Been flipping through the Fallout PnP rulebook and preparing to GM a campaign in it lately, which made me real hungry for some classic Fallout. The first game used to be my favorite and even though I still love it, it felt a lot more simple this time around. The writing is way more concise and the choices, while interesting, aren't as complex as I recall. Still, there are memorable moments (meeting the Master is a big one) and most of the combat encounters are well laid out. The game is considerably shorter than the others, which I won't really hold against it. Not every RPG has to be a 50-hour affair.
As soon as I was done I started Fallout 2, this time with the Restoration Project mod installed. FO2 used to be my least favorite in the series along with 4. I've owned the game since launch day and have started it several times, but didn't actually finish it until last year. Thought it was okay, then moved on. Well, something must have happened to my brain since then, cause I appreciate it way more now. The game has way more personality than the first one. The political conflicts between NCR, Vault City, New Reno and Redding gives the whole thing a really strong sense of place. You're not just cruising travelling between isolated shanty towns anymore, but actually interacting with the game world on a way larger scale. FO2 does have some serious downsides though. The juvenile sense of humor doesn't quite work for me. Many of the random encounters are absolutely unreasonable. Once my level 5 character was ambushed by raiders armed with energy weapons and assault rifles. Needless to say, that encounter ended with me getting sliced in half. On some level I can appreciate that sort of thing. It does create a real sense of danger, but it also feels you're being actively punished for not dumping points into Outdoorsman. That said, I'm having a really good time with Fallout 2 and might move on to New Vegas when I finish it.
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