Fifth Edition Fallout News - Journey's End

The official Fallout RPGs, and what it means for Fifth Edition Fallout

You're probably already aware that Modiphius announced not one but two official Fallout RPGs. The first will expand the miniatures wargame Wasteland Warfare, while a second more traditional RPG using a variation of their 2d20 system will follow (2d20 powers their other licensed games, such as Conan and Star Trek). This honestly came as no surprise to me: I've been convinced this day would come ever since they announced Wasteland Warfare in late 2017. It literally seemed a no-brainer, and the moment I read that news I knew the clock was ticking. It was no coincidence that after feverish development up to that point, last year I began scaling down the amount of new content I was making.

At this time, Fifth Edition Fallout fans shouldn't expect new updates. I might add a handful of new equipment or creature statblocks if the mood ever strikes me, but nothing substantial. There's a few reasons for this as I'm sure you can imagine: yes, I think most people will probably prefer to play the official RPG over Fifth Edition Fallout, and yes I am considering the increased possibility of receiving a cease and desist (I think such a measure on their part would be unwarranted, but I can't rule it out). But more than anything, I'm glad to say that the immense amount of work I already put in means that Fifth Edition Fallout is actually pretty complete! It might be missing a few creature statblocks or some obscurer weapons from the original games, and it doesn't include anything from Fallout 76 either, but that's nothing an enterprising DM can't homebrew for themselves. The truth is there's absolutely loads of great content already in the game, including hundreds of statblocks: 355 to be precise, easily enough to run a campaign from levels 1-20.

This is bittersweet, of course. I'm extremely proud of what I've accomplished, while also sad that this journey is at its natural end. I'm a fan of Modiphius and I'm looking forward to seeing their take on a Fallout RPG in action, but Fifth Edition Fallout isn't going anywhere unless it becomes a legal issue (so go download a copy of the PDF while you can, just in case). I hope some of you will still play it, and maybe even prefer it! Fans should also keep an eye out for further post-apocalyptic products in the Wasteland Worlds line, too: I still want to complete the set with Wasteland Woes and Wasteland Wheels!

This is my stop, but that doesn't have to mean the end of the road: anyone who wishes to develop additional content compatible with Fifth Edition Fallout is welcome to do so. There's rich homebrewing possibility in a Fallout 76 expansion, for instance! If you do create any new content, let me know where you're hosting it and I'll add a link from the wiki!

No More Content Hub

The news of an official RPG on the horizon has also caused me to reevaluate the way Fifth Edition Fallout is presented, and I've made the decision to remove content from this blog and migrate it to the wiki.

Ultimately, this blog is my brand. It's the face of "Spilled Ale Studios". The original articles that became Fifth Edition Fallout were, in my opinion, on brand: When I first started posting the articles, Fallout was simply an example, used to demonstrate the thought processes involved in hacking a game and the rules changes that evolve out of that process. It might be inspired by someone else's IP, but because it was used for the purpose of example I felt comfortable with these articles under the "Spilled Ale Studios" banner.

I feel that when I started developing Fifth Edition Fallout from the original ideas in that article is when the hack crossed an ill-defined line and became a personal project. As the hack became more and more polished and complete, it began to feel a little weird hosting the content on this blog, under the auspices of my brand. I've always been careful to make clear that the hack is a fan work and I have no claim to the IP, but the fan in question is me as an individual, not my brand.

It's past time to resolve that, so from now on no Fifth Edition Fallout content will be hosted here (you can still find the original articles in which the hack had its infancy, if you wish). The content hub that used to exist here has been taken offline and the Fifth Edition Fallout wiki is now your only source for all things Fifth Edition Fallout. However, you can still use the hub's url wherever you find it: it'll simply redirect you to to the wiki.