The massive board game publisherFantasy Flightexcels at taking well-known IP and building exceptional games around it. They’ve had tons of success withStar Wars, Game of Thrones, and many others. In 2017, they put out a board game version ofFallout, which was fairlywell-receivedand sits inside the top 1,000 games on Board Game Geek. Now, the publisher is going even further with theFalloutproperty and making aFallout Shelterboard game. It looks like a nifty little worker-placement game.
Fallout Shelter: The Board Gamefinds you in a Vault, buried under 2,00 feet of rock. Unfortunately for your happy, little community, your Overseer has just died and there is something of a power vacuum. Your Vault Dwellers only want to stay happy, so you and up to three friends will take over control of a floor in the Vault. You’ll work hard against each other to produce the happiest Vault citizens and become the next Overseer.
From the jump,Fallout Shelter: The Board Gamehas that high-quality production Fantasy Flight is known for. The game comes in a lunchbox, which is very apt for aFalloutgame. The art is vibrant and the game comes with several Pip-Boy bobblehead miniatures that serve as your worker pawns. So, even if the game is only mediocre, at least it will look great.
Fallout Shelter: The Board Gameis, as mentioned, a worker-placement game at its heart. You’ll need to decide where to place your Vault Dwellers to either improve their happiness or improve your facilities in the name of getting even more happiness. However, because every competitor is living in the same Vault, you will need to work together at times.
Just like in the video game, various accidents can and will happen. When a fire breaks out, everyone must drop the competition and help each other out or risk the entire Vault burning down. It’s an interesting bit of push-and-pull that should provide some moments. Maybe you see a rad roach breakout in one of your friend’s rooms and you hold off on sending help until the last possible second. If done well, it could make for a challenging, yet fun balance you’re constantly trying to find.
You’ll also be able to venture outside the Vault to try and find supplies. It’s not completely clear how this portion of the game works, but it may be a good source of some push-your-luck gameplay.
Fallout Shelter: The Board Gamewill launch sometime in 2020. The game will run you $40, making it an easy gift for anyFalloutfan.
