Hi everyone!

I'm trying to come up with a quest line for my runners and thought "what about Chernobyl?"
But I couldn't find any information about it, that would mean I could come up with anything I want right?

Here a few pictures of Pripyat and the reactor block 4. Hope you see now why this area is so mysterious and would be perfect for a shadowrun campaign!


My thoughts on Chernobyl were:
- Still heavily radiated
- Humans try to avoid it (except squatters, toxic shamans, insect shamans etc.)
- Wildlife has flourished and a lot of paranormal critters occupy "red forest"
- Prypjat would be a hideout place for squatters and a like
- Prypjat got overrun by nature, most buildings are destroyed or are dangerous to enter. Roads are mostly destroyed by plant roots and debris.
- The reactor is now shielded by a second layer sarcophag to prevent further poullution of the surroundings
- A high force free spirit inhabitates the reactor (toxic spirit) and is aspected to the domain
- A colony of bug spirits has established a hideout in the outer perimeter of "the zone". (Cockroaches)
- The outer ring of "the zone" is protected by military and police force, they don't want anyone entering the zone and damage/destroy the sarcophag holding back the radiation. Also russian scientists study paracritters, gather magical materials and try to contain the radiation through ritual magic.
- A lot of high rating magical materials can be found in the zone, that's why a lot of mages try to break through and gather them (hello stalker universe )
- Some people talk gossip about "unique Items" that got special magical propertys (use the unique enchantment rules from digital grimoir for a quest involving an artifact maybe?, maybe it's just people talking crap because "the zone" is mysterious)
- the zone is also a smuggling shortcut for the russian mob

Does anyone else have any suggestions what chernobyl has become in the year 2070?
I'd love to create a campaign involving deserted areas like that

EDIT:
I've tried myself in making a map for chernobyl in the year 2070
The map of the Reactor Block 4 and Pripyat belong to the stalker game series and are their property.


- The Military border is heavily guarded with a wall and patrol drones. Military personal comes only if the drones get alerted.
- There's also a military outpost to stufy paracritters, materials and the reactor with it's spirits.
- Checkpoint KIR is the only way to enter Chernobyl from Russia. Only other way would be to try to enter from Ukraine (top of the map)
- In Pripyat Town are some Squatters but most inhabitants are Toxic Shamans that try to spread the radiation and worship the free ghost inhabitating reactor block 4 where the radiation is still fatal.
- In the middle of the red forest is an insect hive that lives next to paracritters and mutated flora
- Red Forest is still heavily radiated and the soil is contaminated. Not advised to enter without any protection radiation gear.
- Inside the red forest lives a wild spirit, defending the forest and the paracritters inside from any harm. Military Scientists fail to banish him and aren't able to enter a big part of the forest
- Squatter Town is a small outpost for homeless people and treasure hunters. The military has tried several times to clear the area but they face heavy resistance from toxic shamans, squatters, treasure hunters and the spirits living there.
- Toxic shamans raid squatter town sometime to gather people for possesion spirits.

I will expand my "ideal version" of Chernobyl in the year 2070 and try to make a PDF with backgroundstory etc. for it
If you want to contribute then feel free to give me your ideas!
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I amused by the idea of some toxic spirits (of nature, earth, etc.) having a territory war with the bug spirits.
"We might be toxic, but that's because of the area we live in, but those bug spirits! They're invaders!"
"We might be bug spirits, but at least we're trying to clean the place up! Those toxic guys are polluting the land!"

The SOX is better suited for such purposes, since it's mostly what you describe here.

SOX?

Sarre-lOrraine-luXemburg.

It's the place around the Cattenom nuclear power plant. The plant had a radiation leak in 2008 (IIRC) and it led to the creation of the SOX, a zone surrounded by a wall. It has pretty much all you can expect from such a setting. It's part Stalker, part Fallout (and of course part Shadowrun).

German and French books have been released. Each share the same description of the place but each one has a different campaign. There has been no English translation so far.

It should be safe for habitation outside the fence IIRC. The really hot stuff has a short half-life. The stuff with a long half-life is not particularly radioactive. Some animals might still not be safe to eat. These depends on things like "what value of 'safe' are you using". The typical modern western standards wouldn't tend to be used in SR world.

Well I love the mystical setting of good ol' russia and chernobyl but SOX sounds pretty bad ass too
Luckily I'm from Switzerland so I'm a native german speaking person. Need to order that SOX book!

Thanks for all the replies

Technically speaking it has everything, but it's missing one key ingredient: it's 100% less Soviet than Chernobyl. You might actually find the old Hammer and Sickle somewhere in the Chernobyl zone.

I seem to have read something about Chernobyl in one of the recent books. Spy Games or CT maybe? Something about odd things happening there.

Edit- In CT Chernobyl is rumored to be a site where there are dragon eggs and radioactive spirits.

That can't be a good combination.

Depends who you ask. I think Russia needs more dragons that spew radioactive green fire. Some may get really big and stomp around Tokyo!

A batch of radioactive, toxic influenced baby dragons??? Can anyone say Godzilla??? Just don't call them Godzuki, lol.

Dang it Dr. Rock beat me to it, lol

We're talking about France. Don't you watch Fox News? We're SOCIALISTS!!!

Don't know why, but russia has a special kind of charm for me. I rather send my runners into ex-UDSSR Soviet region than to france ...... i hate france

Either way, for those who speak german or french well enough, SOX is worth the purchase I.M.O.

The german and french versions of the book have different mini-campaigns in them though - both which look alright, as far as I can tell with my limited grasp of either language.

Alright, fine. It's 85% less Soviet!

Somebody said they were :/

Maybe if I get really really bored and have some time left from studying for my mid terms I will come up with a custom story etc. for chernobyl similar to SOX sourcebook. If I ever finish it, I will share it with everyone on Dumpshock as opensource

SOX 100% a cool region to play runs ... but everyone knows russia is 140% cool

The Sox-Book is really nice too . . *hides*
Also, we already have one maybe toxic twisted radioactive great dragon . . . Feuerschwinge/Firewing

I really wish more of the german stuff was made available for the english-speaking market... *sigh*

It can't be that hard (or expensive) to hire a translator and then release them as PDF only. I mean its like hacking a commlink for the paydata its an automatic reflex.

It's not that.
It's the legalese part of the copy rights bullshit.

Shoot the lawyers?

Today I had some fun with google maps and different overlays and created a "prototype map" for Pryp'yat and the chernobyl reactor. Don't expect too much sinche I've only put about 1 hour of work into it but it's a start for my campaign
The streets align perfectly between the layers but somehow googlemaps other marks like water are a little off.

I've put some work into with Inkscape and drew all the roads and dirtroads I could find for Pryp'yat and Chernobyl, hope you guys like it
I also found some maps of the reactor block 4 and the town of pripyat (copyright by the makers of the stalker game)
(Feel free to use it for your own games if you want to send your runners into there )



EDIT: Updated my first post with more information

Hm, that might also make a fine setting for a generic factory compound. Saved!

If you like those maps then visit this stalker game fanpage
Stalker Fanpage

They got maps off all the places from the stalker games and even maps without any hints on them. Very usefull for shadowrun campaigns

I researched the SOX a bit for a write-up on MET2000 I was doing, and it would be tough place to do a run, seeing as there's both a MET2000 force, an AGS force and corporate mages on call stand-by protecting the surrounding world from the many toxic spirits wanting out.