Fallout RPG: Winter of Atom Review 

The lack of maps for all the adventure modules drives me crazy.

Nice video, my dude! This does sound more like a bunch of really interesting concepts, that may need a bit of re-arranging. I found myself nodding in agreement with your suggestions on how to amend The Plot to keep the stakes going higher. Since the BBEG is named Whateley, him dying and then the beast getting loose after would also be closer to the plot of "The Dunwich Horror", which I suspect parts of this may be a homage to. Lovecraftian stuff has been a part of Fallout lore since at least Fallout 3. There's a literal Dunwich Building in an out of the way corner of the map, with a very spooky vibe and story inside. There's also more in one of 3's DLCs, though I can't really remember the details just now. It's the one with the lighthouse. All in all though, if you were to make the changes you suggested, then this sounds like it would be a fantastic adventure to play! Keep up the good work! :D

I think the best way to play through this is a bit odd and takes some work, but...start the campaign as Fallout 4. If at least one player wants to be a vault dweller, they MUST start in vault 111. However, you can set up the campaign wherein multiple survivors are there and are all just now waking up only to find that...Anyone who starts as a settler, minuteman or such, may start out in Sanctuary, which has become its own thriving settlement. Now play a (more-or-less) custom version of the original game. Rather than rescue Preston & Co., perhaps you join a group of minutemen set on taking back the Museum from raiders in order to save the artifacts and legacy that the museum represents to them. Maybe Mary didn't die in Abernathy, but rather, the players are hired to escort her to Diamond City to wed her one-and-only. Set it up so that at least one random encounter is with Children of Atom, to bring the hook for that series of adventures (rather than campaign). That way you can add the Winter of Atom into the real campaign, in bits and pieces, to slowly build up the background and overall picture of Lovecraftian horror (by placing clues and hooks at Dunwich Borers, Parsons Asylum, etc.) I'd probably seet it up so that rather than the last son of atom, the villian is the leader of a rival cult to the Chidlren of Atom, trying to drive them out to get access to the hidden city. Make that cult more akin to the Children of Ug Qualtoth to bring in the Lovecraftian element. Drop the Gigapede and replace it with some weird critters you adapt from another game. Mindflayers, for example. To further tie in the Lovecraftian element.

Nice review. I recently ordered this book and have been looking through the pdf a little while waiting for the actual book. I haven't gotten to act 3 yet, but now i expect to make some changes. Though, perhaps defeating the last son of atom could have effects that the players will have to deal with. Maybe the devoted ones will find a new purpose that can negatively affect the settlements and the pcs have to stop them. As far as only wanting the quest to take players from level 1 to 5, the small campaign in the starter set does that, so a quest book of this size and depth is definitely intended to advance the players a great deal. To me, there is enough in this book for a ton of sessions. Perhaps you have a group that can play weekly, but I would be lucky to get 1 or 2 at max sessions per month. I would tell my group that this is basically a campaign that will wrap up the characters arc when its completed, or after I expand it a little. By then, they could be a new adventure book out and they can create new characters and start fresh. To me, part of the fun is the struggle at lower levels and being able to deal with the lower level enemies. At level 20, they would still likely encounter the lower level enemies during their travels and it would seem boring during those encounters. Of course it could be scaled up, but radroaches and molerats can only be so tough.

Amazing 🎉 I just purchased the book thanks to this extensive & to the point review.

Heard the next module is gonna be a West coast thing! Also great review for this module, really considering grabbing this and the quick start kit

The Cthulhu stuff just felt so out of place. I was waiting for there to be an in-universe explanation like the research center had a section that was under the sea and the giant old god monster was actually just a huge mutated octopus that the Last Son began worshipping… but nope. They went all in on the Arkham horror angle.

Are you small or is the book increadibly large?