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SPECIAL is the ruleset that powers all Fallout games.
The name "SPECIAL" is an acronym standing for the primary statistics in the system: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck.
Development and use
Initially, Fallout was meant to use the GURPS system by Steve Jackson Games. However, there were difficulties in the license that could not be overcome, and so the two companies mutually agreed to end the partnership. Fortunately for the Fallout team, the only element of GURPS in Fallout was the ruleset and the setting was entirely Interplay's, so they could continue development. Chris Taylor, Jesse Heinig and Tim Cain developed the SPECIAL system. Many elements from it are inspired by GURPS, but it is largely original.
Aside from Fallout games, SPECIAL was also used in Lionheart and Ultimate RPG plus two canceled projects - TORN and Reflexive Entertainment's Deadlands game.
Systems
Characters in SPECIAL are defined through:
Implementations
Official Fallout games
| Implementation | Perks | Skills | Traits | Races |
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| Fallout SPECIAL | 
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| Fallout 2 SPECIAL |
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| Fallout 3 SPECIAL |
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| Fallout Tactics SPECIAL |
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| Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel SPECIAL |
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| Fallout: New Vegas SPECIAL |
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| Van Buren SPECIAL |
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Other games
| Implementation | Perks | Skills | Traits | Races |
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| Lionheart SPECIAL |
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| Simple |
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| TORN SPECIAL |
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Notes
- In Fallout 3, if you have Broken Steel and take the Almost Perfect Perk without collecting any SPECIAL bobbleheads, you can then collect them afterwards to get a 10 in all SPECIAL stats.
See also
GURPS by Steve Jackson Games