James Sheahan FALLOUT: WASTELAND WARFARE interview

Hello and thank you for joining us for the first post of our blogs,

I'm Dan Raskoll, I've been collecting and painting models/wargame miniatures since I was a kid, and I am a serious kitbash junkie,. Over the last few months, I have become a massive fan of the post-apocalyptic games and miniatures. Long story short my son is a massive fan of the fallout games on the pc, so being a  helpful dad I suggested having a look at the new fallout wastelands skirmish game, and try and get him into tabletop gaming but besides my son saying "The models looked cool I guess“, to be honest, he wasn't that impressed with dad trying to  muscle in on his favorite game, and with a shout  of” Oh my god why?“ Why Would I want to play a board game of a computer game” ….“so dumb” his words not mine, and with that went my dream of shared hobby with my son and  most importantly great excuse for me to buy some new model kits,any way upward and onward, I'm still really interested in buying the fallout wasteland game, its been out awhile now and has a strong following, the miniatures look really cool, all your favorite characters from the digital version seem to be included in the box sets, I'm not really much of an expert player so I won't try and explain the rules, but with what I've read and seen on YouTube the rule and gameplay seems easy to pick up, plus you can a get free copy of rules from the  modiphius website if want to have a better look yourself,  also there is a single-player version of game available to buy, to which the idea of this Blogg first came from, I don't have any local gaming clubs in my area so a board game with a single play option  might be a bit of a giggle for me play. The plan is to over the next few months, I'm going to build an A post-apocalyptic settlement and buy myself some Post-apocalyptic games sets and lots of new miniatures and share my new hobby with you guys. Not only am I going to bore you with my own photos and writing, but you can also read the odd interview and features on games, authors, films, and music, and a fair bit about life in the post-apocalyptic world will also be included in this blog, so if you're not bored already keep reading below is my first interview, cheers for reading

Designer of the game James Sheahan FALLOUT: WASTELAND WARFARE interview

Seeing as Fallout Wastelands is on my Christmas list, I think the best person ask about the games great features and single-player  games AI mode, Would be the designer of the game James Sheahan 
FALLOUT: WASTELAND WARFARE interview


 1. In which ways would Fallout Wasteland Warfare be a good introductory game for fans of Fallout unfamiliar with tabletop gaming?

Knowing Fallout is such a well-loved world, I designed Fallout: Wasteland Warfare specifically to suit all players from those who had never played a tabletop game through to experienced wargamers alike.  The system is very visual with color-coded range rulers and icons, plus all the information required is on cards (rather than lots of numbers, charts, and lists in books).  Also, the two-player starter set contains all the components needed to get playing lots of scenarios (with lots more official scenarios free online); plus, the starter set includes solo/co-operative play too.



2. How easy is Fallout Wasteland Warfare to learn to play and what kind of space does it require?

The two-player starter set includes a short Getting Acclimated booklet for players who are completely new to this type of gaming with some quick tutorials about moving and shooting.  The Main Rules of Playbook can look a bit daunting to new players but the rules are introduced and taught in stages - after reading the first pages, you play the first tutorial scenario which only uses the rules learned so far, and then do the same for the next sections.  After the 5 tutorial scenarios, you’ll know all the rules - and the tutorials are proper scenarios too with interesting objectives, rather than feeling like mundane training missions, with a linked story.  The comment I hear a lot when running demo games is that inexperienced players think it looked complicated at first but already understood it after playing 1 or 2 rounds.  Players can choose not to use some of the rules too so the complexity can be dialed up or down to what they prefer.  Most scenarios use a 3-foot by 3-foot space plus you need some space at the sides and/or edges for the cards that show your model’s stats, abilities, and gear.



3. What were the challenges in converting a video game into a tabletop wargame?

Fallout covers a wealth of variety both in terms of breadth of different things you may encounter as well as scale in terms of power from the weakest Radroach to the strongest Deathclaw.  I wanted the game to use a simple core rules system, but I also needed to create one with modular elements which would give me the granularity required to portray the characters, creatures, and equipment in all their distinct variety.  There is a joke in the office about all the spreadsheets I have and I use some of these to analyze the underlying stats of F: WW to ensure what players already know from the video games feels the same in the tabletop game.



One major factor was that Fallout is not just about combat, it’s about story which is a relatively unusual area for a wargame, so I wanted to create a miniatures game that would give players really varied objectives and also a game system that described the action - I call it ‘adventure wargaming’.  Whilst it uses wargame mechanics, the game needed to allow lockpicking, climbing buildings, searching for items, revealing hidden information, hacking computers, building a settlement, etc., but also use simple core rules mechanics throughout.  I’m not someone to use game mechanics just because other similar games use them.  I don’t set out to do things differently for the sake of it, but I always approach things fresh to devise simple mechanics to fit the action being represented.  For F:WW, I‘ve created lots of game mechanics which reflect the way the Fallout world operates and the feedback from players is that F:WW really captures the feel of the Fallout video games.


The hardest challenge was ensuring nothing is unbeatable.  In the video games, given enough time, a Radroach could still potentially kill you even if you’re wearing power armor, yet power armor still needed to be incredibly tough too.  So, good armor couldn’t just always block lots more damage than weak armor because some less effective weapons would be useless.  I solved this by creating an armor system which is a dice roll but (if your roll is successful by being equal to or less than your armor rating) what you roll is what you block, rather than blocking a fixed amount each time.  It’s a small detail but makes a big difference and the result is that better armor can block more (and is more likely to block at least some damage), but it can also let you down sometimes.  Capturing the feel of Fallout, whilst keeping it relevant and fun for a tabletop miniature game, is one of the really interesting parts of designing a game like this.



4. What inspired the games AI mode and briefly how does it function?

The owner of Modiphius Entertainment, Chris Birch, always wanted a solo mode for the game as he’s always enjoyed solo games.  To start, I thought about what I wanted it to achieve.  First, the AI had to play like a player and follow the same rules; whereas, the AI in some games is more like an abstracted timer.  Second, with most scenarios having non-combat objectives, it had to be able to do more than just attack the player.  Third, I wanted the actions of each unit to have different personalities - a Super Mutant’s approach should feel different to a Brotherhood of Steel Field Scribe’s.  Finally, I wanted it to factor-in a model’s situation too which could change during a game.  Hey, I like a challenge...



I spent time breaking down the logic of what actions models perform during a game, how those are used to achieve different objectives, what factors affect those decisions, and so on.  Each time an AI model acted, would it attack, try to perform the objective, or something else?  Who would it attack if it had a choice?  Would it shoot or opt for close combat?  Having been a programmer in the past helped working out these logic loops.  The end result is that each unit in the game has an AI card which shows a small grid (3x3 or smaller).  When an AI model acts, the player rolls a dice which determines the row of the grid to use, then the player then reads across the columns and stops at the first column whose situation is true, such as how much health it has remaining, or how many enemies are nearby, etc.  The letter shown at the row and column determines which of the 5 responses I had created that the AI will perform: Attack, Move, Fall back, Defend or Do the Objective (such as go to the terminal and hack it, pick-up nearby items, run for the exit, etc).  Plus, I added a few extra details such as if the cell is shaded then they do the response recklessly or carefully if un-shaded, and each unit has a list of preferred targets.  The player then just follows the steps laid out for these responses.


What’s great is that these little grids pack in lots of individual personalities.  For example, a Super Mutant Brute is more focussed on the objective when at full health but starts to attack more as it takes damage and becomes more reckless (simulating it becoming increasingly enraged); whereas, Piper is pretty brash when at full health so is careless but becomes careful once she takes some damage.  A Field Scribe will dive-in and try to achieve the objective when there are 2 or more friendly models nearby but is defensive and cautious without that feeling of support.  The Guard Dog version of Dogmeat will defend a model with the dog handler ability if one is nearby.  What really makes it works is that the rows I mentioned are weighted (due to the dice roll), so the top row is most likely, the middle row is less likely and the bottom row is least likely - this ‘uncertain reliability’ was a key moment in the design as it means each AI is not totally predictable (which would be boring to play against) but it’s not completely random either as it’s more likely to do some things than others.



When I first tested the system, the AI Super Mutants ran into my camp, grabbed the item they were after, and ran off.  I was proud (for their intelligence) and annoyed (at their victory over me) in equal measure.  In the first test, a Super Mutant Brute hit my Sole Survivor with a huge club sending it flying but, rather than carry on attacking, the Brute ran off to defend the Super Mutant carrying the stolen item as they retreated - it was a great moment.  In some scenarios, the AI’s objectives change depending on what has happened allowing it to respond - it can accomplish such a lot.  Whilst I’m very proud of various game mechanics in the game, the AI is probably my favorite.  Playing solo and co-operatively has proven to have a big audience, and I can’t wait to show what else it will deliver in the months ahead...



5. How would you go about surviving the post-apocalypse?

Assuming playing Fallout has prepared me well for such an event: Step 1, get a dog.  Step 2, don’t be a farmer unless you like unexpected visitors.  Step 3, don’t annoy the wildlife.  Step 4, don’t be a settlement Preston Garvey is aware of - they’re always in trouble...



6. What three items would you take into the wasteland with you?

  1. Headphones (with a solar panel to keep the portable music player going).

  2. The massive box of Nuka-Cola caps we have in the office just in case it does become currency.

  3. My cat (but he can get his own headphones).




7. What books, films, and games help inspire you as a designer?

There are so many.  For films, definitely Star Wars.  I saw the original Star Wars when I was 7 years old and, whilst I was already into space and science-fiction, it really energized my imagination.  I’m still a massive fan and owe it a lot for where I am today - I’d love to make a game set in that universe.  Understanding what makes characters or stories work for you can be very helpful to give you some structure to your designs.  I always hold up the finale of Return of the Jedi, where the action moves between three stories and cuts at a tense moment, as a great example of pacing.  I was a design consultant on a video game where you played the story from the perspective of 6 different characters and played each one’s story to resolution before switching; however, that felt a bit flat so (using the Return of the Jedi approach) I re-structured the game’s entire plot so you played a character to a cliffhanger moment but then switched to another character (who would continue from the cliffhanger where you last stopped playing them).



I really like games, films, books, and comics that deliver something new to me.  I love films you can get lost in and which deliver emotion - I want funny films to make me laugh, sad films to make me cry, and epic films to make me feel wonderful.  I’m a big board games fan and, as I’m very much a game mechanics guy, I love seeing new mechanics.  Even seeing the boards and components of board games is really interesting and can stimulate the imagination without even knowing what the rules are - games conventions are great for that as the gaming equivalent of going to an art gallery.  I also find the emotions music can generate to be inspiring too and have even written RPG scenes that were entirely inspired by what music tracks made me envisage.



8. You have had the good fortune to work on a lot of game any memorable experiences stand out for you?

In terms of a memorable experience, I was fortunate to spend 3 weeks writing lines with Anthony Daniels for C-3PO for the Monopoly Star Wars PC game - as a Star Wars fan, that was amazing.  I’d write a line and he’d try it out in C-3PO’s voice - surreal and awesome.  Going to LA to present works-in-progress of the Alias video game to JJ Abrams was amazing too.



9. Do you have any funny stories from your job at Modiphius?

When I first joined, I needed to make a map of the hyperspace routes for the Infinity RPG which had never been drawn before as the routes were so complicated and intertwined.  To work out how to show this simply so it could be drawn like a map of a metro system, I coloured in pieces of string for each different route and threaded each through large metal washers, on which were written the names of the different system names.  The end result was a large, cat’s-cradle-like mess of string with metal but which held the logic of the routes no matter where I moved its pieces (so long as I didn’t accidentally get it tangled which was my big fear).  I then moved the string and the washers around until I found the simplest layout.  I’m still very pleased with the resultant map, especially as the journey getting there was as low-tech as you can imagine.


10. Final question what can we look forward to seeing in the autumn and is there any new releases for Fallout Wasteland Warfare we should put on our Christmas wish list?

We recently started releasing Wave 2 which includes the Raiders and the next months will see Glowing Ones, Mole Rats and some new terrain released.  In November, we start releasing Wave 3 which includes the Institute - all those Synths look great - plus, the Automatron deck of cards allows players to build their own robots as well as lead their own robot force with all sorts of abilities and they can even be The Mechanist.  Plus, following on from the recent Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG book, hope to be releasing the F:WW RPG Starter Set before Christmas too.  There’s lots of new content coming next year too that will not only expand the model range but also the gameplay too and I can’t wait to share with people what’s coming.

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