Fallout: Downunder

By Jacob Coughlan

War. War never changes. In war, men take sides. Countries take sides. In 2077, when China launched its nuclear arsenal against the United States, they had plenty of hellfire to spare for Uncle Sam’s allies. Australia may have been small and lacking any nuclear weapons of its own, but it wasn’t spared the day of judgement.

In the lead-up to the Great War, the United States commissioned Vault-Tec to build the Vaults, a series of technologically advanced fallout shelters, each one designed to protect up to a thousand citizens from a nuclear attack and become a self-sufficient sanctuary from the subsequent radiation. An accord between the United States and Australian governments allowed Vault-Tec to build an early prototype Vault in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

When civilisation’s final day came, and death fell from the skies, the giant steel door of Vault 5 slammed shut. It has been sealed for over 200 years, keeping the lucky inhabitants safe from the ravages of the nuclear wasteland beyond. You were born in Vault 5 and you thought you would die here, never having glimpsed the sky. But the overseer has a job for you. He needs you to go outside…

Fallout: Downunder is a tabletop for four players based on the Fallout video games.