As the setting for a skirmish wargame setting?
Are you kidding? If you have ever played any of the STALKER PC games, you shouldn’t be asking that question. And if you haven’t played STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, Call of Pripyat, or Clear Sky, you need to get on that. Right now.
Dark, brooding, creeping dread punctuated by moments of pulse-spiking terror as you scavenge the irradiated countryside around Chernobyl searching for valuable, other-worldly artifacts.
Face down bandits, blind, feral dogs, mutant boars, and shuffling waves of mind-wiped zombified soldiers. Hunt invisible, swamp-dwelling Cthulhu-esque bloodsuckers, collect the bounty on deformed psychic horrors, and always watch out for Snorks.
Zona Perestrelki (Russian for ‘Zone Firefights’) will combine the solid game engine of our “Cleared To Engage” rules with the distinct STALKER-themed hostile environment and a simple campaign system that will allow you to transform a bumbling group of Molodovs into Zone-hardened veterans – if they live long enough.
My Chechen Wars Kickstarter miniatures are slated to arrive first of the year, so look for them in AARs of our ZP playtest games Q1 2018.
Until then,
GET OUT OF HERE, STALKER!
STALKER7 
Dude. I can’t wait. With you 100% on the setting and overall playability of STALKER.
I hear you. I’m anxious myself. I wish I had more time. (Or money that would allow me to take the time)
As I see it, the challenge is to streamline the various game engines (combat, hostiles/environment, campaign) without weakening them. I need them simple but not simplistic, distinct but not esoteric or exhaustive. I want concise and robust systems so players can concentrate on the game and not the rules. Sort of ‘wind it up, get on and off you go’. I have the mechanics outlined – and from our play test games, they work – now I need to lay it all out in a clear, comprehensive format.
One of the hurdles is setting up good mechanics for the table/game area to be an active, hostile environment, sort of a player in its own right. But without the tables, bookkeeping, complicated mechanics and kludge that slow game play down. I think we got it.
Now I know I won’t be able to please everybody, particularly those who are really into detailed, granular, simulations. Oh well. At it’s heart, ZP is really about friends experiencing a fun game soaked with that ominous STALKER/METRO 2033 vibe.
*sheesh* wrote a novella there, didn’t I?
I’ll get back to work now. Have a great weekend.
I recently picked up pulp alley, which I know you’re familiar with. The possibilities for Stalker-esque games with that system seem pretty good. I’m looking forward to taking a look at your rules when you’re willing to share.
Pulp Alley – Yes. An outstanding rule set. I was all set to use it on a regular basis with our group here but we detoured to Fantasy skirmish with ASOBH instead. Oh well. Perhaps we’ll circle back around someday.
As far as the STALKER-verse goes, the challenge is to capture the sense that the Zone – with its denizens and environment – is more of an active force in the game. One of the sections in ZP is dedicated to just that, and I’m honing the mechanisms, trying make them simple, robust, and reliable. (Like an AK.)
There’s some third-party interest in ZP at the moment. It might be getting a serious face-lift in the future. Emphasis on ‘might’. We’ll see if anything comes of it.I think it’s a decent set of rules – nothing clever or particularly innovative – but solid. My aim wasn’t to reinvent the wheel; I streamlined familiar mechanisms so players could concentrate on the story and playing the game. It’s the story and setting that most engages me, and that’s accomplished with the proper figs and terrain.
Anyway… I’ll share them as soon as I’m able. Thanks for weighing in. Take care.