[Ursus Maior]

Can anyone tell me if there ist information available on Prypjat and the Czernobyl area? I'm also interested in the history of 6th world Ukraine and Russia. I envision the Prypjat area a bit like the SOX, but maybe more recovered, though far more remote and wild. I'm thinking of having my group enter the area for a run against Evo or whatever corp runs the show there (SK?).

I just don't know where to start looking. Most of the Shadowrun Wikia citations are on Russia and even then it's mostly just a single page (besides Vladivostok and Vory).

I'd appreciate the help.

[Namikaze]

The opening story of Street Grimoire deals with Pripyat, actually.  Nothing concrete, but it looks like people have begun to move back in and no harmful effects had been felt.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

I don't know about the Chernobyl (Czernobyl?) power plant itself, but I would probably start letting people move back without getting cancer in three years.  Really, you'll have to make it up - but what you have happen there is kind of what will happen in other meltdown toxic zones in the future, so keep it in mind.  I'd definitely have a background count, and your idea about how the area would probably be very corporate-dominated.  You could have Evo and S-K kind of duking it out in the area - Evo wanting to study the long-term background effects of radiation, and experimenting with rad-cleaning tech, while S-K wants to use the area along the lines of 'well, since it's already screwed up, we'll put another nuke plant there...'

Add in the New Soviets, the Vory, and an independence movement or three and you got a real playground to have fun in. 

[Ursus Maior]

Thanks for the feedback you two.

The fascinating thing about Chernobyl (my typo up there...) is its proximity to the Belarussian border. Prypjat is a Ukrainian city, but only 10 km from the border and on the banks of the Prypjat river. With its many side arms the river seems to be a smuggler's/coyote's candy land.

Also corp domination seems the way to go. With both countries - Belarus and Ukraine - being rather week governments and Eastern Europe in the clutch of the dragon, Evo and the Vorys, this seems to be an obvious hotspot for R&D. Hotspot plus remote area basically equals shadow activity.

[Namikaze]

I'd suggest that there might be the presence or interest of more than a few magical societies as well.  All that radiation would make for a pile of toxic background count, which is great for research as well as making people do crazy things.  The Ordo Maximus might be involved, with their bizarre vampiric cabal at the heart it has some intriguing elements.

[Ursus Maior]

Hmmm... Thinking toxic cults (obvious) and a group interesting in burnt out magic. Like Aleph...

[Namikaze]

Hmmm... Thinking toxic cults (obvious) and a group interesting in burnt out magic. Like Aleph...

There ya go!  And maybe some "good guys" too, like DIMR?

I do agree with the corporate and organized crime angles too - and even some gangs of scavengers and such.  This is actually a really good area for running, now that I think of it.  It's more diverse than Glow City.

[Ursus Maior]

Oh, and wait: Shiawase Envirotech, which is also the clean-up division of Shiawase is certainly going to love the area. Boasting that they will clean up the pollution caused by "dirty" and "inferior" technologies. Compared to fusion reactors of Shiawase Energy, of course.

This will get SK going. Unless they hire Shiawase themselves for some joint venture.

Oh, this is going somewhere I like...

[Namikaze]

Ooooh, I definitely like this too.    My campaign is in Seattle, but I have a player from St. Peterburg who might be interested in reading more about what you come up with.  Can you share your setting overview with us when you've got it more detailed?

[Ursus Maior]

I can and will be glad to. In the moment however my runners work in the CAS and are based in New Orleans, though. The first season of the campaign they will remain there. Then I'd like to take them across the globe.

Also, we have slightly diffrent timeline. We started last summer with SR3 rules in 2060 and went straight to SR5 rules, but kept 2060 as the ingame year. This means, everything is wireless already and the Crash 2.0 will "just" be an immense catastrophe, but not bring the change from cable to wireless.

Any information on "my" Prypjat will thus need some twisting (of course) for further use. And I might not be able to post about this before autumn comes. Need to finish my PhD-thesis first. And season one of the game.

But I can share some New Orleans based ideas before that. Since the CAS and NO are also grossly underrated in SR so far.

[AndyNakamura]

Take STALKER. Add Shadowrun tech. Shake well, do not stir. Serve chilled.

[Ursus Maior]

Thanks, but never played it and have no clue what the story is about.

[AndyNakamura]

The game is based on a classic Russian sci-fi novel, "Roadside Picnic" (by Arkadiy and Boris Strugatsky, rather recommended). To summarize the game's backstory:

In 2008, a bright flash is seen coming from the Chernobyl Alienation Zone. After this event, weird things start appearing in it - like mutated animals, radiation pockets, and anomalies, areas where laws of physics seem to function differently. The Zone is cordoned off by the military. Exploration of the Zone, both legal and illegal, finds that certain objects found near anomalies seem to have the same physics-altering qualities, like making bullets curve away from the owner, or boosting their health. The high demand, and resulting high prices for these artifacts caused rogue explorers to pour into the Zone. These people were later dubbed Stalkers, in honor of the main character of the Strugatskys' novel.

[Ursus Maior]

Ooooh, I definitely like this too.    My campaign is in Seattle, but I have a player from St. Peterburg who might be interested in reading more about what you come up with.  Can you share your setting overview with us when you've got it more detailed?

News update: Still running in New Orleans, since a) gaming time is sparse and my players enjoy the setting. Prypjat will have to wait. Maybe I can manage to write something up for a one-shot-run they will need to take when the heat comes down.

[Ogrebear]

One thing about Ukraine is that is was the site of Barsaive in the 4th World (i.e. the Earthdawn setting) so there are going to be magical and archaeology types like the Draco Foundation and Atlantis lot all over it. Plus who know what the Dragons have still there...

An unawaken Dragon might be fun thing for players to stumble over...