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Fallout Bible 1 is the first installment of the Fallout Bible, a collection of documents containing background material for the first Fallout games compiled and written by Chris Avellone. This installment was released on January 15, 2002.

All information from Fallout Bible 1, Fallout Bible 2, and Fallout Bible 3 was later revised and included in Fallout Bible 0.

Content

What's in this section

Anyway, so this submission is going to include the following:

  • Three huge questions from Sean McGrorey.
  • All documented known Vaults and their experiments - this list was compiled by Tim Cain, I believe. Tim, that creaky old fogey, doesn't quite remember himself.
  • The documented Fallout Timeline. This sucks for fans, but it hasn't got all the Brotherhood of Steel or ZAX stuff in it, since I've found some conflicting information on both that may have to wait for a future update.
  • A marketing blurb picture (History.jpg) compiled by Leonard Boyarsky or Jason Anderson that gives a run-down on some of the events that led up to the Great War. I had to include it grayscale because the color version was too huge and attempts to reduce it blurred the text. If you want the color version, let me know - it's many megabytes.

Answer me these questions three

Three huge questions courtesy of Sean McGrorey:

1.Why was it that so many ghouls left necropolis between Fallout 1 and 2 to settle in Broken Hills and Gecko? Is necropolis empty now? Also, why was it that Harold joined the ghouls? I remember him talking as if he weren't a ghoul; When you type in "ghouls" in the question box in the first Fallout he refers to the ghouls as "them".

Answer:

  • Ghouls still have the human need to expand and move on - and in the 80+ years between Fallout 1 and 2, the ghouls spread out from Necropolis in all directions... and some had even left before the events in Fallout 1.
  • Necropolis is not empty now; ghouls are still said to reside there, though Set is no longer their leader. It is not clear whether he is alive or dead.
  • Harold joined the ghouls in Fallout 2 because Harold is a kindly sort who likes to help people - when he sees a group of people trying to make their way in the wasteland, he tries to step in and give them a leg up, especially when it can benefit life for everyone.

    Wherever a key event in Fallout has occurred, Harold always seems to be right there in the middle of things, helping to push the world along and make it a better place. His wit is a little dry and raspy, but he's got a good heart.

  • Harold is not a ghoul, but he is a mutant. What happened to him inside the military base during his assault with Francine, Mark, and Richard Grey is unknown, but it is likely he was exposed to the FEV virus and changed. His last known memory after the attack was passing out then waking back up in the wasteland... changed.

2. Does FEV really cause sterility? In Fallout 1 it seemed like the answer was a resounding yes, and a number of reasons for this were given by Zax and Vree. But then in Fallout 2 after you take Marcus to the Cat's Paw he says "I hope she doesn't get pregnant" and says that the FEV doesn't make mutants go sterile, it just makes it take a few years "to get the juices flowing again". Moreoever, the deathclaws in Vault 13 were infected with FEV and yet they are able to reproduce. So, does the FEV cause sterility or not?

Answer:

  • FEV causes sterility in some creatures. FEV does cause sterility in super mutants and ghouls - Marcus' comment in New Reno was a joke only (and it was an inappropriate one, for which I apologize for). For other creatures, however, the FEV does not cause sterility - in fact, it may actually speed up their reproductive cycles (in tandem with potential drawbacks). Known species that can reproduce after being mutated with the FEV include most species of Giant rats, the mantises (who are known to have bred so fast they cover the Salt Lake City area like blankets), the radscorpions, and the deathclaws. This is only a partial list.
  • The deathclaws in V13 are a special case; as part of the Enclave experiments, they were bred as fighting packs for the government. They were not supposed to be able to reproduce, but they were attempting to do so at the time of Fallout 2. It is extremely likely that the Enclave scientists would not have wanted the deathclaws to breed on their own for fear of losing control of them, but that doesn't mean they would have made mistakes in engineering limiters or sterility in them.
  • The wannamingos are a result of FEV virus experiments, but they are sterile. They are not aliens, but word is they were designed as FEV-tailored weapons for waging war on other countries... and they got loose. They do live a long time, but they were dying out at the time of Fallout 2. They have only been sighted in the F2 area and nowhere else in the wastelands.

3. Are the radscorpions a product of the FEV virus? When you talk to the doctor, Razlo, in Shady Sands, he tells you that they were once American Emperor Scorpions but that he has no idea how they mutated because radiation alone couldn't have done it. For that matter, what about all of the other creatures of the wasteland? Which ones have been mutated by FEV and which ones haven't? Maybe in the bestiary each creature could have a stat that shows it's level of FEV infection.

Answer:

  • The radscorpions are a result of a combination of radiation and the FEV virus, and Razlo in Shady Sands is correct - they were originally Emperor Scorpions that have grown... big.
  • FEV-Infected Critters in the wasteland include almost all the ones you've seen in F1 and F2:
  • Mantises.
    Most species of rats.
    Gecko lizards.
    Brahmin
    Scorpions
    Ants
    Various varieties of plants, including the Venus Flytrap.
    Rumor has it some dogs were affected, but no one's seen any, so for now that's just rumor. Of course, the centaurs are a mash of human, dog, and various other parts... but hey, who knows how that mutation came about. Grey was probably messing around in one of his labs.
  • Creatures not mutated by FEV probably did not survive the aftermath of the Great War, with the possible exception of cockroaches... and perhaps normal ants, though there are FEV-infected versions of these species.
  • No one knows where those bird noises in Vault City came from.
  • I'll try to include a chart of FEV-infected creatures in future additions as well as other critters that you may not have seen in F1 and F2. Most likely a great majority of insects were affected (they tend to breed much faster, and their mutations tend to become evident pretty quickly as the generations advance), possibly beetles, some spiders, cockroaches, and other creatures.

Glossary

Vault-Tec is used two different ways in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. The correct version is "Vault-Tec."

Vault System

It was intended that while the player was reading the Vault 8 records in Fallout 2, he could discover a classified file (opened with a successful Science skill roll) which explained that Vault 8 was a "control Vault," designed to hold 1000 people and to open on time. This file was intended to foreshadow the discovery of the true and sinister purpose of the Vaults.

The player was also intended to apply his Science skill to the central computer in Vault 13 to obtain a history of Vault 13, the Overseer's involvement in the Vault Dweller's expulsion, and even worse, the true purposes of the Vaults. The Overseer was conscious of the true purpose of the Vaults as social experiments on a grand scale, and he drove out the Vault Dweller because he was afraid that he would ruin the experiment... or uncover it. Of course, the Overseer himself caused problems not long after this, according to Martin Frobisher, the leader of Vault 13 in Fallout 2:

"There used to be an overseer, many years ago, but he did a bad thing and many of our people left the Vault. Only to die in the Wastes, I'm sure. He was tried and sentenced to death for his crime. We haven't used the title since."

Martin did not see the Overseer executed, however... his information comes from the Vault 13 records passed down by his ancestors. Basically, the Vaults were never intended to save the population of the United States. With a population of almost 400 million by 2077, the U.S. would need nearly 400,000 Vaults the size of Vault 13, and Vault-Tec was commissioned to build only 122 such Vaults. The real reason for these Vaults was to study pre-selected segments of the population to see how they react to the stresses of isolationism and how successfully they re-colonize after the Vault opens. Some of the experiments include:

Vault System
Vault 8 A control Vault, intended to open and re-colonize the surface after 10 years. Vault City is the result. Unfortunately.
Vault 12 In order the study the effects of radiation on the selected population, the Vault Door was designed not to close. This is the Necropolis Vault... and the ghouls were the result.
Vault 13 Intended to stay closed for 200 years as a study of prolonged isolation, the broken water chip forced the Overseer to improvise and use the Vault Dweller as a pawn. Later study of the Vault 13 records by the Enclave led them to their current plan to end the war.
Vault 15 Intended to stay closed for 50 years and include people of radically diverse ideologies. Gathered from what you hear from Aradesh in Fallout 1, he has quite a bit of multi-cultural flavoring to his speech.
Vault 27 This Vault would be overcrowded deliberately. 2000 people would be assigned to enter, double the total sustainable amount. The location of this Vault is unknown.
Vault 29 No one in this Vault was over the age of 15 when they entered. Parents were redirected to other Vaults on purpose. Harold is believed to have come from this Vault.
Vault 34 The armory was overstocked with weapons and ammo and not provided with a lock.
Vault 36 The food extruders were designed to produce only a thin, watery gruel.
Vault 42 No light bulbs of more than 40 watts were provided.
Vault 53 Most of the equipment was designed to break down every few months. While repairable, the breakdowns were intended to stress the inhabitants unduly.
Vault 55 All entertainment tapes were removed.
Vault 56 All entertainment tapes were removed except those of one particularly bad comic actor. Sociologists predicted failure before Vault 55.
Vault 68 Of the one thousand people who entered, there was only one woman.
Vault 69 Of the one thousand people who entered, there was only one man.
Vault 70 All jumpsuit extruders fail after 6 months.
Vault 106 Psychoactive drugs were released into the air filtration system 10 days after the Door was sealed.

Rumor has it there were 122 different vault experiments. For Fan Fiction purposes, a lot of these vault experiments have been left open for you to play around with.

Fallout Timeline table

The following timeline information was compiled from information I was able to dig up in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2, as well as some old Word documents lying around. Considering how much has been lost in the years since the bombs dropped, keeping an accurate timeline is difficult, so there is bound to be some inconsistencies.

This is considered a first draft, because revisions to this timeline are likely to occur based on feedback from you guys, and feedback is welcome - trying to sift through history is proving to be pretty difficult. :)

I couldn't verify certain information on ZAX, the BOS history holodisk, and various logs from the Master, because I've lost my Fallout 1 save games. If anyone has screenshots of these things they'd like to share, I'd be grateful. It'd take me a few days to play back to those spots. Once I get these, I can do another revision of the timeline, since I'm not exactly sure of the chronology for the BOS and Master.

Here is what can be recovered from the records that exist:

Fallout Timeline table, first draft
2051 Seeking to protect business interests and their oil supply, the United States begins to exert increasing pressure on Mexico, citing the political instability and pollution stemming from Mexico as a threat to the United States. Various economic sanctions serve to destabilize Mexico, and the United States military enters Mexico to keep the oil refineries running and making sure oil and fuel continue to make their way north across the border... at Mexico's expense.
2052 A television documentary into the withered husk of the Texas oil fields brings the oil shortage into the American households, and reveals how deep the energy crisis runs.
2052, April The Resource Wars begin. Many smaller nations go bankrupt, and Europe, dependent on oil imports from the Middle East, responds to the Middle East's rising oil prices with military action. The long drawn-out war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East begins.
2052, May-July The United Nations, already suffering, begins to collapse. In a series of heated debates, many nations withdraw from the organization as the UN tries to keep the peace. At the end of July, the United Nations is disbanded.
2053 The socially transmitted “New Plague” arises, killing tens of thousands. The United States closes its borders and the first-ever national quarantine is declared. The source of the plague is unknown, but rumors persist that it is a genetically engineered weapon.
2053, December Like an exclamation mark on the end of a very bad year, a terrorist nuclear weapon destroys Tel Aviv.
2054, January Limited nuclear exchange in the Middle East raises fears throughout the world.
2054 In light of the Euro-Middle-Eastern conflict and the plague scare, the United States begins plans on Project Safehouse. The project, financed by junk bonds, is designed to create shelters, also called Vaults, for the populace in the event of a nuclear war or deadly plague. Construction begins late in 2054 and proceeds rapidly due to advances in construction technology.
2054 ZAX 1.0 goes on-line, developed by Vault-Tec. Initially a prototype of some of the systems designed to govern the vaults, it is given to the government to help the Department of Energy collect resource data. Within a year, it is taken by the military for plague and tactical research.
2055 FSEF [Actual name of organization is unknown; the acronym is not defined in the timeline] start working on a new virus to kill the New Plague. This virus is the FEV-1, Forced Evolutionary Virus.
2055 ZAX 1.2 is brought in to regulate conditions in FSEF [The Glow]. It is not part of the Vault-Tec preservation software, so it does not have any orders to protect humanity after the bombs fall.
2057, Summer A strain of FEV is tested on animals.
2059 The Anchorage Front Line is established, as the United States increases its military presence in Alaska to protect its oil interests. The Anchorage Front Line causes tensions in the United States and Canada, as the United States attempts to pressure Canada into allowing American military units to guard the Alaskan pipeline.
2059 The first artificial intelligence is born. Limited by memory constraints, its expansion is rapidly halted. The discovery paves the way for future AI research in laboratories throughout the United States.
2060 Traffic on the streets of the world stops moving. Fuel becomes too precious to waste on automobiles, so alternatives are explored - electric and fusion cars begin to be manufactured, but factories can only make limited amounts. Pressure on fusion research increases.
2060 The Euro-Middle Eastern War ends as the oil fields in the Middle East run dry... there is no longer a goal in the conflict, and both sides are reduced almost to ruin.
2060 Initial tests of the new FEV are almost complete. Higher primates seem to survive, gaining intelligence.
2062 New Plague continues to spread. Scientists in FSEF are amazed at what they find about FEV – it is carried by the bloodstream and seems to eradicate all imperfections it fines. It also seems to fill in gaps in the DNA sequence with new information. Animals become smarter, body mass increases, and they become more aggressive.
2063 The construction of the Vaults completed. Drills begin in many cities, but the increasing frequency of the drills has a "cry wolf" effect, and the turnouts for drills trickle off as the years go on.
2065, June Due to enormous demands for electricity in the summer of 2065, a nuclear reactor in New York City almost goes critical. The near meltdown brings into effect power rationing, and the term "Hot Summer" is used to refer to the New York incident.
2065, August Increasing need for mobility in the United States mechanized cavalry leads the military to focus the efforts on creating a man-based tank - essentially, a two-legged walking armored unit: Power Armor.
2065-2067 Power Armor research grows and several prototypes are developed, many of which prove to be unworkable in the field. These prototypes pave the way for future advances in both military and construction technology.
2066, Spring As the oil resources dry up across the globe, China's fossil fuel dependency causes an energy crisis in the nation. China, bordering on collapse, becomes more aggressive in its trade talks with the United States. Unwilling to export oil to China, talks between the United States and China break down.
2066, Summer Adding further insult to the Chinese-American relations, the first crude fusion cell is unveiled, one of the results of the Power Armor project. Devices designed for the fusion cell begin to be manufactured. Incorporating fusion power into the general US infrastructure begins, but the process is too slow to supply power to the regions that need it. Nearly thirteen years later, few sections of the United States were supplied with fusion power.
2066, Winter In the winter of 2066, China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a true battleground.
2066, Winter As a sign of increasing tension between the two countries, Canada proves reluctant to allow American troops on Canadian soil or allow American planes to fly over Canadian airspace. The United States and Canadian tensions rise, but Canada eventually backs down, and US troops pass through Canada. This sets the stage for the Canadian annexation in 2076.
2067 The first suit of Power Armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this Power Armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordinance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States.
2069 Canada begins to feel the pressure from the United States military as the US draws upon Canadian resources for the war effort. Vast stretches of timberland are destroyed, and other resources in Canada are stretched to the breaking point. Many Americans refer to Canada as Little America, and Canadian protests are unheard.
2070 The first of the Chryslus motors fusion-driven cars are developed. Reassuringly big and American, the limited models carry a hefty price tag but are sold out within days. Many Chryslus plants have long since been converted into making military ordinance.
2071 Once the military applications of the virus become known, the FEV research being conducted in the Glow is relocated to a military base in southwestern California [The Military Base in Fallout 1, also called Base Omega]. The project at the FSEF [Glow] is put on hold due to the condition of the subjects: Animals seem to be regressing, become dumber, but their body mass remains high.
2072 Several animal test subjects at the Glow suddenly attack in a pack, killing four scientists. They are all killed by security and the remaining animals are separated, drugged, and watched closely.
2072 The United States' increasing demand for Canadian resources causes protests and riots in several Canadian cities. An attempted sabotage attempt of the Alaskan pipeline is all the military needs as an excuse to begin its annexation of Canada... which in fact, had already begun in 2067.
2074 Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American Power Armor units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they make slow progress on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines.
2075 FEV research resumes at FSEF in attempt to find out why the animal subjects survived when many human patients did not. Scientists engineer the virus further.
2075, March 21st Research on FEV-1 begins in small quarantine towns in North America. Early results are positive, but within two months, the subjects become victims, displaying deformities and insanity.
2076, January The United States annexation of Canada is complete. Canadian protestors and rioters are shot on sight, and the Alaskan Pipeline swarms with American military units. Pictures of atrocities make their way to the United States, causing further unrest and protests.
2076, June Power Armor prototype completed, resulting in the Power Armor players find in Fallout 1. This is the pinnacle of Power Armor technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. The Chinese resources are strained to the breaking point, and the supply lines from the nations China has annexed begin to break down.
2076, July FEV research leaked to the world, raising tensions even further, and causing many countries to withdraw support for the United States. FEV is carried back to secret base, and all records of the project are ordered destroyed. News blackouts begin.
2076, August Food and energy riots begin in major cities throughout the United States. Military units begin to be deployed in cities within the United States to contain rioters, and many temporary jails are constructed. A state of emergency is declared, and martial law soon follows.
2077, January 10th Alaska is reclaimed, and the Anchorage Front Line is again held by the Americans.
2077, January 22nd The first domestic use of Power Armor within the United States for crowd and quarantine control. Units originally serving in China and the Anchorage Front Line find themselves fighting Americans at home. Food riots increase, and many civilians are killed. Several soldiers defect from the military both in Canada and the United States. They are captured, and are sent to military prisons.
2077, February FEV Research nears completion. Protests in many major cities and governments around the world, as well as accusations that the US was responsible for the New Plague. The new virus, FEV, is seen as a threat, and serves only to fuel tensions.
2077, March Prepared for a nuclear attack from China, the president and the Enclave retreats to remote sections around the globe and make contingency plans for continuing the war.
2077, October 23 Bombs are launched; who struck first is unknown... and it is not even known if the bombs came from China or America. Air raid sirens sound, but very few people go into vaults, thinking it is a false alarm. The Vaults are sealed. Great War
2077, October 23 Necropolis Vault [Vault 12] never closes. Once it becomes known that the other vaults have sealed, people within Bakersfield attempt to force their way into Vault 12 to protect themselves and their families.
2077, October 23 The FSEF research facility (the Glow), is hit by nuclear warheads, breaking open the FEV research tanks and releasing it into the atmosphere. Once exposed to radiation, it begins to mutate and infect humans and critters in the wasteland.
2078-2088 The military base (Base Omega) survives, the soldiers and scientists within protected from the radiation and FEV flooding the wasteland.
2080 The first effects of the virus are seen in the survivors. Widespread mutations occur with animals and humans alike. Those that survive the effects of the mutations are permanently changed by the virus. New species are created almost overnight.
2082 Scientists in Base Omega select a new goal and begin to try and make the perfect survivor. They attempt to tailor the FEV, creating FEV-2. They become increasingly secretive, isolating themselves from the soldiers.
2083, Summer The city of Necropolis founded by the ghoul survivors of Vault 12 (and the US citizens that fled to Bakersfield when the bombs fell).
2084, Spring Set takes control of Necropolis, wresting control from the original Overseer. The Vault 12 Overseer is driven north and never heard from again.
2088 When it is discovered that the scientists in Base Omega are testing the new strains of FEV on the soldiers, the soldiers rebel. Under the leadership of General Roger Maxson, they wipe out the scientists, but in the resulting firefight, one of the FEV canisters is ruptured. Fearing contamination, the soldiers seal the base, then head out into the desert, taking supplies and weapon schematics with them. This event was called the "Exodus," and the surviving soldiers went on to eventually form the Brotherhood of Steel.
2089 The Brotherhood of Steel begin establishing a small bunker in the Wasteland (their headquarters in Fallout 1). Originally nothing more than a simple concrete bunkhouse, the BOS began to excavate sub-chambers, slowly building it into a fortress to withstand raider attacks.
2091 Vault 8 opens, and they use their GECK to create fertile ground for their city. This eventually becomes Vault City.
2092 LA Vault opens, the Boneyard is founded and attracts survivors.
2092 Dr. Richard Moreau is exiled from Vault City for murder. The circumstances surrounding the murder are unknown, but he changes his last name to Grey and heads south.
2093 The Hub is founded by a man named Angus, who sets up camp around a filthy oasis in the desert, and he proceeds to begin trading with other settlements.
2096 Vault 29 opens. Harold (now human) sets out to make his fortune as a trader, then caravan boss. Increasing mutant attacks cause him to form one of the first adventuring parties of Fallout to try and find out where the mutants are coming from.
2099 John Maxson, the future High Elder of the BOS in Fallout 1, is born.
2102, Spring Richard Grey’s Expedition [including Harold] finds the Military Base/Base Omega and the Expedition is scattered and defeated by mutants at the base. Grey is knocked into one of the vats of FEV by a robotic arm, and Harold is knocked unconscious, only to awaken later out in the wasteland.
2102, Summer Richard Grey, now horribly mutated by the virus, arises from the Vats and begins his plans for the Unity and the master race. He gains the name, "the Master."
2120 The Master starts experiments into the FEV-II. Over the next few years, his experiments produce breeds of strange mutants, but only around the 2137 do his results begin to bear fruit and the super mutants are born.
2120 Angus rules over growing Hub and establishes himself as governor.
2125, Winter Angus is murdered. Hub is thrown into chaos.
2126 A band of merchants seizes the water tower in the Hub. They demand anyone wanting water must pay a toll. The Great Merchant Wars begin.
2126-2128 The Great Merchant Wars are fought, the Water Merchants seal up the town, but are outnumbered. A man named Greene, a police officer, makes the peace and negotiates a settlement. Central Council is formed.
2130 The Great Winter occurs.
2134 A faction within the Brotherhood of Steel gains strength, and they urge the Elders to end their seclusion. Divisionist group splits away from the Brotherhood of Steel, taking some technology and weapons with them... and the old keys to Base Omega/the Military Base.
2135 Roger Maxson dies of cancer, and John Maxson takes up the role of "General" (Elder) within the Brotherhood of Steel.
2135 FEV-II research completed. Master begins gathering test subjects, willing or unwilling, from local human stock, usually caravans. The first super mutant emerges from the vat during this year. For many years, the caravan disappearances are blamed on monsters in the desert, and even when the abductions begin to occur on Hub caravans, the deathclaws are blamed.
2137 Master's begins to mass-produce super mutants. Only about one in six or one in five attempts are successful, and of these successes, only half seem to last to go on to be part of his growing army, now called the Unity.
2140 Decker forms Underground in the Hub and starts pulling strings.
2141, Spring Vault 15 opened.
2141 Vault Dweller born. [This will vary according to your player character's age in Fallout 1.]
2141, Winter Raiders begin to form in the region as food supplies run low. The Khans and the Vipers begin terrorizing local settlements.
2142, Spring Shady Sands founded, wall erected against the raiders.
2145 Cute lil' Tandi is born, unaware that by the time F2 rolls around she will turn into a wizened old crone that is difficult to look at.
2151 The Brotherhood of Steel sends a group out to find out what happened to the Brotherhood exiles, but finds only ruins in the wasteland and no survivors.
2152 As their influence spreads throughout the wastes, the Master finds humans, doomsday cultists, and rather than dip them in the vats, he demands their obedience as spies - their leader is a man named Morpheus, and he pledges his followers to the Master. Morpheus and his cultists form the future core of the Children of the Cathedral.
2155-56 After capturing a caravan of strange-garbed travelers (vault dwellers), Master learns the location of the Boneyard Vault, the future site of the Cathedral. He conquers the inhabitants and sets up operations there, and the human cultists begin to use the Vault as their powerbase. Within the Vault, the Master learns of other Vaults, and realizing their human occupants are ripe for transformation, begins to send out patrols to Vault locations in search of these other Vaults.
2156 The Master sees advantages in establishing a benevolent "religion," the Children of the Cathedral, and using them as spies in settlements throughout the wastes. Missionaries from the Children of the Cathedral spread slowly across the wasteland, acting as eyes and ears for Morpheus and the Master.
2157 The Master learns the location of the Bakersfield Vault, Vault 14, and sends a detachment of super mutants there to seize the vault. Many ghouls perish in the attack, and Set finally parleys with the super mutants, telling them that the ghouls are the Vault survivors the super mutants are looking for. The super mutants, angered at failing to find an intact Vault, set up a small garrison at the watershed to watch the inhabitants and insure Set's... cooperation in the war to come.
2161, December 5th Vault Dweller is kicked out of Vault 13 to find a replacement water chip. Start of Fallout 1
2161, December 15th Vault Dweller discovers Shady Sands. Meets Tandi.
2162, April 20th Vault Dweller destroys the Military Base.
2162, May 3rd Vault Dweller kicks the Master’s ass.
2162, May 10th Vault Dweller returns to Vault 13, only to be driven out. Some members of the Vault leave in search of him not long afterwards. End of Fallout 1
2165, May 12th Vault Dweller removes his Vault suit and from this day forward, never wears it again.
2165, July 10th Vault Dweller founds the small village of Arroyo.
2167, August 18th Construction of Arroyo completed.
2185, Summer At high noon, Marcus and Brotherhood of Steel Paladin Jacob cross paths many, many miles southwest of Broken Hills and fight for a few days. Eventually, they give up, unable to get an advantage over the other. The two start traveling together, arguing over Master and BOS doctrine.
2185, Fall Marcus and Jacob, along with the trail of ghouls, humans, and super mutants, found the community of Broken Hills.
2176, Spring Jacob moves on, says goodbye to Marcus, then vanishes forever.
2186 New California Republic formed, and a central council is created as a governing body.
2188, October 2nd Vault Dweller has a daughter (who becomes the Elder in Fallout 2).
2195, July 20th Enclave scouts discover the remains of the Military Base and find it partially destroyed.
2195, July-August Enclave scientists and chemical corps scour the remains of the Base, while assault squads (including soldier Frank Horrigan, 25 at the time) comb the desert for slaves they can use to mine the military base and get to the Vats.
2195, September Enclave construction crews and super mutant slaves begin excavations. They uncover the FEV virus, and mutations begin to occur. Frank Horrigan comes into contact with the FEV and is sent to the Enclave labs for study.
2195, October Enclave, having obtained the FEV data, abandons the Military Base site after more mutations occur, causing 2nd Generation Super Mutants to arise. Super mutants slaves are abandoned in the Base, and the group forms a new community, led by Melchior.
2195-2220 Horrigan gradually mutates from exposure to FEV, gaining the physique and slow, stupid, single-mindedness of a super mutant. He is kept heavily sedated, operated on, and studied for many, many years. He is conscious for only brief periods at a time, then quickly sedated after the bloodshed is over.
2196 Tandi unanimously elected President of NCR by the NCR council. As expected, she proceeds to do a kick-ass job.
2198 Enclave works on various new technologies, including Power Armor variations. None of these are much of an improvement over the conventional old school Power Armor, and some are actually worse.
2208, January 16th Vault Dweller vanishes from Arroyo, presumed dead, and he leaves his Vault Suit behind, folded on his bed. Some say he was taken by the sky spirits, others say that he felt it was time to move on.
2208, February 2nd The One-Moon (Month) Cycle of mourning for the Vault Dweller ends, and activity in Arroyo begins to return to normal.
2208, February 2nd Final training of the Vault Dweller's daughter for the role of village elder begins. She undergoes a great deal of physical training and tutoring in various sciences, mathematics, and, of course, weapon skills.
2210, January 31st Vault Dweller's daughter takes her mystic test, a key ingredient of which is several pots worth of hallucinogenic plants from Hakuinn’s garden. She runs the gauntlet in the Temple of Trials, using her charm to pass the tests. She offers numerous criticisms of the test, resulting in many revisions.
2210, February 2nd Vault Dweller’s daughter ascends to role of Village Elder. She rules with a steady hand, and her wisdom is greatly respected.
2215, August 1st Congressman Richardson rises to power within the Enclave, aided by pressure from his father, President Richardson.
2215 Under Presidential Order, Enclave scientists begin to work on an upgraded version of Power Armor. Many prototypes are developed and tested.
2220, March 5th Congressman Richardson is elected president for the first term of five, through aid and political pressure by his father (President Richardson).
2220, October Enclave scientists develop a reliable version of the Mark II Power Armor. The prototype results (and accidents... and explosions... and deaths) are classified by order of the President Richardson for the sake of morale.
2221, January 23rd Tests begin to run dry on Frank Horrigan. It is suggested that he be used as a field operative and be used in tests in the wasteland against local populations.
2221, March 23rd The “Chosen One” is born. The Chosen One's father is not recorded in the tribal records. The reason for this is unknown, but the Elder may have simply been embarrassed.
2231, March 27th Frank Horrigan is manufactured for his new role. A new version of Power Armor is built to accommodate his mass, and he is sealed inside. After a few horrifically successful field tests, Horrigan becomes the Enclave's solution to numerous sticky problems.
2235 The Enclave experiments on deathclaws, attempting to create special fighting units for waging war in hostile environments. Many of these experiments are tested against Horrigan.
2235 While there had already been a small number of ghouls in Gecko at this time, more come to the area, and the town of Gecko is formed. The new influx of ghouls bring scavenged technology and know-how, and the power plant in Gecko becomes operational later that year. Vault City looks upon their new neighbors with growing concern.
2238 Harold arrives in Gecko, and he does his best to help the ghouls with the running of the Nuclear Power Plant.
2241 The worst dry season in many years causes a drought in the Northern California area, hurting crops and brahmin in both Arroyo and Modoc.
2241, January The first samples of Jet begin to arrive in Redding, courtesy of the Mordino family.
2241, February Vault City rejects offers of an alliance with both the Bishop family of New Reno and NCR.
2241, March Raider attacks on caravans to Vault City begin.
2241, July 25th Chosen One begins his mystic test, descending into the Temple of Trials. Start of Fallout 2
2241, July 27th Chosen One leaves Arroyo in search of the GECK.
2242, May 15th Enclave sends a coded sequence to Vault 13, activating its central computer and declaring that is time to leave the Vault. Martin Frobisher gathers the Vault dwellers together for tutorial movie. Less than a day later, they open the Vault door to be greeted by a verti-assault squad who kills three of the citizens who were "resisting," and storms the Vault, seizing all the inhabitants.
2242, May 16th Less than a day later, Vault 13 is opened, only to be greeted by two Enclave verti-assault squads. The squads kill three of the citizens who were "resisting capture," and storm the Vault, kidnapping all the inhabitants.
2242, May 17-21st Enclave animal handlers drop a Deathclaw unit into Vault 13 from a safe distance to kill anyone investigating the Vault and cloak the Enclave's presence. Other Deathclaws are sent into the desert surrounding Vault 13 to check for any escapees or witnesses.
2242, Fall The Chosen One enters the Enclave using the damaged tanker and destroys the Poseidon oil platform, killing the President of the United States and ending the Enclave's plans for world domination. End of Fallout 2

Behind the scenes

In case you guys were ever curious, the man behind the spoken (voice-acted) dialogue in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 was Mark O' Green, the former head of Interplay's Dragonplay division (our old D&D division before it became Black Isle). He's got a good way with words.

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