Metaphors and figures of speech used in the Fallout video game series!

Talk Like A Courier II: Metaphor and Idioms from the Fallout Series

Rules no longer apply; chaos begins.

Example: “When the bombs fell, all bets were off for the old world.”

Making careful choices to succeed.

Example: “If you play your cards right with Mr. House, you’ll control the Strip.”

An unfair situation arranged against you.

Example: “The Courier walked into a stacked deck with Benny.”

Taking a risky chance.

Example: “Crossing the Mojave alone is like rolling the dice with death.”

Survival depends on the most basic resources.

Example: “In Freeside, water is life, and the Followers guard it well.”

A test or practice attempt, often with no real reward.

Example: “That raid was just a dry run, the real fight comes tomorrow.”

A reminder of mortality; everything returns to the desert.

Example: “Out here, it’s dust to dust for everyone eventually.”

Empty, hopeless, or lifeless.

Example: “Without hope, his heart was as barren as the Mojave.”

Sacrificing yourself or enduring pain.

Example: “She took the bullet for her squad in Boulder City.”

Harmed by conflict not of your making.

Example: “Civilians in Nipton were caught in the crossfire.”

A situation ready to explode into violence.

Example: “The Strip is a powder keg waiting for one spark.”

Too eager to fight or shoot.

Example: “That Fiend is so trigger-happy he shot his own man.”

Setting a final limit or boundary.

Example: “NCR drew a line in the sand at Hoover Dam.”

A destructive, aggressive course of action.

Example: “After Benny betrayed him, the Courier was on the warpath.”

A hidden betrayer.

Example: “Benny was just a snake in the grass waiting for his chance.”

Deceptive, pretending loyalty.

Example: “Mr. House says the NCR are two-faced politicians.”

Someone dangerous who pretends to be harmless.

Example: “The Legion spy was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Betraying someone after pretending to help.

Example: “The Great Khans felt double-crossed at Bitter Springs.”

A hidden advantage.

Example: “The Courier always keeps an ace up the sleeve with the Platinum Chip.”

A fragile system that can collapse easily.

Example: “Mr. House’s empire is just a house of cards.”

Splitting groups to weaken them.

Example: “Caesar uses divide and conquer tactics on tribes.”

Balancing between two dangers.

Example: “The Courier was walking the tightrope between NCR and Legion.”

Ruins and remnants after destruction.

Example: “Civilization rises from the ashes of the old world.”

A haunting memory or old trauma.

Example: “Bitter Springs is the ghost of the past for NCR.”

An unpredictable factor.

Example: “The Courier was the wild card in the Mojave war.”

A dangerous person or situation ready to explode.

Example: “A Securitron army is a loaded gun for whoever controls it.”

Someone rich but foolish.

Example: “That gambler’s got more caps than sense.”

the standard version of this is "more dollars than sense"

Hopeless, confused, or abandoned.

Example: “Without allies, you’re lost in the wasteland.”

another more common version is 
"lost in the wilderness"

Honest, direct person.

Example: “Cass is a straight shooter, even when it hurts.”

Something that looks real but is just illusion.

Example: “New Vegas is a mirage built on lies and lights.”

Don’t provoke someone powerful 

Example: “Mess with the NCR and you’re poking the bear.”

Final stop, death, or failure.

Example: “For Benny, the Tops was the end of the road.”