This is the guide to a Fallout PnP game based among the ruins of Kansas, Missouri, northern Texas and western Tennessee. It is recommended for players of all skill levels, though the GM is invited to alter NPC statistics as is necessary for a more balanced gaming experience.
The Midwestern Wasteland
Overview[]
It is 2250, many years after the Great War, and the American Midwest has changed dramatically. The once fertile grasslands are pockmarked, scarred and unable to support the farming communities of the previous century. Society has upended itself, reorganizing along unfamiliar lines and new powers have arisen amongst the ashes.
In the years following the bombs, the effects of the major events happening in the new American southwest echoed farther east. Travelers from places like The Hub, Junktown, New Reno made their way into the midwest where new cities and organizations had been created out of next to nothing.
At about the same time the New California Republic was being formed far away, another organization arose in the ruins of old Kansas City, the Kansas Free State. This campaign takes place after the KFS (as it is commonly known) was founded and concerns the problems that arose after NCR's war with the Brotherhood of Steel spilled eastward and the destruction of the Enclave released a directionless, heavily armed, and highly trained mercenary group into the wasteland.
The adventures presented for this campaign follow the characters as they unravel the plots weaved by the myriad competing interests of the area. It is eventually up to the characters whether humanity descends once more into nuclear oblivion or treats its second chance with the gravity it deserves.
Organizations[]
Brief descriptions of the major players featured in the campaign.
Brotherhood of Steel[]
Battered and weakened by their war with NCR, the Brotherhood of Steel has retreated into the Midwestern Wastes, a sad shadow of their former greatness. Led by General Fry Balthas, the BoS has gone into hiding. No one seems to know where. It is known they have been tending to their wounds since signing a cease-fire agreement with NCR and are thought to be rearming for an eventual return to hostilities. Gen. Balthas is known to resent the cease-fire with NCR as an admission of weakness and agreed to it only out of necessity. Others in the Brotherhood have been worried about Balthas' plans and would like to see a lasting peace. Whether their concerns are heeded is anyone's guess.
Caravaneer's Union[]
KFS Arms runs the gun trade in most of the surrounding area but a lot of the other goods in the wastes are still peddled by the caravans. After years of infighting and some low intensity "trade wars," the heads of the major caravans finally agreed to open a forum where they could discuss disputes and create standard values on goods and rules of business. The Caravaneer's Union was the result.
The Union maintains relative civility for the caravans in the area and has gone a long way in preventing major rivalries between outfits. Each of the groups selects a representative for the Union and a speaker is selected from that body. There are currently four caravans that are members of the union. Each runs goods in different parts of the area and each has different specialty items for sale.
Blue Brahmin Caravan[]
The only caravan that deals exclusively with all things Brahmin related. Their cattle drives run from Wichita, to Dodge City, and then on to Amarillo. Their leader is Curly, an experienced rancher who keeps a retirement home in Topeka. His distaste for the NCR railroad is well known, as its full implementation would put his company out of business.
Tidy Traders[]
A smaller trading company specializing in old electronics, machine parts, and various pieces of "exotic" tech. Their route runs a triangle with Dodge City, Wichita, and the Roanoke Leper Colony its the points.
Alacorn Outfitters[]
Run by Meyer, a hard-nosed wastelander, Alacorn Outfitters controls most of the major trade routes between the Kansas Free State, Wichita, and Dodge City. Meyer has been publicly very supportive of the NCR railroad project. This has not endeared him with KFS authorities.
Norris Company[]
The largest of the four caravans, Norris Company is run by two brothers (Harlan & Otto Norris) and runs the longest route. Their base of operations is in the trading town just outside of St. Louis proper. From there their route runs through Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City and back again.
The Flowers Family[]
The largest crime "family" this side of the Colorado River, the Flowers have their hands in just about everything. Run by Jasper Flowers from his office at the Peccadillo Nightclub in Kansas City, these guys vie only with the Slaving Guild for general meanness. They run the drug and booze trades throughout the entire area and have stakes in prostitution across the wasteland. There has even been talk of Jasper working out a deal with the Mordino Family in New Reno to secure a steady supply of Jet. How he'd manage to get the drugs through NCR territory is a mystery.
Kansas Free State[]
About as old as the NCR but not nearly as high-minded, the Kansas Free State as a political organization exists only to serve the interests of KFS Arms, their weapon manufacturing business. The "state" as a whole only encompasses Kansas City, Topeka, and the surrounding area. Executive J.J. Jackson, elected by the five member board of directors, is the de facto head of the KFS and by extension, the KFS Militia and KFS Arms. His motives are murky though diplomats from NCR have been seen coming and going from Arrowhead Stadium, the seat of government in Kansas City.
New California Republic[]
Though the Republic was engaged in a war of attrition with the Brotherhood, they've come out better than many had predicted. They've been tested, they've survived, and they know it. Since signing the cease-fire agreement, the NCR has pushed east by expanding their railroad system. Dodge City, wanting some of the extra revenue that system could bring, agreed to construct a train station. NCR, eager to expand into the east, welcomed the arrangement. Diplomats, spies, and Rangers have all been sighted across the midwestern wastelands. The true intent of the NCR is unknown to outsiders, but they are obviously up to something.
Raiders[]
There are three organized groups of raiders in the midwestern wasteland. When not ambushing caravans and attacking settlements, all three groups have been known to hire out their services as mercenaries. It is not uncommon to find raiders among the armies of rich merchants or as assassins working on a hit.
Don't let their combined classifications as raiders confuse you. None of these groups much likes the others. Besides the usual attacks against regular wastelanders, these bands have been known to fight against each other and the rivalries run pretty strong between them. They each have claims to "territories" in the wastes and raiders generally think twice about entering their enemy's area without a full strength hunting party or a very good reason.
Besides these three groups, there are also smaller (5 to 10 man cells) of independent raiders scouring the wasteland. Though the lesser groups haven't the resources or manpower to mount large-scale raids on some of the major settlements, they're usually more than capable of picking off unsuspecting travelers.
The Sogs[]
It is unknown what type of relationship The Sogs have with the Slaving Guild, but there appears to be something going on. Some have been spotted in slaver camps and the NCR Rangers have stories of them being hired out to guard the guild's slave pens. Sogs can be identified by the unique scrap metal armor they've fashioned out assorted post-apocalyptic detritus. There is a terrifying nobility to their personality and they have a reputation as being the most reasonable (if you could call it that) of all the raider bands. Their territory begins a few days south of the KFS and extends nearly all the way to Mud Island in the south.
The Barracudas[]
The Barracudas are the weakest of the three bands. Their territory is north and slightly west of Dodge City. They are the most conventional of all the raiders in the area and content themselves with attacking settlements, travelers, and Brahmin caravans. They are led by a man calling himself "Jordan."
The Black Boars[]
The most vicious of all the raiders in the area, The Black Boars are composed primarily of former Enclave recruits driven east by their own folly and the NCR's persistence. They are well trained, well equipped, and extremely lethal. They delight in torturing their victims and have adopted the practice of collecting trophies from felled enemies. Their domains are south and slightly east of Dodge City though they do not extend south beyond Roanoke. Travelers venturing into that area are to be on guard at all times.
Roamers[]
Not many people know a lot about the Roamers. What is known is not always true and and what isn't known causes an awful lot of anxiety in the wasteland. They appear to be nomads with a fairly solid grasp of basic electronics and vehicle repair skills and have a healthy reputation for misanthropy. The Roamers travel across the wastes in various motorized vehicles. Motorcycles, trucks, dune buggies, there's usually a story about the Roamers involving one or all of these vehicles. Their true numbers are unknown and the Roamers take great pains to hide their size and motives. Though they've been known to venture into towns on occasion for parts or supplies, they generally don't arrive en mass and they never stay long.
Slaving Guild[]
Ed Ruffin cut his teeth working for the Slaving Guild out west and his ambition is what landed him leader of the midwestern chapter. He built Mud Island from the ground up and engineered scouting expeditions into the tribal areas to the far south. Because of his leadership and resourcefulness, the Slavers in the midwest are one of the most powerful "outlaw" groups. They deal with the KFS on a regular basis, supplying slaves for guns, and with the Flowers Family supplying slaves and information for drugs and equipment. All Slavers are marked with an ornate facial tattoo, much like they are in the southwest, forever branding them as merchants of people.
Major Locations[]
Brief descriptions of the major locations featured in the campaign.
Amarillo[]
A small NCR border town located on the far eastern frontier. This is the site of the last large battle with the Brotherhood. Though its population is only 300-400 people, a large NCR Garrison force is stationed within its limits. The railroad leaves NCR territory out of Amarillo and as such it has great strategic importance.
Dodge City[]
Though a nearly independent town of 600-800 people, Dodge City is the last stop on the line for the NCR Railroad. Under a deal with Mayor Kendricks, the Republic offered to extend its railway into Dodge City in exchange for a power sharing agreement. NCR Rangers generally use Dodge City as a staging area for slave busting adventures and scouting for Brotherhood forces in the wastes. Dodge receives extra trade activity due to their connection to the only known mass transportation system in the world.
Council Grove
Divided in two halves by the Neosho river before the Great War, this Pre-War community held the Red Rocket regional headquarters due to corporate nepotism within the company. As well as being the Kansas epicenter for Red Rocket, Council Grove held the easternmost bottling plant of Sunset Sarsaparilla. Following the fateful October 23rd nuclear holocaust, the town tribalized, divided by the river. By 2177, two tribal factions remained, with one on the west and one on the east. Equally suspicious of the other river side tribe, an uneasy alliance was formed between the two from mutual enemies of raiders from Kelso, super mutants from White City, and the Ghoul community of Wils. This fragile alliance, however was shattered one night, when an unknown person poisoned the West side’s still intact water system, killing five people of West sides hundred person population. Understandably outraged, the ruling family of the West side, the Cosgroves, exiled the East side population from the West side, dividing the town once more into the bottling plant side, and the East Side. The two communities, almost United once more, became two, with the West side becoming known in years later as Sasstown, and the East side became Rocketsville. 20 years after the schism, the culprit of the split remains unknown, and no leads.
Kansas City[]
Built in and around the old Truman Sports Complex, Kansas City is the capital of the Kansas Free State. This town of close to 10,000 is spread in a tight oval surrounding both Arrowhead and Royal Stadiums. The KFS rules from within the relative safety of the fortress-like stadiums while the rest of their population and workforce live in slums cobbled into a loose metropolis.
KFS enjoys a relatively free society and slavery, though not illegal, is disdained by the poorer classes. The major industries here are weapons manufacturing which the KFS controls, and caravan trading, which is the domain of the individual caravaneers. A criminal economy exists and is generally tolerated as long as it does not interfere with official KFS business.
This is the largest city in the area and it is extremely well fortified. Rumors of a vault below ground have yet to be proven true.
Moserly[]
A small, quiet Brahmin herding town located a few days north of Kansas City. It is the players' hometown. Unaligned, Moserly has been feeling the presence of the KFS for the last few years and they've recently have been forced to give up a portion of their herd to the Free State for "tribute." In exchange, the KFS allows Moserly to keep its autonomy. The down side is a broken confidence in town and a poverty that extends to all walks of life.
Mud Island[]
More a fortress than a town, Mud Island is built south of St. Louis on the Mississippi River. It is the base for the slaving operations in the midwest and it is ruled dictatorially by Ed Ruffin, head of the Slaving Guild. Few people venture towards Mud Island as ignorant travelers tend to show up for sale a few days after approaching the camp. They open their gates at specific dates and times for slave auctions. They never deviate from their schedule. The slavers do not like unannounced visitors and they do not like to be surprised.
Roanoke Leper Colony[]
A small town built atop an old Leper Colony that was located near in prewar Oklahoma. Now it is the home to about 300 ghouls. Most travelers avoid Roanoke as most people try to avoid ghouls whenever possible. Partly due to the outside stigma and partly to their general paranoia, the citizens of Roanoke are leery of strangers. Wichita, one of the few friendly towns, sends caravans of supplies once a month and occasionally spots Roamers coming to or leaving the area. It is unknown what that activity means. There have also been rumors that a mysterious old ghoul has recently taken over the town and begun repairing a nearby factory. Both identity and the motives of this individual are not common knowledge.
St. Louis[]
Built above the ruins of old St. Louis, this city of close to 9,000 is a bit of a mystery. Though they take part in the caravan traffic that keeps the rest of the midwestern wasteland supplied and informed, they are wary of any non-citizens and keep certain areas of the city walled off from strangers. No one is quite sure why this is the case but few seem to want to argue with their police force. It is unclear who rules the city but whoever does is well organized and extremely secretive. Though travelers are not allowed to venture far into the city, a small population of new arrivals keeps them entertained with a small trading town just outside the city walls. There are persistent rumors that the Flowers Family controls the bars in this area, but owing to the disciplined nature of the St. Louis police forces, this could also be hot air.
Topeka[]
The only major settlement besides Kansas City that can claim to be a member of the KFS, Topeka is a Brahmin ranching town of 400-500 located a few days west of the capital. The Diglett ranching family runs Topeka via KFS sanction and essentially treats the area as a private fiefdom. As long as they send their monthly tax back to Kansas City, the KFS supplies Topeka with a well armed militia and a free hand. The Flowers Family has a few contacts planted in Topeka with the intention of weakening the Digletts. So far not much has come of this scheming, but time would be the ultimate arbiter.
Vault 51[]
About 1,000 inhabitants call Vault 51 home. Few wastelanders know of its existence, even fewer realize it is still operational. The citizens of Vault 51 were drawn from the families of the second tier military and scientific elite. They were not the most important individuals in prewar America, they were the second most important individuals. As time progressed, they developed a society based on scientific knowledge and military readiness. To them, the war never ceased and now the enemy is the anarchic denizens of the wasteland. The seal to the vault was broken years ago but instead of venturing forth and settling a new land, the citizens of Vault 51 have adopted an attitude of extreme paranoia and fear. Many of the inhabitants are terrified by what their America has become and only leave the vault wearing intense environmental gear (to protect them from all those harmful microbes!) and under duress from the Overseer (whose motives never seem entirely genuine.) Trips out of the vault are restricted to heavily armed military units and they are extremely scared and trigger happy.
Vault 99[]
Only the Roamers know the location of this vault, the entrance of which is hidden in the basement of an old country post office. No one has been able to open the door and consequently no one knows if A) the vault is still populated and B) if so, by whom. They've made a number of efforts to crack the entrance codes to no avail.
Wichita[]
If there was a tolerant, hopeful beacon of light anywhere in the midwestern wastes, Wichita would be it. Located upon the ruins of the old prewar city, Wichita is an independent town with a fiercely loyal population of both humans and ghouls.
Their level of technological innovation is impressive. The oil fields around Wichita have become their economic livelihood and they use the petroleum to fuel a power plant and generate enough electricity to recharge the fuel cells used in most prewar heavy machinery. As a result of this and the healthy contingent of ghoul mechanics, Wichita is the go-to spot for any motorized vehicle in the midwestern wasteland. Due to this, Roamers have been spotted more in Wichita than in any town in the area.
Wichita is run by a Mayor Roy Scheider and their loose defense force is headed by Sheriff Oliver Holmes. They make sure any stranger has a good understanding of how things are done in Wichita and they won't hesitate to let any wrongdoer know their place.
West Tek Research Installation "Fort Sill-Grouder"[]
Vaults weren't the only locations protected from the bombs before the Great War. A handful of science installations were constructed to withstand the force and radiation of a nuclear attack. The West Tek Research Installation, found beneath the ruins of Oklahoma City, is one such place. The scientists that live there now were in suspended animation prior to the war and were reawakened 10 years before the campaign takes place. They keep themselves secreted away in their underground bunker and though they are familiar with the goings on above ground, they choose to keep to themselves and continue their work. Many of the scientists stationed to the facility were veterans of West Tek's weapon development team. Rumors of a large weapons cache are still awaiting confirmation.
Most people are unaware that this installation exists. The few that do closely guard the information and would not give up the location easily. NCR Intelligence learned of the facility years ago and have sent envoys seeking a leg up on the Brotherhood.
Wils
A little town west of Council Grove before the war, Wilsey was once a dying town, with the rare Nuka Cola truck coming by to refill the town’s vending machines. Businesses in Wilsey were almost nonexistent, with a sole gas station miraculously hanging on in the middle of nowhere. With that said, it should be clear that any hopes of the town reviving its glorious past were slimmer than the slimmest quark. Yet, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or in this case, a microscopic village is Vault-Tec’s testing grounds. In 2073, in the midst of the Sino-American war, Vault-Tec struck a deal with the United States government to have complete autonomy and authority over Wilsey for 5 million dollars. Within a week, a wall had been built in a 2 mile radius of the town. Despite outrage from the 300 inhabitants, they were powerless to resist Vault-Tec. Soon after, all cars and means of communication with the outside world were confiscated. Wilsey had been locked down. By December, a mysterious building had been constructed near the border wall, puzzling the town’s imprisoned inhabitants. The inhabitants were soon to find out the meaning of the building and its sinister purpose. One night, screams were heard from the East quarter of Wilsey, more specifically the Wilson residence. Yet when the people’s law (formed by the absence of actual law) went to check, the Wilsons were all gone. 6 of them, just gone in the middle of the night. (Work in progress)
Minor Locations[]
Descriptions of some the lesser aresa in the midwestern wasteland.
Bunker 039[]
Located just north of Kansas City, about halfway to Moserly, is Bunker 039. It was formerly an underground bomb storage facility and now in complete disrepair. The atomic bomb that was once stored here is nowhere to be found.
Silver Beach[]
A small "town" of three people located in the heavily booby trapped remains of strip mall. The settlement takes its name from an old tanning salon located in the mall.
Super Duper Mart[]
A large shopping center formerly controlled by Sog Raiders and now used as an NCR Ranger safe house.