An isolated soviet town after a nuclear exchange in the 1980s - Prologue

[Kourtchatovium104]

Hello everybody, this is my first thread on LAF, following the suggestion of Akula and Kikuchiyo (I thank them).

My project is a skirmish game about a totally isolated soviet little town in the 1980s just after a short nuclear exchange. The idea behind the background is: what a small group can do, without any communication with the rest of the country, between « wait, in few days, all will be as usual » and « that’s the end of the world ! ».

My inspiration came from Twilight2000 (Bear's_Den) of course, the atmosphere of the TV series Jericho, but also STALKER (the videogame Call of Prypiat)

I've planned some scenarii for the campaign:
   - exploring a small village to find an old retired general gone mad (!)
   - exploring parts of the town (the storehouse, the research center, the militia building)
   - a journey in the taïga
   - exploring the military communication base

For the rules (solo), I’m thinking of Chain Reaction (THW) with homemade modifications, like adding Sanity skill for example (a nuclear war, even a limited one, may influence your mind!). The system of PEFs is interesting, too, to deal with encounters and scenarii like convicing the more people possible.

For the miniatures, I will use what I already have: Reaper, Copplestone and Pulp for civilians, Empress and The Assault Group for soldiers.
I have also some 1/43 typical cars of the period (ZIL, Lada…) which fit quite well with based minis.
I already have a village, re-using my RCW one, 4Ground, Warbase and scratchbuilt (the first I’ve ever built, ugly…. but still useful!) and I’m trying to « sovietize » my old TTCombat, Sarissa and Ziterdes buldings.

It will be more evocative than historically accurate, as I'm not russian myself. So, if russian members of LAF read this, I hope they won’t be too critical !

[AKULA]

Excellent, thanks for sharing 

I look forward to reading more about your project ... interesting that Jericho struck a chord with us both...am guessing that scavenging for basics, food, fuel medicines etc with become a feature of your game?

[CapnJim]

I like the sound of this.  It'll be interesting too read how both your games and AKULA's (relatively) simultaneously play out.  We'll get to see the aftermath of both sides of a "limited"  nuclear war.  Fascinating, gentlemen!  Well done!

[madman]

When I first read your description I thought the players/characters were going to be townsfolk looking beyond their very local area. The write up makes it sound like they are "outsiders". Either peoples from the surrounding rural areas or someones from a nearby locale, like a nearby military base (based on your first scenario) or the next town over, either larger or smaller than the "target" town.Or the town is very big meaning the characters need to learn and explore the terrain.

Will this be a multi playr game or solo? If multiplayer is the intent RPG or skirmish wargame? A lot of what I am seeing now is wargames being called RPGs. I see you say solo and there is some potential for role playing even in a solo game. I am not familiar with any of your rules stated except T2000.

Just a thought but one of my favorite post apoc RPGs is the Morrow Project. In this case it would be just for the feel of the scenario and hw encounters could go as opposed to using the rules as written. In any case I like the new way of looking at your world and look forward to the ride.

[Storm Wolf]

Sounds perfect for Zona Alpha to me and the expansion which the name escapes me at the mo???

Nice concept

Glen

[dadlamassu]

I would also recommend Zona Alfa and its expansion called Kontraband as a system. It is very flexible and simple to use we have a UK set up for out games as that allows me to use my collection.
To add a figure source to yours - I have converted Frostgrave Cultists by arming them with spare weapons from all sorts of WW2 boxes. The Bolt Action late war Germans yield MG 42 (substitutes for MG3), pistols, rifles and the Sturmgewehr 44 is decent AK47 substitute. I also had some spare modern weapons from zombie survivor sets.

[Kourtchatovium104]

Thank you all for your comments.

Akula:
I’m a big fan of this sort of stories, small communities facing an unusual event. The book Mysterium from Robert Charles Wilson, for example, has not the same topic but a similar atmosphere.

I was thinking of scavenging for the some goods that can’t be produced locally (ammunition, medecine). But for the others, like food, a scenario like conquering and fortifying a collective farm will be enough to insure the supplies.

CapnJim:
Infortunatly, I don’t have much time to spend to my projet (many members of this forum say the same thing!)

madman:
About the background, I was thinking a team of outsiders called to this town just before the atomic bombing, for example escorting a high official inaugurating something. But a guest is missing the ceremony. This lead to my first scenario : finding the retired general. Then the bombs fall...

My game will have some elements of a rpg to make it more fun than just a fighting game. It can be multi-players but in cooperation against the game : the different players could have each one a secret objective, which fit with the background (for example, the rivalry between the two intelligence services, the KGB and the GRU), but I haven’t definite it yet.

There are very few stories in « the cold war gone hot » subject about individual reactions of ordinary citizens (even in the military), especially on the soviet side, and that is what interest me.

Storm Wolf & dadlamassu
I already have Zona Alfa but I don’t know the extension Kontraband. I’m going to look at it.

Using WW2 guns and survivors of zombies games with little conversions for the guns. is a good idea. I'm going to check what I have in reserve!

[CapnJim]

CapnJim:
Infortunatly, I don’t have much time to spend to my projet (many members of this forum say the same thing!)

Yes, well, join the club.  Even though I'm retired now, and I spend a bit more time in my wargames world than pre-retirement, it's not as much as I'd like to...

[madman]

Excellent approach. I will be keeping an eye on this when you start making it happen.

[Kikuchiyo]

Sounds cool

look forward to what you have planned

[Paul @ Empress Miniatures]

Sounds an exciting project. 

[Kourtchatovium104]

Work in progress... I have created a little gang of thugs, just escaped from a nearby soviet prison.

Dima’s gang not very happy to find the Pravda newspapers only in the truck they have stolen !

[CapnJim]

Nice job.  Like the tats.  The womenfolk ain't bad either..."Boris, Dahling, for to be killing moose and squirrel...."

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice details on that house. Very Russian.

[Lascaris]

Even though it's set in the 30 years war the movie The Last Valley is set in an isolated village that a party of deserters come across. It might be a source of scenarios or  some guidance on how such interactions might resolve.

This is a very cool sounding project and I hope you keep updating the board on how it goes.