Fallout 2d20 uses zones instead of conventional battle maps or theater of the mind to describe where your characters (and their enemies) are in the game world. In this episode, we talk about how Fallout zones work, offer advice on how to use them, and take a peak at some other games that use zones.
After fighting our way through the wasteland, we geek out about Alien: Isolation, the excellent survival horror game now available on the Switch, and the Foundry Virtual Table Top.
Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.
Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets.
Chapters
0:00 Intro – Welcome to the Lair of Secrets1:00 What Are Fallout Zones?3:45 How Zones Improve Tactical Combat9:30 Obstacles, Cover & Hazards in Zone-Based Play15:20 Zone-Based Games – Fate, Shadowdark, Alien, and More19:45 Jump Scares - Playing ALIEN: Isolation in the Dark26:30 How Alien: Isolation Preps You for Running an Alien RPG31:10 David’s New Obsession: Foundry VTT34:50 Foundry vs. Roll20 – Which Virtual Tabletop is Better?37:45 Final Thoughts & Sign Off
Listen to the Episode
Watch to the Episode
Watch Fallout Zones on YouTube.
Show Notes
Main Topic
Overview of zones in Fallout 2d20
What and why?
Abstract way of representing regions and distances in a game.
Half-way between battle map and theatre of the mind … sort of.
Great for RPGs featuring more abstract locales.
Lets you avoid infinite 5-foot-squares.
Fallout 2d20 zones
Reach - Arms reach (within close, but not an actual zone; minor action to close; confusing wording)
Close - Any distance within the zone you’re in.
Medium - Distance of one zone
Long - Distance of two zones
Extreme - Distance of three or more zones
How do they impact movement / weapons?
Difficult terrain: “A zone may be filled with difficult terrain, slowing anyone attempting to cross it.” Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 38)
Obstacles are similar in that they hinder your movement, but they exist between zones—attempts to move from one zone to another where an obstacle is present may slow your progress. Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 38)
Hazards are parts of the environment that inflict damage to creatures caught in them. A hazard may be present in a specific zone, or it may be spread among multiple zones. Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 39)
How to Represent Zones
Theater of the Mind
How far can you take it in theatre of the mind?
Visual Zones
Use index cards or draw out boxes representing zones.
Battle Maps
Create your map. Draw lines on it indicating zones
Outside Example:
Zone 1: The near battlefield, on the shores of a stream.
Between zone 1 and 2: the stream that must be crossed
Zone 2: The field on the far side of the stream
Zone 3: A stand of broken boulders & battle tank
Zone 4: The edge of a forest. Hulks of buildings looms in the distance
Inside Example:
Zone 1: The Library
Zone 2: The Entrance Hallway
Zone 3: The Kitchen
Zone 4: The Basement
Zone 5: The Balcony and second for overlooking the dining room
Prior experience with zones in other systems
FATE
Index Card RPG
Professor DM / Dungeon Craft
Alien (Year Zero system)
Forbidden Lands
Adjacent
Shadowdark
Fallout scenarios we ran
The Lab (small scale zones)
Surface Fight (open range)
The Dungeon (larger, longer-range zones)
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages
Makes range more abstracted; in Cyberpunk RED, if I want to give the solo a chance to use his sniper or assault rifle skills, I probably need to scale up my map.
With zones, the distance gets abstracted … and the map doesn’t even need to exist.
Disadvantages
Breaks your brain a little.
Can be hard to conceptualize (particularly if you come from a minis-based game.
Reach vs. Close
Building-as-a-zone vs.
