Locations and Control
Quick Reference
- Every game is set in one of five Boston Locations: C.I.T. Ruins, Combat Zone, Diamond City, Goodneighbor, Trinity Tower.
- Each Location grants three benefits, unlocked at 1 / 3 / 5 Control:
- Present (1 Control): a Story Action benefit between games.
- Influential (3 Control): a Special Ploy, usable in any game.
- Dominant (5 Control): a location-gated Legend of the Wasteland becomes available to hire.
- Benefits apply everywhere, in every game — they are part of the crew, not the Location.
- Control in more than one Location = you get all the benefits you qualify for.
Control and Its Benefits
Each game of Fallout: Factions is set in a specific Location — one of the five key places around Boston, the control of which will determine the fate of the region. That Location affects the game's Setup and Outcome, but the influence a crew has there can do much more. Every crew has a certain amount of Control in each Location; the greater their Control, the more benefits they can derive from that Location. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
Every Location has three benefits associated with it, unlocked when a crew has 1, 3, or 5 Control in that Location. These benefits don't just apply when the game is in that Location — they're part of the crew, and they continue to impact them wherever they go in the Commonwealth. Each Location grants specific benefits, but they are always of the same three types: [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
- Present (1 Control): When a crew is Present in a Location, they get access to a benefit that affects their Story Actions between games. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
- Influential (3 Control): When a crew is Influential in a Location, they get access to a Special Ploy. They get this Ploy in any game, no matter what Location it's happening in, in addition to any others they already have. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
- Dominant (5 Control): When a crew is Dominant in a Location, a new Legend of the Wasteland becomes available to hire. This Legend is only available to those who are Dominant in this Location, and must be hired as normal for a game. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
If your crew has Control in more than one Location, they get all of the benefits of all the Locations they have the required level of Control in. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
The Five Boston Locations
C.I.T. Ruins
- Some Light Reading Available (1 Control — Present): When choosing a Perk during the Crew Training Story Action, you may treat the Requisite S.P.E.C.I.A.L. value as one lower than normal. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
- Lab Experiments (3 Control — Ploy): Enact this Ploy when one of your models is Incapacitated, but before you remove them from the Battlefield. This model makes an attack with the Lab Experiment weapon (below). Each model (from either crew) within 3" of the attacker counts as a Target model. Make a single Attack Test, to which no Bonus Dice can be applied. Then resolve the Inflict Damage step once for each Target model, in an order chosen by the Active player. Do not resolve Confusion until Damage has been applied to all models. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
- A Little More Discretion (5 Control — Legend): You may now recruit X6-88 as a Legend of the Wasteland. [Battle for Boston pg. 31]
| Weapon | Type | Test | Traits | Critical Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lab Experiment | – | 5S | Irradiate | Maim |
Combat Zone
- Intensive Training (1 Control — Present): When using the Crew Training Story Action, you may choose to reduce the number of Experience Points that must be spent to purchase an Upgrade by 1. If you do, immediately roll on the table from the Treat the Wounded step of the Story Phase as if this model were Incapacitated. Treat any Lesson Learned result as a Clean Bill of Health result. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Gladiatorial Instincts (3 Control — Ploy): Enact this Ploy when one of your models Incapacitates an Enemy model with a Melee Attack. The attacking model Recovers all Fatigue and Harm. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Pickin' a Fight (5 Control — Legend): You may now recruit Cait as a Legend of the Wasteland. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
Diamond City
- Good Eating (1 Control — Present): When you roll for a model in the Treat the Wounded step of the Story Phase and get the Dead result, you may choose to treat this result as a Serious Injury (if the model is a Champion) or a Clean Bill of Health (if it is a Grunt) and reduce your Control in Diamond City by 1 instead. You cannot do this if using this benefit would cause your Control in Diamond City to go below 1. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Out of the Park (3 Control — Ploy): Enact this Ploy when a model in your crew makes a Melee Attack against an Enemy model. At the end of the Inflict Damage step, the Target is moved 8" directly away from the Active model. If the model cannot move this full distance, it moves as far as it can. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Publick Occurrences (5 Control — Legend): You may now recruit Piper Wright as a Legend of the Wasteland. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
Goodneighbor
- Finest Weapons Available (1 Control — Present): You may treat the Parts cost of a Modification using the Modify Weapon Story Action as 1 lower. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Goons on Hand (3 Control — Ploy): Enact this Ploy when one of your Grunts without the Power Armor Perk is Incapacitated. Set them up again as if they were a new model in contact with a Battlefield edge of your choice, but not within the Control Area of any Enemy models. Grunts set up a second time in this manner are only rolled for once on the Aftermath Table when a game ends. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Of the People… (5 Control — Legend): You may now recruit John Hancock as a Legend of the Wasteland. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
Trinity Tower
- View from Up High (1 Control — Present): Models in your crew gain 2 Scouting Points in the chosen Location for each Hit on a Scout Test rather than 1. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Experienced Scavengers (3 Control — Ploy): Enact this Ploy at the start of the game, before the start of the first Turn. Move up to two Search Tokens up to 4" in any direction. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
- Milk of Human Kindness (5 Control — Legend): You may now recruit Strong as a Legend of the Wasteland. [Battle for Boston pg. 32]
Location Benefits Summary
| Location | Present (1 Control) | Influential (3 Control — Ploy) | Dominant (5 Control — Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.I.T. Ruins | Some Light Reading Available | Lab Experiments | A Little More Discretion — X6-88 |
| Combat Zone | Intensive Training | Gladiatorial Instincts | Pickin' a Fight — Cait |
| Diamond City | Good Eating | Out of the Park | Publick Occurrences — Piper Wright |
| Goodneighbor | Finest Weapons Available | Goons on Hand | Of the People… — John Hancock |
| Trinity Tower | View from Up High | Experienced Scavengers | Milk of Human Kindness — Strong |