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Author Topic: [Burger Games] At long last, the English translation of Stalker RPG is released  (Read 1007 times)

NiTessine

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The Stalker roleplaying game has finally been released in English.

Originally written in Finnish and released in 2008 by Ville Vuorela, the game is based on Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's classic science fiction novel Roadside Picnic and published by Burger Games. It is the first game to feature the diceless Flow system. Helsingin Sanomat, the largest daily newspaper in Finland, hailed Stalker as the best Finnish RPG of all time.

Though science fiction, the game is set now, today. Thirteen years ago, the Visitation created six Zones around the world. They are areas where the laws of nature no longer apply. The very chains of causality may be broken. Gravity and temperatures fluctuate, poisonous gases float over the landscape, and strange, unearthly creatures wander the land. They are watched over by the Institute, which is responsible for researching the Zones and guarding them, keeping the curious, the foolhardy and the criminal out. It is corrupt and its guard shoot first and ask questions later.

Despite the danger, some do go into the Zones. There is treasure to be had - the artifacts of the Zones are strange and alien, but possess powers that in a less enlightened age would have been called magic. There is a bustling black market in these items, and where there is demand, there is supply - the stalkers. Some do it out of greed, some because of thrills, a few because of a mystical affinity to the Zones. Romanticized in fiction and hunted by the law, they explore the Zones and discover their secrets. They are modern-day outlaws, living on the edge. Most die young.

Stalker presents Zone France, an urban desolation located in what used to be the city of Toulouse. Weird creatures and mutated beasts stalk the ruins, and what remains of the city is inhabited by the disenfranchised and the impoverished. Crime is rampant. The Institute patrols the border, but the border is long, the guards are few, and a determined team can easily get through into the Zone. In the end, the Zone is its own best guard.

The English translation also contains details on Zone Japan, originally released in the Burger Games designer blog.

Buy the PDF at DriveThruRPG and join our Facebook group to talk about it!

Burger Games is currently investigating print on demand options.

Lawbag

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Reminds me a little of TORG.
 
Always interested to see new diceless games and how their rules work.
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The Yann Waters

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Quote from: Lawbag;521199
Reminds me a little of TORG.

Hmm... I'd say the similarities are pretty much limited to known reality going haywire in certain parts of modern-day Earth. Genre-wise, Stalker is more of a mixture between dystopian SF horror and gritty crime drama. The existence of the Zones has changed the world, but the area that they actually cover is relatively small: the largest of the six is located in China, with a diameter of 122 kilometers.
Previously known by the name of "GrimGent".

Lorrraine

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This looks very interesting. Given the price of the PDF, I'm going to wait to see if they make a print version available before I buy. Still, I'm always pleased to see another diceless game become available in English.