So, if you have ever watched, played, read or heard of the STALKER Series, Metro 2033 or Roadside picnic and their respective novels, movies and video games than you will get the basic concept.

Basic Plot:
Immediately following the Japanese Earthquake in 2011 the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was severely crippled by the resulting Tsunami. The meltdown and explosions of the reactors caused an exclusion zone to be created around the plant. The residents evacuated during the Tsunami were not allowed to return, the potential for radioactive exposure too serious to allow human habitation. Everything was left as it was, the Tsunami damage, the state people left their houses a still life picture brought to life.

Two years later the Fukushima by unknown means suffered a second crippling explosion. The blowout incident further reinforced the restrictions inside the Zone of Exclusion as rumors of mutated creature and dangerous anomalies began to appear. Travel by vehicle or aircraft became almost impossible as the radiated, warped and twisted landscape rejected humanity. The Nuclear Plant is abandoned by it's skeleton crew after attempts by the Self Defense Forces to regain entry to the facility all ended up disaster.

Soon though, people who were brave enough to explore the Zone discover precious artifacts. Items that held amazing, almost magic power to effect their surroundings and their users. From curing cancers or freezing time. These artifacts sell for huge profits, they attract the attention of scientists and investors, governments and militaries world wide.

The only people able to navigate the Zone safely are so-called STALKER's. Adventurers that are able to skirt around the dangers, hiking deep into the dangerous zone to find these artifacts. The most daring believe the most valuable artifacts lie within the NPP it's self and even a rumor that a Wish Granter exists in the reactor core able to grant any wish.

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Further details, atmosphere:

It's unsettling in a few ways and shares many similarities with Chernobyl. In Chernobyl people had a bit of a warning, they knew about the evacuation, took stuff with them, shut the doors and locked the windows. In Fukushima everyone literally had 15 minutes to run as far as they could before the Tsunami hit, leaving EVERYTHING behind.

Japanese Society, unlike in the Ukraine is a little different. Chernobyl became the victim of looting, vandalism. In Japan, it's literally the same exact way as people left it. The stores still have shelves and shelves of food and product on them for example.

Also Chernobyl as a city and all the surrounding villages were left intact. In Japan some towns were left too, spared, especially further away from the shore but the closer you get to the coast and NPP the more warped the landscape becomes. Fields of mangled cars, collapsed buildings, abandoned boats two miles inland and so on. And another unsettling thing is a lot of the infastructure still survived. So the lights still come on, the power still works.. things that were left on when people ran away may still be powered up today.

Pictures for setting reference material:


Mutated animals native to Japan replace the typical ones, radiated blind dogs with eyes fused shut for example.
Because of the nature of Japan as a country everything is, different. There is less an importance on firearms, as Japan largely bans them. It's more about exploration, discovery, atmosphere and maybe fear, a bit of stealth. Much of the combat would be hand to hand with improvised weapons.

The NPP of course is the goal of all STALKER's but the closer you get, the more violent it gets, the destroyed landscape rejects you, anomalies are abundant and the environment becomes unstable. The fact that the NPP is on the coast means maybe there could be interesting mutants around the coast as well.

Anomalies can range from violent dangerous ones, cracks that form under your feet, causing you fall in and become crushed or lodged too far down for rescue. Or something unsettling and creepy. TV's turning one by themselves, the sound of people, glimpses of the past, the future, doorways that once passed bring you somewhere you did not intend to go and so on. I want to keep some of the good ideas to myself as a surprise.

SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!!! I love how you're taking creative license with Fukushima being used as another Zone.

You know any friends? Send them my way. I'll do this with just one or two people but you know, however many you want.

There was a D&D-based game based on the Roadside Picnic lore and it had a brief description of the Japan Zone featuring a bunch of crazy anomalies and ideas. They fit perfectly into the real-life Fukushima and it's a really good, new contrast to the usual STALKER stuff.

I mean, with STALKER/Roadside it's all about nature retaking humanity, empty buildings, rotting, decaying, collapsing, twenty years and everything is rusty, everything is depressing.

In the Fukushima Zone it's only been 2-5 years. Buildings intact, fully furnished and lived in, suddenly abandoned like a tragic still life painting. Some buildings still have electricity, some are in perfect condition inside and out. It's not the same depressing, decaying atmosphere. In a way, it's more heart breaking. You go to Chernobyl, all buildings are empty, decayed, the people had two days to evacuate and in Japan they had 15 minutes. You go into a building and oranges still sit in a bowl, rotting. The children's uniforms hang off the wall, ready for the next day of school. Slippers lined up neatly at the door. Just.. it's a different kind of eerie and I like it.

I have sent you a PM.

Wow, this sounds great, count me in. Except, why are you making it so much like the original STALKER? (wish granter, STALKER's being called STALKER's...)

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obfusc8 said
Wow, this sounds great, count me in. Except, why are you making it so much like the original STALKER? (wish granter, STALKER's being called STALKER's...)

Because this is just an interest check and all I wanted to do was throw the idea out there and see what people thought. We can change things around all we want, take creative license and adapt things for the country and culture so it all fits into place better. I want it to be STALKER-esque but at the same time different. But it's easier for me to write "STALKER Supernatural" and immediately people who like STALKER and know of the setting come to see what's going on. If all I wrote was "Supernatural RP" it was get an entirely different audience like the witches, vampire and werewolf crowds.

Possible Locations:


The Owari - 終わり
Literally translated as "The End" this is the border to the Fukushima Exclusion Zone. Initially during the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station the spread of radioactive material was partially halted at the Western Aizu mountains. The border of the Zone begins just East of these mountains and the towns of Fukushima and Koriyama. The Exclusion Zone encompasses 12 Miles around the NPP which is significantly smaller than the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Owari marks the limits of the Exclusion Zone where the National Police Agency and Japanese Defense Forces barricades and roadblocks begin. During the first meltdown event security along The Owari was notoriously light, after the second meltdown the cordon was reinforced with more personal and material. Many roads that were once passable in the early days of the Exclusion Zone are now impassable checkpoints of chain-link fence and razor wired patrolled by the Defense Forces. Officially the new defensive posture was adopted to keep people out of the Exclusion Zone to prevent looting. The response is rumored in reaction to a demographic of people trespassing into the Zone as adventurers and treasure hunters. Even more unsettling still is the rumors that perhaps the Owari was restructured to keep something inside the Exclusion Zone.

Kawamata - 川俣町
Kawamata is a town located in the Date District and is the Western Most territory of The Zone with a population of 15,010 in 2011 and was not evacuated following the first meltdown event at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Station as it was considered a 'Green Zone' where radiation was within acceptable limits, certain districts of the town were evacuated but largely remained in operation up until the 2014 meltdown when the local rivers Hirose and the Isazawa became contaminated by radioactive debris, compromising the water supply.

Iitate Village - 飯舘村
Located in the Sōma District it is the Northern most territory of the Exclusion Zone Iitate previously hosted a population of 6,858 people. On 22 April 2011 the worsening conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station prompted the Japanese Government to permanently evacuate the area. Unlike residents closer to the coast the Tsunami did not reach this far inland leaving the infrastructure mostly intact with the biggest damages resulting from Earthquake damage. Citizens of this territory had enough time to perform a proper evacuation.

Namie Town - 浪江町
Located in the Futaba District Namie is a large territory in the center of the Exclusion Zone. The area and it's 22,068 residents were hastily evacuated during the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami. This is the where severe Tsunami damage begins, with approximately half of the district having been directly impacted by the wave.

Futaba - 双葉町
Futaba Town is an abandoned city in the Futaba District, South of Namie. An estimated population of 7,406 lived there prior to the 2011 disaster which destroyed 90% of all houses. Residents of Futaba had approximately fifteen minutes to evacuate inland or to higher ground prior to the Tsunami and due to the meltdown they were never allowed to return to what remained. Due to the worsening conditions at Fukushima Daiichi not all bodies have been recovered and clean-up efforts have been suspended indefinitely.

Okuma Ōkuma - 大熊町
Located in Futaba District Okuma is the town in the shadow of Fukushima Daiichi with a population of 11,515 before the disaster. The Tsunami washed away the entire town leaving a massive debris field miles wide. The metldown at the NPP further hampered recovery and clean-up efforts. Few people have laid eyes on this region of the Exclusion Zone and it's said to be one of the most dangerous and unstable areas outside of the NPP it's self with the landscape and debris field constantly shifting and moving.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant - 福島第一原子力発電所
On march 11th 2011 the Earthquake and Tsuanmi overwhelmed the Fukushima Daiichi Power Station causing a cascading failure of safety equipment and a uncontrollable chain-reaction which resulted in the partial meltdown and explosion of reactor 1, 2 and 3. The radioactive release promoted the area surrounding the plant to be evacuated. The plant was thought to be stabilized when in 2014 for unknown reasons a runaway reaction occurred resulting in secondary explosions in reactor 1, 2 and 3 spreading even more radioactive material throughout the area. All personnel at the plant were lost and all attempts to regain entry to the plant have ended tragically. The reactors continue to release radioactive material although the Japanese Government insists it has been primarily focused within the 12 mile Exclusion Zone and thus as been left to it's own fate until the Government can devise a way to reach the plant and stabilize the reaction or seal the reactors.

[WORK IN PROGRESS I'LL BE UPDATING THIS AS I WORK]

Possible Factions:

National Police Agency - 警察庁
The Japanese Police work in cooperation with the Defense Forces to maintain the Owari. They're not particularly well-armed under normal circumstances and will not usually venture very far into the Zone. The only exception of this is the Criminal Investigation Bureau which recently has been taken in active part in trying to curb the recent influx of trespassers in The Zone by conducting undercover operations to infiltrate the larger Sutoka groups which have begun to become an ever increasing presence inside the Zone. It's not uncommon for new Sutoka's to meet their contact hoping for safe and discreet passage past the Owari only to find themselves being arrested by an undercover detective.

Japanese Self Defense Force - 自衛隊
The Defense Forces are the military forces of Japan. In the Fukushima Zone they're primarily responsible for maintaining the Owari. In certain instances they may be seen entering the Exclusion Zone to provide armed security and transport for various other organizations such as The United Nations Nuclear Energy Commission or to support the small presence of Japanese Scientists inside the Zone. The prior attempts following the 2014 meltdown to reestablish control over the Nuclear Daiichi Nuclear Power Station all ended in disastrous failure and at the cost of human lives and has since been abandoned. On rare occasions they have been known to enter The Zone to participate in anit-Sutoka raids and operations.

Stuoka - ストーカー
After the 2011 meltdown there has always been a group drawn to the Exclusion Zone. The curious, the journalists, scientists, tourists and thrill seekers, prior to the 2014 they had been mostly tolerated and found access to the Exclusion Zone easy as travel restrictions were nearly non-existent at the time. The second meltdown changed the demographic. More than ever people are drawn by The Zone. Some feel unexplained, spiritual connections that compel them to enter The Zone. Others are explorers, adventurers who want to explore the Fukushima Zone as it's landscape begins to change. Some outlaws find sanctuary inside The Zone such as the infamous Yakuza. The most common type of Stuoka are the treasure hunters. The rumored priceless artifacts being discovered in the Zone draw them in, venturing deep into the Zone to find increasingly more valuable and rare artifacts. The most valuable artifacts are said to be in the Fukushima Daiichi Plant it's self, though no Stuoka has ever successfully made the journey to return.

Yakuza - ヤクザ
Almost all criminals fall into the Yakuza chain of command one way or another. Be it a lone bandit that has to pay his respect to the local Yakuza boss are a well oiled organization with rank and status the Yakuza control a lot of the goings on inside the Zone. They're the ones that are able to bribe and pay off guards, locate back doors into the Zone, negotiate the sale of artifacts on the black market, smuggle equipment in and out of checkpoints and so on. It's practically a requirement for a typical Stuoka to deal with the Yakuza in some capacity or another and that relationship is even more important when you're in the Zone for the intention of ill gains. Rival clans and gangs will engage in open hostilities with one another and have no reservation with using violent means to control their territory, artifacts and money within in it.

Japanese Scientific Advancement Society - 日本学術振興会
The Japanese Scientific Advancement Society is a private think-tank that was involved in the aftermath of the first meltdown. They took readings and measurements, soil and water samples, advised the Government and local authorities and possible plans of actions to reduce the effects of the radioactive release. After the second meltdown the organization saw a sudden influx of funding from corporations and government agencies to conduct research into the Zone. They have support of the Defense Force and are often seen conducting security for their field research stations.

Cultists - 崇拝
Japan has had some experience with dangerous cults in their history. It seems natural that a disaster on the scale of the Earthquake, Tsunami and resulting Nuclear meltdowns would attract the attention of those with questionable ideology. Outside and within the Zone exist cults of varying degree of commitments to their beliefs. Some of the more radical have erected themselves temples inside of the Exclusion Zone away from authorities where they can perform any manner of worship by any means they desire. There are neutral cults that prefer self-destruction of themselves through self inflicted exposure to radiation and dangerous one that wouldn't think twice about kidnapping a lone Stuoka for their own purposes.. whatever they may be.

Hibakusha - 被爆者
Originally a term used in the aftermath of the atomic bombings during World War II the term Hibakusha has found new use as a term to describe those whom still live inside the Exclusion Zone. Though they are not numerous there are a handful of people who remained behind for various reasons. Some refused to give up their homes, some look after abandoned pets and so on. They're typically the elderly, the forgotten. Sometimes they're direct victims of the nuclear disaster, mutations and deformities forcing them out of mainstream society, right back to where their torment began to live a life of isolation, usually alone and sometimes in small shunned villages. The Hibakusha are largely docile and prefer to be left alone.

I like this idea a lot, what system will be used for this though?

Unsure on that. This my interest check so I can brainstorm.

I figured that it would be like:
* GM posts describing the setting, some items in the area and the actions and dialog of NPC's and stuff of that nature.
* The others post what they're going to do, talking to one another IC and all that.
* Once all the players or most of them post I'll put up another reply describing new areas, reactions and so on.

But, within reason players can moderate themselves in typical RP-fashion. Like, if the players are sitting in a room just talking about their next plan I don't have to keep posting "The room smells funny. The lights get dimmer" they just keep posting until they do something that requires my involvement. Like entering a brand new area, or engaging in some sort of combat.

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Interested! PM to shortly follow!

I would say that there should be some extra creative license taken into this RP. I tried to start my own STALKER RP before the site shut down in December, and I made it abundantly clear that I would keep most of the important details; the anomalies, mutants, artifacts, etc. but I would tweak it, add more to it and remove a few things that didn't fit with the storyline, of which I did have (sort of). I'm not trying to tell you how to run yours, but creative license would add a certain flavor to the world of STALKER. I mean, it's already fairly ambiguously defined, you can toy with it a lot and still get the same basic concept. That's part of why I love it so much, there's tons of potential to take the idea of STALKER and make it your own.

Just adding my input. Do whatever you want with it, I'm just glad another STALKER RP finally popped up. :D

Just curious, will the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone exist at the same time this RP takes place?

Interested, saw the STALKER and was drawn in. :)

I've already got a character concept in the making. Just give us a system to start working with and I'll get to work on a CS.

I'll upgrade this to an OCC thread in the next day or two so just keep watching this thread and I'll post the link at some point.

Interested as well.

Lexibon said
I'll upgrade this to an OCC thread in the next day or two so just keep watching this thread and I'll post the link at some point.

I think you know we're going to. :P

*ahem* Still interested.