Tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs) have been enjoyed as a popular hobby for over half a century. If you are reading this book and have never played an RPG before, then this introductory chapter is especially for you.

Players of an RPG assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting, whereas board games involve using a set of rules to move or place pieces on a pre-marked surface known as a “board”. Tabletop roleplaying shares things in common with both board games and video game RPGs, just like the Fallout series. However, there are many things that make playing a tabletop RPG a totally unique and unforgettable experience.

They are typically run by a gamemaster (GM) who acts as narrator and rules moderator, in which the participants describe their player characters’ (PCs) actions. The PCs’ actions succeed or fail according to a set of rules (in the case of Fallout, rolling dice to determine an action’s outcome). Within the rules, both the players and the GM have the freedom to improvise, or to act out their character as if they were in a movie. Their choices shape the direction and outcome of a game’s story. The spirit of an RPG is having fun with a group of people through collaborative storytelling, exciting choices, and fun gameplay.

Throughout this chapter, we’ll discuss how to find a group of people to play with, how to be a good player, and how to be a good gamemaster.

Playing Your First Game

To play your first game of Fallout, one of the first things you must do is find a group of people to play with and decide who will be the GM that runs the game. You can convince friends or family to play with you, but there are other options for finding a group too.

Gathering a Group

A simple search on the internet should reveal the nearest friendly local game store, where local gaming communities gather and play. These stores often have message boards to help find local players and the store managers can direct you on the best way to find a group to play with.

Another great place to find many people interested in playing is to attend conventions. Thousands of players gather at many tabletop conventions across the world, looking for a few days of fun and games.

It is also easier than ever to find groups to play online. To play online, you generally need to make use of a virtual tabletop (VTT) or a similar system to manage the gameplay, and there are plenty of great options out there.

Setting Expectations

As you gather your group to play, it is important to set the expectations for the game. Everyone should know that Fallout is a roleplaying game that requires a few hours of play each session. Players take on the roles of characters trying to survive and make their way in a post-atomic America filled with cut-throat raiders, mutated monsters, and unforgiving environs. Hope is scarce, whether it be for a better tomorrow or personal gain, but people still cling on anyway.

Fallout is often a violent game that puts the PCs in combat situations. Despite that violence, the players are meant to cooperate to tell an unforgettable story about their characters and the world. The campaign Once Upon a Time in the Wasteland teaches you about the setting and rules slowly over multiple sessions of gameplay.

Prepare to Play

While playing for the first time can be intimidating to some, RPGs are easy to learn. Every game has a core mechanic that determines if a character’s action is successful. It is best if players read the rules before playing Fallout, but the rules can also be taught by the GM by playing through Once Upon a Time in the Wasteland.

Experienced players and the GM should work together to help players learn to play, without speaking over them or making them feel bad for being new to the game. One way to help new players learn about RPGs is to share with them an actual-play video of the game they will be playing. Forums are another great place to ask questions and get clarification between game sessions.

If playing in person, you need a pencil, at least two 20-sided dice, the specialized 6-sided included in the Fallout starter set, and a character sheet. Character sheets record your characters game statistics, background information, inventory, and other important information you need. This starter set includes sample character sheets that you are encouraged to use.

Finally, if playing online, everyone should have access to the virtual tabletop app for the game, containing their character sheet, necessary play materials, and a means to chat or interact with other players, including the GM.

How to Be a Player

Being a good RPG player simply requires you to have fun, be kind to the people you play with, embrace the game’s story, play to find out what happens next, and interact collaboratively. The best players give their full attention to others while they are speaking and make exciting choices that build upon the actions of the other people at the table.

As a player, you could speak in your character’s voice, as though you were playing them in a movie. Some players are more comfortable simply describing what their character does or says without attempting to act as their character. RPGs don’t require you to be actors, only that you have fun telling a story together with the rest of the group.

Finally, do not be afraid to ask questions if you get confused about the rules, or what is happening in the game’s story.

The Flow of Playing An RPG

Understanding the flow of an RPG will help you understand how to play and interact with others. Games typically begin with the GM describing where your character is and what is happening around them. From there, you can ask questions and describe what your character does in the story. The GM narrates what happens next and asks you to roll dice as necessary to determine the outcomes of your character’s actions.

This process repeats, flowing between the GM’s narration and the players’ questions and actions, with additional rules and scenarios changing the given circumstances of the cycle. The story progresses until the GM announces a break or that the gaming session is over, sometimes leaving the players with a cliff-hanger ending!

How To Be a Gamemaster

If you are the GM, you set the stage for the story, manage the flow of the game, narrate the outcomes of players’ actions, and act as a rules’ moderator for the game. Being a GM can be more challenging than being a player but can also be tremendously rewarding and fun. The most important job of the GM is to make sure everyone (including yourself) is having fun.

A great GM is asked to present opposition to the players’ characters while still being a cheerleader for the players and the story they are telling. This requires you show all players respect, no matter their familiarity with RPGs or who they are.

Preparing To Run a Game

Before running an entirely original game or story, we recommend you run the campaign presented in this starter set, which teaches you the rules as your group plays along. While you should familiarize yourself with the rules before playing your first session, you should not expect to understand them perfectly. At the least, GMs should be able to help players understand their character sheets, how dice rolls work, and other basic rules.

It is perfectly normal for GMs to have to reference rule books during the game, but if you are unable to find or understand a rule, you can make a decision you believe makes the most sense for the situation. If there is a rules dispute at the table, you should listen respectfully, and then make a final decision.

Because RPGs are largely improvised, even GMs with amazing memories struggle to remember key details between game sessions. Throughout a gaming session and at the end of it, you could take notes, containing key details about what happened in the story, what major actions the PCs took, and any ideas that sprang to mind in the middle of the game. Alternatively, the GM may ask the players to take notes for the group instead, and it is a good idea to offer a recap of the previous session’s major events before beginning a new session.

Managing the Flow

The GM manages the flow of the game. They describe to the players what is happening in the story by telling them what their characters can see, hear, and smell. The GM also assumes the role of any characters not controlled by the players, known as non-player characters (NPCs) and acts as those NPCs based on their goals and drives. The players then react to the situations presented to them and the GM describes what happens next. When a dice roll is required, the GM interprets the results and continues advancing the story forward.

While the campaign presented in this book is detailed, you should remember that it is only a guide. Players frequently do unexpected things not accounted for in Once Upon a Time in the Wasteland. You can respond to these unexpected deviations from the campaign by using your knowledge of the story and rules to keep the game moving until the players get back on track with the story presented. You should always remember that the plot in your head is less important than the story being improvised at the table and focus on driving that story onward in collaboration with the players.

You should not be afraid to move a scene ahead to the next notable event in the game if the pace of the game is too slow. If the players do not seem to be having fun, you can focus on the story’s most dramatic moments and ask the players how their characters react. Additionally, if the players seem stuck or uncertain what to do next, you could give the players hints—being stuck is not fun for anybody at the table.

Running a Safe Game

It is always encouraged that you talk to your players about safety at the table. Players should be given the opportunity to inform the group of any subject matter they wish to avoid during the game. Let them know they can opt-out of a scene if it makes them uncomfortable for any reason. Games are meant to be fun and everyone at the table is responsible for making everyone else feel welcome and safe.

If a player is disrupting the experience of the game or making other people feel uncomfortable, you should approach them directly without attacking them personally: describe the problem and ask them to adjust their behavior. This is best done privately, but if circumstances do not allow for a private conversation, should be handled respectfully at the table. If the player continues to be a problem or crosses an unforgivable line, you should calmly and firmly tell the player to leave the table. After asking a player to leave, check in on the well-being of the other players and ask if they wish to continue playing or resume the game another time.

For more information on safety tools, you can search online or see the Fallout: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook.