Ways to improve the next Fallout game?

[Junto]

We are thinking about various solutions to problems like that beyond color armbands. I know the raiders and the locals do blend together a bit. What I want to know is what you liked and think we should keep up (sustains) and what you think needs work (improves). I know that the game ran smoothly overall, but I know some portions of the mechanics had rough points. The sustains and improves we had from the last game all factored in to game-planning for the event.

[Spock]

I would recommend having fewer teams, and/or have armbands for each team. We had serious problems telling raiders apart from mutants and locals since most of those three teams dressed similarly and had crisscrossing attire , and only the people in the camo were distinguishable. Our group (in the Raiders) got killed a whole bunch due to team misidentifications ("Are you Raiders?" "No" Bang!)

[Haloeclipse]

Sustains- Atmosphere, very well done, the Yeou Guai was a nice touch (props to kendo and his near heat stroke). The market was great. The dynamics between raiders and brotherhood was interesting.

People for the most part were playing the role. I only saw a couple guys wanting to play the super 1337 sniprz, but for the most part everyone was embracing their role.

Improves- Better way to tell the teams apart. Obviously y'all are aware of it. It wasn't a huge problem since most of the day it seemed the brotherhood and raiders had an impromptu truce going, but it would be nice to tighten it up just a bit.

MORE COSTUMES! A simple gasmask or piece of armor goes a long ways. It addds so much atmosphere. "Marshal" the raider with fake rotten teeth, fantastic. Super sledge? Awesome.

More quests. I liked having team objectives, but I would like to see more quests given out by the locals. We made a good number of caps from findin loot, but would just like to see this dynamic expanded on a bit. More quests like, oh I got a rad suit, but I need some gecko pelts, or quests that can improve the overall reputation a team has with the locals (find little girl, perhaps get a discount, etc)What you did was good, I just want, moar, MOAR!

All in all, great game.

[Empty1]

There was a player on the Brotherhood team wearing a black t-shirt, and OD plate carrier, and marpat pants. Tell me that is not a tough player to identify. I made note of it immediately since I was on his team, but I am pretty sure it helped him to blend into other groups.

A simple way of differentiation that would not require you to buy a couple hundred arm bands would be is we had to wear a specific color shit. Silver/Grey for BoS, Black for Raiders, Green for Super Mutant, and locals could wear white, many of them did. Obviously costumes would still be very welcome, they were never what caused the confusion. Extra camo is expensive to some of us, but a t-shirt won't hurt. Anyway it is just an idea.

Once again great game, I was absolutely impressed.

[Junto]

C) not camp the BoS spawn near the end

That was the direct result of the Raiders completing one of their optional objective lines. It was part of gameplay.

All in all, Raiders came out ahead for the day as far as caching supplies. The Brotherhood came up just a little short, so I doubt they'll make it all the way back to California without having to stop for supplies again.

[Rain]

Junto, everyone in Drat who was involved, photographers, and the rest of the crew that helped make this event a reality. THANK YOU!

I had an amazing time. I wish I could have gotten more than 3 hours of total sleep in my tent the night before (next time I'll remember my earplugs), and I wish some people *cough* would call their hits like adults, But overall the game itself was totally sweet!

I really can't wait for the next fallout game. I think I might switch things up next time and join a different faction than BoS (I don't like being the all business type when there are so many roleplaying opportunities available in these games). I agree that costumes were great and I saw some good improvements from the first game, however I also had issues with attire and identifying friends or foes. I got safety killed by a Super Mutant at one point who had an ACU hat on, and when I first spotted him, that's all I saw so immediately assumed he was BoS. With that being said, I am already getting ready for the next game, thinking about a more in depth character and brainstorming for a new and better costume.

I agree with Haloeclipse in his post, especially the part about quests. I think it would have been totally awesome if a local ran up to the BoS and begged and/or demanded that I help them with something. Maybe like a missing child, or stolen property, or missing robot in the radiated zone where mutants have been spotted recently or something. I know I personally didn't interact with the locals that much because I was so busy working on other objectives, but when I was in the 'couve, someone was like, "oh and we have quests so that you can make some caps." but didn't seem urgent enough for me in character to worry about, and we had our own issues we were dealing with (I didn't really need any caps anyway). However if one was yelling at me or pulling on my arm saying that they needed help... well how could I refuse, and if I did refuse, that would have been some fun roleplaying too!

I finally got the see Rains FACE!

Awesome. I hope it was everything you hoped it would be. Me and my flowing locks of love. Oh, and if you wanted to see what I looked like under the mask, you could have just looked at my profile here on AP.

[Juicemachine]

I had an absolutely fantastic time. Definitely getting my vote for best game of the year.

Sustains: The great role playing by all the staff and players really added to the game for me. The costumes were fantastic, as was the aspect of the bottlecap economy. The props were fantastic, too. I liked having the ability to hustle/extort caps from people as a local, too. That was good times. Oh, and the bleeding bear. Mad props to Kendo for doing that, it was fantastic. Having a marketplace where you can buy food and drinks was pretty sweet, too.

Improves: Other than what's already been said about more quests (which, as a local, I'm partly responsible for. Next time, I'm bringing headshots of people I know I might want killed, to supply to people for hits), better costumes (again, I'm totally guilty of this), and a better way of IDing teams, all I can think of is possibly making the water cheaper/free. People need to stay hydrated, especially on days like today.

[Mr. Technicality]

Brothers, we collected the samples we came for. And although we did not find much in the way of advanced technology, we may yet on our return trip to California. We could have collected more supplies for the journey, but what we have will get us well on our way. Much to our surprise, we encountered yet another nest of super mutants. More alarmingly, it is possible that the pack found earlier in our journey hunted us this far. But through our bravery and charisma we were able to rally the locals* and exterminate the beasts. For the Brotherhood! For Steel!


*slur used by the Brotherhood, in this case including raiders, mercs, and local villagers.

Sustains:

The large number of teams. It's rare for an event to have more than two or three teams. I loved New Vegas for the same reason: there's a huge number of factions.

The diversity of objectives. With enough different objectives, there will always be something interesting for people to do besides just hunker down and shoot. I didn't want to go find a rad suit (couldn't put one on if I did find one) so I went to scoop dirt instead.

The availability of side-quests. The more different things there are going on, the deeper the immersion is. Everyone walks away from the game with a unique experience. I wish I'd spent more time in the village. I couldn't at the time figure out how to take the mag out of my GBBR and put it back in without causing a jam. Today I figured out how: take the mag out and put it back in. Don't touch the charging handle. Oh well, I would have had a hell of a time deciding between Fisto and El Diablo.

I liked the pushy pimp and the other vendors in the village as well as the traveling merchants. Everyone had the "best price for you." It kind of reminded me of Mexico where everyone wants your business and isn't afraid of flagging you down and inviting you in. It was an authentic post-apocalyptic market experience.

The integration of actors. It's nice to have key people who know what's up and set the mood for everyone else. Good actors inspire good role-players. When everyone is playing their part the immersion is good. When the immersion is good everyone has a good time.

Improves:

Team identification, as has been said. Raiders and locals were difficult to tell apart and a few of the mutants and Brotherhood had mixed attire. I would make armor a requirement for Brotherhood. All it takes is a roll of duct tape and a cardboard box. It's cheap and a super-effective team identifier. The colored clothing idea could work too. Maybe yellow for raiders, since red is the color of a death rag and could trick people into thinking the raider is dead.

Super mutant tactics. I was never once bum-rushed by a super mutant. They didn't stand out in the open and spray in my general direction. They mostly dug in and fired from the bushes or from behind a stump. I don't think they were super mutants at all. I think they were night kin. Terminology issue, that is all.

Safety and rules briefing. We need to formally go over engagement distances for different FPS groups. And rules for "special" cases such as the Yao Guai. When I first saw it I didn't know if I was supposed to shoot it or if it would even be affected by small-arms fire. Some locals engaged it with me, and it went down for a few seconds. When it got back up, one of them suggested shooting it in the crotch. Another one followed through. This led to an announcement by the admin-mode creature that there's a huge obvious target on its head. Surprises are good, but when the rules aren't clear it can break the immersion. Actor safety should also be a top priority.

I liked the objective to find supplies, but this could be expanded. The Brotherhood is looking for pre-war technology and it seems we didn't find anything this time around. I'd be willing to make some props for the next event if you give me notice in advance. Also, I found quite a bit of trash such as batteries, CO2 cartridges, and spent smoke grenades while looking for supplies. As an aid to the field owner, trash might be counted as low-value trade goods in future games.

An idea I'd like to throw out there is to incorporate camping into the role-play. Encourage teams to camp together and to get into character the night before. Maybe have themed songs, card games, and campfire stories. Have each team leader tell their people their "life story" and encourage players to step up and improvise their own. If people settle into character early it could improve role-play and immersion the day of. All just ideas to play with, but I think it would be interesting.

[El Diablo]

Oh well, I would have had a hell of a time deciding between Fisto and El Diablo.

How can you pass up the 'horny chicken'??

An idea I'd like to throw out there is to incorporate camping into the role-play. Encourage teams to camp together and to get into character the night before. Maybe have themed songs, card games, and campfire stories. Have each team leader tell their people their "life story" and encourage players to step up and improvise their own. If people settle into character early it could improve role-play and immersion the day of. All just ideas to play with, but I think it would be interesting.

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Probably the best 'inprovement' idea i've heard so far! I'm already planning my back story for the next game, here's a hint... I used to be a hooker ;D

[Mr. Technicality]

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Probably the best 'inprovement' idea i've heard so far! I'm already planning my back story for the next game, here's a hint... I used to be a hooker ;D

I can just imagine the mutant camp: KILL PUNY HUMANS MY LORD, KUMBAYA!

[Rain]

An idea I'd like to throw out there is to incorporate camping into the role-play. Encourage teams to camp together and to get into character the night before. Maybe have themed songs, card games, and campfire stories. Have each team leader tell their people their "life story" and encourage players to step up and improvise their own. If people settle into character early it could improve role-play and immersion the day of. All just ideas to play with, but I think it would be interesting.

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Probably the best 'inprovement' idea i've heard so far! I'm already planning my back story for the next game, here's a hint... I used to be a hooker ;D

Oh, I agree full heartedly!!!

It might even cut down on people being stupid in the camp site, because then each team will start self policing themselves. At least, I would hope so.

[MisterTwisted]

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Probably the best 'inprovement' idea i've heard so far! I'm already planning my back story for the next game, here's a hint... I used to be a hooker ;D

I can just imagine the mutant camp: KILL PUNY HUMANS MY LORD, KUMBAYA!

That would make for an even better experience. I would even go so far as to sugest a night op for the campers to even get more in to the world of Fallout. For example have a night watch in the brotherhood camp and have the muties probe the perimeter for weak spots. some thing like that.
just an idea. Not sure how everyone would like a night op like that.

[Tin Man]

I think a night op/camping thing would be just about awesome. A safe campsite for people who just wanted to sleep of course, but camping in a raider nest and stealing from some locals and brothers? Hell yeah.

Plus, more roleplaying opportunities than you can shake a stick at. I'm seeing a bonfire and metal all through that raider camp.

[gunrunner]

Great game stick with it! Yes of course for all non-local teams color cord-undershirts!
Being a Mutant it was hard to remember to act like one. I kept sneaking and using cover. I did yell Mutants allot at least:-
I should have had a costume but did not.
Do pickup garbage when you see it, that easy everyone! When you leave an area pick it up:-)
Sorry, to the several people I said "bang-bang" and "your now dead" to instead of the proper safety-kill. I had the hardest time remembering those simply words!
Thanks again all.

[dr.feelgood]

As an aid to the field owner, trash might be counted as low-value trade goods in future games.

Actually with a little bit of bartering skills you would have been able to sell anything to the doctor. I was surprised at the lack of negotiation by the players while doing that role, there were some items that could have easily fetched 2-3 times as many caps if they had haggled for them.