Dr. Rune Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Just curious as to whether anyone out there has ran, or is currently running, a Pulp Hero game? If so, what is some of your best source material and how is the campaign going? Thanks! Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stampede Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? If you want some Good Source Material I recommend Highly White-wolf's Adventure! Still findable in it's original D10 form.. But this Month Whitewolf is Releasing a D20 version under their sword and scorercy label. Anyway, it's a very Rich setting, which spares no expense telling you about many of the Great Pulp Conventions, and the Three Hero types from it's Universe, those being.. Stalwerts:Men and woman faster then speeding bullets, or with bodys of Bronze, Mad Scientists who concoct inventions in days..Strong men and the like.Think Doc Savage. Mesmerists:Those who have can cloud the Minds of Men, those who can Read Minds, Telekenetics, Pyrokinetics, Scientists who can group Gestalt with the minds of their coworkers to make better Inventions,Think the Shadow or the Phantom. and Finally DareDevils:Those Just Plain Bad Ass Skilled People who get by through sheer Determination, and Luck.. They get special Abilities called Knacks to represent their Edge in Reality things Like "Fists of Stone" "Barnstorming Piolet" "One Man army" "Dramatic Entrance" and of course "Death Definace" Think Indian Jones or Rick from the Mummy. Beyond that There's Gurps Cliffhanger! Which tells you everything you could ever want to know about the Convention, while Adventure! Was a great setting and covers alot, CliffHanger is more of a Guidebook to the Genre, it tells you Price Ranges from year to year, and Inventions as they came out, as well as styles of Dress. There's also Forbidden Kingdoms, while at a Steep Price for a D20 book, it does a great job of covering the Three great Pulp Eras, from the 20's,30's and 40's. Finally a great Comic Reference for you to check out is Planetary, written by Mr.Warren Ellis, which is a Modern day pulp Comic. Anyway if you wish for more details, like some caimpaigns I've ran before or what not, just let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Mask Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? I ahve run Pulp games in the past and am currently running one now. Game time started in Dec. 1932 and in 7 months of real play we have advanced to June of 1933. My sources are from the computer , movies, pulp books and History. I have computer searches on pulp heroes and detectives of that era plus searches on historical incidents [ The Rape of Nanking, lighter than air ships , rise of fascism and things like the Golden Dawn society, also a spoonfull or two of Chthulu.]. Players were given 150 points to start of which 30 points could be in a wierd ability or super power. among the pc's I have in the game are a Shadow clone , a Female avaitrix - gadgeteer , a descendant of Sherlock Holmes and his Watson ,A Flash variant and a gunslinging adventurer. The campign is going well and everyone is enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mastermind Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? I would suggest Cthulu 1930s Sourcebooks and a recent adventure game called Dark Continent that has received good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? As a source for lots of ready-to-use pulp era HERO System stuff, I heartily recommend Dany St-Pierre's Hero Pulp Website. Characters, Package Deals, weapons, vehicles, even an adventure module. It's written for 4th Edition HERO System, but the material in this case is 99% compatible with 5E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroooo Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Aside from the really good references already mentioned, do a search for LXG in this forum. I put up a bunch of links to 1800's and 1900's era map sites, along with a few other useful links. Aroooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSword Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? I have been reading some pulp novels over the past few months to try to get a feel for the period and feel (everyone drinks, lots). But I will probably check out some of the mentioned books to get a perspective on how to translate that perspective to a game terms. Thanks for the info. (and thanks for the forum setup which allows a printable version of the thread) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galadorn Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Just curious as to whether anyone out there has ran, or is currently running, a Pulp Hero game? If so, what is some of your best source material and how is the campaign going? Thanks! Doc Pulp Hero was a Hero Games Supplement in fourth edition HG, I believe. Try buying this supplement on e-Bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Pulp Hero was a Hero Games Supplement in fourth edition HG' date=' I believe. Try buying this supplement on e-Bay. [/quote'] I suspect what you're referring to is Justice Incorporated, the great Hero Games roleplaying game/campaign two-sourcebook boxed set by Aaron Allston and Michael Stackpole. Superb source for pulp-era history, genre conventions, character archetypes, slang(!) and more. Probably the main reason that there's a small but dedicated following for pulp era games among HERO fans. Only two drawbacks to using it: the version of HERO used in the book predates 4th Edition and is specially tailored for pulp gaming, so the mechanical differences are substantial; and the set is almost twenty years out of print and very difficult to find. It does show up occasionally on eBay and in used game stores, but it's rarely cheap. In a similar vein, it would be worth your while to watch for Mr. Allston's Lands of Mystery sourcebook for running a pulp era "lost worlds romance," with dinosaurs, lost civilizations etc. Many fans here have rated it among the best supplements ever published by Hero Games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamrok Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Actually, just search this forum for "Pulp" and you should find some nice information. This topic came up a few months back, and received quite a few responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatwyrm Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? In a similar vein' date=' it would be worth your while to watch for Mr. Allston's [i']Lands of Mystery[/i] sourcebook for running a pulp era "lost worlds romance," with dinosaurs, lost civilizations etc. Many fans here have rated it among the best supplements ever published by Hero Games. If anyone is interested, there's someone from the UK selling Lands of Mystery on ebay. I put in an early bid, but it quickly went out of my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Rune Posted March 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Anyway if you wish for more details, like some caimpaigns I've ran before or what not, just let me know. I'd like to thank everyone for their ideas...some good stuff there and I appreciate it. Stampede, I'd also really like to see some of your campaign stuff...either here, or you can email me. Thanks!! Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galadorn Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? In a similar vein' date=' it would be worth your while to watch for Mr. Allston's [i']Lands of Mystery[/i] sourcebook for running a pulp era "lost worlds romance," with dinosaurs, lost civilizations etc. Many fans here have rated it among the best supplements ever published by Hero Games. I would agree, definately one of the best supplements around. Aaron really captured the "feel" of the Lost World, subgenre. I wonder how it sold... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Hey "Stampede" a D20 version of "Adventure". I will certainly be looking for that ! What is its actual title ? To "Emerald Mask" I envy you your pulp game ! I would love to play in a pulp adventure type game regardless of which set of rules were being used ! I even have rules for "Adventure", "Justice Inc", "Gurps Cliffhangers" and " Daredevils" here but, apart from one attempt to referee "Daredevils" and a short lived campaign of "Adventure" I haven't actually played any of them. Oh yes I just remembered that I played about two games of "Call Of Cuthulu" and then the referee moved to Canberra (I live in Sydney) . Obviously there is some cosmic conspiracy against me playing in aPulp game ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? I've ran Pulp games in the past ... I actually recommend looking for the actual stories and some of the old comics (usually compiled strips that you can find collected occasionally). As far as gaming material, GURPS Cliffhangers and, to a lesser extent, GURPS Steampunk could help out a bit, as well as d20 Pulp Adventures (Dungeon Mag articles) and Forbidden Kingdoms (which I agree is a great book). For odd source material/ideas, look for Tales of the Gold Monkey, Tailspin and Crimson Skies ... as well as this summers Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Heh heh...oddly enough, Popeye comics make for a pretty good pulp inspiration. It had a lot of silly looking people and pun jokes, not to mention the over-the-top tough guy stuff, but some of the storylines were fairly involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThothAmon Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? I have an ongoing campaign which has been running for many years in both real time (1986 - present) and game time (1920 - 1936) Justice Inc is the definitive HERO System product for background on the era, closely followed by Lands Of Mystery as a campaign tool. I'm one of those who rate LOM as one of the best HERO products ever written - if you can find a copy it is worth swapping for your grandmother / firstborn. Horror HERO is also worth a look as it contains a complete pulp-era campaign setting I'll add another recommendation for GURPS Cliffhangers. This is a great sourcebook for the 1930's. As the Pulp Era is generally considered to start around 1930 (or at least post Black October in the USA) a lot of the published Cthulhu material may not be suitable off-the-shelf as Cthulhu is typically set in the 1920's. The Cthulhu stuff is often strongly rooted in terms of timeline and would need adaptation to suit the conventions of the pulp genre. Having said that, the Cthulhu scenarios 'Masks Of Nyarlathotep' and 'The Day Of The Beast' are very pulpy, easily converted to other systems and rather good as RPG material goes. The recent Cthulhu masterpiece 'Beyond The Mountains Of Madness' is a classic Lost World scenario and is actually set in the 1930's but it is huge in scope. The pulp era can be split into many subgenres - crimefighting and mystery (The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Phantom), horror (Cthulhu), lost world (Land That Time Forgot, Pellucidar, Warlord Of Mars, Flash Gordon), flying (Biggles, Buck Rogers, Tailspin Tommy), jungle adventure (Tarzan, Sheena Queen Of The Jungle) and many others. The best source material is probably books and comics of the era, closely followed by movie material. I'd recommend starting with Doc Savage and Spider stories, Saturday morning serials such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, and movies such as the Indiana Jones trilogy, The Shadow, The Rocketeer and The Phantom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? I ran a campaign for about a year that was Pulp Hero/Golden Age Superhero, set in 1938. I had thought for years that a cross-genre game like that could be good, but in hindsight I'd need a group of players that were fans of/knew something about Pulp. Most of my players were ignorant of the Pulp genre, and had no real idea what Golden Age superheroes were all about. As a result, I got a lot of Silver Age concepts. In deference to my players' ignorance, I allowed rather more leeway than I would have liked in character concept, and as a result I had to upgun the NPCs (in some cases dramatically). Nevertheless, the campaign had its moments. You can find more details in the (currently incomplete) campaign log I've posted online. Comments and questions welcome; I'd definitely run it again and it may take on an incarnation as a Con game at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrisUlf Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? If you want more inspiration for a pulp game, try looking for any of the reprints from Adventure House. Right now they're doing High Adventure, a generic pulp reprint, as well as G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES, one of the all time greats. They intend to reprint the entire series. There's also some outfit that's reprinting THE SPIDER, MASTER OF MEN, but they only seem to come out twice a year or so. Still, great stuff -- the Spider makes Dirty Harry and the Punisher look like wimps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Anyone read the DC Elsewhere series, JSA: The Justice Files? That was a great example of pulps mixed with Golden Age supers via the Iron Age. I would totally be into playing a game like that. The storyline started in WWII and continued on through the Cold War. Probably more Champs than Pulp Hero, but the power level could be toned down a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheImperialKhan Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Just curious as to whether anyone out there has ran, or is currently running, a Pulp Hero game? If so, what is some of your best source material and how is the campaign going? Thanks! Doc As it happens I have run two JI campaigns in my time. The paradigm for the last one can be viewed at my old website: http://www.geocities.com/blademaster01757/dochawkstar.html It was pretty much a standard non-specific pulp campaign that crossed over a wide variety of pulp sub-genres, although the main focus was usually crime-fighting or adventure. The other actually came first. It was my old Zarkon campaign from the mid 80s. It was Pulp Sci-Fi very much a homage to Flash Gordon. There was some talk of HERO publishing it back when Bruce Harlick was running things but then DOJ came in and that was the end of that. I'm looking forward to the new Pulp Hero but with Steve Long doing the writing instead of Aaron Allston I have my doubts as to how good it will be. Not that Steve's a bad writer mind you but I think that a.) He needs a strong editor over him to keep him at the top of his game; b.) He has entirely too much on his plate these days to devote the time and effort that the project really needs; and c.) Aaron really has a greater love of the genre and that makes him better suited to write the book than Steve is. I'm sure it will be ok. I just don't think it will be in the same class as the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Posted August 14, 2004 Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? Check out a book called "The Timetables of History", IIRC. It's a large book, and contains ideas for all historical periods. Very easy to use, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmlessTigerMan Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? found this the other day. Pulp Villains not bad, considering it's free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSword Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Pulp Hero?? If you want some Good Source Material I recommend Highly White-wolf's Adventure! Still findable in it's original D10 form.. But this Month Whitewolf is Releasing a D20 version under their sword and scorercy label. Anyway, it's a very Rich setting, which spares no expense telling you about many of the Great Pulp Conventions, and the Three Hero types from it's Universe, those being.. Recently picked up Adventure! and read the setting on the plane home. I liked a lot of it, and every few pages found an idea or plot to steal. However, I wish White Wolf would stop with the cursive script, its not fun to read in a moving vehicle. I didn't get into the rules yet, but it looks like some of it will be useful to salvage and other stuff will be put out to pasture. I will admit, from the few rules I read, the changes were a definite step up from the previous WW system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.