Fallout: Atomic Bonds Cooperative Upgrade - Take a Look

[@TheDungeonDive]

1. For goals you have to complete 1 goal per survivor. 2. Sorry for the mic cut-outs near the end. Not sure what happened. 3. My math on the number of turns is off. A game will last closer to around ~24 turns.

[@amcieks]

Also, there is a way to make the game last longer. Each time you complete a goal, and if the minimum requirement has been reached (e.g. at least 2 goals are met with 2 survivors), then you push the end game counter two spaces back.

[@Valdore1000]

@@amcieks Which is unfortunately harder than it seems.

[@ezekielanderson785]

I guess it is pretty randomly asking but do anybody know of a good site to watch newly released series online ?

[@kolevalentin3217]

@Ezekiel Anderson Lately I have been using Flixzone. Just google for it =)

[@bentonjoseph6546]

@Kole Valentin definitely, I have been using flixzone for since april myself :D

[@matpetheny]

One of a few games that truly gives you this 'open world' vibe. Dont think the game deserves the bad rep it got. Its a really cool adventure game.

[@matpetheny]

In the base game just the scoring was a bit screwed up. But who cares about scoring in an adventure game? Still - should have been better. But as i can see they totally fixed this.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yeah. I've liked it more than most since the beginning, but this expansion really elevates it.

[@joshuaroberson1704]

Card 032 “when you add ‘shield token’ ... except you never add them in co-op soooooo super just stuck. Weak Not the first time we had to make up rules or chalk it up to a t too with them 🤨

[@JerreMuesli]

There. You said it. "Adventure Game". I play it as a sandbox. It's not about winning. I love it

[@eusebiou-say-bee-oh326]

Yeah, sometimes it is not about winning, but playing the adventure game - for the fun of playing. In real life, it seems this is also true, for not everyone can be so-called billionaires, which we may "believe" today as the winners of the game of life, yet what we see of those who do make such "victory achievements" is truly disheartening (like how they play the game unfairly knowing that life mean so little to them) - of how we (also) push each other so that we can achieve such goals, as in pushing for millionaire and billionaire status, etc. Victory points, just like money, is not everything, nor is it a way of life. Since in order to achieve such feats, even when we are down, we can clearly see that we lose our humanity just to get those so calldf "victory points" - this is wrong (one would argue). Which then implies that i order to observe real true humanity, we shall then strive for mutual cooperation, self respect and working with others to achieve goals, solve problems, and overcome catastrophes are the real zeal of life. Real true human cooperation, no matter our creed, colour, philosophy or standing. Skipped this game because the mechanics made it a game of competition rather than cooperation, especially in a world that is already devastated. It is the same manner as watching the whole eleven series of "The walking dead" seems desolate and unhopeful because we the audience were always wanting something to get better, yet because the tv series is based on keeping everyone separate, folks started to really lose interest. However knowing that this last expansion made it in a way that the game can now be cooperative, gives a small shining light, even in a world such as ours - where our leaders today are just as crackers as any nemesis in the fallout games.

[@mustafaerinanc2893]

Thanks to you, I have buy the Atomic Bonds with the base game. After a couple of plays with the base game now we know this expansion is a must!

[@BrianTChamberlin]

great review, went out and got Atomic Bonds, I agree, would love to see continued expansions for this game!

[@RemyBGK]

I just got this today. Can't wait to test it out this weekend. I already enjoyed the game, but it looks like this fixes all the issues. Great vid, thanks.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Nice! It's very good.

[@sm1ttywerb]

I was wondering if you were gonna cover this, glad you did! I had been thinking about getting Fallout since you talked about it, as just a relaxing exploration game.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I highly recommend the game now.

[@UmbertoFarese]

On point! I was so happy when I received it. Great review.

[@joshroberts8278]

One of the best game changing expansions I’ve ever bought.

[@TheDungeonDive]

For sure!

[@NowayintheBackrooms]

Yes! Mine just came in too, can’t wait to explore it as well 😍😎👏🏻

[@TheDungeonDive]

It's so good. They really did a lot with just a small expansion.

[@NowayintheBackrooms]

The Dungeon Dive of any board game company, Fantasy Flight most commonly feels like Bethesda. Always with the patches 😂

[@TheDungeonDive]

I'm sure that analogy works in all kinds of ways. :D

[@erikl1558]

Great stuff dude. As always! Very excited to get my copy any day now.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@Hedgehobbit]

I was working on my own house rules for this game and I did the same thing by separating the monster activation feature from the Agenda deck. That lets you tweak the victory conditions without screwing up when monsters activate. One of the other things I wanted to do was, instead of just moving a token along a track, when the opposing side showed up as an activation, to trigger the current main quest to give the win to the opposing side. Without doing this, most of the quests in the main quest tree will never happen. By triggering the quests at random times, you'll move through the main quest tree different ways in each play through which will add to replayability.

[@eriklusyne6892]

I thought the game allready got better with the expansion New California, I didn’t like the game in the beginning so I sold it, but when New California came out I bought it back. New California made the game much better. This new small expansion was on my radar, I’ll be getting it this week. Looking at the cards in this pack, I think it will make the game fantastic, can’t wait. Again thank you Daniel for another great video.

[@TheDungeonDive]

If you already liked the game, you’ll love it with this.

[@ROOKTABULA]

This should have been sub $10 considering what we paid for the incomplete base game.

[@jonathana6298]

I've been holding out on Fallout for a long time, based on reviews. I impulsed bought the base game, New California, and Atomic Bonds. They're sitting next to me unopened. I'm still doubting the purchase. I might just gift it all to someone. I wish this game with static board, reworked it a little, and let the quests speak for themselves.

[@erikpeters7072]

I could use a gift!

[@erikpeters7072]

Oh boy that sounds swell!

[@EstusFlasked]

I know the base game gets a bit of a bad rep, but I got the base game for only $20 at my local book store! I won’t lie, the rules aren’t that clear and I’ve had to watch a couple videos on how to play, but after a couple solo games and correcting myself of any mistakes I gotta say that I do really enjoy playing this and I really look forward to playing with more people in the future! Getting this expansion in the future may be a good idea, but for now I’ll get a good grasp of the original rules before I buy this :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

I enjoy the base game as well.

[@davidcain5544]

Looks great Daniel. Good explanation of the new additions. Still waiting for the expansion to come out in Scotland unfortunately.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Please enjoy a nice dram of Laphroiag while you wait.

[@PatrickMcTie]

I may have to get this and give the game another go. I was a bit underwhelmed when I originally bought Fallout. My expectations may have been a bit too high though.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I didn't have a lot of expectations. Probably because I only have a passing interest in the Fallout video games.

[@erikpeters7072]

Btw the runebound expansion is unbreakable bonds you weren’t too far off

[@TheDungeonDive]

Ah! It is Bonds as well. Funny.

[@Muhd_Akmal]

Fallout Base Game was honestly a 7 for me but now its more like a 9. Playing Fallout cooperatively is just way more fun.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Totally agree.

[@jarldjevel6111]

Great I was waiting for that one ! I bought the game recently thanks to Atomic Bonds ! Still need to buy the upgrade. Wondering now if I still need the California expansion..

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

No.

[@NowayintheBackrooms]

If you like fallout the board game, I think the new California expansion adds some really cool stuff. Not necessary now with the atomic bonds expansion, but with new characters, new enemies, new tiles, just more of everything, I think it’s a solid purchase. It’s in my list of the next stuff to pick up 😎

[@TheDungeonDive]

@@NowayintheBackrooms I agree. The New California expansion is great.

[@Sem5626]

i gave up on the base game after the first time i played it and it went right back on the shelf, which i was a little annoyed about because i had a lot of fun painting the really cool minis i just gave this expansion a go with new california and i was thinking the same thing.... it's like this was the originally designed game and then they stripped parts off it to sell the first original game its a really fun game now and it will be on my table all the time now for my solo runs my only complaint now is the power tracker moves down way too fast once the non-loyal faction gets a few activations, it's just a little too fast so in typical FF style you have to race from quest to quest to quest so it feels like its a bit of a missed opportunity when they have potentially made a really cool open world fallout board game

[@TheDungeonDive]

It's the problem designers face because too many board gamers are far too concerned with winning and losing. Board games need to get with the times like video games and RPGs have - games don't need a win/lose state anymore. That's archaic thinking. Games are over when we stop playing them. That's it.

[@Valdore1000]

I was wondering if it would be game-breaking if we simply don't move power token by 1 on opposing faction activation. I played Rise of the Master and it was like 3 jumps in 10 minutes and by the time opposing faction enemies were too powerful and unless you're really lucky with dice rolls you can't really win easily. Suffice to say, the time limit gives you less time to actually scour the land for equipment which makes some characters (like supermutant) completely vulnerable and if you die - power token moves too. If there 3 enemies of opposing faction, power token moves +2 on activation. Is it just me or it's too fast?

[@Telidian]

I've just tried the same scenario, and it felt pretty fast. I could have manage the main quest or the objectives, but both was too much. And the have 6 letter from the special is a really hard objective compered to others (maybe except the vault one). I think he only bad thing is the short time, because you have no opportunity to explore a little and solve some side quest. I'm already planning to house rule it, so the players would have more time.

[@xgrowlingjAnx]

i do need to take an action to solve the goals with the round location symbols and don't need to it for goals without the symbol, right? there is nothing in the rules about it but i think it is like the rules for the quests?!

[@MaestroDrake]

If only Fantasy Flight can get the Red Dead Redemption IP or Cyberpunk 2077. The endless possibilities.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I wouldn't mind if they did more IP/franchise-based games.

[@mikew735]

I just found board gaming in the last year or so and have fallen deeply under its sway, mostly solo, there are alot of games that I have been enjoying but fallout with the atomic bonds is in my top 3 but I'm really distraught that i cant get the new california expansion unless im willing to pay like 400 dollars on ebay, its the worst feeling to not have access to some of the best parts of this game. i would like to think that FF will do a reprint but i know thats not going to happen.

[@McTeddyGames]

I actually hated the base game, but this seems intriguing. As for Fantasy Flight, shipping halfway games is part of their business plan, I've worked with a number of companies that do the same. Their initial success comes from a production quality that most publishers can't afford to compete with. Then they focus on shipping as many mostly-functional moving pieces in one box to create room/need for expansions. In the end, they don't spend time or money on the upgrades and polish unless it turns out to be a hit and worth the investment.

[@Howard.Stern.]

Literally all board games now are shipped incomplete. Want the full game? Buy the first two or three expansions. Soon you will have microtransactions where you are buying individual cards and miniatures for $5 a piece.

[@TheDungeonDive]

This is not true at all.

[@erikpeters7072]

Man I was so disappointed with base game I sold it. Now wondering if I should go back and try again. I can get base game and new California for 50 plus shipping.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I don't know. Not sure if this is enough to swing someone from really disappointed to liking. Hard to say. I went from liking it flaws and all, to thinking it's great.

[@ericperez7872]

I’m interested in getting this game soon !!! I wanna ask . Where do I start with this game as in what should I all buy for the start of learning the game etc. ???

[@TheDungeonDive]

Unfortunately, IMO, this game needs the base game and both expansions to really be great. Although I liked just the base game a little more than most people.

[@MatteeTheRogue]

Crazy! I love this game but it definitely had problems. The biggst was the agenda problem. This expac fixes it!! And it adds so much more man holy fuck.

[@TheDungeonDive]

It's a great expansion, for sure.

[@pavle988]

Nowhere in europe can u buy it today...

[@TheDungeonDive]

That's a real bummer!

[@pavle988]

@@TheDungeonDive yep. I just ordered original, and trying to find the expansions. Nowhere in europe...

[@chrisw942]

Do you have any tips of how to play this with New California? Are the maps from Atomic Bonds used, or are the maps from New California used? There aren't any videos on how to use these together.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Use the maps from Atomic Bonds.

[@chrisw942]

@@TheDungeonDive Thank you!!🙂

[@sebastiengenest7517]

I was on the fence to buy this game, but now with this expansion, I certainly want to give it a try. Thanks for this video. It was almost like you were reading my mind by posting this at the same time I was asking you what was your thoughts about it.

[@TheDungeonDive]

The zeitgeist! ;)

[@ICaligvla]

Wait... Did atomic bonds actually come with alternate setups? Because if it did I am missing those. Perhaps they came with the New California expansion instead?

[@TheDungeonDive]

New California. I just play with everything. This was a look at everything together.

[@CheapTricks]

They did that with xwing

[@erichmahnke5806]

A little late but I think they should do an expansion that has a new vegas scenario and something different enough to the rest like mothership zeta and adding alien weapons and stuff exclusive to that scenario

[@TheDungeonDive]

I would love that! I'm playing New Vegas again right now.

[@JasonSetley]

dam now i have to rebuy the core and this expansions

[@TheDungeonDive]

Temper my praise with how much you might have disliked the game before.

[@JamesA720]

I only have the base game, would I be able to use this expansion with just the base game?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes.

[@shineLouisShine]

Thank you for another great video. Can one enjoy this game if he knows nothing at all about Fallout universe?

[@TheDungeonDive]

That’s really hard for me to say as I have the knowledge of the videos games.

[@JoshDRivia4]

I don't think I've played this as much because of the need of house rules to balance the game, it's like a classic Bethesda experience.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Another word for balanced is boring. I prefer games that have extremes. Balance is never something I look for in a board game. That way lies Euro-games.

[@JoshDRivia4]

@@TheDungeonDive I agree, you do need something exciting, however as per the need for this "upgrade" the game needs fixing. The writing on the story cards doesn't make things clear, the VP's from agenda cards are almost impossible to get in the time frame and the length of the game is far too exhaustive. I loved the imitation of taking the game into the real, it does work to a point though.

[@TheDungeonDive]

It is an oddly passive game.

[@vodzoo]

Fallout + Atomic Bonds vs Arkham Horror 3. Your pick is...

[@TheDungeonDive]

AH3. I love that game.

[@chrisperrien7055]

Nice review , just found/ordered it , for $12.99, delivery now , +5 shipping =$18 check out - mininuaturemarket amazon wants 19.99 , delivery in Dec. +tax +shipping would be like $27, it is "out of stock" at several other game sites too so saved $9 for a little expansion which I hear greatly improves the game, I have both Fallout BG and the New Cali exp. Not pushing the site, I was just surprised to find it that cheap , times are tough now. If you want a good Fantasy Flight game get WoTR, +WoME+LoME (but you're talking bucks there.)WOTR by itself is great

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

Fantasy Flight really don't think big. They really should have released a skirmish game that uses this game to generate fights.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I could see that. Like a little auxiliary board with smaller spaces where battles transpire. That could be cool!

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

@@TheDungeonDive No. A skirmish game like Core Space. Or something like the D&D boardgames.

[@warpaint9385]

There is one, wasteland warfare I think it’s called by another publisher.

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

@@warpaint9385 'Zactly.

[@DadBodYogaFlow]

If you like the end game conditions for Atomic Bonds better than the core experience, how do you play that way solo? Just use two survivors as a single player?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Two heroes is played as two players. Player and hero count are the same.

[@DadBodYogaFlow]

@@TheDungeonDive but what I’m asking is how do you solo using the atomic bonds end game rules. They seem so much better than the core end game, and so different. I’ve just purchased both the core and atomic bonds, and want to learn solo before adding in friends so that I can help them understand the game. But solo core end game is SOOO different than atomic bonds end game. So would you recommend I just play with two survivors but control them both (so a solo run game with two characters in play) to help me learn the rules better?

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’m not sure I’m understanding. Atomic Bonds is all co-op, which means it’s also all solo. Just play how it’s written. Maybe ask at BGG? Someone there might have a better understanding of your question.

[@DadBodYogaFlow]

@@TheDungeonDive that actually answers my question

[@DadBodYogaFlow]

@@TheDungeonDive tried my first play and there are SO many holes in the game. When I’m at a vault how do I encounter? Do I need to pull the vault cards out from the main deck? Do I have to wait until an encounter card gets staged that comes up before I can encounter the Vaults? The whole system is super confusing.

[@SwordAgainstChaos]

Can you still play the game with 1 PC with this expansion?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh yeah.

[@warpaint9385]

Great game you say however too late for me. I bought it, played it three times and sold it. As a Fallout fan, I was disappointed. Didn’t like it at all. It was another dud game of theirs like Discover Lands Unknown was. This might be better now with the expansion but I’m done with it.

[@TheDungeonDive]

That's great! It's always good to know when you are done with a game so you can move on and enjoy life without it.

[@MelvLee]

Looks great. Would love to see you do a solo lets play for this game as almost all other video reviews on this game are negative.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I don't typically do play throughs because I get too many of the rules wrong on camera.