release more expansions like that until you have no idea what you are playing anymore. I am all for expansions, but releasing a bad game and plan to fix it with expansions? this is just silly

[@Otherspersons]

I know you shouldn't review a game based on a variant, but the "Scoring Variant" in bgg forums really makes this game so much more enjoyable.

[@skolodji]

Which variant do you use?

[@Otherspersons]

This one: boardgamegeek.com/thread/1898923/scoring-variant

[@TheSharpshell]

I think he is talking about this:boardgamegeek.com/thread/1898923/scoring-variant Personally, I find this variant a bit clunky. I have a much simpiler house-ruled scoring variant that makes this game much mroe enjoyable for me and the people I play with.

[@skolodji]

What's your house rules?

[@TheSharpshell]

Well, keep in mind I have a couple fairly minor tweaks that also help. But my Agenda variant works like this: At the beginning of the game, everyone draws two cards and gets to keep one and discards the other. Keep the discard pile. During the game when players are awarded an agenda card they draw a card and can either keep it OR exchange it with a faction card in the discard pile. Players can only get faction agenda cards (freedom and/or security) from the discard pile. Note: the first agenda card of a particular faction is 1 point plus the bonus but any extra cards of that same faction are ONLY worth the extra points and don't get the automatic 1. Hopefully, that makes sense because it is very important. I also replace one freedom and one security agenda cards (ones that only have one enemy symbol) with the non-faction agenda cards (puppet master is one) at player counts lower than 4. This is a minor thing but I think it helps. Also, I modify the text on the faction agenda cards so that instead of the bonus being the difference it's a maximum of +1 for any amount of difference and another +1 for reaching the orange part of the faction tracker. I don't consider this to be a part of the above variant necessarily but an equally important house rule that addresses a separate issue with the agenda deck: specifically, in the vanilla rules if one faction gets too far ahead of the other, and a player doesn't have that faction then they face a prisoners dillema where their efforts to even the proverbial playing field often results in a scenrio where no one wins becuase it moves the factions towards the end of the track but it's pretty card to actually overtake the faction in a significant way before this happens.

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

I'm just about to make a board game order, I almost did last night but I'm waiting... fallout is one of the three I was gonna order :/ ...

[@searose6192]

I got this game for free a few days ago....I think I am going to like it a LOT more than I liked Fallout 4. I LOVE Skyrim and Oblivion but I did not like fallout partly because I don’t like the dreary dystopian theme, but mostly because it was all so gross, scary and hopeless. I gravitated towards the institute quest line just for the relief of from the wasteland everywhere else in the game, but then found that a stifling and claustrophobic contrast to the rest of the game with a depressingly unsatisfying storyline. The whole thing was icky, frustrating and depressing. It was really too bad because I REALLY wanted to like Fallout as much as I love the Elder Scrolls series. This seems like it strips out much of what I didn’t like (theme, gruesomeness, stifling emersion in a miserable environment) while keeping what I found appealing about Fallout, namely the cute UI, the fusion of 1950s with dystopianness, the collecting items, the exploration. I’ll be playing it only solo, I hope I like it...but at least it was free.

[@ramonosuke]

Sad, but not surprised, that this game would be a toned down "themed" dice chucker with random card draws and events. Woohoo! Instantly removed from my wishlist and I am glad I didn't waste money on this. Although I wish this review came out sooner, for those that feel they wasted their money, but I understand you guys have a ton of games to review, and it doesn't help when this clocks in at 3+ hours most times. Not knocking those who like it, which if you do, Awesome! but this style of game I can care less for nowadays, and I'm slowly seeing myself steer away from FFG these days. Also can we change the name to Miami Thrice, and make a new intro with Zee's Nothing Personal artwork in the intro? :) Plus Sam considering playing a game solo!?! Mind explosion

[@macdigi4186]

Have the game and also a Fallout series fan. This game plays best solo IMO and actually very well. Zee nailed it at the end. Remember in Fallout/Skyrim there is a quite a bit of grinding and story to explore. You get that in this game. Not for people looking to try and win quickly. Play like its a videogame and not a boardgame if that makes sense.

[@macdigi4186]

Just to add: Randomness works in a game that requires some grinding based on a videogame. In the videogame I may kill a ferel ghoul and get a lockpick. The next one I kill has 30 caps and a weapon.

[@duncancole1742]

The scoring system is indeed garbage so we play it that the game only ends when one of the factions maxes out and you also get points for XP, completed quests and money. I won't say that it 'fixes' the game but makes it more fun for us.

[@saudal-mutawa3197]

Surprised no one said “One Nuka-Cola bottle up.”

[@FabianSandovalElbianfas]

I'm With you, this one and dark souls are not good interpretations of their counterparts, maybe something smaller and with the main concept and feeling of the game like bloodborne(in my opinion the best Video game to Board game proposal)

[@deathrace8287]

Tom's funny SkyRim comment warranted my "Like"! GoodDay Sir!!

[@Sajatzsiraf]

can we pay Sam to play this solo in a live video?

[@WarWizardRahl1]

Would love to see a resident evil 2 board game review. :)

[@Phelixc]

And I had so high hopes for this, but those faults are to damning for me to look past... Oh well, guess I'll have give this a pass and spend my money on a good game...

[@PhineusLongbotto]

This game it's best played solo. I agree that there are not enough agenda cards and also that system has a problem that must be mentioned m of you get duplicateagenda cards there are boo rules staying that yippy can't stack their effects and gain a massive amount of influence almost instantly. When i play i have tp amend the printed rules and fix the problem myself. Not that bog of a deal out must be mentioned.also the quest system has a slight problem as well but it's only a small issue of playing with 2 or more players. All quests are available to everyone so if there is a questline that you have been working on and another player pulls the card that goes with it they can then finishthat quest without doing the rest of the work. Np not a huge deal but it's there. This is fantasy flight though so we all know that there will be expansions shoved down our throats too add top and hopefully fix these issues but i still enjoy it.

[@dressydressy6246]

Have played the game three times (never played the video series). I really enjoyed the story on the cards, the decision making and exploration. However, totally agree with the lads issue with the points scoring, totally underwhelming and just too random. Top deck a card for one point, another player top decks for three points (FTW). Too random and very slow for me.

[@1simo93521]

I love Fallout but this game leaves me cold. It's a terrible use of the license. A story based legasy game would of been a better idea. Or even something like Dragonfire would of been great.

[@dot818]

Well ... this game seems like it was made in the 80s. As if there has never been any evolution in board games.

[@jchangaus]

If you like solo games, the story, and the long game, then this is fine. Or you know, just play the computer/video game. I've played this, and we basically stopped in the middle of a story because my friend got the points he needed.

[@Patronux]

I love everything Fallout.