Fallout Shelter: The Board Game (2020) Board Game

Fallout Shelter: The Board Game is based on the popular video game franchise, Fallout, developed by Bethesda Game Studios. The board game adaptation was released in 2020 and designed by Andrew Fischer, with artwork by Fantasy Flight Games. The game allows 2–4 players to experience the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout in a new tabletop format.

Game Components of Fallout Shelter: The Board Game

Cards: The game is composed entirely of cards that form the vault, including room cards, item cards, and threat cards.

Dweller Minis: Each player has dwellers to place in various rooms.

Resource Cubes: Representing energy, food, and water.

Dice: Used for resolving threats and combat.

Game Mat (Optional): A separate mat that outlines the placement spots for the cards, enhancing the theme but not included in the base game.

How To Setup Fallout Shelter: The Board Game

To set up the game, players start with a basic vault setup. Each player receives a set of dwellers and resource cubes. The vault is built by placing room cards, which are drawn from a deck. The game mat, if used, helps organize the cards to resemble an underground vault. Players begin by assigning their dwellers to the initial rooms, and as the game progresses, they expand their vault by constructing new rooms.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Worker Placement: Players assign their dwellers to various rooms to perform tasks such as gathering resources, fighting threats, or relaxing.

Resource Management: Managing energy, food, and water to build new rooms and maintain the vault.

Threat Resolution: Rolling dice to resolve threats such as radroach infestations or super mutant invasions.

Objective: The goal is to gain the most happiness among the dwellers, which can be achieved by building rooms, collecting specific item cards, and efficiently managing resources. The game ends when a player builds six total vault rooms or the threat deck runs out of cards.

Player Experience

Playing **Fallout Shelter: The Board Game** involves a mix of strategic planning and reactive decision-making. Players must balance the happiness of their dwellers with the need to manage resources and fend off threats. The game’s worker placement mechanic allows for deep strategy, especially considering the various effects of each room and the dynamic nature of threats. Despite its simplicity in resource management, the game offers a engaging experience with multiple paths to victory.

Pros

Thematic Integration: The game closely follows the theme of the original Fallout Shelter mobile game, appealing to fans of the series.

Variable Setup: Each game features a different vault setup due to the card-based system, offering good replayability.

Clear Threat Mechanics: The see-through threat cards add a visual and tactical layer to the game.

Strategic Depth: Multiple strategies can be employed to win, making the game appealing for players who enjoy complex decision-making.

Cons

Simple Resource Management: The game only involves managing three resources, which might make it too simplistic for some players.

Limited Innovation in Worker Placement: For experienced players of worker placement games, the mechanics may not introduce anything new.

Optional Game Mat: While the game mat enhances the theme, it is not included in the base game and can make the game setup larger than necessary.

Personal Thoughts on Fallout Shelter: The Board Game

**Fallout Shelter: The Board Game** is ideal for fans of the Fallout series and those who enjoy worker placement games. It is a great introduction to the worker placement genre for new players due to its clear mechanics and engaging theme. However, experienced gamers might find the resource management aspect too simple. Overall, it offers a fun and challenging experience with a unique blend of strategic planning and dynamic threats.

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