Great Game

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The Great Game is a post-War rivalry and struggle between pre-War geniuses and billionaires, beginning in 2077.

Background[]

Facing the nuclear holocaust, global leaders and members of the intelligence community made their personal bids for survival in the new world. The Forced Evolutionary Virus, cryogenic stasis, artificial intelligence consciousness, and in Desmond Lockheart's case, controlled exposure to normally lethal doses of radiation were among the wildly risky and experimental techniques pursued in the name of survival in a world without modern infrastructure. Old rivalries and vendettas were not forgotten in the ashes of nuclear winter. Those who managed to survive quickly set about doing what the bombs had not: wiping out any remnants of the Old World that may have been a threat to personal and political agendas. Now, even so long after they should all have died naturally, these scattered figures seek power and jealously guard their secrets. Their missions have long since ceased to be political or ideological. They realize that for as long as any of their colleagues live, they would be hunted. Their goals are simple: kill or be killed.^[1]^{[Non-game 1]}

Known participants[]

Appearances[]

The Great Game is mentioned in the Fallout 3 add-on Point Lookout.

Behind the scenes[]

According to Joel Burgess, the Great Game was mentioned to invoke the vibe of "spy talk" and references to invisible machinations of statecraft.^{[Non-game 2]} Desmond's mention of going north while talking about the Great Game was included as a "Kessel Run"-type open hook that could be used in the future, but if not, the players' imaginations could suffice.^{[Non-game 3]} The Great Game was included as one of many implied segments of the larger Fallout universe without revealing too many details about it, similar to the Abbey of the Road.^{[Non-game 4]}

The following is based on unverified behind the scenes information and may be inaccurate.

The Great Game also appears to be in reference to the real Great Game of the British and Russian Empires vying for control of Central and South Asia for over a century. This Great Game included war, treaties, political maneuvering, and espionage to craft the region into various protectorates, territories and buffer states in each of the empire's spheres of influence.

End of information based on unverified behind the scenes information

References[]

↑ Lone Wanderer: "What will you do now that he's dead?"
Desmond Lockheart: "Now that we're rid of Calvert, I'll be heading north to pursue my next rival. There are only a few of us left now. The great game goes on. Sort of a... what's a word you'd understand... microcosm? Yeah. It's a microcosm for the old world."
Desmond Lockheart's dialogue

Non-game

↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.69: "Desmond the Ghoul:
Before the bombs dropped, Desmond was a player in international intelligence at the highest levels. Desmond's motives and obsessions have been scarcely affected by the apocalyptic devastation of the planet. Desmond and those he would consider his peers knew for some time that the Great War was inevitable. Desmond himself could have been directly involved in the actions leading up to the nuclear exchange. Facing the nuclear holocaust, global leaders and members of the intelligence community made their personal bids for survival in the new world. F.E.V., cryogenic stasis, AI consciousness, even—in Desmond's case—controlled exposure to normally lethal doses of radiation were among the wildly risky and experimental techniques pursued in the name of survival in a world without modern infrastructure. Old rivalries and vendettas were not forgotten in the ashes of nuclear winter. Those who managed to survive quickly set about doing what the bombs had not—wiping out any remnants of the Old World that may be a threat to personal and political agendas. Now, even so long after they should all have died naturally, these scattered figures seek power and jealously guard their secrets. Desmond's mission has long since ceased to be political or ideological. He knew—as experience has proven tenfold—that as long as any of his colleagues lived, he would be hunted. His purpose is simple: kill or be killed."
↑ Fallout 4 Point Lookout Mod with Joel Burgess and Nate Purkeypile (52:50)
Kenneth Vigue: "Desmond refers to a Great Game that he's in with Professor Calvert. What is that?"
Joel Burgess: "It's just sort of spy talk, right? So it's just a reference to the idea that there's sort of like, these machinations that are invisible and even the Velvet Curtain, which is a reference to like the Iron Curtain and the Cold War... so it's just that idea that, like, statecraft and spy work and all that. It's just meant to invoke that vibe."
↑ Fallout 4 Point Lookout Mod with Joel Burgess and Nate Purkeypile (1:18:11)
Kenneth Vigue: "Desmond in here also makes vague references to traveling north in pursuit of other rivals. Did you guys ever throw around of what those adventures might look like, or was there maybe a plan to use Desmond in the future?"
Joel Burgess: "No, I think we just really liked the sort of kessel run thing, right? We liked leaving some open hooks that we could always come back and get your imagination on what might else happen. And if we ever came back to these characters, cool. And if we didn't, then at least it felt like they implied more than just they exist to fulfill your fantasy for this DLC."
↑ Fallout 4 Point Lookout Mod with Joel Burgess and Nate Purkeypile (1:11:00)
Joel Burgess: "Yeah, I mean there's like even a little stuff with Marcella because I think Point Lookout's where we invented the Abbey of the Road. Which is just like sort of this implied... even like the Great Game with Desmond and all that, we wanted to imply a grander sort of universe. But not always get into the details. So it's hard to remember how many of those things were like, sort of shoulder checks that we put in. Y'know, to like put in little 'kessel runs' - and how much of that were like, 'no, no, we were actually gonna pull on that thread a bit but it was cut.' Wish I had a better answer."

[1] Lone Wanderer: "What will you do now that he's dead?"
Desmond Lockheart: "Now that we're rid of Calvert, I'll be heading north to pursue my next rival. There are only a few of us left now. The great game goes on. Sort of a... what's a word you'd understand... microcosm? Yeah. It's a microcosm for the old world."
Desmond Lockheart's dialogue

[FO3GGP-2] Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.69: "Desmond the Ghoul:
Before the bombs dropped, Desmond was a player in international intelligence at the highest levels. Desmond's motives and obsessions have been scarcely affected by the apocalyptic devastation of the planet. Desmond and those he would consider his peers knew for some time that the Great War was inevitable. Desmond himself could have been directly involved in the actions leading up to the nuclear exchange. Facing the nuclear holocaust, global leaders and members of the intelligence community made their personal bids for survival in the new world. F.E.V., cryogenic stasis, AI consciousness, even—in Desmond's case—controlled exposure to normally lethal doses of radiation were among the wildly risky and experimental techniques pursued in the name of survival in a world without modern infrastructure. Old rivalries and vendettas were not forgotten in the ashes of nuclear winter. Those who managed to survive quickly set about doing what the bombs had not—wiping out any remnants of the Old World that may be a threat to personal and political agendas. Now, even so long after they should all have died naturally, these scattered figures seek power and jealously guard their secrets. Desmond's mission has long since ceased to be political or ideological. He knew—as experience has proven tenfold—that as long as any of his colleagues lived, he would be hunted. His purpose is simple: kill or be killed."

[3] Fallout 4 Point Lookout Mod with Joel Burgess and Nate Purkeypile (52:50)
Kenneth Vigue: "Desmond refers to a Great Game that he's in with Professor Calvert. What is that?"
Joel Burgess: "It's just sort of spy talk, right? So it's just a reference to the idea that there's sort of like, these machinations that are invisible and even the Velvet Curtain, which is a reference to like the Iron Curtain and the Cold War... so it's just that idea that, like, statecraft and spy work and all that. It's just meant to invoke that vibe."

[4] Fallout 4 Point Lookout Mod with Joel Burgess and Nate Purkeypile (1:18:11)
Kenneth Vigue: "Desmond in here also makes vague references to traveling north in pursuit of other rivals. Did you guys ever throw around of what those adventures might look like, or was there maybe a plan to use Desmond in the future?"
Joel Burgess: "No, I think we just really liked the sort of kessel run thing, right? We liked leaving some open hooks that we could always come back and get your imagination on what might else happen. And if we ever came back to these characters, cool. And if we didn't, then at least it felt like they implied more than just they exist to fulfill your fantasy for this DLC."

[5] Fallout 4 Point Lookout Mod with Joel Burgess and Nate Purkeypile (1:11:00)
Joel Burgess: "Yeah, I mean there's like even a little stuff with Marcella because I think Point Lookout's where we invented the Abbey of the Road. Which is just like sort of this implied... even like the Great Game with Desmond and all that, we wanted to imply a grander sort of universe. But not always get into the details. So it's hard to remember how many of those things were like, sort of shoulder checks that we put in. Y'know, to like put in little 'kessel runs' - and how much of that were like, 'no, no, we were actually gonna pull on that thread a bit but it was cut.' Wish I had a better answer."

[1]