If Fallout: Wasteland Warfare 2nd edition has successfully adapted just one thing right from the Bethesda videogames, it’s the sense of discovery. I’m early in my playtesting for this solo and co-op first adventure wargame, but its idiosyncratic gameplay reminds me of my very favorite parts of Fallouts 3 and 4 – heading out into the wasteland with absolutely no idea what I’m going to find.
With the starter set for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare second edition expected to launch in February 2027, I’m playing with PDF rulebooks, minis from the substantial range from the game’s first edition and the sibling game Fallout Factions, and a custom dice app: thanks to Modiphius for providing the rules PDFs and a lot of the minis. I’m pretty green when it comes to solo wargames and game modes, so my apologies to genre veterans if everything I point out is bleeding obvious.
Wasteland Warfare 2nd edition is admin heavy, and I mean that as a complement. As well as picking a hero and recruiting their followers, your campaign starts by defining your wasteland. It’s a lot like doing DM prep for D&D: you’re going to create a list of possible factions that your wanderers could run into, and populate the spawn tables for the AI-controlled enemies you’ll face if you ever comes to blows, choices you’ll tailor to your available model collection.
These random result tables are then used when you set out to explore the wasteland. You’ll keep track of your journey by filling in a map divided into squares (much like the maps in Fallout 1 and 2). The point of interest in each location is generated when you come to it, and you’ll roll to see which faction is currently squatting there, and the mission you’ll play against them if they’re hostile.
Side quests, story quests, and faction quests are available from settlements, which inject additional mission objectives in specific locations, even spawning those locations into your map if they don’t already exist. Travel far enough and you’ll cross into new regions, facing tougher enemies and new conditions.
In my test games with my buddy Justin our survivor hero and their hunter friend began their journey tyring to find and repair vital infrastructure for their settlement. They first clashed with raiders in a deserted settlement to the north, before striking east and making it to a radio tower.
There, the weirdly patriotic DJ told them of a settlement a few clicks to the east, promising a good meal. En route they were ambushed at a crossroads gas station by the much-diminished local chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. Vanquishing their novitiates and claiming a cache of good quality armor, the duo at last made it to the gates of the promised settlement, only to see ominous signs that it was now a lair of super mutants…
The game has a lopsided rhythm: exploration is a muttered affair of rolling dice, referencing books, keeping records, and talking to a friend (or yourself) to rationalise events into an emerging story; fights are comparatively lengthy and involved, though small by wargaming standards. Justin and I ran through a series of battles in one sitting with the models and terrain I had on hand.
Now that I’ve switched to solo play, I’m considering the hobby preparations for each new encounter – like making custom terrain and painting new minis – just as much a part of the experience of the game. The point is wallowing in the Fallout atmosphere, whether preparing for a fight or in it.
That resonates a lot with my experiences with the Bethesda Fallouts. Fallout 3 was the game I bought an XBox 360 for, and I rinsed the map without ever finishing the main story. I was there for the vibes, the environmental storytelling, the strange encounters waiting around every corner. By the time Fallout 4 rolled around I had grown pretty jaded with Bethesda’s storytelling and quest design, but I still can’t fault its worldbuilding chops.
If Wasteland Warfare second edition only succeeds in capturing that part of the Fallout experience, it will still have captured my favorite part of the games.
Did you play Wasteland Warfare first edition? Do you have another favorite solo or co-op wargame? Share your thoughts in the Wargamer Discord community!
Source: Wargamer
