wonder if we will find out who launched the 1st nuke in fo4 as the SS has the has the biggest connection to the past than any other protagonist and not only have the motivation but also the means to find out the truth with possible knowledge of military insulations which could contain satellite data.

While china did have most reason to launch 1st with them about to lose the war but the u.s government had motivation as well with overpopulation and not enough food to go round as well as a deserting army its possible they thought a nuclear war would thin the population but underestimated the amount damage it would cause.

We did meet the "president" on a oil rig in fo2 who explained it was the Chinese who attacked 1st but why would he give us any more reason to kill him besides they retreated to the oil rig at the perfect time. I think the logs we find in zeta was beths little joke (imnotsayingitwasaliensbutitwasaliens.jpeg) thoughts?

Don't consider Mothership Zeta canon. Like, ever.

I don't see how anyone unless they where up the walls nuts could ever want yo intentionally cause nuclear war upon themselves, I think good old common sense puts it square on the Chinese, they where the one who reached the kind of nothing to lose scenario that could drive a nations leader to push the button.

Zeta wasn't that bad silly but fun.

Given the lies, counterlies, and other nefarious governmental dealings, I would not expect to find the truth.

I doubt we'll find out who fired first. Especially since the beginning takes place just after the first bombs hit the U.S. and then our characters runs to the vault. Unless, someone in the vault lets something slip... but I doubt it.

Out of aliens, supercomputers and various countries with nuclear capabilities, I'd say China was the most likely to have fired first.

Yeah, i also doubt we'll ever find out
There was speculation the enclave, vault-tec or a third party fired a nuke each at america and china to prompt the war so that they could further develop technologies (i believe there may have been a note somewhere in one of the retro games citing vault tech may have but im not entirely sure..)

Turns out it was the Norwegians who started the whole thing

Over Grandis no doubt

Why does it matter to know it anyway? Anyone seeking ... revenge O.o

I hope we never find out. It's one of those things that, knowing the answer can never be as satisfying as speculating, I think.

That said, it seems too obvious to say that the Chinese did it. I would wager that it was actually some simple screw-up somewhere, totally unintentional and accidental. There's no boogeyman to blame, no evil empire... just a telling critique of the entire M.A.D. world.

I like to see it like it was something that never was supposed to happen. Neither side wanted to destroy the world, yet a simply mistake did just that. A mis-heard information, a report got mixed in. As a result, the world ended. Even the most minor thing can have devastating consequences.

That said, in my RP, I plan to have Nora/Howard believe it was the Chinese who started the war so any Chinese he/she meets, he/she treats with absolute distain.

Agreed fallout stories are not often with out secrets behide the curtain. That would be good enough if our PC found out their whole life was destroyed by a white collar who spilled coffee on his keyboard but thats just me I like a bit of drama in my games .




Thats what I ment in my reply Sorpaijen but you worded far better.

I think the Chinese shot first. They were losing the war because U.S. troops were kicking ass with T-45D/T-51B power armor, they were pushed out of Anchorage, U.S. troops were in China knocking on their front door, and there's belief that Chinese spies discovered the FEV project the U.S. was developing (super soldiers + power armor = Chinese nightmare).

Considering the SS is a civilian at the time, and doesn't actually see the nukes launching, and is instead privy to one hitting Boston, or near Boston, somewhere in there, no I don't think he has any clue who shot first...

He/she's minding her own business one morning, hears the news report, and hauls ass with family to the vault...

Don't think there's a whole lot of time there to stop and ask questions when your imminent demise is barring down on you.

You cant find any logs in MZ relating to nukes...... becuase the one in question has no voice acting, and is effeictly cut content.

It wouldn't make sense if we fired first.

Oh there's all kinds of theories about who shot first...

...Some say it was the Chinese

...Some say we shot first and China retaliated...

...Some say aliens...

...Some say the US nuked themselves in some sort of illuminati plot...

Let's look at it from a Wastelanders perspective...Feel free to read this in Ron Pearlman's voice for emphasis. Or the Storyteller.

It don't matter who shot first that day. War never changes, but it certainly changes everything around it. The apocalypse wiped the board clean, and no finger pointing or knowledge of who did what is going to change that, or bring back the Back When Times. Those secrets were buried or burned in atomic fire. But now, now it's quiet. Or as quiet as it can get before a faction rises to stir the pot of a locale.

Knowing may sate your curiosity. But it won't sate your thirst, or your hunger. Or keep you alive. Useless knowledge.

That world is dead and buried...It's better to focus on what you have ahead of you, rather than sitting shiva over a dead world.

All I'm saying is it wouldn't make sense as Motsie explains above and Richardson states they fired first and we barley got our nukes in the air.

I know, I'm contributing to the thread as a whole with that tangent. They firing first and us lately responding makes the most sense to me. They got us, and we may or may not have got them. Possible double whammy.

Richardson is potentialy at least genuine with that information...since lying about it wouldn't make sense unless the Enclave made up the lie and lived it for that long. But I want to say he was telling the truth.

Funny enough, that's one of the central themes of Fallout - the unwillingness to let go of the past (NCR, Caesar, Enclave, etc).

I know the canceled movie script put the blame on Vault Tec, but yeah there is no canon answer to who shot first.

I'd prefer it to be something like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident

Except, the guy doesn't catch that its a false alarm.

Everyone knows it was the aliens! They shot China with their death ray, and China thought it was America and retaliated.