The recent popularity of HBO’s Fallout TV show has led to a renewed interest in Bethesda’s beloved Fallout video game franchise, especially in the widely praised Fallout: New Vegas. Game director Josh Sawyer is using this opportunity to highlight an often overlooked aspect of the game: the Caravan card game.
The minigame Caravan in Fallout: New Vegas, set in the Mojave Wasteland, is probably the most ignored card minigame in gaming history. A Twitter conversation recently highlighted the fact that they never bothered to learn, with a user jokingly expressing continued confusion about the game’s rules even 14 years after its release. In response, Sawyer defended the game, comparing it to a card game featured in another title he worked on, Pentiment.
Statistics show that Caravan is not popular, with only a small percentage of PC players achieving victory in Caravan matches. Despite this, Sawyer urged players to reconsider the card game.
I played Fallout: New Vegas when it was released; I’ve beaten it multiple times and have a favorite ending (The House Always Wins), and I do know how to play Caravan. It’s well-made and kind of fun, but the issue is that it doesn’t have a place in the game, and I ignore it on every playthrough. This would be fun as a mobile game because it has a lot of good to it. However, I didn’t pick up a Fallout game to play a deck builder. It’s a good idea, but it’s proof that not every game needs to be in every genre. I wish they focused less on Caravan and more on the overall game.
The Fallout TV show’s success could inspire old and new fans to revisit Fallout: New Vegas and give Caravan the attention it hasn’t received. While a new Fallout game, like Fallout 5, isn’t coming soon, fans can engage with the franchise through the upcoming Fallout 4 next-gen update. This update, arriving on April 25th, will include features like 60fps support and a new quest.
Comments