Fallout 4
Buy GameFallout Community Spotlight: Vault 47
Fallout 4
Buy GameJust looking at these pictures makes you think that something special is happening. Indeed, this yearly Fallout LARP made by Polish fans is a true labor of post-apocalyptic love. Let’s take a look beyond Vault 47’s door!
“It all started when I was travelling with my friend to a convention in 2022,” says Adrian Żak, LARPs head organizer. “We were thinking about what kind of LARPs would fit for the epic venue of Fort Czyżowice. One of us said: Fallout. And we went along: Vault. Experiment. G.E.C.K. We started to work on the scenario in which the Fort would become a settlement built by Vault 47 inhabitants.”
“We came up with an experiment which divided all Vault Dwellers into two groups: Nobility and Peasants, along with strong Arthurian references, to see how today’s people would manage to survive in a hierarchy that existed for centuries in the Middle Ages.”
Nice, but how would they manage to stitch an Arthurian experiment into the Fallout world? “It all takes place roughly 200 years after the Great War, somewhere between DC, NYC and Boston – it happens between Fallout 3 and 4 so events from these two games could have an influence on our world”, explains Żak. “Because of internal conflicts, the Peasants left the Vault and – thanks to their G.E.C.K. – founded a settlement called New Eden. Meanwhile the Nobility struggles to survive in a Vault that’s falling apart.”
The lore around this fictional Vault grew through three yearly editions. The storytellers created a bank of characters along with a narrative outline. More than a hundred players signed up to play the roles of different factions: Vault Dwellers, Minutemen, Brotherhood of Steel, Raiders, the Enclave or even the Institute. Each edition was more refined in both scenario and setting, on which the organizers worked alongside their players.
You simply had to notice the quality of these props, among others: the Power Armors and this incredible, 2m-tall Deathclaw. It took a lot of hard work from the team, but also players who were putting a lot of time (and caps) to prepare for the LARP. “It took us almost a year to prepare, “Żak recalls. "Among all, I’d wish to highlight Kasia Boratyńska (@GrelkaArt&Craft) who built our monsters, and Lech Nowak (@leszekgyver) who crafted the armors and tons of other props. It took hundreds and hundreds of hours.”
“A lot of difficulties came up. You need to manage your resources and keep up with the budget. But if I must choose one thing that’s the hardest, it’s being a boss for your colleagues!” states Żak. “During the first edition, there were 9 people in the organization . By the third, we had more than 60 crew and NPCs working together to make it happen.”
“We had a second settlement, called Harmony, built alongside New Eden. We spent a whole week in the woods next to the Fort to build a wall out of junk, prepare tents, huts, bring in a few lorries of props to create a real post-apocalyptic colony for those inhabitants who are a bit less civilized than our Vaulties.”
“Thanks to the G.E.C.K., a lush forest emerged around the Vault and the soil became fertile again. Many came here to start anew – along with those who want to claim everything for themselves,” says Żak. “The tension rose between two settlements. There was also a Raider threat. It all ended when Lieutenant Colonel Winter’s Enclave assault platoon entered the G.E.C.K. Forest. No Vaultie stood a chance against their Power Armors and armored Deathclaw. In the end New Eden surrendered and the Enclave took it over. Harmony was defeated and destroyed, Raiders and nomads fled back to the Wasteland.”
So, what future lies before the Vault 47 Dwellers? This year the LARP team is taking a sabbatical with a plan to return in 2027...as a re-run of the original story. “Playing the same LARP again, but with some changes and improvements, can be a cool experience,” says Żak.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed for their refreshed LARP and wish a lot of luck for all New Eden inhabitants! And if you want to learn more about Vault 47, make sure to visit their Instagram here.
