From the Bitmob Game Club Vault: A Personal Retrospective of Fallout

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Before it changed into something more inclusive, the Bitmob Game Club was a feature in which a handful of community writers played a few levels of the same game every week, then wrote about it in their own style. The final series, before everyone got involved with the Rez edition, was going to be about Fallout.

The project never came about, but I wrote my first contribution and left it sitting on my hard drive until today.

The simple graphics encouraged my imagination to fill in most of the game's scenes, almost like a book or radio drama. Here's my representation of what the first couple of hours was like in my head.

I stumble across a few dirty tents clustered around a building. A mean-looking dude stands by the entrance to the building.

“Hey, put that weapon away,” he orders because of the pistol in my hand. I acquiesce — not wanting to start a fight — and let myself in.

In the largest room stands a muscular, important-looking man. I greet him.

“Who are you?”

I consider telling him I'm there to join — earning their trust could gain me some equipment. But I'm not sure my companion, Ian, would help me through my initiation. I can count on his loyalty better than these amoral thugs, anyway.

“I'm an explorer.”

“We don't need those kinds of people around here,” he says. He shoots me dead.

I'm Albert, a charismatic (with 9 CH points to prove it) former vault-dweller. I'm on a quest for a “water chip” to save my dying underground home. The Overseer told me to search a nearby vault for my McGuffin, but I found nothing there. So far, the closest I've come to saving them is peering down a dusty well.

Now, I'm back in Shady Sands to collect a reward for solving their radscorpion problem.

It's late at night, so Doctor Razlo refuses to see me. He doesn't sleep or anything — he just stands there all night in his shack. I pass the time by burglarizing his home and reading the book I steal. It's about medicine, a subject I'm already a journeyman of.

Finally, the doctor makes an antidote. I administer it to his patient. (Apparently, Razlo can't move from his spot.) The guy thanks me, but, really, Ian deserves most of the credit.

When I first tripped over Shady Sands, I suggested he tag along. He shoots two bullets for every one that I can get off. The bastard accidentally hit me once, but I forgive him. Everyone here seems to fight by standing still and taking turns to shoot. That's rather boring to me, so it's good having Ian around to quicken it up.

Ian and I have rolled around the wasteland stabbing rats, shooting giant scorpions, and dying a lot.

We got ourselves killed on a slapstick misadventure in Junktown. As I chatted with the Mayor Killian Darkwater, an assassin interrupted us. Ian stood between the assassin and Killian; the Mayor shot back at his would-be killer but also hit Ian. Everyone blasted everyone else and only a couple of guards survived.

We die a lot.

I feel like avenging one of my deaths, so I head out with Ian to the raider camp. Armed, we stroll into the first tent we come to.

“You better put that away unless you wanna party,” says the guy.

I start blasting; Ian joins in and drops the raider.

A woman hears our shots and approaches the tent cautiously. I wait inside to reload; Ian exits and wastes the bitch.

After looting the corpses and donning some leather armor, I head to another small tent with Ian close behind. One raider sits in there. We kill him easily but movement inside the main building catches my eye. The leader and his two female guards are coming to join the fight.

I use this time to heal while Ian moves to intercept them. One woman repeatedly shoots her sister in the back, and Ian fights the raider boss magnificently. This is going so well!

The raiders decide to flee, but Ian shoots the head honcho in the back as he turns tail. We split up to follow the two guards — Ian takes the woman who can't aim, I take the one she's been shooting.

I chase her to the edge of the camp, but she escapes into the desert, spared by my poor aim.

No matter — I drop my pistol to my side and go to loot the last corpses. Hey! My Pip Boy says I've inadvertently freed a slave. I was just here for vengeance, but I'll take the experience points. And the extra armor, weapons, and caps.

Where's Ian?

My heart sinks as I see Ian — far across the camp at the foot of a raider — lying in a pool of his own blood.

I reload my save.

I feel like avenging one of my deaths, so I head out with Ian to the raider camp. Armed, we stroll into the first tent we come to.

“You better put that away unless you wanna party,” says the guy.

I start blasting, Ian joins in and drops the guy.

A woman hears the shots and approaches the tent cautiously. I wait inside to reload, Ian exits and wastes the bitch.

After looting the corpses and donning some leather armor, I head to another small tent, Ian close behind. There's one raider in there. We kill him easily but movement inside the building catches my eye. The leader his two female guards are coming to join the fight.

I use this time to heal while Ian moves to meet them. One woman repeatedly shoots her sister in the back, and Ian fights the leader magnificently. This is going so well!

The raiders decide to flee but Ian shoots the leader in the back as he turns tail. We split up to follow the two women — Ian takes the woman who can't aim, I take the one she's been shooting.

I chase her to the edge of the camp but she escapes into the desert, spared by my poor aim.

Where's Ian?

My heart sinks as I see Ian far across the camp, at the foot of a raider, lying in a pool of his own blood.

I reload my save.

I feel like avenging one of my deaths, so I head out with Ian to the raider camp. Armed, we stroll into the first tent we come to.

“You better put that away unless you wanna party,” says the guy.

I start blasting, Ian joins in and drops the guy.

A woman hears the shots and approaches the tent cautiously. I wait inside to reload, Ian exits and wastes the bitch.

I use this time to heal while Ian moves to meet them. One woman repeatedly shoots her sister in the back, and Ian fights the leader magnificently. This is going so well!

The raiders decide to flee but Ian shoots the leader in the back as he turns tail. We split up to follow the two women — Ian takes the woman who can't aim, I take the one she's been shooting.

I chase her to the edge of the camp but she escapes into the desert, spared by my poor aim.

Where's Ian?

My heart sinks as I see Ian far across the camp, at the foot of a raider, lying in a pool of his own blood.

I reload my save.

I feel like avenging one of my deaths, so I head out with Ian to the raider camp. Armed, we stroll into the first tent we come to.

“You better put that away unless you wanna party,” says the guy.

I start blasting, Ian joins in and drops the guy.

A woman hears the shots and approaches the tent cautiously. I wait inside to reload, Ian exits and wastes the bitch.

I use this time to heal while Ian moves to meet them. One woman repeatedly shoots her sister in the back, and Ian fights the leader magnificently. This is going so well!

The raiders decide to flee but Ian shoots the leader in the back as he turns tail. We split up to follow the two women — Ian takes the woman who can't aim, I take the one she's been shooting.

I chase her to the edge of the camp but she escapes into the desert, spared by my poor aim.

Where's Ian?

My heart sinks as I see Ian far across the camp, at the foot of a raider, lying in a pool of his own blood.

I reload my save.