We are pleased to return to Collective Anthracite‘s work presenting Shadow of Pripyat, the first official expansion of Dawn of Pripyat RPG, in this review.
I would like to personally thank the authors, Stefano Trenna and Sergio Trenna for sending us a digital copy of this volume. I would also like to point out that, should you wish to purchase it, you can find it directly in the publisher’s store at 25 euros for the digital copy and 49 euros for the physical copy.
The manual contains the Dawn of Pripyat Explorer expansion and four ready-to-play adventures.
Aesthetics Review of Shadow of Pripyat
The aesthetics of Shadow of Pripyat follow that of the core manual, thus maintaining organicity and consistency. Once again we have light pages alternating with dark ones, with the font changing from white to black to be perfectly legible. Once again we find a graphically beautiful product, with a rhythmic logic that alternates images, text and tables with care and precision.
All images are digital reworkings of various material created by the authors. Once again, they are able to convey the atmospheres of the game clearly and without frills without ever being excessively ‘realistic’. In short, one has the impression of looking at the places narrated through a red mist, the one generated by the fragment of Eridite that fell on Chernobyl in this setting.
Unlike the basic manual, I found a few typing errors; nothing, however, that detracts from the pleasure of reading or playing. The writing is fluent, the pace brisk and you never get the impression that you are dealing with information that is not timely and essential.
Explorer: an Incredible Excursion into Game Territories
The first 130 pages of Shadow of Pripyat are entirely dedicated to expanding the game world. Every detail is extremely thorough without being redundant or excessive. The authors have achieved this by also introducing the large cities of Moscow and Kiev. This section describes not only the territories, but also the environmental threats found there. Among them, mention must certainly be made of the red mist, highly toxic, mutagenic and originating in the crater where the largest fragment of Eridite fell.
For each area, places of interest, its socio-political organisation and even urban legends are indicated. In short, each page is, in itself, a cue for an intriguing new adventure.
Also in this expansion, as in the original manual, the socio-political analysis is given due prominence. There are therefore no breaks either in style or in the depth of the information provided to the players. In this way, the volume is also perfectly organic within the editorial line.
New Threats and Artifacts
Inside Shadow of Pripyat as many as 70 pages are devoted to threats, divided into 6 categories.
The following are introduced: 13 human-derived mutants, 12 animal-derived mutants, a good number of ghosts, human enemies, mutated (and non-human) fauna and new feal forms.
Each type of menace has its own, highly evocative illustration, its own description and a dedicated table with all the information you need to integrate them into your adventures
I found particularly interesting the Bomers, a kind of bomb mutants who, when deeply wounded, can literally explode. Other very interesting creatures are the Nablyudat, spectres also known as ‘Watchers’ that appear reflected on the windows of abandoned houses or on metal surfaces.
At the end of this section is a conspicuous number of artefacts generated by the Feals or Anomalies. These are small, strange objects conferring various beneficial properties on those who possess them. Completing the material at the master’s disposal is a series of tables that serve to generate random encounters and adventure cues.
Four Intense Adventures to Play
The remaining 100 pages of the volume collect 4 complete adventures to immerse yourself in the setting and be completely captivated by it. As always, when it comes to presenting adventures to you, I always try not to make spoilers so as not to spoil your reading and gaming experience.
- Chernobyl – The Red Mist: Professor Kornienko and the Krae are conducting dangerous research into Chernobyl’s deadly red mist, a mysterious and potentially devastating phenomenon. Players, as infiltrators from Rassvet, will have to steal valuable information from the Krae’s science centre.
- Operation Donskaya: In this world full of danger and deception, a group of Rassvet infiltrators must venture into the Alienation Zone to stop the Krae’s plans. However, their fate is tied to that of Elena Nikolaev, the leader known as ‘the flower woman’.
- Semey’s Exodus: After a failed operation, the characters (Rassvet agents) find themselves prisoners in a Krae bunker in Semey. Here they are used as guinea pigs for the terrible Sovrask serum, designed to control mutants. They must try to escape during a sudden attack.
- The Scientist of Pripyat: Players take on the role of Rassvet saboteurs, tasked with stopping Professor Rudolph Podolski, a Krae scientist obsessed with the mutagenic effects of Eridite.
Each adventure is written very coherently and follows an act structure that allows it to be handled easily even by the less experienced master. We can also find pre-generated character sheets, while maps can be downloaded free of charge from the dedicated area on the publisher’s website.
Conclusion of Shadow of Pripyat Review
In conclusion, I can confirm that Shadow of Pripyat is an excellent complement to the already excellent role-playing game Dawn of Pripyat.
The quality is still very high, making it a benchmark for independent publishing. Elegant and at the same time practical, it cleverly expands on a setting that was already very intriguing to begin with.
If you already have the basic manual, I highly recommend expanding your gaming possibilities with this expansion. If, on the other hand, you do not have the basic manual, this is an excellent opportunity to give yourself a game that is really worth having in your collection.
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