Winter of Atom

Winter of Atom is a campaign expansion book for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, published by Modiphius Entertainment. It was announced on May 13, 2022.

Background
Winter of Atom was announced on the Modiphius blog post, Fallout Friday May 2022. The expansion introduces an original storyline to the series, set in the Commonwealth during a harsh winter in the middle of a conflict between a rogue sect of the Children of Atom led by Last Son of Atom.

The campaign also introduces three new playable characters: the Generation 3 Synth, the Protectron and the Child of Atom, as well four new factions. Players are initially tasked with the starting adventure, "The Train Job", where they are able to define their own objectives and explore. As the chapter advances, the main quests narrow in focus to launch players into the growing conflict within the Commonwealth. These events lead up to "The Winter War," which has players defending settlements across the Commonwealth from the Last Son of Atom's rogue sect.

Development
Donathin Frye, who had previously wrote two adventures for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, was enlisted to lead Winter of Atom. Donathin worked to assemble a team of people who were passionate about writing for the Fallout series, including Gabe Hicks, Jacky Leung, Chelsea Steverson, Chris Bissette, as well as Jesse Heinig, who worked on both Fallout and Fallout 2. Modiphius were careful about what was portrayed in their Fallout campaign books, as they "never wanted to paint Bethesda into a corner."

The team wanted to ensure the campaign "felt like a Fallout game" with a main quest, as well as opportunities for side quests and exploration. The factions of the Freeques, The Beats, Mirage and the Sisters of the Forge were designed under the lead of Chesea Steverson, which all have a "quirky classic Fallout 1 and 2 feel." Donathin also wanted it to feel "as big as a Fallout video game, without contradicting anything that comes after."

The Children of Atom were chosen for a prominent role "immediately" by Donathin, who wanted players to observe how different sects of the Children of Atom differ, interact and disagree with each other's doctrines, drawing parallels to real world religious history.

Release
Pre-orders for Winter of Atom begin in May 2023, with PDFs becoming available that same month. Physical copies of the campaign book are slated to start shipping in July 2023.

Factions

 * Freeques
 * The Beats
 * Sisters of the Forge

Locations

 * Big Top
 * Beatsville
 * Mirage
 * Mechminster Abbey

Characters

 * D3N-Z3L
 * Dead Drop Dave
 * Last Son of Atom