I'll Never Play Pulp

[Edsel]

I'll buy the book and probably enjoy reading it and wishing to play a game of Pulp Hero but I doubt that I will ever get a chance to play it. Our RPG group plays Hero System most of the time. DC and FH are our usual fare but we also venture into Champions, SH and other genre from time to time.

The problem is that I am the only one of us that seem to have any interest in that particular era. The group seems to have a dead-spot in history that none of them are interested in. This seems to extend from the dawn of firearms until the modern era. Anything before or after this time period is pretty much enjoyed by the whole group. Alas I majored in history in college and would love to play a Victorian-era or Pulp-era game someday. :cry:

Oh well, perhaps I can use some of the stuff from PH to run some non-traditional, modern-era, pulp-style games.

[Black Lotus]

Are you the gamemaster of your group?

If they're unwilling to play, that's up to them... you could possibly find another group of players to try a few sessions of Pulp HERO. That's assuming your regulars are mature enough not to get upset or feel put off by it.

I'm betting you can "swindle" ;) them all into playing a few sessions, though. Be persuasive! Be underhanded!

[Lord Liaden]

Hmm... sounds like you should consider enticing your group with the wilder brands of pulp adventures. ;) Mention some of the many notable characters from the era that they may have heard of, and how you can play games reminiscent of their adventures. For example, Dark Champions-style high powered vigilantes like the Spider or the Green Hornet; fantastical, borderline superhuman characters such as the Shadow, Doc Savage, and Tarzan; retro sci-fi in the vein of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, or even sci-fi swashbuckling like John Carter of Mars; lost-world romances full of dinosaurs and hidden cities from ancient civilizations (if you haven't got it yet, hunt down Lands of Mystery!)

Offer your players the chance to go up against the likes of Fu Manchu, La of Opar or Ming the Merciless, and see if their eyes don't light up. :D

[BigJackBrass]

No reason why Pulp shouldn't encroach onto your other games. Champions, Star HERO and even Fantasy HERO can be a simple portal into a Pulp game, even as a temporary one-shot to whet the appetites. Time travel, alternate dimensions, perhaps even a Lost World adventure where the Fantasy HERO characters are the ones who live in the hidden valley discovered by Pulp adventurers... If your players won't go to Pulp, then bring Pulp to your players.

[Hermit]

And while it does fall short compared to Face to Face table gaming (IMO) there is always HERO Central or PBEMs... you never know.

Have hope.

[Steve Long]

"There's no pessimism in Pulp Hero!" :)

Have faith, Edsel! I bet you can convince your group to play PH if you inspire them with a cool campaign descriptions and some helpful copies of the Pulp Hero genre book. :hex:

And if that don't work, pummel 'em into submission with the hand crank from a Ford Model T. ;)

[AndyStaples]

Let me get this straight - you have players who DON'T want to be Indiana Jones*?

* Insert name of player's favourite pulp or pulpish character, from Sherlock Holmes, through Doc Savage and Richard Hannay to Lara Croft.

[Blue]

Bribery might work. Cash, or a promise of letting them into the legendary cache of doritos in the gaming safe.

[AndyStaples]

Mmmmm... Doritos!

[JTesla]

I’m probably like the members of your group, I don’t want to play in a real world setting of the 1920’s and 30’s. However, as BigJackBrass pointed out, it can encroach into other areas. A sci-fi pulp game would be ideal for me. Or, why not have a stereotypical pulp game with a few ancient or futuristic twists? Use the book to it’s fullest, but throw a few items in that give it a futuristic or ancient feel.

[Edsel]

I guess I could alway try something along the lines of the Rocketeer or Sky Captains and maybe get them to give it a try. I'll have to stay away from Lovecraft though, most of them are too frightened of the high mortality of that setting. (That may be what scared them away from the 20s-30s era in the first place). Perhaps the upcomming King Kong movie could move them.

[Lord Liaden]

I guess I could alway try something along the lines of the Rocketeer or Sky Captains and maybe get them to give it a try. I'll have to stay away from Lovecraft though, most of them are too frightened of the high mortality of that setting. (That may be what scared them away from the 20s-30s era in the first place). Perhaps the upcomming King Kong movie could move them.

I've always found The Empire Club (http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/2687/) website to be a great source of inspiration. It's derived from the organization of the same name in the classic Justice Incorporated boxed set. No game stats, but a host of fascinating NPCs, and the campaign logs are loaded with cool ideas. You could easily derive a whole batch of exotic adventures from them.

[BigJackBrass]

And if that don't work, pummel 'em into submission with the hand crank from a Ford Model T. ;)

Just don't pummel anyone with the Pulp HERO book itself. Judging by the page count you'd have some fatalities on your hands.

[Black Lotus]

Just don't pummel anyone with the Pulp HERO book itself. Judging by the page count you'd have some fatalities on your hands.

:straight: :think: :nonp: :lol:

[st barbara]

I am fearing the same thing myself a bit. However I have some players who have played "Adventure" only fairly recently and I think that "Pulp Hero" may be attractive to them. The guy who referees our "7th Sea" campaign certainly sounds interested in a"Pulp Hero" game !

[Super Squirrel]

I'm sure I can get at least one player in the area into a Pulp campaign. The problem is, one player is not enough. So I know exactly what you mean.

[BigJackBrass]

The trouble with Pulp is that it's a very tricky thing to define, yet everyone seems to have strong opinions about what it covers. As a result it's often seen as old-fashioned and out of touch.

Pulp covers a massive range of genres, romance to westerns to sci-fi to supers, but the strongest associations are the Doc Savage and Shadow style settings. To my mind, Pulp is a feeling (if I can badly misquote David Byrne here), a certain approach and tone rather than necessarily a genre per se. When the Indiana Jones films came out everyone suddenly wanted to do Pulp again, and most of the bandwagon-jumpers didn't last for very long. We had a handful of RPGs as well, and they managed moderate success, but something about Pulp holds people back. I sometimes wonder if it's not akin to inviting the average computer gamer to sit down with an Intellivision or Vectrex... they just assume that it's had its day.

The people who like Pulp tend to love it. I got into HERO, Silhouette and "All Flesh Must Be Eaten" through the Pulp games/supplements and I'll cheerfully sell my girlfriend so that I can afford Pulp HERO (my girlfriend who does not, I trust, read these boards...). The problem I've had is not finding people who love playing Pulp games, it's letting them know that they do. Getting someone involved is the biggest challenge, so don't tell them that you're running Pulp. Sell it as a detective game, or action/adventure, or superheroes, or sci-fi or a western. Play it with square-jawed Pulp sensibilities, show your players just how much fun that style of play is and you may just make a few converts.

[Edsel]

One of the things that one of my players said, in effect, was:

Fantasy, everyone understands and a sword is a sword, everyone knows where they stand. The 20s & 30s are, in many ways, similar to the modern era. The weapons of choice are guns. Most of us know about modern guns and weapons, but don't know much about early firearms. It is just more comfortable to play in an era that you understand.

I need to get these people to watch some gangster movies, or read some gum-shoe novels.

[Fox1]

Most of us know about modern guns and weapons, but don't know much about early firearms. It is just more comfortable to play in an era that you understand.

Interesting.

In point of fact, the pulp era saw modern firearms come into being. Most of the weapons of the period are still basically in production today and are widely used.

From .30 cal bolt action rifles, pump shotguns and double action revolvers to the Colt Govt. in .45 ACP. There are Thompson SMG, BARs, and .30 class machineguns.

The 'Modern' era only adds semi-automatic rifles and of course the assault rifle to the mix. Lower weights, larger mags in the less powerful weapons, improved accessories (better scopes, laser sights, reflex sights, etc.).

I personally own and fire a number of pulp era weapons. Indeed, I much prefer these types of weapons and consider many of the modern developments to be setbacks in many ways.

Would a 'Pulp' era weapon chart at my website help?

[yamamura]

What your player says is mostly true, but I would say familairity with the period and not knowledge of its tools that is important. Yes, knowing a type of gun might be important if I was a gun expert in the time period, but if I am a professor who needs a weapon to help out with a were-wolf hunt then I just need somebody to hand me a weapon I can handle.

Though I think your solution should work nicely Edsel to hopefully get them hooked.

[Mentor]

Ignorance of the period, in the case of our campaign 1905, was one of the big concerns for our group, too. We decided to get proactive in generating some enthusiasm. There are a couple of ways to generate interest. What we intend is to;

1. Have a couple of movie afternoons where we watch some of the classics set in the period.

2. Give the players a timeline of the events of the world in the era you are running the campaign.

3. I have already designed and published my PC to give other potential players an idea of the power levels and flavor of the campaign.

4. Maps and pictutres from the period are always a good way to get some flavor added.

[Lord Liaden]

I am fearing the same thing myself a bit. However I have some players who have played "Adventure" only fairly recently and I think that "Pulp Hero" may be attractive to them. The guy who referees our "7th Sea" campaign certainly sounds interested in a"Pulp Hero" game !

In that case you might be helped by Donald Doepke's fine Amazing Adventures! (http://home.earthlink.net/~ddoepke/index.html) website, which adapts the setting and some of the game mechanics from Adventure! to HERO System.


Interesting.

In point of fact, the pulp era saw modern firearms come into being. Most of the weapons of the period are still basically in production today and are widely used.

From .30 cal bolt action rifles, pump shotguns and double action revolvers to the Colt Govt. in .45 ACP. There are Thompson SMG, BARs, and .30 class machineguns.

The 'Modern' era only adds semi-automatic rifles and of course the assault rifle to the mix. Lower weights, larger mags in the less powerful weapons, improved accessories (better scopes, laser sights, reflex sights, etc.).

I personally own and fire a number of pulp era weapons. Indeed, I much prefer these types of weapons and consider many of the modern developments to be setbacks in many ways.

Would a 'Pulp' era weapon chart at my website help?

There's already a very good pulp-firearm resource on Dany St. Pierre's website (http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/6532/), with links to stats, detailed descriptions and photos of all types of guns from the period.

[Fox1]

There's already a very good pulp-firearm resource on Dany St. Pierre's website (http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/6532/), with links to stats, detailed descriptions and photos of all types of guns from the period.


Sure, but his stats suck :)

[Savinien]

And while it does fall short compared to Face to Face table gaming (IMO) there is always HERO Central or PBEMs... you never know.

Have hope.

I'm with this guy.

[Curufea]

I don't really view Pulp as an era. More a genre.

For example - Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Star Wars, Farscape, Baron Munchausen, The Shadow, Errol-Flynesque pirates and Robin Hood I'd class as Pulp.

A mixture of fantasy and melodrama.

Actually - any other genre, with a higher content of melodrama and fantasy.

[AnotherSkip]

And If you are a player bring the Pulp Heroes to them.

Right now I'm playing an Archeologist/Daredevil in a Mage (White Wolf) Campaign.
And I just pulled off : Swinging down a zipline and landing on a roof it was close to (but not the target zone the line was aimed for) Seconds before the Evil Punk Vampires roasted the Watertower I was in.

Gosh, victory was sweet that day. And I was playing pulp all by myself.

Boy was I embarassed when i realised that I had to doctor up a wounded female character shot twice in the chest..... :Blushes:
Good thing she was my GF IRL and her character seems to be taking a liking to me....

[BigJackBrass]

Now we know this can't be true... Gamers DON'T HAVE girlfriends... :nonp:

...or real lives...

[The Monster]

From your description, it sounds to me like part of the problem is that your players don't want to deal with anything that isn't clearly either guns or swords. The claim that they don't understand the weapons of the era is smoke (whether they know it or not); they play Star Hero and Champions, and those all have weapons they understand? Feh! Tell me they've never read/seen Westerns, Sherlock Holmes, Zorro, Doc Savage, Scarlet Pimpernel, Three Musketeers, etc., etc. Frankly, muzzle-loading firearms are little different game-mechanic-wise than crossbows, and they probably don't have any problem with those in FH

[The Monster]

(ahem) clicked on the wrong thing - darn cat leaping about!

Anyway, what I was aiming at (pun intended) is that it isn't the weaponry that has them, it's probably the culture. THey don't think they know how to act or what to expect in a 20's pulp or victorian game (or, in the case of Victorian, they probably associate it more with Jane Austen drama and farce than solid adventure). I bet they use much the same kind of action and character in FH/SH/CH that would be appropriate to pulp, they just don't know it.

[austenandrews]

That's true, and hopefully will be enough. But I've met people for whom the "pulp era" simply has no romantic appeal. They understand & enjoy Indiana Jones well enough, but have no special desire to play an entire campaign in such a setting. I can sympathize somewhat - I love Zorro movies and I enjoy the classic westerns as much as the next guy, but I have no particular interest in playing campaigns in either setting.

I suggest trying a short-run game first, like 3-5 sessions. Players with little interest in the setting may be willing to commit to that. Once they're in the thick of the game, their attitude may just change.

[Eosin]

As a player in said game, who is WELL aware of the pulp genre despite the many suggestions to the contrary, I can say with some certianty that Edsel is doomed (with this group at least). I am not the most vocal member of our little gang that has gamed together for some time (more than 2 decades in some cases) but I am one of those who have no desire to play a pulp game. I don't like Hackmaster, Deadlands, Exalted, or Blue Rose either but that does not make me ignorant of the game style... it means that I have tastes that don't run into those areas in gaming. I love movies like Bubba Ho-Tep, Indiana Jones, and just about anything Western but I never read in those generes just like I never read romances or biographies. I also don't game in those eras. I have little enough time for gaming as is so when I can squeeze time to play or run, it will be something I like. It has little to due with ignorance and everything to do with taste.

Having said that, we only get togheter every other week (and I am in the midst of missing 2 months of gaming due to vacation and work) so I would suggest something like the Hackmaster compromise. Get a game going on the opposite week. I think you would need to curb the DC game or the Star Fire game to make the time available. And I think only one member would actively discourage you from getting a game going but then he generally actively discourages anything not to his express liking.

PS - I like Cuthulu and would love to play a game of Dealta Green, I just don't like to game from the 1500's forwards. I have found that I like to game in pseudo-real modern worlds griped in darkness like Dark Champions but the closer they cleave to the real world the less I enjoy them. I am pretty much a fantasy gamer through and through but with modern claims on my time *every game faces the decision of "is this worth the time away from my family" and non-fantasy games already have one strike against them.

*Our Dark Champions games have set a standard of enjoyment that daunts everyone at the table including Edsel. We all aim to play, run, or enjoy a game as good as the 5-6 year campaign that became a table legend. Like Edsel, when I run, I sometimes feel the shadow of that game breathing down my neck, so in a way it is ironic that Dark Champions has become my favored game to play in but I generally meet disaster when running it.

PPS - I also dislike Zombie games also but I am willing to play them as filler episodes when needed. I would likewise be willing to play Pulp as a filler game but if it became a regular game then as usual, I would beg off gaming and return when the group returned to a game that I enjoyed. I have gamed with Edsel long enough that this pattern should be apparent. I don't like to discourage others from playing a game that they enjoy but that doesn't mean that I have to go along for the ride.

[Sketchpad]

I'll buy the book and probably enjoy reading it and wishing to play a game of Pulp Hero but I doubt that I will ever get a chance to play it. Our RPG group plays Hero System most of the time. DC and FH are our usual fare but we also venture into Champions, SH and other genre from time to time.

The problem is that I am the only one of us that seem to have any interest in that particular era. The group seems to have a dead-spot in history that none of them are interested in. This seems to extend from the dawn of firearms until the modern era. Anything before or after this time period is pretty much enjoyed by the whole group. Alas I majored in history in college and would love to play a Victorian-era or Pulp-era game someday. :cry:

Oh well, perhaps I can use some of the stuff from PH to run some non-traditional, modern-era, pulp-style games.

Well ... if worse comes to worse Edsel ... you could always come to the in-charcater chat that I'm working on for Pulp Hero ;)

[st barbara]

To "Sketchpad" In character chat ? Hmm ! Please tell me more. I can see Honeydew Holliday, my NPC Occult Librarian being part of that, no sweat !

[Sketchpad]

To "Sketchpad" In character chat ? Hmm ! Please tell me more. I can see Honeydew Holliday, my NPC Occult Librarian being part of that, no sweat !
I'll be making an entire thread about it as soon as I can get my copy of Pulp Hero ;) Stay tuned for more details :D

[Edsel]

As I feared my plans for a Pulp Hero campaign are DOA. I did some work in setting up the campaign but after a long conversation with the two most diehard members of our RPG group it became obvious that I was the only member interested in the era. It looks like I am back to running street-level Dark Champions. I will still collect all the Pulp Hero stuff as it is released because of my interest and there is always a slim chance that sometime in the future I may get a chance to run or play in a campaign.:(

Our (6 person) group only gets to meet once every two-weeks, and with three of the seven of us wanting to run games, there just isn't enough interest to try and shoehorn in another campaign setting. For now our group will remain with our Fantasy Hero campaign (by Eosin), our Star Wars Hero (by a non-board member) and my Dark Champions campaign.

Oh well, we all still have a great time.:thumbup:

[Agent X]

As I feared my plans for a Pulp Hero campaign are DOA. I did some work in setting up the campaign but after a long conversation with the two most diehard members of our RPG group it became obvious that I was the only member interested in the era. It looks like I am back to running street-level Dark Champions. I will still collect all the Pulp Hero stuff as it is released because of my interest and there is always a slim chance that sometime in the future I may get a chance to run or play in a campaign.:(

Our (6 person) group only gets to meet once every two-weeks, and with three of the seven of us wanting to run games, there just isn't enough interest to try and shoehorn in another campaign setting. For now our group will remain with our Fantasy Hero campaign (by Eosin), our Star Wars Hero (by a non-board member) and my Dark Champions campaign.

Oh well, we all still have a great time.:thumbup: Well, you never know, I live on the other side of town and very much like the idea of playing in a pulp game. If you ever get desperate enough to want to game with "strangers" I can ask my cohorts in crime what they think of pulp. We seem to be edging into the direction of a pulp sci fi game a la Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon but I don't know if the guy thinking about it is serious yet.

[Basil]

I'll be making an entire thread about {in-character chat for Pulp Hero} as soon as I can get my copy of Pulp Hero ;) Stay tuned for more details :D
Anything happening with this? :)

[rayoman]

And if that don't work, pummel 'em into submission with the hand crank from a Ford Model T. ;)

OR...Pummel them with the Pulp Hero Book or 5ER. :D

[Sketchpad]

Anything happening with this? :)
Just got the PH book a bit ago ... still absorbing it and will be posting some info soon :)

[Basil]

Just got the PH book a bit ago ... still absorbing it and will be posting some info soon :)

Thankee kindly. Will be waiting to hear.

BTW, you are talking about an IRC channel, or other "chat" thingy, right?

[ParitySoul]

A crosstime Dark Champions/Pulp Hero game would be a nice introduction. Must make sure to show them that the Pulp world is VERY different from their own.

Or pull a Star HERO trick from Star Trek. "A Piece of the Action." A world stuck in the 1920/30s.

[Sketchpad]

Thankee kindly. Will be waiting to hear.

BTW, you are talking about an IRC channel, or other "chat" thingy, right?
Kinda ... I plan on running it in Hero's chat room :)

[ghost-angel]

As I feared my plans for a Pulp Hero campaign are DOA. I did some work in setting up the campaign but after a long conversation with the two most diehard members of our RPG group it became obvious that I was the only member interested in the era. It looks like I am back to running street-level Dark Champions. I will still collect all the Pulp Hero stuff as it is released because of my interest and there is always a slim chance that sometime in the future I may get a chance to run or play in a campaign.:(

Our (6 person) group only gets to meet once every two-weeks, and with three of the seven of us wanting to run games, there just isn't enough interest to try and shoehorn in another campaign setting. For now our group will remain with our Fantasy Hero campaign (by Eosin), our Star Wars Hero (by a non-board member) and my Dark Champions campaign.

Oh well, we all still have a great time.:thumbup:
You know ... Dark Champions is but a few plot twists away from Dark Pulp Champions. Sneak it in on them - use elements from the movies Sin City and Dark City (a theme...?). Both are very pulp in style and feel while not completely entrenched in Classic Pulp.

It's something at least. Even if it's just a few sessions long plot line.

[Eosin]

Sneak it in on them

Yep, sneak in on me Edsel... I'm sure I won't notice. :doi:

PS - I said I would give it a try. But next time I want to run a Mercedes Lackey - Harlequin romance novel crossover with Fabio as the main NPC, I want the nod in return :eek:

[Edsel]

Relax, you know how my mind works. I'm already on to the next thing. (My next crack at modern DC). I still want to run Shades of Black.

[ghost-angel]

Yep, sneak in on me Edsel... I'm sure I won't notice. :doi:
This is not the game you are looking for :handwavything:

PS - I said I would give it a try. But next time I want to run a Mercedes Lackey - Harlequin romance novel crossover with Fabio as the main NPC, I want the nod in return :eek:
Dude!! hurting the brain here! some people....

[Basil]

Sketchpad: thanks for the info. I'll be waiting. :)