Deep Dive: Russia 2028 - Part Four: Preparing the Game (The Meat and Potatoes)

    You're finally versed in the background knowledge needed to run a game in this world and setting. First, you need to choose a faction for the group to play as. Unlike in the video game series, there are few scavengers and no universal alliance between them. Savages and Bandits are the two classifications of "scavengers", with the former being cutthroat loner types and the latter being organized crime gangs.

    In addition to what's listed above, players could play as the two main PMC factions, some abandoned RUAF, or even UNTAR soldiers trying to keep the peace in Tarkov. These further options give players more leniency in starting equipment, as most savages don't have a good selection of gear.

    Other things to consider when making characters and a campaign are what the group's goals are, who they know, as they won't know most or any of the known traders, if they are working for someone inside or outside the zone, what languages they know, etc. Some starting connections that the group might have would most likely be Prapor for BEAR PMCs and Raiders, Fence for Savages and Bandits, and Skier/Peacekeeper for USEC PMCs.

    A group of elite BEAR PMCs trying to bust TerraGroup even after they were cut off from command would have access to much more informational resources, weaponry, and supplies than a scavenger team of civilians. A BEAR PMC might toss away a half-broken AK-12, but that same AK-12 could be a blessing from the heavens for a bandit who is passing by and down on his luck.

    Books and material you might want for a Russia 2028 campaign are the obvious High-Tech and Tactical Shooting books, but also Action 1 & 7 are great. After the End 1 and the Pyramid 3 Magazine Articles The Last Gasp (PY44:4), Survivable Guns (PY44:36), Modern Warfighter: Gear (PY57:4), Fashion Forward (PY100:24), and Realistic Injury (PY100:32).

    Finally, the goal is not always to "escape from Tarkov". Try out different goals, or work your way towards escaping Tarkov. Maybe you're a group of grimy criminals trying to start a smuggling empire within the zone, or perhaps a more unrealistic campaign where you are gunslinging westerners trapped in the zone after a hotel stay went wrong? I am working on writing the final part of the deep dive, about the lore building up to the events of 2028 in the Norvinsk Region, but I am not quite done, I apologize.