'Fallout: New California' Tabletop Game Wants You to Play Well With Others

The Wasteland has never been so sunny! Well, at least as sunny as California! The usually vibrant and cheerful state has become a desolate radioactive wasteland and now players at home can experience it first hand with a brand new expansion to their original Fallout board game: New California!

In a brand new preview for the tabletop experience, the team over at Fantasy Flight reveals that "teamwork makes the dream work" when working with others in the Wasteland.

It's important to make friends in a world all about survival and this cooperative experience is the perfect chance to level up that charisma. "Every so often, though, you'll come across someone—or something—that doesn't want to eat you and take your stuff," explains Fantasy in a recent blog post. "If this should ever happen, you might even team up with these friendly souls and work together for the common good."

They added, "In addition to its other scenarios, New California also gives you the chance to gather a group of survivors and tackle a fully cooperative scenario. Here, what begins as an attempt to aid a small village in the wasteland soon sweeps you into an ever-evolving struggle that will determine the fate of New California. Along the way, you'll have to coordinate with your fellow survivors to tackle the many challenges that appear down the branching paths you'll wander."

The team also talked a bit about the struggle to find balance between security and freedom. Players can side with the Institute, or Danse if you want to with the Brotherhood of Steel (we've got jokes), but each faction offers its own set of goals, narrative, and even foes.

"The New California cooperative scenario continues to explore this dichotomy… with several important twists. Rather than aligning with one side or the other, players work to aid the small village of Arroyo. Pushed to the edge of desperation by a terrible drought, the town has turned to anyone who will listen for help, and they need you to scour the wasteland in search of anything that could relieve their suffering. Luckily, you have heard whispers of a device that could combat the drought. Perhaps you can discover more by visiting the New California Republic."

As players make their way through the Wasteland and find opposition with the mysterious Enclave, survivors must work together to ensure survival against this threat. Fantasy added, "As your search continues, a dramatic struggle plays out on the scenario's power track. Completing quests pushes the freedom token along the power track, bringing you one step closer to victory. But any number of events—from a survivor being killed to an Enclave enemy activating—can cause the Enclave's security token to advance on the track as their influence grows. If you're not careful and the Enclave's power token reaches the end of the track, you and your fellow survivors lose the game. "

With new rules, a new setting, and way more narrative choices, this is the perfect expansion for those that really love the Fallout franchise. "A new land of opportunity awaits you. It might also be filled with radiation and hideous monsters, but what's an accomplishment without a little challenge? It's time to head into the wasteland. Welcome to New California!"

Interested in adding this to your game experience? You can order your own copy right here!