New Campaign Idea

[Edsel]

Well, its new for me at least...

 

I have run many Dark Champions games in the past. Vigilante games where the players are normals, or have only minor paranormal powers. One of the problems I have encountered is the dizzying plethora of modern combat equipment and armor. Modern battle armor can drastically reduce the threat of a generic street thug with a pistol.

 

With the advent of Pulp Hero I am thinking of running another Vigilante campaign but this time I will base it in the Pulp era (roaring twenties). I think that this will help matters a lot. The Tommy gun, BAR and Colt .45 will be about the baddest weapons around. And body armor... what body armor? That generic hoodlum with the revolver is now a real threat.

 

I guess I can either use Hudson City, New York or perhaps Chicago to base the campaign.

 

Anybody else running something similar to this?

[Barghest]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

This is basically a Shadow or Avenger or Spider campaign played either with or without minor paranormal powers. The BAR might be more than you want to allow any PC to have. Remember, the thing is a LMG not a SMG. Basically, it will blow through both sides of a car and the squishy bits inbetween.

[Edsel]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

I went ahead and ordered (and downloaded) the Pulp Hero PDF this evening. My FLGS has high hopes that they will be getting in the PH book on Tuesday. So I'll have both a paper and an electronic copy. I still intend to try and nab one of the few remaining hardbacks once they make it into the online store as well.

 

Food... Shelter... highly over-rated. Gimme more Hero Books.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

If I recall correctly, the old Justice Inc game had a writeup for a 20s style bullet proof vest, but it was somewhat awkward and very heavy. It's probably still not the best idea for a vigilante of the time on a regular basis, but it might come in handy for a character with a gadget pool when he just knows that Top Hat Bartleby is going to have hidden snipers at the prisoner exchange in the park at midnight.

[Steve Long]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

PH itself has info about period defensive tech on page 307.

[Edsel]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

Remember' date=' the thing is a LMG not a SMG. Basically, it will blow through both sides of a car and the squishy bits inbetween.[/quote']Yeah but a lot of the gangsters and bankrobbers of the era had access to the BAR. Clyde (of Bonnie & Clyde fame) often used one. Also you must keep in mind that when automatic weapons first became available there were no laws restricting them. Anybody, with the cash, could buy one off the shelf.

PH itself has info about period defensive tech on page 307.

Yeah I have looked this over. The historical body armor is very entertaining. It sounds very Ned Kelly like. Expensive and heavy enough that I don't have any problems with a PC wanting to try it on (clank, clank).

[BigJackBrass]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

I'm gearing up for a similar campaign. Low-powered supers have always been my preferred genre for heroics, and the pulp era is a fabulous place for them. On top of which, once you've read Justice, Inc. (the novel... although there's plenty of inspiration in the game too) it's very hard not to want to run this sort of game.

 

Early attempts at bulletproof vests had their uses, but I explain them to players by comparing them to doorgunner armour of the Vietnam era. Exactly want you want when you're liable to catch a stray bullet, but you're not exactly going to be running around the streets in the stuff. All told, I'd rather be ducking behind a wall or a car than trusting my life to pulp body armour. Might as well try hanging a manhole cover on your chest.

[Barghest]

Re: New Campaign Idea

 

Yes, Clyde was the specific individual I was thinking of. Just because someone CAN have something in a game, doesn't mean that they should. Especially one's players. I've found that letting a single gun-toting maniac have access to something like a BAR throws the whole game out of whack. They are generally 4 speed where the usual thug is 2. They are generally 18 dex where the usual thug is 11. They often have multiple levels. So what do you do, throw a US Army company's worth of thugs at them? That's unrealistic and frankly, stupid.

 

Now if you want the bad guys to have a BAR, cool. That takes a slightly hopped up thug (Say 13 dex, 3 spd) and makes him a serious problem for your PCs.