The Soviet _board_ gaming industry.

Ok, USSR somehow survived past 80s, and is still pretty (culturally) isolationist. How would Soviet board and pen-and-paper games look like?

For those who don't know. There wasn't any "serious" board gaming up until mid 80s at least, and no pen-and-paper RPGs until much later.

There is industry, quite capable of producing good enough miniatures, there ISN'T any tradition to use dice other than D6, there are a few magazines directed at teens/youth most everyone reads. Not much else.
 
What about "choose your own adventure" style books. They are a very simple form of role playing game. Perhaps the soviets would just expand this concept into group role playing without any dice or figures.
 
What about "choose your own adventure" style books. They are a very simple form of role playing game. Perhaps the soviets would just expand this concept into group role playing without any dice or figures.
I've seen exactly two printed in Russian, and as far as I know that's all. (One was based on Arthuran legends (and was printed in late 80s-mid 90's, IIRC), never got any popularity. Another one was part of a deal to entire Stainless Steel Rat cycle, and was an appendix in one of the volumes. )

So, both aren't much Soviet...
 
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yfIpnd7wN8o :D
But more seriously, I shouldn't think they'd end up substantially different from our own, but perhaps more focused on Sci-Fi and Fantasy then the Mediaeval-style swords-and-sorcery that western gamers focused on; Russia had much more of an established sci-fi genre;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_in_Russia
Probably. In fact, swords-and-sorcery fantasy was pretty much just disliked by Soviet Powers That Be, although it might change in a generation. Whether it would gain any popularity by then is a question though. "Fairy tales are for teh kids!"

Also historical wargames/roleplaying could be pretty well received both popularily and ideologically. (within limits, of course...)
 
Another one was part of a deal to entire Stainless Steel Rat cycle, and was an appendix in one of the volumes. )

So, both aren't much Soviet...
Russians embraced Stainless Steel Rat (with much of Harrison, there's something in his works appealing to Soviet/post-Soviet mind) with almost religious zeal. So, it is very possible that surviving USSR will "adopt", so to speak, that or some other sci-fi series.
 
Russians embraced Stainless Steel Rat (with much of Harrison, there's something in his works appealing to Soviet/post-Soviet mind) with almost religious zeal. So, it is very possible that surviving USSR will "adopt", so to speak, that or some other sci-fi series.
Hmm... Harrison was printed even in Soviet times, thanks to his anti-war and anti-racial inequality stances, but would Stainless Steel Rat pass the censure? Jim diGriz is a criminal, after all... On the other hands there's enough satire which properly framed would sound as generic anti-capitalism. Tough call.

On the still other hand USSR did interpret Berne convention a bit... unconventionally, and because under that interpretation (which no one dared to seriously dispute until the fall of the USSR... It's good to be a superpower.) everything before 1969 would be public domain (if it wasn't written in the USSR), at least as far as Soviet publishers are concerned... So, they tended to pick foreign books mostly on that basis. That choose your own adventure book was written later.
 
What had the Soviets in term of board games when they still where around? The stereotype seems to be chess but what do I know.
 
What had the Soviets in term of board games when they still where around? The stereotype seems to be chess but what do I know.
Well, all the perennials, chess (and yes, they were very widely popular, I learned basic play when I was 6, although I never really liked chess... Most everyone beat me at them.), checkers, backgammon, dominoes...

As for others, well, they were viewed mostly as kid's pastimes, - mostly it was differently themed boards for essentially the same game (don't know it's English/American equivalent... Take the Monopoly, throw out money and cards, but make track you move on branching, like maze, I don't remember how exactly scoring worked...) there were a few naval wargames (simple, not Harpoon) and in the late 80's as I said, there was quite good modern-themed wargame, although I can't say if it gained any general popularity, we played it for a while. ( Small plasticky figures in front of the shot were from that one's box originally)

Later in 80's there were also some western-influenced games, like tabletop hockey, various Monopoly clones, and yes, one of them was NEP-themed, I liked that one :D, too bad it was my cousin's, so no photos...

Then it all was temporarily stopped first by the crisis then by Western games...


There were also a lot of plastic and metallic army men, like ones in the background of the shot, and similar scale tanks, etc.

Some pieces of old games/toys I keep as souvenirs:

pieces.jpg
 
Well, all the perennials, chess (and yes, they were very widely popular, I learned basic play when I was 6, although I never really liked chess... Most everyone beat me at them.), checkers, backgammon, dominoes...

As for others, well, they were viewed mostly as kid's pastimes, - mostly it was differently themed boards for essentially the same game (don't know it's English/American equivalent... Take the Monopoly, throw out money and cards, but make track you move on branching, like maze, I don't remember how exactly scoring worked...) there were a few naval wargames (simple, not Harpoon) and in the late 80's as I said, there was quite good modern-themed wargame, although I can't say if it gained any general popularity, we played it for a while. ( Small plasticky figures in front of the shot were from that one's box originally)

Later in 80's there were also some western-influenced games, like tabletop hockey, various, Monopoly clones, and yes, one of them was NEP-themed, I liked that one, too bad it was my cousin's so no photos...

Then it all was temporarily stopped first by the crisis then by Western games...


There were also a lot of plastic and metallic army men, like ones in the background of the shot, and similar scale tanks, etc.

Some pieces of old games/toys I keep as souvenirs:

You lived in the USSR? Didn't know, cool.

And the idea of an NEP-themed Monopoly clone is... amazing. :D
 
Top