What Other Pulp Hero Books Would You Like To See?

[Steve Long]

Since Pulp Hero is at long last off my desk entirely (the proofs having just been FedEx'd back to the printer), I thought I'd keep the ball rolling by discussing what supplements people would like to see. We're hearing a lot of enthusiasm for the book, which will hopefully translate into sales, which in turn will lead to supplements selling well. So, it can't hurt to listen to what people would like to see in supplements.

Before you post, PLEASE READ WHAT I'VE WRITTEN BELOW REGARDING THE SUPPLEMENTS WE ALREADY HAVE PLANNED. It's a waste of your time and mine to suggest something we already have on the schedule or in mind.

For the rest of this year, we have on tap: Masterminds And Madmen (a book of Pulp Hero enemies and bad guys) and Astounding Hero Tales (a short story collection).

For next year (2006), we've scheduled Thrilling Places (a collection of cool, amazing, and fun locations where you can send PCs, have adventures, or work into a PC's background) and The Pulp Resource Guide (more weapons, vehicles, and Weird Science gadgets; a full rundown on the Empire Club; other useful stuff for players and GMs that couldn't be crammed into PH itself).

For 2007 we haven't planned anything yet, though as has been discussed in several other threads, one possibility is getting Aaron Allston to re-do Lands Of Mystery for us.

So -- with all that in mind -- what sort of Pulp Hero supplements would interest you?

[the Evil DM]

• An organizations book showing not only good and bad organizations but other groups that have mysterious agendas.
  
• a city book. giving details of a north american city in a pulp style world. maybe a mythical island city-state similar to Hong-kong or Monaco.
  
• a book dedicated to supernatural threats

[TheImperialKhan]

Well to start off with I'd say definately make Lands of Mystery a go. The original was one of the best supplements HERO has ever put out and I'm sure that Aaron has come up with more stuff to cram into the new edition.

In addition I'd really like to see a setting book, either the Hudson City 1935 you were talking about a while back or something else. And sub-genre books, lots of sub-genre books: Pulp Sci-Fi, Pulp Occult, Pulp Espionage, etc. A book of short adventures or just adventure ideas would be very useful as well.

As I recall Aaron had a good half a dozen or so product ideas in mind for JI which never went forward. If he has no time for them I'm sure they could be handed off to other writers. I recall one of them was an Undersea setting/supplement that involved a Captain Nemo type setting up an Empire beneath the Sea of some kind. I, myself, had been in talks with Bruce Harlick to write a Flash Gordonesque Pulp Sci-Fi setting book called Zarkon: the Planet of Peril about 5 or 6 years ago. Nothing ever came of it at the time, but the idea is even more viable now that Pulp Hero is coming out. If not done by me then by someone else.

I think you're off to a good start with what you have on the schedule but I would suggest moving the setting book up if you can. I really believe the Genre, Enemies and Setting books should be released as close together as possible as these give the Players and GM what they need to dive right into the game with a minimum of fuss.

Just my $0.02

[Curufea]

Actually - I could see steampunk being a supplement to Pulp Hero.

[TheQuestionMan]

Actually - I could see steampunk being a supplement to Pulp Hero.

Funny, I though Steampunk/Tech was more Victorian Hero material?

[Herolover]

I want to definantly second the idea of the Flash Gordon-esq tyep campaign-supplement book.

Also, as a sorta supplement to PULP how about a supplement detailing playing a game in the early 1900's up to WWI and maybe even some on WWI.

A nice supplement detailing a sorta generic group that the heroes could belong to. To get an idea of what I am taliking about there is a current supplement out for FUDGE called Terra Incognita. You can find info about it here: http://www.nagssociety.com/index.htm

I will probably end up using this in my campaign, but would like to see something like it in HERO terms.

[tal]

I would definately buy a Lands of Mystery book. I have the original and the only problem with it is it is too SHORT. I would also buy a John Carter of Mars type setting book and a pulp space flash gordon type setting.

[Steve Long]

I actually have something in mind that will sort of "test the waters" for a Carter/Gordon/Rogers sort of setting. Stay tuned.

[Sketchpad]

I'd love to see some sub-genre books come out for Pulp Hero. Pulp Sci-Fi would be neat, as would an Occult Investigations book (especially after the release of Horror Hero). I'd have to agree that Steampunk seems more Victorian, though I am looking foward to seeing the weird goodness in store for the Resource book. How about a setting like Urban Arcana or Bloodshadows?

[Super Squirrel]

I don't know how to word what I'd call it, but the DH series I'm writing is called "You Gotta Have Culture". In it, I'm basically going from spot to spot over the world and taking small groups of people that are, well, perfect for a pulp campaign and writing up about them. So far my goal is to simply do 10 for Digital Hero. But based on my research for future articles, it could clearly fill an entire book and I think it would make a great aid for players.

There are countless cultures across the world. You could use seven chapters to cover the seven regions (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, Oceania). Throw in an introduction, a chapter on GM Secrets, and an appendix with some tables for quick reference (Tech Level Access, Aggressiveness, Population Size, Region, Page Reference, etc...) and you probably have a book of at least Hero Bestiary in size.

But I'm not going to let Hero Games stop me from writing those DH articles.
*grabs a shotgun and some moonshine*

[BigJackBrass]

Pulp Amok would certainly work for me, taking the stereotypical Pulp scenarios and set pieces and twisting them the way Villainy Amok did for Champions. Since Pulp is primarily made up of these sorts of things it would be nice to see some unusual variations on the standard themes.

And certainly anything new by Aaron Allston. Beg if you have to.

[fredrik_nilsson]

It sounds like the Pulp Hero line could be very interesting indeed! Before I begin with my wish list, I’d just want to say a few things about the books already planned.

• Masterminds And Madmen: I guess you’ve read White Wolf’s Adventure. In that book there’s an appendix with generic bad guys (cultists, pulp ninjas, and so on), which would be nice if you could copy. You did the same in Dark Champions, so you might already have thought about doing it here to. It would also be nice if you could add a chapter with pulp heroes that don’t fit into your Empire Club setting (or whatever it’s called), like a Ming homage and some proto-supers (like Dr. Primoris from Adventure!). In general take a good look at Adventure since it’s a really good book.
• Astounding Hero Tales: Will this book contain new stories, collections of old stories, or a mix of both?
• Thrilling Places: It would be nice if you could add something like a habitable Mars or Venus (think Carter or Flash Gordon), as part of the other places. I’ve said it before, Iron lords of Jupiter rocks. That setting (naturally I mean an equal setting) should easily fit inside that book (say 5-10 pages).
• The Pulp Resource Guide: I guess this would be a good place to put Polti’s 36 Dramatic Situations (provided you want to use it).
• Lands Of Mystery: For someone who was new to Hero with the arrival of 5th ed., how similar are Lands of Mystery and Hidden Lands? In my ears they seem to overlap.

I agree with the Evil DM that pulp organizations books would be nice, but since Masterminds And Madmen hopefully will touch on the subject (and at least the VIPER book did too) I don’t see it as first priority. A city book (besides pulp update on Hudson) isn’t first priority for me either. I’d rather see some kind of world (or region book). A book about the dark Africa would be nice, talking about the old gods of Egypt, mummies, the cosmopolitan Casablanca, the elephants’ cemetery and fiendish lions. Super Squirrel’s culture books seem to generally be based on a similar idea.

In addition I'd really like to see a setting book, either the Hudson City 1935 you were talking about a while back or something else. And sub-genre books, lots of sub-genre books: Pulp Sci-Fi, Pulp Occult, Pulp Espionage, etc. A book of short adventures or just adventure ideas would be very useful as well.

Initially there might not be a need for several sub-genre books, but I fully agree in that at least one sub-genre book should be produced (with one sub-genre per chapter). I would even go to such lengths that I think it should be one of the first books to be produced (on the next free spot in the schedule).

It would be nice to see your take on Pulp Sci-Fi, Pulp Fantasy, Pulp Espionage, and even your take on Pulp Supers (didn’t supers exist before the Golden Age).

Actually - I could see steampunk being a supplement to Pulp Hero.

Funny, I though Steampunk/Tech was more Victorian Hero material?

Yes, you’re right about steampunk being Victorian. In Curfea’s defense, similar things existed in the pulp era.

I actually have something in mind that will sort of "test the waters" for a Carter/Gordon/Rogers sort of setting. Stay tuned.

If that’s your attitude then I won’t show you my furry version of Sound of Music, with Chewbacca in the role of Captain von Trapp.

…, but if you show me yours I’ll show you mine…

Pulp Amok would certainly work for me, taking the stereotypical Pulp scenarios and set pieces and twisting them the way Villainy Amok did for Champions. Since Pulp is primarily made up of these sorts of things it would be nice to see some unusual variations on the standard themes.

I second that!

[Steve Long]

Masterminds And Madmen: I guess you’ve read White Wolf’s Adventure. In that book there’s an appendix with generic bad guys (cultists, pulp ninjas, and so on), which would be nice if you could copy. You did the same in Dark Champions, so you might already have thought about doing it here to. It would also be nice if you could add a chapter with pulp heroes that don’t fit into your Empire Club setting (or whatever it’s called), like a Ming homage and some proto-supers (like Dr. Primoris from Adventure!). In general take a good look at Adventure since it’s a really good book.

PH already has a section of generic adversaries.

Astounding Hero Tales: Will this book contain new stories, collections of old stories, or a mix of both?

I think the description on the "Our Products" page for 2005 answers this and provides additional details.

Thrilling Places: It would be nice if you could add something like a habitable Mars or Venus (think Carter or Flash Gordon), as part of the other places. I’ve said it before, Iron lords of Jupiter rocks. That setting (naturally I mean an equal setting) should easily fit inside that book (say 5-10 pages).

We're not going to do that; Pulp SF and its settings are an entirely separate subject, one worthy of its own book if there's enough interest (see my post above). TP will remain confined to Earth, though obviously it's going to include some places that don't actually exist on the real Earth (sadly... we really need an island full of dinosaurs!).

Lands Of Mystery: For someone who was new to Hero with the arrival of 5th ed., how similar are Lands of Mystery and Hidden Lands? In my ears they seem to overlap.

To the extent there's any overlap, I think you'd need a magnifying glass to find it. HL is a supplement about Jack Kirby-like secret enclaves of superpowered people for Champions. LoM is a subgenre book about "lost civilizations/worlds" stories for Pulp Hero. It has no superhumans at all, and no connections to the Champions Universe. I'm sure clever GMs out there could find a way to use LoM for Champions, but it's not written for Champions.

Thanx for the suggestions, everyone! Keep 'em coming.

[ArmlessTigerMan]

Pulp Amok .

I'm likin' this idea too.

anything new by Aaron Allston.

I vote for this one also, although it would seem less likely.

I also like the idea of a setting/city book. Maybe Allston's idea of the Pulp Apple book he never got to write. Any similarly iconic city would do though, Chicago, San Francisco, Hong Kong... or pulpified versions thereof. In my mind, Hudson City 1935 wouldn't work. It doesn't have the same larger-than-life quality.

[tal]

I definatley like BigJackBrass' idea of Pulp Amok.
You can never go wrong with more dinosaurs, especially a whole island full of them.
I will be waiting impaitently for the news about the Carter/Gordon/Rodgers something.
How about a book or section of a book full of mysterous items for the Indiana Jones types to look for? Or better yet how about an Ultimate Pulp Adventurer book focusing on the Challenger/Jones types?