Love the "Why I like it" format. Look forward to more like this.

I absolutely adore Roadside Picnic & I've had Zona Alfa sitting on my shelf for ages but I just have never gotten around to playing it. You've convinced me to buy a few cold war style soldiers to start working on a crew!

Love that overview. I'd rather reviewers tell me what they love (or hate) about a game system than attempt to give a neutral 'what's in the box/book' style. The fact that you took the time to do a video about 'why I like it' tells me it's worth checking out.

I've enjoyed the few Osprey little blue book games I've picked up. They lean towards beer n pretzels instead of simulationist style or convoluted tournament oriented games. And that's much to my tastes these days.

This kind of video is great. Putting more obscure stuff into the spotlight is awesome for us and also the product.

Also check out Stalker, the classic Soviet sci fi movie from the 70s. The screenplay was written by the authors of Roadside Picnic.

"What are you doing with that Warhound Titan?" "You said that the game was Miniatures agnostic and I could use any I wanted."

Diggin' this line of videos. Also, I'm 100% behind role-playing in tabletop gaming. My buddies and I find ourselves narrating the cooler moments in any tabletop game...because it just adds a lot to the enjoyment. It's particularly good when it is involved with a campaign skirmish game - building up conflicts and stuff over several games.

I really love those videos, now I have to buy Zona Alfa and Space Weirdos :D One suggestion for the future: Maybe you could show some of your miniatures for the games or link us to some mini companies who produce fitting models? Thank you :)

....you know, I kind of want to pick this up and then use my Konflikt 47 guys to make a weird war skirmish game out of it.

I started my Zona Alfa collection end of last year and am really looking forward to my first games. As a big fan of Stalker and Metro I am in love with the setting and the more open rules and the fact that you basically have to improvise and kitbash your miniatures is very fun. If you dont want to use a lot of metal or resin miniatures and are looking for some good ol plastic sprues you can use, I really recommend the Project Z range of miniatures by Warlord Games. Especially the "Zombie Horde" Box will get you well enough Zombies and (with a nice glowy paintjob) Rad ghouls while you can use the "Spec Ops" Box to get a good plastic Soldier/Stalker/Bandit/Cultist Team together with some great modern military bitz. A very promising game system, always good to see larger tabletop youtubers review it so thanks! :)

The narrator of the audiobook is the late, great actor Robert Forster (Oscar nomination for his role in Tarantino's Jackie Brown). His vocal performance balances a tired, jaded outlook that swerves from deep cynicism to outright humanity. In my games I'm hoping to have more of a Roadside Picnic feel. Less of a "shoot 'em up" and more of the teams facing unknowable traps and horrors provided by the "Zone". This distinguishes Zona Alfa from a lot of the post-apocalyptic games. Oh ya, nice review!

After your video and 3 others, I picked up Zone Alfa. I’m blown away at how 64 pages has inspired me to make terrain again and I’ve already played a practice round with some proxy terrain. Hot damn.

This sounds perfect. I love the combo of skirmish, mini agnostic, and good story.

Bit off-topic: if you like Roadside Picnic, please take a look at other titles from the (terribly unknown) Strugatsky brothers: "Hard to be a god" has these somehow Turnip 28 vibes, and the incredible "The inhabited island" deserves a whole game for itself. Cheers!

I love that you're discussing lesser known/indie games. One in particular that I like is Fistful of Lead from Wiley Games. It's miniatures agnostic and has expansions for fantasy, sci-fi, and many historical settings. Definitely worth checking out.

Appreciate the reviews of late. Great addition to your content sir. Thanks for doing what you do!

Thank you for bringing light out into the miniatures gaming darkness! For those who do not wish to be force fed their gaming, this is definitely a game that allows for a great deal of creativity and flexibility. ZA is a game that should be more widely known - along with Roadside Picnic. Clean your AK, say a prayer to St. Strelok, and head into the Zone, comrades.

I have always loved the post-apocalyptic genre and Zona Alfa has been on my radar for a while, thanks for this "review"!

A good, affordable source for Zona Alfa models would be something like Warlord Games or Wargames Atlantic. Warlord, of course, has a bunch of WWII era kits in plastic, which can be used for sort of Cold War era surplus equipment. They also have their Konflict '47 kits, which might be used for monsters or for weirder tech levels that might come out of countries that have studied alien tech or dimensional anomalies. Wargames Atlantic has a few kits you can cannibalize for weapons, like their WWI/WWII kits. But I like their Cannon Fodder box, from the Death Fields line. 30 dudes in jumpsuits, optional backpacks full of stuff, optional gas masks/helmets. You could run them as lightly armored Stalkers, escaped prisoners, or the like. WA also sell a Death Fields weapon sprue, which includes a few more armaments and alternative gas mask heads, if you want more of that.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable video - I thought your enthusiasm and passion for the game really shone through! And even though I already have the game (and love it!), I found that enthusiasm infectious and it made me want to play a game this weekend. So thank you for that. I also loved the way you summed it up at the end - brilliant! This is the hobby at its best! I really like the miniatures agnostic angle as well - my Stalkers come from Lead Adventure (the minis in the book), Empress Miniatures, Pig Iron, Spectre, Hasslefree and Copplestone and my son uses some of his Infinity minis. My rad ghouls are Tyranid Genestealers, and I use the Ripper swarms instead of rats, plus Zombicide zombies. Now I just need to find a suitable BAM!

I picked up Zona Alfa out of curiosity, and the concept is really enticing. There's just enough backstory in the rulebook to give you a good foundation about what's going on story-wise. I'm really happy you mentioned Roadside Picnic, because it gives me a source that directly contributes to the game's environment. Now I just have to find a friend that wants tot try it out...

This is absolutely a game I've been keeping an eye on for the longest time, glad to see it getting some love!

This is why I watch this channel! Detailed semi reviews and new things!

Love the game and so glad to see more of it on here! The author is very active and always quick to answer questions. Great game and a lot of fun solo!

book ordered, thanks! Love your Videos and content, and your voice is easy to listen to, thanks for your nerd gaming!

Big agree on the Roadside Picnic Audiobook. Brilliant reading.

If you like model agnostic games you should try brutality Skirmish war game. It's got everything you mentioned but a ton more. You can use any models, it's any genre, and it truly is RPG light.

I love this game! I started playing it after watching one of Ash's videos on it. Thanks for doing this video!

Please cover more of the Bluebook series when you try them out.

These Osprey "blue book" games are all pretty great.

You and GW :) triggered me to delve into miniature agnostic skirmish games. Reading, watching some battle reports. My first impression of reading/watching stuff on Space Weirdos is very positive. Thanks!

I read Roadside Picnic decades ago, and bought another copy recently to re-read it. It's a fantastic book, and Zona Alfa looks like excellent fun.

I’m still building up the terrain and mini collection to really get into it, but I can’t wait. Had a few quick games and it’s good fun

Great segment. Glad to see another iteration of WILI

A very useful & informative review. Thank you very much. 😊👍

Really digging the "Why I like It"s so far👍

Game looks cheeki breeki. i'm in!

The stalker game series is one of the best Blyat! Love Zona Alfa, Duty squad rules all!

I have this rulebook and it is awesome. Stalker and Tarkov are some of my favorite games at the minute. Love the setting.

Great video. FYI the movie Stalker (based on Roadside Picnic) is on HBO Mac and can likely be digitally rented. It's a very eerie and faithful adaptation. Also, I HIGHLY recommend everyone check out another solo/co-op Todoroff game called Nightwatch. Amazon has it for $18.99. It starts "This is a game about killing monsters. All kinds, anywhere, anytime.". Though the setting is vaguely late middle ages, you can make it both minis and era agnostic. I'm now running a Pact with an Aztec warrior wielding a plasma chain gun, Medieval alchemist, modern day stage magician and futuristic robot with sword and board. Fantastic stuff.

Sure I’ll get a copy of that rulebook. Any tabletop game that’s easier than Warhammer that I can make a teenager play for me is with a shot

I've heard of Roadside Picnic, but never knew what it was about, apart from post apocalyptic, until this video. Your description and analogy to ants at a picnic sparked that one brain cell that told me to buy it now.

I bought that rulebook just 1 week ago, because I wanted to test out that scenario. So happy to hear that it should be good :) Can´t wait to test it in the next weeks.

i'm an huge fan of the stalker series game, really looking forward for stalker 2 Didnt know there were wargame for this will definitely try it out Thanks for showing it

Honestly the setting and lore sound amazing. I'll have to keep an eye for the novel.

Nice! Got the book but did not know about the soll rules. Ten-thousand-thx!!!

I just ordered a copy. I love the film Stalker and the Metro games. Thanks!

I played some Zona Alfa solo while in lockdown. It's a lot of fun but, as you say, there are rules that are... missing from the book which means you're having to basically make up rules yourself which isn't great for a product you paid for. That being said it's not egregious, there's a good framework of rules and the game is really good overall.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video games series is great source of terrain in Zona, ie. cities, factories, underground facilities, even half finished building in the middle of woods or swamps. And MOOD. Heavy, post-apo.

Sounds really good and I'll have to check it out!

I had read roadside picnic years ago gonna have to read it again and this game sounds great!

This is a great series Uncle A

Making up your own lore is always more fun. This also sounds great for me since I have an overwhelming amount of zombie and mutant minis and a cool treasure hunting Captain.

Would love to see you do up a little narrative battle report series with this, would be a lot of fun to meet your teams!

This game sounds very interesting, and I will have to check out Roadside Picnic! Thanks!

Splendid stuff. I have played Stalker before, on a very bad old PC that didn’t like it and complained about it while I was playing. I absolutely adore roadside picnic too; it’s one of my favourite books. Not being a massive player of TTGs but thoroughly enjoying content about them, this has piqued my interest! Hope I don’t get mangled! The solo aspect interests me a great deal. I shall have to check this one out.

I have always loved the STALKER and Metro games, but never been one for small skirmish tabletop games. But this I may have to check out.

I'm a huge fan of the Roadside Picnic book, the STALKER film and games, and Metro 2033... seems like the perfect miniatures game for me, thanks for the tip! :)

Zona Alfa is a great game, fast playing and you can develop a pretty cool exploration campaign game and is fun to play!

Haha, digging that t shirt

Just found out my local shop has the main Zona Alfa book for less than the publisher links, I'll have to grab it next time I'm downtown. It'd be great to just be able to throw down a game with whatever is on hand

I just bought the pdf this morning! I think it is a great niche theme to justify urban abandoned terrain, yet not totally totally destroyed as in 40k or gaslands...

You explained the background and ‘lore’ much better than the book does! 😅 It helps to know that even you found the gaps in the rules, I thought it was just me 😅

I've got 'A Billion Suns' which is a space ship games book also sold by Osprey. The rules have a similar vibe to them with the dice and rolling under plus you jump in trying to earn credits etc so there could be a theme with some of these rule books? I was looking at their other books for other types of games so will probably pick this one up now. I also have a couple of credits on Audible so Roadside Picnic has also been acquired.

ZA is a great little skirmish treasure hunt game, playable with any modern military or civilian, postapocalyptic, or zombie survivor miniatures

Those blue book games are some of the best you'll find..

i use it as solo and as a co-op but I found Five Parsecs from Home and I'm not even sure where my Zona Alpha book is now. Now I'm excited for it again so I have to go search the game piles in the basement.

For Zona Alfa minis, if someone is not going the more usual 28mm route (for example, because or money or space constraints) I strongly recommend buying those cheap 1/72 scale Red Box/Dark Alliance boxes. There's two different "stalkers" sets, each with 48 minis (so one box is more than enough for multiple warbands + bandits) and they also have a box of zombies, ideal for ghouls and mutants. You really can play this game without spending a lot of money!

My wife told me about Roadside Picnic because she thought I would enjoy it. Well, I ended up falling in love with the story and went down the rabbit hole of the Strugatsky Brothers. If you enjoyed that book check out Monday Begins on Saturday:)

I really love the Roadside Picnic story. I'm a very big fan of the Metro and Stalker series (The dev team for Metro used to work for the dev team for stalker). I've been considering picking up this game, and if I see it I'll probably be getting it. I've designed a lot of my paint schemes to kind of fit into this grungy underhive post-apocalyptic greasy gangster cultist vibe. I think that fits this game really well.

The Osprey blue books are such a good value. I played Ronin with just paper minis and it was an absolute blast. And that’s where Gaslands started too.

Had Zone Alfa on my wishlist for some time. maybe it's about time to get it. 😉 Thx.

Been watching Ash from Guerrilla Miniature Games play through this both in PvP and solo play and it looks fun as hell. Grabbed a copy and went right into gathering up some Copplestone Castings Future Wars miniatures for my stalkers. Plan to use many of my Reaper Bones monsters I use for This Is Not A Test as zone creatures.

This whole time I thought you were saying "Zone Alpha"

That shirt is pretty great!

damn I never knew! im actually making my own TTRPG with the same inspirations (plus a few others). I dont have anyone I would play zona with, but man I might paint the minis just for fun since I am getting back into it. Love stalker, Love Metro, love the post-apocalyptical Russia vibes of this genre.

Killer t-shirt!

I’ve tried to watch the movie Stalker but I have to be in the right mood & have the time for it. Never occurred to me to try to audiobook of Roadside Picnic, might grab that while painting today. I also wonder about putting these concepts into a fantasy game, or running a fantasy ttrpg where the only “magic” is artefacts from the zones.

if I had know zona alfa was basicly stalker the table top game I would have baught it ages ago. love stalker so much so if I can play it on the table top I will thanks 😊

somewhere around the four minute mark It struck me that Mordheim and Necromunda have a similar "team treasure hunt" vibe...in particular the weirdstone of mordheim is dangerous.

Oh good, the book I ordered a couple of hours ago is Uncle Atom approved!

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

you are the man uncle

This sounds amazing! You really sold the game and the short story. Osprey seems to be making a lot of skirmish games for different "genres". Do you think skirmish games work better for non-traditional settings and lore? Check out the Carbon Grey comic and RPG. This would make a great war game. Thanks!

A good listen. Liking the smaller games now cos I can get enthused about lots of 'teams/factions/groups' each with a different vibe. Check out 'Gray for Now' Test of Honour. Beautiful Samurai era small scale game.

oh hell yeah! I played a lot of zona alfa in 10mm /smaller scale with friends on release. I like it even better than Stargrave to be honest for a fun game night

Adam, have you seen the film Stalker (1979)? It's what that Roadside Picnic front cover image comes from, and the screenplay was written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky as an adaptation of Roadside Picnic. One of 7 films directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, widely recognised as one of the greatest directors of all time. It's verrrry arty, rather than a traditional sci-fi film. You probably have seen it if you're super into Roadside Picnic but thought it was worth mentioning!

that shirt is too good ;) love it!

Right on.

This is freaking crazy, I was just listening to Roadside Picnic before I watched this. I guess I have to get this now 😂 Aliens work in mysterious ways.

Nice!

Ashe,over on Guerrilla Miniature Games has done a few vids on Zona Alfa. You can see how game play goes. Once my Stalkers bubble up to the top of my To-Do list I'll be getting some games in myself.

I'm going to use Necromunda 's minis. I love this kinds of games. Easy yo play and cheap

You should play it on the channel!

Lore… I’m with you, there. While I like GW’s background, I couldn’t care less about the thousands of books. As long as there’s a broad setting I can get into, then I can come up with a story for my army/warband/gang etc.

This looks really cool. Thanks for pointing it out. Can it be played solo reasonably well?

This game sounds interesting imma have to check it out lol. For some reason it's giving me a onepagerules grimdark/age of fantasy vibe I've taken a step back from warhammer 40k and want to check out other tabletop games. So this is totally getting added to the list xp

Blood for the blood god!!

Is there a place where we can see photos of your Zona Alfa miniatures/games?