Francesca Viganò
Before delving into the review of Dawn of Pripyat, the game written by Sergio Trenna and Stefano Trenna, I would like to thank the authors for sending us a digital copy of their work.
The volume, published by Collettivo Antracite, can be purchased directly from their store at the price of 50 euros in the physical version (including PDF) or 25 euros in the digital version only. I would also like to point out that on the site, in addition to the introductory adventure The Scientist of Pripyat which can be downloaded for free with the quickstart, the adventure Chernobyl – La Nebbia Rossa is also available for the price of 10 euros in the digital version only.
Dawn of Pripyat, Aesthetics at the Service of the Atmosphere
Playing Dawn of Pripyat means not only taking a journey through time and space but, above all, immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a compelling and engaging world. For this reason, I decided, for once, to start with the aesthetics of the game. I believe that more than other cases, it can be defined as serving the atmosphere.
The core book alternates light pages with dark pages and the font color adjusts from white to black. The impression is often that we are dealing with two sides of the same coin. At no point did this alternation bother me; instead I find that it has the right strength to underline the important elements. It undoubtedly serves to mark a certain type of organization of contents and define the spaces between narrated or explanation parts and mechanical parts.
The images are the result of skilful work. These are digital reworkings made by the authors themselves of various materials; an excellent work that immerses the reader in the proposed game context, while maintaining that distance from “fiction” which is already a security system in itself.
The choice of text laid out in two justified columns, chosen for most of the pages, is impeccable. However, when it is necessary to detail or insert tables, we switch to the single column, a decidedly appropriate solution. I challenge you to find any typos; if there are none, the credit also goes to the editing entrusted to a professional in the sector, Laura Cardinale, who is already known in the industry as an author. To complete the clean and orderly whole of the volume, perhaps deliberately in contrast with the chaos of the game context, we find the black and white drawings, a valuable addition that plays the role of fixed points, invitations to reflect.
Dawn of Pripyat Setting Review
To try to understand what gaming context Dawn of Pripyat proposes, we must take a step back in time. We must go back to the 1990s and imagine a world in which the Soviet Union won the Cold War thanks to an important scientific discovery: a new fuel, eridite, extracted from the asteroid Eridu which fell to earth and caused the accident of Chernobyl. If on the one hand, the production of nuclear energy is impressive, on the other hand, eridite has caused new mutations and devastating and unknown atmospheric phenomena; in short, new dangers behind the veneer of progress.
Dawn of Pripyat setting presented in thecore book, occupies three chapters for a total of approximately eighty pages. The timeline is precise and detailed to the right degree, a set of information that is never redundant and extremely useful not only to the master but also to the players. The events are detailed starting from 1985 and introduce the salient events of the setting about the fall of the asteroid and the technological changes it introduced.
All the socio-political analysis presented in the manual is not negligible. We must not forget that when a presumably historical game is proposed, congruence should never fail. I can calmly say that Sergio and Stefano Trenna have done an excellent job offering the master and the players everything necessary to build a game context without ambiguity or narrative holes.
Field Forces and Eridite
The setting of Dawn of Pripyat suggests how the Soviet Union, thanks to the new fuel source, has expanded its political and economic dominion to many of its neighbouring countries, including Italy and the Middle East, secreting what is dubious and dangerous there both in the material coming from the meteorite.
However, those who have been in contact with eridite have undergone evident changes. The game therefore proposes political and economic agreements, emphasizing the new balances and new conflicts between the factions in the game. There are numerous factions presented in the game; each has its objectives to complete, prominent characters and relationships with the other forces in the field. The characters are part of this system, belonging to one of these factions and have missions to complete for it. What they will encounter along their path, what choices they will make, and where they will place themselves once the mission is completed, only the group and the game will say. So, in addition to exploratory sections, the characters will be involved in intrigues and moral choices relating to a territory that can never be the same again.
Security Tools for Safe Gaming
I will never tire of saying how it is increasingly relevant and necessary for the atmosphere at the gaming table to be serene and welcoming, especially when dealing with a game with strong themes and a certain impact.
Dawn of Pripyat does not disappoint in this respect either; in fact, the authors have skilfully inserted references to security systems directly into the introduction, so that they are clear and manageable straight away. I appreciate this choice, absolutely in line with the new perspectives of role-playing games.
Year Zero Engine at its Origins
Anyone like me who loves games with a straightforward rules system will love Dawn of Pripyat.
Collettivo Antracite has chosen to rely on the Year Zero Engine Standard Reference Document for the game rules. It is therefore a question of using a pool of six-sided dice to resolve the tests. The dice pool is given by the sum of attribute and skill and to be successful it is sufficient to obtain at least a 6. The character sheet is immediately understandable and, on a single page, allows you to keep everything you need under control with a simple glance. I appreciated the introduction of a second column next to the skill scores which already indicates the sum with the corresponding attribute, to immediately know how many dice to roll.
Characters and Archetypes
Creating a character in Dawn of Pripyat is quick, although it requires effort; not so much from a technical point of view but on the decision of what to interpret.
It all starts with the Archetype; it summarizes the essence of the PC, bringing together the background with the role played within the group and can influence its purpose. There are 10 Archetypes to choose from: Fighter, Criminal, Telecommunications Expert, Explorer, Doctor, Negotiator, Rebel, Scientist, Skelet, and Technician. In addition, each Archetype has three different Specializations that can influence Attributes, Skills and Talents. To give an example, the Explorer Archetype has as specializations: Investigator, Liquidator, and Reconnaissance.
Each Archetype has a Basic Attribute (the value of which can reach up to 5 during character creation) and 4 starting skills. One of these may be assigned a bonus, called Security. This bonus identifies the character’s mastery of that art and adds a die to the roll pool, but once awarded it can no longer be moved.
Playability Changes
I must underline that some changes to the game system, all extremely functional to the game, have however been made.
First of all, the table of critical wounds has been expanded, and divided into physical and mental.
The skills were then divided into basic skills, which can be used even without having points, and advanced skills, which instead require an assigned score. In short, it is always possible to roll on basic skills even if they have a value of 0 (therefore only the dice relating to the relevant basic attribute will be rolled); however, it will not be possible to roll on advanced skills that have a value of 0 because it is assumed that they require a good level of competence.
In Dawn of Pripyat, weapon management is key. This dynamic becomes a distinctive element of the game, again detaching itself from YZE which instead generally deals with the topic more generically.
Paranormal Powers and Strokes of Luck
Perhaps one of the coolest elements that have been added is paranormal powers. These are abilities that only Skelets, one of the archetypes present in the game, are naturally gifted with. Paranormal powers are linked to mutations and, each time you use them, you get an Eridation point. A non-Skelet character who takes 10 Eridation points must roll 1D66 to take a mutation and its power.
The strokes of luck, however, are exactly what you can imagine them to be: particular situations, usable only once per session, linked to the character. The stroke of luck must be chosen at character creation and can no longer be changed. Among the possible options, we find the critical hit, a prodigious dodge, a discount on a purchase and much more.
A Product Designed to Also Play Online
One thing I found particularly interesting is the online availability of the virtual master screen. This tool not only provides everything you need to manage the game but also offers a series of very useful tools when you run out of ideas.
In fact, among the different options, there is the summary of all talents and strokes of luck, the tables for weapons and armour and the vast equipment for the characters. Not to forget the name and match generator, but also the possibility of creating a character sheet, saving it as a PDF and then printing it. In short, a very useful tool for anyone, also to avoid having to always carry the manual with you.
Dawn of Pripyat Review Conclusions
In conclusion of the review, I can say that Dawn of Pripyat is undoubtedly a remarkable product. The care and attention to the creation are evident and the result does not differ from that of renowned publishing houses.
I was then enormously pleased that such an interesting game is based on an immediate and narrative rules system like YZE. They may seem like obvious comments, but we must not forget that Sergio and Stefano are at their first production; this is an excellent starting point and I am sure that they will be able to conquer very high peaks.
If you love uchronic games, which base their foundations on strong contexts and overturn perspectives, Dawn of Pripyat is definitely for you.
