In every fallout game you play the role of THE hero and you decide the outcome of the game. Do you guys like this, it can lead to epic moments however i believe you could become more immersed into the game if you played much smaller rolls such as a scavenger, a raider, a mercenary, etc. while still being able to take part in large events. For example if you were a soldier in the Enclave or B.O.S during the attack on the water purifier in Fallout 3.

I like being the sole hero. It makes your story more legendary. All of the Fallout games have protagonists that become Legends of the wastes and then fade into mythology after their story comes to an end. I like this, as it makes you feel like you are this unstoppable badass that can withstand any sort of punishment and cruelty inflicted by the wasteland.

To make your role a little smaller would be to minimise your participation in the war itself, therefore you'd just have your buddies do everything and the storyline wouldn't be as fun. All of the Fallout games had some sort of war that was only finished because some unstoppable badass such as you came along and ended it. In fact, a lot of the factions in Fallout would have been crushed be it not your intervention. Take the Lyons BoS and Minutemen for example.

Huh, i've never quite seen it that way but i think your right the example at the end made me realize your point. I still would like a smaller role more survival game but hey that's opinion. Thanks for the post @"Corvo"

Me, me, me! I love being a bonified badass that melts any bad guys that makes the mistake of living on the same planet as me.

Being a sole hero is a bit the soul of Fallout games.
How to trust someone in an apocalyptic world, where there is no authority, justice or rules.
Why be a pawn when one can be a savior.

@"Cerruti" very Well put!

Personally I don't have a problem with it in Fallout. Usually you have help along the way, be it an army, companions, useful NPCs that help you as you progress.

For the Fallout series, it makes a lot of sense. As Corvo had mentioned, you'd end up being a lot less significant in terms of the story as a whole if you were not the lone hero. However, i personally don't like being the player who is totally alone. I always like to have a few companions with me. it feels like we're a team who can take on the wasteland and anything it throws at us. it's a cool feeling

Not me I don't feel myself like a hero in fallout games , but more like a business man who tries to get stuff running again and assassinate things that threaten his or his allies goals

My playstyle may vary each playthrough, it quite depends if I'm a bad or a good guy. But the most of the time I'm just a "lone wanderer" minding his own business. I rarely act like a superhero or THE hero of the story, I'm more like a random guy who got dragged to this big event by coincidence.

One time I started playing Fallout 2 with melee character, put 1 INT and named him Gronak just for laughs. Other character I remember was a drug dealer / addict.

Not wanting to brag, but every game I play, I'm always the "good guy". On fallout new vegas I tried to play without damaging BoS, NCR .. But I had to get into Caesar's base and kill everyone including him: v

I love being the "Savior of the Waste" so to speak. I feel like I rule the wasteland and can right wrongs I see. Of course I like starting out as a nobody, just someone trying to survive, but as you progress through the game and level up and get better gear I love becoming the Hero/Legend who won the Wasteland. It really makes you feel like you can make an impact in the game world and your one of the important figures in the Fallout Worlds. Of course sometimes on my play-through's I like playing as someone just trying to get by, or a "normal/average" survivor

I never play that good guy trope it's over used and over fucking rated Most of my fallout experiences include shoving an RPK up someones ass and pulling the trigger. That's the type of game I like to play as the true "Lone Wanderer" because everything else is dead except dogmeat and dogs because dogs are great.

I'd like to think of myself as a hero...but the line is pretty thin in the Fallout universe.

I'll give an example....

Say you're wandering the Mojave and happen to stumble upon a stash of Fixer along with some Stimpaks, a couple Doctor's Bags and a little food....you take it and keep on truckin'...

But...

What if that stash was hidden by a family who'd gone out scavenging for more supplies?
Now you're responsible for their starving children.

Moral is....we're all really horrible people

Depends. I kind of like a story filled with human characters as opposed to unstoppable badasses.
That said, the self gratifying ass kissing that comes with being the sole hero  is great for my ego.

@"frootcakes" @"IRORIEH" definatly i agree i feel as if it is more immersive and gives a certain feeling to being a part of a group that must band together to overcome something while at the same time i think we all love being as @"IRORIEH" says and i quote "the self gratifying ass kissing that comes with being the sole hero" is always nice. Thanks for your comments guys!

"If done right" (MotionlessGhost)
I think Morrowind is a good example for not doing this right, because at the end you are totally overpowered, you can kill everything and everyone. While you can't say the same regarding Mass Effect, which  - I agree - did it right, because whenever you are acting inside the game-world you never feel out-of-universe so to speak.
I mean if you have godlike powers and are therefore able to dominate the world of the game - you are not any longer part of that world.
So most games would do well going the route eac4 suggested: "i believe you could become more immersed into the game if you played much smaller rolls".
I still remember how great Gothic 1 was before you got that game's version of a power armor and could clean the map of any hostiles.
While in Mass Effect the player was seperated explicitely by the game from the world of the game by being put in some kind of bubble where the player, apart from being able to make a global decision, was limited to the role of a spectator. In a simplified way: as long as Shepard is acting and not contemplating - he is still a vulnerable human and part of a team. And that's the way I like it best.

I definitely like being the hero, but I really like what New Vegas did with Ulysses where he's almost like a second "hero". Maybe not necessarily heroic, but they did build him up as being another character with great influence in the wasteland like yourself. So yeah, I like being a hero among heroes.