Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

[Basil]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

Have the philanthropist say something like, "Thanks to a heretofore undiscovered source of helium, contacts around the world, and careful shipping that means I may securely cache said helium, you will always be able to replace expended lifting power. Furthermore..."

 

That will hand-wave away the problem.

 

Until the PCs have to confront the question of just what is the source, and just how secure are those caches.

[Herolover]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

Okay, I am finally getting settled down and starting to get back into some work on this campaign.

 

First let me say again that I really appreciate all the help that you guys are giving me. You are making my campaign better before it even starts and I am really hopefull that someone, besides me, is getting some use out of this information.

 

As for the helium-hydrogen debate as I stated I had thought of using the rubber science device. However, I am now leaning towards the idea of inner helium bags and out hydrogen bags. The helium can vent gas on occasions which will require replenishment.

 

I really like this idea since it gives the best of all worlds. I get hydrogen explosions when I want, but it isn't so dangerous the players have to be fearful and a stray bullet won't end the campaign.

 

As for the needing of ballast and lifting gas I won't even consider them unless they are there to drive the plot. I love the idea of the players having to go secure a "secret" stash of helium only to find that someone-something has control of it.

 

I will out more information on this campaign and some ideas-plans I have at a later date (maybe today.)

 

Otherwise keep the ideas, plots, questions, and info coming.

Thanks Herolover

[Curufea]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

That's something for the Mythbusters - can bullets ignite Hydrogen?

 

Personally, I'd make it very unlikely that a spark is created - they are lead, in general, after all. And the bullets don't get hot enough from friction.

[Basil]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

That's something for the Mythbusters - can bullets ignite Hydrogen?

 

Personally, I'd make it very unlikely that a spark is created - they are lead, in general, after all. And the bullets don't get hot enough from friction.

 

Bullets come out of the gun more than hot enough to set off a well-mixed hydrogen-oxygen mixture. I'm not sure how far downrange they stay hot enough; it would depend on the firearm.

 

Incendiary bullets are known in the pulp period; that's how most WW I barrage balloons were destroyed.

[Curufea]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

True - the tracer rounds were often used just to correct aiming of automatic rounds.

 

But airship were mainly going to be used for commercial, rather than military uses, weren't they?

[vitruvian23]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

Ah - but this is for a Pulp game. Real science just shouldn't be contemplated.

 

If you put reality into a pulp game, you get a "dark champions" or "noir" game.

 

Give me sandbag counterweights and rolling stone deathtraps leading to nazi archeologists any day

 

Not at all. A lot of the stories of one of the paradigmatic pulp heroes, Doc Savage, hewed fairly closely to realism with respect to the majority of gadgets, technology, etc. used, although there were always exceptions and of course Doc's own omnicompetence was in no way realistic.

 

Real airships used hydrogen, fire was a real danger as seen with the Hindenburg, and the dramatic implications of this may actually be a plus rather than a minus. On the other hand, helium was also known, and it requires only a little handwaving to have the sponsoring organization have access to a remarkably rich supply of the stuff (perhaps a large pocket on an actively volcanic island, or deposits beneath deep sea sediments that nobody else has the technology to access). Of course, come WWII, any countries that realize this will look at it as a strategic resource that should be handed over to them...

 

Superscience is also a possibility of course. Without resorting to completely made-up names and properties, three thoughts come to mind:

 

1) Monatomic hydrogen (as opposed to H2), kept stable as a low-temperature plasma by an induced electric field which also reduces the chances of ignition.

 

2) A rigid pressure vessel using a ridiculously thin, strong shell to surround cells of pure vacuum.

 

3) It turns out that the phlogiston theory is correct. Since objects are heavier after combustion, it follows that phlogiston has negative mass and therefore free phlogiston has remarkable lifting properties. Of course, already being free, the phlogiston is completely immune to incendiary threats...

[Basil]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

True - the tracer rounds were often used just to correct aiming of automatic rounds.

 

But airship were mainly going to be used for commercial, rather than military uses, weren't they?

 

Most of the work done with RL airships was by the military. Commercial use was secondary.

[Curufea]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

Not at all. A lot of the stories of one of the paradigmatic pulp heroes, Doc Savage, hewed fairly closely to realism with respect to the majority of gadgets, technology, etc. used, although there were always exceptions and of course Doc's own omnicompetence was in no way realistic.

 

I think they had a tendency to just use the good aspects of a technology, and forget about all the other side effects and consequences (much like TV and movies today do).

 

ie Atomic power not requiring shielding, producing little radiation with easily disposable expended fuel.

High voltage electricity that did not cause radiation.

EMP that doesn't kill humans by frying their nervous systems.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

Hello all. I am looking for input on my next campaign.

 

I am starting to plan my campaign and since I will be picking up the new Pulp Hero book and have some players that have shown great my next campaign will be a Pulp adventures game My Basic Idea

 

What do you think? Do you have suggestions? Adventure ideas, problems you see, etc

 

GREAT BIG GIANT FUGLY GORILLAS.

hundreds, thousands of'em.

[John Desmarais]

Re: Questions and Suggestions for my next campaign.

 

GREAT BIG GIANT FUGLY GORILLAS.

hundreds, thousands of'em.

Too difficult to differentiate from the players...