Posted November 15, 2020 by Jason Tocci
Inspired by Roadside Picnic and Annihilation, Zone is a game about scavengers, scientists, and soldiers exploring an area on Earth where the laws of nature appear to have been broken.
If that sounds familiar coming from me, it's because it's a micro-RPG take on the same setting as my Into the Odd-based game, QZ. Some of the content in this has actually been adapted directly from QZ, including most of the items in the pared-down list of character Alterations. Much of the other content was written anew for this game, though, including several contacts, encounters, and anomalies. It also features origin options for characters, so you can choose to start as an out-of-towner (brought in for their noteworthy skills), a local (who already knows more folks in town), or a refugee (who starts the game trying to hide how they've already been altered by the Zone).
Compared to other 2400 games, this one probably offers less explicit direction for how to get started and find interesting things to do. I'm hoping it'll be obvious that your contacts should provide you with "quests" options, but it might be wise to look at other 2400 games (and the Principles in Emergency Rules) if you're feeling a little lost about how to proceed, and could use some more context.