Fallout Pre-War Map (2073) by TrueBananakonda on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

US Commonwealth borders made by Mobiyuz
Special thanks go to all the artists on here who have made a pre-war Fallout map before, in particular Rvbomally; as well as Federalrepublic

The world of Fallout, just four years before the nuclear war that would wipe out not only modern civilization, but nearly mankind as a whole too.

The United States in 2073 are in a victory rush, having ejected the last remnants of the PLA from Alaska (1), and are now preparing for the final 'liberation' of mainland China and the nations occupied by it. The rather absurd belief that this invasion would be a quick one, and that the "Red Menace in the Forbidden City" could be dealt with easily, largely comes from the combat experiences in Anchorage, where US soldiers equipped with power armor swiftly cut through Chinese lines and even offered plentiful resistance against their mechanized divisions. This, of course doesn't take in the (dire) logistical situation of the Chinese troops in Alaska, or the equally limited feasibility of properly supplying a large-scale invasion of the most populous nation on Earth (2).

At the same time Soviet intelligence is reporting strange troop movements along the Manchurian border, and analysts in Moscow are expecting a raid on the Far East. Counter-measures are being drawn up, and the upcoming US invasion of China will most likely coincide with a Soviet invasion.

It's not a nice time to be alive, really. Most people are either living under some totalitarian dictatorship, are being gunned down by invading armies, lack food and water, or face a combination of the three. There are few exceptions to this, and their number is decreasing with every passing month. Even the most "sane" parts of the world - West Africa, Tanganyika, the Alpine state, Costa Rica and until recently India - are slowly crumbling and decaying. The last great bastion of African democracy will soon have it's flame extinguished, as it's very own military is assembling in Conakry outside the Congress building to "return stability and sense to the union".

Despite what many in the post-war world believe, civilization was already on it's last legs just prior to the Great War. As oil and uranium prices skyrocketed, and the resources then generally became unavailable, many countries around the world fell apart almost over night. Factories closed, civilian transport became unavailable and agriculture struggled to keep up production.

It would be incorrect to say that the escalation of the Sino-American War into the Great War was intentional; however it would also be incorrect to say that it wasn't. What was America really fighting for? To defeat the "Reds" in Beijing, to impose it's will on it's greatest enemy and take it's resources, to distract the population at home? Perhaps there was a more sinister reason behind it, thought up not by the elected officials of the government, but by a shadowy cabal within it. The United States were just one step away from achieving one of mankind's most ancient dreams, an utopian society free of labour, money and hunger, where everyone had the ability to receive the good's one would want - in other words, a post-scarcity society, kind of, almost. The US, in theory, had access to unlimited power, in the form of either renewable energy or cold fusion, and had developed machines that could turn the most simple of materials into whatever the user of said device wanted (3). Bearing that in mind, was there any good reason to turn this defensive war into an aggressive one, especially if it was clear that this would lead to an all-out nuclear war? Or was this perhaps just a way for the Enclave to finally rid themselves of the remnants of American democracy, to establish their planned post-war society?

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I didn't like how Africa is given very little attention in some Fallout maps (and most Cold War AH settings in general I feel like), seeing how it played a very important role in the Cold War, not just as a battlefield for the two big blocks to compete with one another, but also as an independent entity, with it's own goals and ideas. So my idea was to turn the African Union into a sort of third power, caught in-between the Chinese and Russo-American blocks. It's members may have connections to either side of the CW, but their priority remains African sovereignty. I also replaced "generic successful East Africa is generic" with a successful West Africa (not that Tanzania isn't successful in it's own right), because how often do you read "one of Britain's more successful legacies"?

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1: Canonically Anchorage was only liberated in 2077, but I changed this to 2073 to really justify the invasion of mainland China. Any fighting force stranded in Alaska, cut off from supply lines and opposed by a US Army wearing power armor would be dealt with rather swiftly I presume

2: And, as the Fallout games themselves have proven, power armor isn't quite as unstoppable as it might seem like, considering that the underequipped NCR Army fought off the BOS without using any armoured infantry, bomber planes, etc

3: Look up the G.E.C.K. and Sierra Madre dispensers