Fallout P&P vs GURPS

[Deth Muncher]

Hey. So, I have friends interested in starting a Fallout campaign over the summer. After some digging, I found the original Fallout P&P rules, but as I recall, the system had also been built in GURPS - and honestly, even if it hadn't, it'd be relatively simple to do so (or Hero System, or whatever). Which do you prefer/know more about/recommend?

[The Big Dice]

I would think that GURPS, with a little help from Ultra Tech, would be the perfect system. That said, Gamma World is Fallout with the screwball-o-meter cranked up to 11.

There's some unofficial conversion material here (http://gurps.fallout.free.fr/). The site is in French, but the articles look to be in English and French.

[imperialspectre]

Hey. So, I have friends interested in starting a Fallout campaign over the summer. After some digging, I found the original Fallout P&P rules, but as I recall, the system had also been built in GURPS - and honestly, even if it hadn't, it'd be relatively simple to do so (or Hero System, or whatever). Which do you prefer/know more about/recommend?

The original Fallout game actually used GURPS mechanics. The designers had a falling out with Steve Jackson (I don't recall why, but it might have had something to do with the adult content that all Fallout games have featured), and became unable to use the GURPS mechanics. So they tweaked things a bit, switched some stuff around, and came up with the SPECIAL system.

The Fallout P&P rules came later; I've had a chance to look at them, but it's been a while and I don't remember much.

[Tengu_temp]

Are we talking about the free Fallout PNP game that sticks closely to the mechanics of the video game? If so, then I have some experience with it... and honestly, I think you should avoid it. The mechanics for everything but combat are very barebone, while combat is clunky and time-consuming (you roll to-hit and damage for every bullet in a burst!). A lot of the weapons and armor have very arbitrary stats, some of them based on Fallout 1&2, some based on Fallout Tactics, and others on God knows what. A prime example that what works for a video game does not have to work for a tabletop RPG.

[Deth Muncher]

Are we talking about the free Fallout PNP game that sticks closely to the mechanics of the video game? If so, then I have some experience with it... and honestly, I think you should avoid it. The mechanics for everything but combat are very barebone, while combat is clunky and time-consuming (you roll to-hit and damage for every bullet in a burst!). A lot of the weapons and armor have very arbitrary stats, some of them based on Fallout 1&2, some based on Fallout Tactics, and others on God knows what. A prime example that what works for a video game does not have to work for a tabletop RPG.

I think it's the free one, yeah. Doesn't look very well put together (graphics-wise). But if it's crappy, then I won't waste the time one it.

[Axolotl]

The designers had a falling out with Steve Jackson (I don't recall why, but it might have had something to do with the adult content that all Fallout games have featured), Steve Jackson didn't like the opening where the Canadian dissident gets executed by US soldiers I think he also objected to the other violent parts of the game but that's the only one I know he gave as a reason for withdrawing the license.

But for Fallout how hard would it be just to use the mechanics of the original game? It's fairly close to PnP ruls anyway.

[Tengu_temp]

But for Fallout how hard would it be just to use the mechanics of the original game? It's fairly close to PnP ruls anyway.

I wrote in my post why it's a bad idea. The Fallout PNP game is almost identical to the videogame in its ruleset.

[LibraryOgre]

Well, I'll again pimp D6, which can be had for free and is flexible enough to pick up Fallout pretty well... d6 Space would handle the various technologies (from Pipe Rifles to Alien Blasters), and you'd just need some "alien templates" for Super Mutants and Ghouls.