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Pulp Hero Cometh


Super Squirrel

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

Here is what I have drafted so far for my Pulp Hero campaign rules:

 

The Pulp Campaign will consist of a group of characters going on adventures. Each adventure will last between three to five sessions known as Chapters. Each Chapter will usually take place completely in one setting.

 

75 Points + 75 Points

25 Points must be spent on Contacts

 

1 XP per Pulp Adventure

+1 XP per Chapter

+1 XP if Adventure was Difficult

 

Players are encouraged to keep notes and an outline history of each session as key events and names are likely to come up again in future sessions. This also will make it easier for me to draft up Chapter summaries.

 

One interesting element in many pulp stories is naming a chapter after a quote said by one of the characters in that chapter. The quote is usually one to seven words long. For the purposes of this campaign, longer quotes are accepted. In the session notes, jot down one or two quotes that caught your attention and you feel might fit that night's session best.

 

For every quote that a player recommends that is used, a reward to the entire group will be considered. This reward could be a free, useful contact or could be an extra batch of experience points at the end of the adventure.

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

Edgar Rice Burroughs was the king of pulp writers in the early part of the last century. He created:

 

Tarzan

Pellucidar (sort of a Land of the Lost setting)

John Carter, Warlord of Mars (blend of sci-fi and fantasy, but no magic)

 

as well as countless other stuff.

 

Also, there is a lot of material in other genres that owes a lot to the pulp era. Most people think of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon as sci-fi, but those are both clear pulp heroes if you ask me.

 

Likewise, a lot of stories that look superficially like they belong in the horror genre are actually pulp: The Mummy, Frankenstein, even Dracula. The recent Van Helsing movie was a good example of pulp horror. It didn't do well at the box office, but I liked it. Same with Sky Captain -- if you go into it expecting a totally serious movie, you might be disappointed, but if you alter your perspective they're both very entertaining.

 

I love this genre, but have never tried it as an RPG (although I did enjoy reading the old Justice Inc. stuff.) If I ran a pulp campaign, I would probably go with a "monster hunting" theme, as in Van Helsing or in that early '70s TV series about the reporter named Kolchak who killed vampires, zombies, etc. Can't think of the name right now, Night Stalkers I think.

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

...or in that early '70s TV series about the reporter named Kolchak who killed vampires' date=' zombies, etc. Can't think of the name right now, Night Stalkers I think.[/quote']

Kolchak: The Night Stalker, IIRC.

 

Another show I enjoyed for the strong pulp-like influence, even if, like Kolchak, it didn't fall into the right time period was the original Johnny Quest cartoon.

 

Also, anything by H.P. Lovecraft (another "Duh" addition to the list :)).

 

John T

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

And people thought old CorPsey was naughty.

 

Well, everybody needs something to aspire to... even the dearly departed.

 

Thanks for the (severed) heads-up!

 

CorPse :eg:

 

The Spider is my avatar. He embodies the essential essence of the crazed psycho avenger.

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

In the Lost World, the characters get up to the top of the ledge and cross over this great chasm with a fallen tree. Once they start exploring they hear this loud noise. The rush back to discover that two of the Indians they had been travelling with have pushed the tree bridge down the ledge. It turns out that one of the main characters had shot the brother some five years ago and now finally he has gotten his revenge.

 

So I did a write-up for that hunted as it is very pulp:

 

Val Disadvantages
15 Hunted: Assorted Enemies from Previous Adventures 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)
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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

Hmm, there's a thought-

 

Is "The Shadow" a Pulp Hero character, a Dark Champions character, or both?

I think the Shadow (both the radio and stories versions) qualify more as Pulp than DC, if for no other reason than the "tone" of the adventures (though I haven't read that many of the stories).

 

Speaking of the Shadow, some public libraries have pretty good collections of old radio programs. It'd be worth a look to see if you can find some from the Shadow (especially the Orson Wells era). But resist the urge to send for your complementary ton of Blue Coal (Pennsylvania's Finest Anthracite!). The movie (w/Alec Baldwin) isn't horrible, but it isn't very good, either. It does an interesting job blending the radio character with the one from the stories, but it doesn't know if it wants to be serious or tongue-in-cheek.

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

Not to derail the thread' date=' but when did Marvel get it right? Surely you aren't referring to the one where the Red Skull was Italian?[/quote']

 

I'm hoping that he's refering to Marvel films in general, they've been of a higher quality lately, with the exception of a few like Punisher and Hulk.

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Re: Pulp Hero Cometh

 

Not to derail the thread' date=' but when did Marvel get it right? Surely you aren't referring to the one where the Red Skull was Italian?[/quote']AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! Do you have any idea how much therapy I went through to try and forget about that abomination!!!!

 

And now, to get us back on the rails - another helpful old radio program to get the feel of pulp would be Sam Spade. Sure, he doesn't have any freaky or wierd powers, he's just a San Francisco gumshoe. But the programs were really well done (if you can get past Effie, the secretary who's dumber than a post ... some women I know won't listen to Sam because of that).

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