First, a Little History.

War. War never changes.

The end of the world happened pretty much as people expected it might: Too many people, not enough resources. Just over two hundred years ago, international tensions that had been simmering since the end of World War II started to boil over in a series of events that came to be known as the Resource Wars.

On October 23, 2077, it all came crashing down as the United States and China decided enough was enough. World War II lasted six years. World War III lasted just under an hour. It’s not known who pushed the button first, and frankly, it doesn’t matter. That was over 200 years ago. Obviously, it wasn’t the end. Life has a funny way of going on, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. You’ll be hearing more about that soon, as if the very fact of your reading this didn’t make it clear.

Oh yeah, I’m Jake Chambers, and I’ll be your humble narrator for this story. For the first 18 years of my life the only world I knew was a protective vault housed in the side of a mountain. Just a few weeks ago my world came crashing down around me as well. I’ll be explaining that later on.

Right now, I have to keep moving. It’s late, and I hear the howling of deathclaws.

Welcome to the Wasteland

Welcome to the Capitol Wasteland. The United States is gone, the world we know having been obliterated in innumerable atomic fireballs. What is left is a bleak existence where every day is a struggle to survive for the remaining pockets of humanity, mutated creatures roam the irradiated and blasted lands, and hope is a four letter word. This is the world that the Fallout™ series presents to gamers, and it is a world that I hope to present to you in this blog.

This is the first and, hopefully, only autobiographical pause in this blog while I explain my plan. Fallout 3 was released just two days ago and, being the dedicated gamer I am, I purchased a copy. It is my intent to run this blog as my character diary, telling stories of my experiences in the post-nuclear world of Washington, D.C., posting videos and pictures of the things I encounter, and simply taking the time to fully experience the world of the bleak future and seeing just how Jake develops as a character in his own right.

Along the way I'll be maintaining an "in character" presence; that is, writing as if it were Jake and not myself, meaning that this blog will be a work of interactive fiction. If you happen upon this and like what you see, please feel free to comment. Jake's voice may be mostly silent in the comments section, but be assured that I shall surely read them. Our story will begin right after these messages from Nuka Cola...