Summit at Vault 30: A Fallout-Themed LARP

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Game Description

“War. War never changes.

The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.

But war never changes.

In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: petroleum and uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.

In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.”

- Ron Perlman, Fallout

The year is 2294. It’s been over two hundred years since the shortest and most destructive war in human history. In annexed Canada, the southern Ontario region was hit hard. Toronto and the surrounding area was almost entirely destroyed from when a bomb fell just outside the provincial capital. Hamilton’s residents, without sources of clean drinking water, suffer extreme levels of mutation. They’re known as southern Ontario’s largest community of ghouls. Herds of feral ghouls mindlessly search to cannibalize the vulnerable from the border as far inland as London.

Life is not bleak everywhere. With fields to farm and the gradual recovery of local wetlands to provide food and water, survivors in the K-W, Guelph, and Cambridge area are the most successful. Now known as Grand Trunk Wasteland, this region is the most populated area outside of the GTA. When the region was first re-settled most could not agree on how best to live. As a result, some survivors chose to spread out to live in small communities peacefully, while many others chose the life of plundering from others.

The most powerful of these communities of survivors in recent history were raiders calling themselves the Cardinal Syndicate. Led by Freight, his raider organization held the area under an iron grip. They made their fortunes squeezing caps from travelers, food from farmers, keeping the lesser raider gangs in line, and crushing grassroots movements that dreamed of a better life. Months ago, the majority of the Cardinals left for the Toronto ruins, their leader eager to expand his wealth and influence. None of them returned. The power vacuum in their absence has led many to position their own people to secure a place of greater authority in the Grand Trunk Wasteland, waiting for the time where they are prepared to make a decisive move to seize control.

In the last few weeks, a large group of wanderers fleeing the GTA passed through, sharing disturbing accounts. They described Super Mutants launching renewed offensives, transforming or killing any survivors they could get their hands on. Following their success in displacing locals from several districts in Toronto, rumours of their activities afterward included launching raids for pre-war tech and brokering ceasefires to halt internal fighting, showing near-human levels of intelligence and planning. Some whispered that a Master, powerful and cunning, rose above the rest and that they will soon be on the move. On hearing this news, many in the Grand Trunk Wasteland left or went to ground, praying not to be discovered.

Without warning, strange people in blue jumpsuits bearing the number 30 have appeared, claiming to be citizens of a Vault. They have extended an invitation to meet in their facility, offering assistance and hope to the local leaders, residents, and wanderers that are too brave, too stubborn, and too desperate to give up in face of this threat.

Reluctantly, the various factions have agreed to put off their hostilities long enough to attend. Everyone has a different idea of how to approach the situation and all have ulterior motives for coming. Will they fight in the name of liberty, opportunity, and a better tomorrow or will they turn to ruthless, pitiless pragmatism? Only one thing is certain; those who have chosen to risk it all will shape the future of the Grand Trunk Wasteland.

Because war, war never changes.



Summit at Vault 30: a Fallout-Themed LARP is a live action role-playing game that takes place in the ruins of fictional southern Ontario following post-atomic annihilation. Player factions will be meeting to determine how best to form a functional society with their newfound freedoms and their reaction to the possibility of a Super Mutant invasion. Each player will take on the role of one of the characters caught up in these events while also realizing their own goals and desires.

We will be using a simple combat system that will be explained at the game and a resource system which will represent the resources available to your faction.

This LARP will have elements of social politics, resource management, and puzzles. Additionally, there will be mature themes so we do not recommend anyone below the age of 18 to attend.

Roles will be decided on a first come, first served basis from the list published below. Please email main.geoffrey@gmail.com with your top three selections.

Roles that have been taken have been italicized.


Faction Descriptions

Raider Gangs

Soon after the bombs fell, many individuals considered it far easier to reap the efforts of hard-toiling farmers and scavengers at gunpoint. These people formed alliances with other like-minded individuals for the purpose of protection and profit, becoming the first raider gangs in the area. Eventually, the Cardinal raiders grew large enough to form its own syndicate strong enough to subjugate all the other gangs.

Despite the dominance of the Cardinal Syndicate, they allowed non-member raider gangs to continue to grow under careful observation and a mutual understanding that they would pay a tithe of resources and fighters. When Freight disappeared with most of the Cardinal membership, the most prominent and ambitious of the non-member gangs were happy to turn the tables and absorb the garrisons left behind to keep order.

Representing different gangs with their own ideas and cultures, the leaders that have arrived are among the most powerful and well-armed. They include the Stormers, the Forged, the Fiends, the Vipers, and the Jackals. Some rule as benevolent warlords, turning to raiding to protect and provide for those they love, while others glut themselves in sadistic ritual; others chase the next high in a reality too painful to continue living in. Due to their stranglehold in the Grand Trunk Wasteland, raiders have become valuable sources of information and entertainment, presenting their best face as an appealing alternative to recruit more into their numbers. This in turn has led to a sort of one-upmanship contest as they struggle against each other.

With the rise of the Mounties, old enemies of the gangs have grown emboldened. Weak raider gangs have collapsed under mass desertion as thoughts of a better life and the fear of being hunted take hold. The leaders of the largest raider gangs no longer enjoy the same influence they once had, but they’re aware that they already hold all the assets and the infrastructure needed to make a new society. They are not only determined not to be run out of the Grand Trunk Wasteland, but to be an integral part of its future.

Forged - Taken
Fiend - Taken
Jackal - Taken
Viper - Taken
Stormer - Taken

Mounties

While some strove to recreate cities in the image of the past, others boldly ventured into the wasteland, determined to create a life that was unquestionably theirs. As these pioneers sought prosperity and the freedom to live as they saw fit, the harsh realities of the Wasteland taught them a valuable lesson: the side with the most guns wins.

Wishing only to lead quiet and peaceful lives, the pioneers resigned to the fact that as long as they tried to make it alone they would be the target of raiders, ferals, and wasteland creatures alike. One night, some of the pioneers met and spoke of coming together in a loose coalition to help ensure their survival. Some argued with impassioned nobility in their hearts while others entered into the discussion reluctantly, knowing that with security came a sacrifice of their liberty. This loose-knit group quickly spanned the Grand Trunk Wasteland, becoming the Grand River Confederation.

For a time the Grand River Confederation had a strong network of neighbours willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. Cracks in their unity were ever present due to unresolved blood feuds between former enemies, rivalries, egos, and political games. When the majority of representatives in the confederation passed a decision giving the armed militia a directive to relocate all ghouls in their territory - by force if necessary - to the Elora Gorge, sides both for and against this decision clashed using words that could not be taken back. No longer willing to work together, the dissenters returned to their homesteads, swearing to never fight again. The militia suffered from constant desertion, eventually scattered by raiders in the disastrous Battle of Breithaupt 87 years ago. Raiders have held the area ever since.

With the disappearance of the Cardinal Syndicate, the vast power the raider gangs once held is severely weakened. No longer forced to hide underground, a new generation has organized themselves to fight and die for the noble dreams their great-grandfathers once had. Determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, they are now the Mounties: a united coalition of all people, for all people. The young believe they can overcome the spectres of the past and unite the Wasteland, but they will find that beliefs die hard. Old warriors and statesmen with necessary experience have also come into the fold. While some seek to make things right others are all too happy to go back to the way things were under the Grand River Confederation.

General - Taken
Scout - Taken
Provisioner - Taken
Mr. Fix-It - Taken
Quartermaster - Taken

Vault Dwellers

Located underneath the Guelph Arboretum, the mysterious Vault 30 residents were safe from the worst effects of the nuclear destruction in their underground shelter. The residents were supplied with well beyond what was required, staying closed long after the all-clear timeline had elapsed. Only in instances where they needed something they could not produce have they opened their vault, clandestinely trading for supplies. Life in the Vault is relatively peaceful, generations of overseers guiding their residents to living humble, happy lives.

This came to an end when they caught wind of the news of the Super Mutant threat. A vault-wide debate was held, for what affected the surface dwellers affected them all. The general consensus was that should they allow life on the surface to stand alone and die in their struggle, the risk of Super Mutant discovery would still be too high. This also meant their family would likely go their own ways after this event. With a mixture of sorrow and delighted naïveté, the members of Vault 30 asked their overseer to invite local leaders to come meet with them.

In a move which may have seemed strange to other factions but themselves, every blue-suited messenger returned. They bore good news that many would be coming. The locals are eager to investigate the claims that Vault 30 holds the means to assist any who will stand up to the Super Mutants. It remains to be seen if the vault dwellers are bluffing or wield a power too horrifying to imagine.

Teacher - Taken
Engineer - Taken
Head of Security - Taken
Overseer - Taken
Mr. Handy - Taken

Gorgers

Outside of Hamilton, Elora Gorge is home to the next largest community of ghouls in Southwestern Ontario. Environmental protections being a non-concern before the war resulted in the gorge and the nearby quarry both becoming festering dumps for all sorts of toxic and radioactive waste. The ambient radiation glows a sickly green in the evening, lighting the sky and dancing on the tree line. Exposure to this environment kills an average Smooth-Skin within hours. Ghouls, being unaffected further by the effects of radiation, eke out an existence as an isolated society.

One born recently may be forgiven if they believed the teachings that any of the ghouls lived here by choice. Generations ago the Grand River Confederation abducted the ghouls from their homes, forcibly removing them from friends, families, and jobs of over 100 years at gunpoint. Stranded at the gorge bereft of any belongings, purpose, or dignity, the ghouls unwilling to succumb to despair or die by provoking their captors started to pick through what was left behind in the dump.

With the patience that comes with near-immortality, the ghouls built a new society which, while crafted from the scavenged objects of their past, reflects the ideals of their future. The pursuit of culture and art serving as both expression and resistance became common, creating a society unique to the Grand Trunk Wasteland. This difference led them to be known as the Gorgers.

Other ghouls from the GTA who were recently imprisoned in the gorge brought the news of Super Mutants on the rise. Using their knowledge, the Gorgers were the first to bring reliable information on the impending threat. Radiation would be no defense against the monstrous super soldier army so they came up with a proposal: In exchange for their information, the ghouls would buy their freedom from the Gorge. Unsurprisingly, it was unanimously accepted and their jailers fled the area post haste.

What is troubling them now is the decision that awaits them. If they live through a Super Mutant invasion, do they try to integrate back into their old lives or will they carve out their own niche to preserve what they have created? While some Smooth-Skins appear to be genuinely penitent towards them for they did, the Ghouls still know all too well that hatred runs deep.

Mayor - Taken
Slayer - Taken
Tourist - Taken
Pack Rat - Taken

Brotherhood of Steel

Many know the legends of the Brotherhood of Steel. Armed with the most advanced weapons one can find and clad in their iconic suits of power armour, these self-proclaimed saviours nobly seek to save humanity from the dangers of unfettered scientific pursuit. To hear the stories of those who have interacted with them, the legend starkly contrasts with accounts of their heavy-handed methods. Quick to resort to paranoia-fueled violence, especially towards ghouls and super mutants, the Brotherhood brooks no obstacles to hoarding and destroying pre-war tech as they see fit.

Four months ago, the Council of Elders concluded that it was time for the Brotherhood to order operations to determine the viability of sending expeditions to reclaim technology in annexed Canada. The recon team consisted of twelve members and be inserted into Region of Waterloo International Airport by Vertibird. Their mission: to scout the University of Waterloo and the surrounding area and bring back any valuable technology they could carry. They never arrived at their destination. Only two survived.

Against great odds, the two Brotherhood recon team members are still alive. Along with the usual threat of raiders, they have earned the enmity of the Mounties, Canadian patriots who are suspicious of their true intentions. The recon team`s mission is a failure; the University of Waterloo has turned into the roosting grounds of Gooseclaws. Only through the timely intervention and kindness of the Makers, a power-armour enthusiast gang and diplomats of circumstance have they been given a safe place to sleep. The relief from violence and strict discipline along with the sense of community has done much to ease their souls in the wake of hardship. The Maker leader accompanies them as a diplomat and mediator to the meeting where they hope to clear up misconceptions about their intentions for the region and to offer an olive branch of cooperation in an effort to salvage their mission.

Their only hope for escape now is to find a way to radio their superiors. Yet, is life here really so bad?

Scribe - Taken
Paladin - Taken
Maker - Taken

Free People

The Free People are those with no faction to call their own. They’ve managed to survive well enough on their own through wits, hardiness, moxie, or pragmatism. They enjoy the comforts of their skills, the feeling of the open road, making friends in distant lands, and the thrill of discovery. They also have a reputation of upsetting the balance of power in any region they happen to be passing through.

They’re not what you would call ‘team players.’ Even so, they all have a vested interest in the Grand Trunk Wasteland that they would be willing to fight to protect.

The Nuka Baron - Mechanist and Owner of the only active Nuka Cola bottling plant in the Grand Trunk Wasteland
The Kitchener Ranger - Outdoor survival expert, crack shot, and avid animal preservation activist
Children of the Atom Confessor - Serene in their faith of Atom and wielder of their blessings, hero of the common folk and liked by many.
Jaded Ex-Vaulter- No one knows why they wander. Do you feel lucky, punk?

Free People are recommended for those with little interest in team play.

Nuka Baron - Taken
The Kitchener Ranger - Taken
Children of the Atom Confessor - Taken
Jaded Ex-Vaulter - Taken