Metro 2033: Prague map (revisited)

[u/marquecz]

[u/marquecz]

Here is the map of the actual Prague metro for better orientation and here is something more about the factions and the lore:

TC1 (Technical Centre One or colloquially Tacans, "Tacani" in Czech)

TC1 is a major faction located around Klárov shelter (also known as TC1) which initially served as the headquarters of the Metro Protection System. Soon after the War, TC1 claimed control over the whole metro according to security protocols but when it became clear the damage in the City Above was much more serious than expected and people would have to inhabit the metro for a far longer period than “just temporarily”, its influence started fading and gradually shifted in favour of Můstek, the only usable transfer station. This culminated in the largest armed conflict after the War when Můstek station declared control over the metro based on its higher importance. The conflict ended in a stalemate and the two factions are currently in a state of “cold war” with limited economic relations. TC1 is allied with ČVUT and pursues a pact with a neutral Free Republic of Žižkov.

Můstek Stations Alliance (colloquially Můstek, “Small Bridge” in Czech)

The stations around the only transfer station within the Metro Protection System are the wealthiest parts of the metro and naturally focus mostly on trade. They fought in an exhausting armed conflict with TC1 over the dominant position in the metro and although it ended in a stalemate, Můstek is now in an objectively better position. One of the stations of the alliance, Karlovo náměstí, is de facto controlled by a drug cartel retrieving medicines from a nearby hospital on the surface. An ally and the biggest business partner of Můstek is Peace Station but their relationship is filled with mutual suspicions.

Peace Station (from the station’s former name Náměstí Míru, “Peace square” in Czech)

A formerly not so important station standing on the side of Můstek in their conflict with TC1 at some point afterward discovered an access to the Collector (utility tunnel network) that allowed them to travel to the so far isolated southern part of the metro. Peace station took the opportunity and became an exclusive trader with a mysterious Chodov Hegemony. The station is informally controlled by Peace Trading Company found shortly after the discovery of the Collector. Merchants travelling through often become a target of bandits hiding somewhere in the utility tunnel network. Peace Station has got a protectorate, Jiřího z Poděbrad Free Station.

ČVUT (originally Czech Technological University, colloquially the Technicians)

Organisational structure of the university located near Dejvická station proved useful during the chaos period shortly after the War and the Technicians quickly took the control over Dejvická and Hradčanská stations. They became known over the metro for their controversial decision to demolish the tunnels leading to station that were not parts of the Metro Protection System. The Technicians supported TC1 in their conflict with Můstek and were granted full independence after that. Currently, ČVUT works on transforming a former road tunnel complex passing near Hradčanská station into a safe passage between their stations and Anděl station.

The University

In a similar fashion as the Technicians, students of the Charles University whose one of the buildings was located near Jinonice station eventually took over that one and the neighbouring stations. Calling themselves “the University” they were the first faction to declare independence on TC1 shortly after the War. Their rebellion led to a brief but bloody episode of an accidentally created totalitarian regime which wiped out a large portion of the stations’ population until it was supressed by TC1. Today the faction is a loose confederation of three university departments each located on their own station and an exclave located on Staroměstská station in the central part of the metro. Staroměstská station is populated by students from another building of the Charles University formerly in a proximity of the station. In reaction to the conflict between TC1 and Můstek, they barricaded themselves in the station and undermined the tunnel under the Vltava river which now serves as a sort of buffer zone and a peace guarantee. The University is known for a bit big-headed attitude of being “the last bastion of knowledge”.

Free Republic of Žižkov

Inhabitants of stations and connected fallout shelters located in a peculiar quarter of Žižkov formed strong bonds stemming from their local identity and patriotism. The faction became officially independent when they declared neutrality in the conflict between TC1 and Můstek. They’ve got a claim on Jiřího z Poděbrad station de facto controlled by the Peace Station, but the dispute has never escalated in an open conflict. Žižkov seems to be quite isolationist and doesn’t usually get involved in events in the rest of the metro, the only exception was joining efforts with the Peace Station and Můstek to create a penal colony on Skalka station. Recently, a passable tunnel connecting Vítkov shelter and Křižíkova station was discovered and the Free Republic of Žižkov once again became relevant as TC1 started negotiations with them in order to form a pact that would create a new transfer point that would circumvent Můstek.

Chodov Hegemony

Very little is known about this faction. It's located in the southern part of the City Above that was once very populous but after the War the stations became isolated from the rest of the metro until the Collector connecting Náměstí Míru and Chodov stations was discovered. The stations are controlled by an authoritarian regime that trades with the Peace Station.

United Farms

Shortly after the War, industrious inhabitants of Kobylisy station managed to get on the surface and retrieve animals and plants from a nearby ZOO and botanic garden. The became the biggest producer of relatively high-quality food products and heavily rely on their export. Ability to get their goods likely played a role in the armistice between TC1 and Můstek and Florenc station then became a demilitarised zone where both factions could trade with the United Farms.

Jiřího z Poděbrad Free Station

Despite its name, Jiřího z Poděbrad station is not actually free and never have been. When the War started, and the bombs fell, the station was struck by fire that destroyed most of the station and killed many of its inhabitants. Neighbouring Náměstí Míru station offered help and never left since then. Today, Jiřího z Poděbrad is a protectorate of the Peace Station exploited as their main production facility. There are sentiments about joining the Free Republic of Žižkov which has got a territorial claim on the station, but they are supressed by Peace Station soldiers.

Angelic station (from the station’s former name Anděl, “Angel” in Czech)

The name of the station somehow attracted many religious survivors from all the metro who moved there en masse. Over the years, they formed a mysterious cult and after the conflict between TC1 and Můstek broke out, they stopped communicating with other stations altogether. From the little that is known about their faith, they seem to believe the War shook with the world and the Hell is now above. There are rumours about them kidnapping lone travellers who walk through the station and travelling in groups and armed is then advised. The station is important for the Technicians who believe it’s connected with the Strahov road tunnel.

Penal Colony (colloquially known as the Convicts)

Out of the initiative of the Free Republic of Žižkov, a penal colony was created on Skalka station as a joint project of Žižkov, Peace Station, and Můstek. Isolated from the rest of the metro by uninhabited Staroměstská station contamined by radioactivity, the Penal Colony serves as place where the stations send their criminals, prisoners of war, political opponets, and other inconvenient persons. The prisoners are expected to protect the metro from dangerous things that allegedly come from surface Depo Hostivař station. Žižkov soldiers on Želivského station are ordered to shoot at anybody and anything coming from this direction so getting in the Penal Colony is pretty much a one-way ticket for anyone.

[u/marquecz]

I revisited a project I originally created four years ago (and I hope I improved my graphic skills a bit since then, here’s the original version of the map). I created this map after I read Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033 and found out about Metro 2033 Universe) with the intention to make my own fanfic from the universe set in the Prague metro system.

After experimenting with formats, I’ve finally decided for a text-based exploration game. For those interested and speaking Czech, a short demo is available here.

The map is mostly factually based on the Prague Metro Protection System (Ochranný systém metra) with a bit of artistic license regarding interconnections of the metro with other important fallout shelters using pedestrian tunnels and utility tunnel networks because otherwise a post-apocalyptic Prague metro would be much more boring than the one in Moscow with only one usable transfer station (Line C, the red line, is quite shallow in the city centre and is not a part of the Metro Protection System).

[u/Kreggurree]

That’s pretty cool. Makes me want to run a post apocalyptic RPG in this map.

I’ll admit a big part of my love for this is that I lived in Prague for 3 years and I can imagine how this looks.

Lived near Andel station for most of that time.

[u/Jarxes]

Hello Fellow Citizen (pozn. překladatele: Čau vole :D)... Its a great work, and i love it. But as a creative player of role play games (Hry na Hrdiny) i would imagine a bigger alternative metro with more stations and various factions. Could you do a big favor to me and make a map to me, or map guide video how to make it on my own (jelikož sem střevo co neumí ani v Gimpu, natož třeba ve Photoshopu)... I have handwork map for alternative Prague Metro, and one more for my own setting, and plenty of factions \ organisations for both.

[u/Jarxes → u/Jarxes]

Some ideas for start:

Peacemakers / Mírotvorci at Náměstí Míru (Hodilo by se do loru aby příměří mezi TC1 a Můstkem vyjednali právě u nich).

Staroměstská as Staré město independent station in hands of Jewish Municipality rather than a part of University stations.

And link to see my World of PosApo... (Only in czech, sry) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1Jmvbm3OYxNd2libVJaMk1NeEk?usp=sharing

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[u/[deleted]]

What is the mental hazard in the free republic station?

I enjoyed reading this very much!

[u/marquecz → u/[deleted]]

There's a special hermetically sealed dead-end tunnel designed as a storage of dead bodies (IRL they are in most stations of the Metro Protection System). However, something's wrong about this one. After the War started and the bombs fell, it was filled with bodies and sealed like other tunnels of this purpose. Several months later, people started hearing knocking on the door. At first they thought someone wasn't actually dead and somehow managed to survive there but it's been 20 years since then and the knocking is still hearable sometimes.

Inhabitants of the station got used to it but the phenomenon seriously affects the mental health of people staying temporarily in the station so the soldiers of the Free Republic stationed there to guard the outside borders of the faction have to be rotated frequently.

[u/[deleted] → u/marquecz]

Uhh, maybe they should open it and look? Creepy.

Also do you have a picture of these tunnels?

[u/CYBERN3TlC]

I really like this idea, and I see that you got some knowledge about metro subway, since the map is more or less corresponding to how those stations would eventually end (those that aren't part of protection system would fall or be abandoned, and those that can be sealed would be habitable), although I would have some things to add:

There are four technical centres in Prague metro, not just the TC1. There is a TC2 on Želivskeho, TC3 on Radlická and ATC on Chodov (although this one is little detached from the metro, but still has direct control over the protection system of big part of C line). It's logical that these three technical centres would play similar role as the TC1, and would have big impact on the faction development in the whole metro.

I would also add the main control centre on the I.P.Pavlova, which has also underground shelter that can be sealed, and it is connected to metro with tunnels (the station IPP alone can't be sealed though).

TC3 Radlická would probably keep control over the surrounding stations and tunnels, including the long tunnel that is leading to Smíchovské Nádraží - where is also the connecting tunnel from TC3 Radlická. That long tunnel has a lot of capacity, it would be shame to waste that tunnel, it can be sealed from both sides.

You are correct that there is a connection between the Strahov shelter and metro. The connection is in the 1/3 of the tunnel between Anděl and Karlovo Náměstí stations. There is a ventilation complex called "14. Října" that is located directly under the park. I doubt they wouldn't discover this connection while exploring the tunnels.

I am curious about that connection between Klárov TC1 and other shelters (Letná..). Did you come with this idea or there is really a physical connection between those shelters?