Session 1 summary

The transcript for the first session with the whole group (three players). We had a lot of fun as the players got a feel for the world and the strange characters that populate it. None of them have ever played a Fallout game before, which both has benefits and drawbacks. It does present you with lots of interesting possibilities as a GM and the players view of the world is often quite refreshing. The characters they came up with pleasantly surprised me, as I had expected them to all roll some sort of Mad Max clone. I'm looking forward to slowly introducing them to the tried and true factions of Fallout, such as the Brotherhood, Enclave, Slaver's Guild etc. After a brief introduction to the Followers of the Apocalypse they're already quite convinced that they can't be as altruistic and decent as they seem. ;) The first session focused on getting the characters together, meeting in the town of Camptown. Camptown is a town grown out of a camping site from caravans heading east, that eventually became a fixed stopping point and more permanent building were erected. It is situated a ways east of Junktown and north east of The Hub, not too far from Necropolis.

Session 1

Featuring:

- Craig the Spirit Hunter: good natured Super Mutant shaman with a profound dislike for violence, on a spirit quest to find his true life's purpose;
- Dexx: streeth youth from the Boneyard who likes to indulge in less savoury endeavours, legally speaking, and fancies he can communicate with animals;
- Rhiannon Adare: computer and mechanical whiz, only just out into the Wasteland after fleeing her home, Vault 21, after a failed uprising;

After spending some time recuperating back at the Tribal village and attending the ritual immolation of Ticlop's body, which was retrieved by a few of the other tribesmen, Rhiannon felt strong enough to try setting out again the next day. Later that day a feeling of liveliness came over the mourning village as a few of the children ran through the village, announcing that Craig had returned. The Super Mutant, clad in his thick cloak made of all different sorts of pelts, made for a very astounding sight for Rhiannon, having lived her whole life in the mutant-free environment of the Vault. She was soon put at ease however, as the Tribals welcomed Craig as their friend and esteemed guest and prepared a little celebration in his honour. A long trestle table was improvised, song and dance performed and a rich table laid out, Craig and Rhiannon being given places of honour next to the village elder and medicine man. With some reservation about imposing on their guest, the elder soon solicited Craig's help in a matter of some concern to the tribe. One of their hunters, a man named Pyal, had left a fortnight ago to the settlement of Camptown, a few days to the south, to try and sell some pelts and barter some medical supplies. He still hadn't returned however, though he was expected back some days ago. Seeing as none of their tribe was very familiar with the town, she asked Craig to travel to Camptown and investigate Pyal's disappearance. Craig readily agreed to look into the matter and Rhiannon decided to make the journey south along with her strange new acquaintance, clearly one who knows the wastes and can take care of himself. Before turning in for the night, the medicine man Reyli invited Craig to his tent to discuss his vision quest. Wandering about the wilderness for some time, Craig said to have seen and talked to various spirits, looking for their guidance and council. The medicine man remarked that he felt Craig's future would soon take an unexpected turn, and that his fate was being decided this moment. Reyli then prepared a dried datura leaf with an unidentified white paste, and bid Craig ingest it before going to sleep. Craig, having returned to his own tent, followed the medicine man's instructions and soon fell into a deep sleep. In his dream he was visited by a ghostly coyote, who told him he saw Rhiannon playing an important role in Craig's future, and also to be on the lookout for a yet unknown third companion, who would guide him on the path to his destiny. The next morning Craig and Rhiannon set out for Camptown, the gathered Tribals seeing them off.

Meanwhile, a hundred odd miles away, a lanky young man by the name of Dexx travelled east along with a Water Merchants caravan heading for New Vegas. After staying in The Hub for the last few months, Dexx started to feel the breath of the local law enforcement down his neck and deemed it more wise to lay low for a while, out of town. After about a week's journey the caravan arrived at Camptown, one of the principal stopping points on the trade route east. Stopping for two days to resupply and rest up, the caravan set up camp outside of town on the site allotted to the Water Merchants. Free to wander the town at leisure, Dexx decided to head over to the bazaar, a maze-like warren of tents, wooden shacks and stalls made out of corrugated iron plates. Less interested in all the colourful wares the vendors went about hawking than finding an easy mark, he wandered the little paths and alleyways. Eventually he made his move on a thickset man with a coin purse dangling rather conspicuously from his belt, engrossed in conversation with a trader. Waiting for an opportune moment, with the ease of many years of having honed his skills, he cut the purse clean of the man's belt and vanished in the crowd in a matter of seconds. The purse revealed to contain a sizeable amount of money, more than enough to enable him to buy some water and iguana-on-a-stick from an Iguana Bob's concession stand. Leisurely strolling through the town proper he noticed some of the townsfolk hurrying towards the same direction, speaking in excited voices. Rumour had it a Super Mutant was spotted near town. Curious, Dexx followed the locals along to the outskirts of town, where a small crowd had gathered as the sheriff had gone to meet the Mutant and his companion. After some conversation the sheriff deemed Craig and Rhiannon trustworthy enough to be allowed into town, warning the Super Mutant not to cause any trouble. Inquiring after the missing tribesman Pyal, the sheriff informed them that he was locked up in the town jail, after getting in a bar fight with some of the locals and hitting one of them a bit too hard, which left the man in a coma, teetering on the brink of life and death at doc Thompson's medical practice. Craig and Rhiannon, with Dexx tailing them from a distance, subsequently paid the unfortunate Tribal a visit. Pyal, only being used to a life outdoors, urged his friend Craig to find a way to get him out of his tiny barred cell, the twosome reassuring him that they would do their utmost best to get him out of his predicament. The bail for Pyal stood at a hefty $150, together with the guarantee that the Tribal would return for trial if the comatose local died, and face charges of manslaughter. Taking their leave of Pyal and the sheriff, Craig and Rhiannon went over to doc Thompson, in the hope of learning a bit more of his patient's condition, once again being followed by a curious Dexx. The doctor proved accommodating enough. Rhiannon's peculiar outfit and arm-mounted Pip-Boy were of great interest to the good doctor, leading him to the conclusion that she was some sort of doctor out of Vault City; Rhiannon deciding it more prudent to leave him to his assumptions. Craig mostly possessing knowledge of natural medicine and herbal lore, the doctor's scientific explanation of the patient's condition proved not very enlightening. He then proceeded to invoke the spirits to shed some light on the fate of the comatose man. Soon enough an ethereal little bird appeared to him, whispering in his ear that the man's future looked very bleak indeed. Unsure on how to proceed, Craig and Rhiannon left the doctor's and were once again out on the street. They noticed Dexx sitting across the road a bit down the street, nonchalantly whittling away. A discussion sprung up between the two on how they would get Pyal out of custody, with plans ranging from earning some quick money, setting up an impromptu freakshow starring Craig with a $5 admission, to springing the tribesman from jail. Undecided they walked through the streets, hoping to find some inspiration along the way. Reaching the center, they came upon a long, low building with a white plastered facade, easily the largest building in Camptown. The symbol of a cross in a circle was familiar to Craig, who identified it as belonging to the Followers of the Apocalypse. Unsure what to expect, the two of them entered the building. The building was revealed to house a modest library, along with a room with some desks and a large, run down printing machine. There they were greeted by a robed figure, introducing himself as Father Alesius, the pastor of this community. Though the pastor could not provide any material aid, he did give them a valuable tip in mentioning that a man by the name of Jacob had been going around town earlier, looking for some capable hands for a lucrative job. They were told they could find this Jacob in the bar a bit further down the street called The Last Stop. Upon leaving the library they once again noticed Dexx, now sitting around the town square seemingly minding his own business, much as before. Rhiannon resolutely stepped towards him, demanding to know what he was up to, with Craig joining them after a short while. An animated conversation sprung up between the three of them, with some minor arguing back and forth. In the end Dexx convinced Craig and Rhiannon of him meaning no harm, and the mention of a lucrative job also tickled the man's interest. Dexx led his newfound companions to the local watering hole. After gruffly being greeted by the barman, who didn’t particularly care for Super Mutants, the party spotted Jacob and decided to see what he had to offer. Throwing himself up as the spokesperson for the threesome while Craig and Rhiannon sat down in the next boot, Dexx discussed the job offer with Jacob. He quickly learned that the latter worked for a big local rancher by the name of Obediah T. Jefferson, who urgently needed to fulfil on an important contract. His ranch foreman having fallen ill a few days earlier, Jefferson was looking for a few capable hands to transport half a dozen Brahmin bulls to the Longhorn Ranch, about a week’s travel away; agreed upon delivery date in six days time. The proposed payment sounding more than satisfactory, Dexx called Craig and Rhiannon over. Jacob at first reacted a bit hesitant, but after assuring him that Craig was a capable guard with great animal affinity and Rhiannon some sort of doctor/veterinarian - “animals and people are the same anyway” - and Dexx having some caravanning experience, the party convinced him of their merits and made the trip with him to the Jefferson Ranch, a few miles out of town.

The Jefferson Ranch proved quite impressive. Sturdy looking barns, stables, a beautiful wooden ranch building and pastures with threescore Brahmin made clear that Jefferson’s cattle farm ran well. Jacob showed them the pen with the bulls they’d be escorting. The appearance of a ghostly Brahmin seemed to be a good omen to Craig, while Dexx already seemed to be on speaking terms with one of them. The party was then summoned to Jefferson’s office to see if they could broker an agreement. Jefferson, a sweaty, corpulent man in immaculate white suit and ditto cowboy hat, seemed pleased enough with the ragtag band and after some haggling over their salary, he hired the threesome, to leave at the break of dawn the next morning, with Jacob as their guide. After taking their leave of Jefferson and receiving the friendly reminder they’d better not try to swindle him, the party returned to Camptown to shop for some last minute supplies at the bazaar and paid the bail money for the incarcerated Tribal Pyal. They then repaired for the night, with Dexx sleeping out at the Water Merchants tent camp and Craig, Rhiannon and Pyal spending the night under the stars, with only a few furs and a sleeping bag to keep them warm.