Basics of the Setting

Mad Max. A Dog and His Boy. Fist of the North Star. Akira. These are the sorts of fiction that one thinks of when the word "Post-Apocalyptic" is heard. Well, Fallout takes inspiration from, and shares themes with, all of these. Paired down to it's most basic, the Fallout setting is a standard post-apocalyptic desert survival story, with a bit of sci-fi technology available if you're a very lucky scavenger. In this world, Nuclear power was the technology that exploded in the 60s, not computers. In 2015, in this setting, computers still ran off of punch cards, but they were using miniature fusion reactors to power chainsaws and automobiles. Another way in which the pre-war world was different was culturally. In this universe, the USA never progessed past the Communist witch hunts, casual racism, and aggressive expansion policies of the 1950s. No one is quite sure how the war happened. All they know is that on October 23rd, 2077, the world ended. Who fired the first shot doesn't matter anymore. Everyone else immediately fired all of theirs in a panic when the first missile was in the air, and soon the entire Earth was covered in nuclear fire. Government research facilities that had been exploring horrible mutagenic biological weapons were cracked open like eggshells, releasing widespread plague, twisting and warping the creatures of the world into hideous monsters. Humanity nearly died, save for a few who survived in massive underground Vaults that had been built as the threat of nuclear war grew. Nuclear winter fell, and for a long time, it was dark and cold. . .


. . . Of course, that was a long time ago. Like, a LONG time ago. Now, it's the year 2282 in the American Southwest. There's plenty of places still irradiated, and still plenty of monsters and mutants to worry about, but humanity is back on our feet and back up to our old tricks. Two nations, a few independent city states, and one shitload of small towns, cults in fortified bunkers, and other groups are up and running. There's a lot of conflict, as people fight for the things they always have: resources, power, revenge. . . and freedom. They use whatever weapons and technology they can find, be it impenetrable Power Armor and scorching Plasma rifles, or a few cow hides and a sharp stick. They live, love, fight, kill, and die. Because a lot's happened to the world, but war. . . war never changes.

fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_setting