In this review we are pleased to tell you about Borg of Pripyat, the new incarnation that Collettivo Antracite wanted to give to Dawn of Pripyat, his first role-playing game. First of all we want to thank Sergio and Stefano Trenna for sending us a digital copy of the manual.
You can buy Borg of Pripyat on Collettivo Antracite’s digital store, at a cost of 29.90 euros for the physical version, with the PDF included. The digital version alone can be purchased for 15.50 euros. The game also has a decent section of downloadable materials, also valid for the original game. Among these there is also the possibility of making your experience interactive with the official setting.
Review of Borg of Pripyat: the Manual
Borg of Pripyat is a 160-page manual, slim and practical to consult. Indispensable, also because it is one volume full of tables, essential for the nature of the game. However, it absolutely does not feel heavy, especially because the manual has found a perfect balance in its graphic design.
Reaching a compromise between the metalpunk aesthetic of borg-like games and the artistic style of Collettivo Antracite it wasn’t easy, but the result was impeccable. Acidity and brutality blend perfectly, without imbalances, making the volume very unpleasant, but in the good sense desired by those who designed it.
A System Change
Borg of Pripyat, as anticipated, is a conversion of Dawn of Pripyat give it Year Zero Engine to the system Dark City. Two hugely successful game systems, both born in Sweden under the wing of Free League, and both available via SRD. The first version of the game took advantage of a game engine that places great emphasis on resource management. This has allowed good success in crowdounding which in turn has earned Collettivo Antracite a niche in the panorama of Italian RPGs.
The choice to transform it into a borg-like has obviously changed the focus of the game, moving it towards greater dynamism and on a more grotesque style. To get a more precise idea of Dawn of Pripyat it can be useful read our review.
Review of Mechanics of Borg of Pripyat
The ruleset of Borg of Pripyat it’s extremely simple, the strong point of all borg-likes. Its mechanics embody the principles of the games Old School Reinassance, recovering linearity without superstructures. The game makes extensive use of random tables, ready for any occasion, also integrating mechanics for managing radiation contamination. In particular, the paranormal powers, which were one of the most interesting points of the first version of the game, have been adapted very effectively.
There are ten gameplay options for the characters (as per game tradition OSR, this allows for completely random character creation). Fighter or Criminal, Telecommunications Expert or Explorer, Doctor, Negotiator, Rebel, Scientist or Technician. A more in-depth passage deserves the Skelet, a human radically changed by radiation whose abilities are directly linked to paranormal powers.
The Setting of the Game
The setting of Borg of Pripyat remains unchanged compared to the original from which it was taken. It’s about a post-apocalyptic dystopia in which the Soviet Union never collapsed thanks to eridite. This alien material allowed the USSR to have a highly advanced energy source, but with devastating side effects on the environment and living creatures.
The game unfolds through the streets of the abandoned city of Pripyat, where the danger of stumbling upon ancestral and perverse secrets is no less than that of more lethal and immediate threats. Factions and interest groups weave their own plots to pursue their own goals, and the PCs risk being trapped in their deadly nets.
Conclusions of the Review of Borg of Pripyat
Borg of Pripyat it is certainly a particular editorial operation. Courageous, in some ways, because it is not obvious who she loved Dawn of Pripyat are also interested in this second version. Because it must be admitted that at such a short distance of time, the risk of overlaps is very high. AND Dawn of Pripyat it is certainly based on a game system which, while maintaining freshness and simplicity, is still more structured and allows for a game that offers greater depth.
The new version does however succeeds in its aim of giving a new perspective, a different way of experiencing the same game without betraying its spirit. More suitable for quick and one shot sessions, or in any case short campaigns, Borg of Pripyat it still deserves a place in the bookstore next to Dawn of Pripyat both for those who loved the latter and for those who are fond players of Borg-like games.
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