Unless you've been avoiding the Internet for the past six months, you know that Fallout 4 is coming out next week. 

Of course, if you've missed the boat so far on the past iterations in the Fallout saga, you might feel ill-prepared to dive in to Bethesda's latest post-apocalyptic opus. Luckily for you, Imgur user herpmcderpydoo has you covered. 

He's recently posted two threads, titled "A Brief History of Fallout" and "The Fallout Universe and Lore" to help get you up to speed. The former offers a glimpse into the history of the Fallout as a series, while the latter deals with the actual storyline of the games. 

Believe it or not, the Fallout saga dates back to the days of the real-world Cold War back in 1988 with a game titled Wasteland. Copyright drama ensued in the coming years when a sequel was in the works, which is what gave rise to the Fallout saga in the late 90s. 

Although it takes place in a fictional world, the backstory to the Fallout series has many roots in the real world. The story takes place "in an alternate timeline that diverges after World War II," and "can be viewed as a stylized representation of the future through the eyes of those living in the beginning of the Atomic Age."

Whether you're just getting into the series in time for Fallout 4, or you're a mega-fan wanting to relive the story from the very beginning, I'd recommend taking a look at the cheat sheets ol' herpmcderpydoo put together for you!

Tags: Fallout 4