I made an ex-gangster pulp character who still had a large amount of money stashed away. Now the rest of the gang is dead and his connection to them isn't strong enough (of what can be proven) for the law to get involved. But it's still an open secret that he has money. I gave him the disadvantage Hunted by Moochers to reflect it. Also since some of these moochers occasionally wants to try out the "romantic" life of a gangster and tag along I also gave him a DNPC I like to call pulp-wannabe. Now I know that "wannabe" is a recent word but do the two disads fit the pulp genre?

Re: Pulp Disadvantages

 

While the moochers and wannabes can fall into existing categories of Disads, such as DNPC or Reputation, I think that the back ground information you provide, which all Character Disads ought to have, make your write ups way more interesting and ultimately valuable than most. Great job.

Re: Pulp Disadvantages

 

I made an ex-gangster pulp character who still had a large amount of money stashed away. Now the rest of the gang is dead and his connection to them isn't strong enough (of what can be proven) for the law to get involved. But it's still an open secret that he has money. I gave him the disadvantage Hunted by Moochers to reflect it. Also since some of these moochers occasionally wants to try out the "romantic" life of a gangster and tag along I also gave him a DNPC I like to call pulp-wannabe. Now I know that "wannabe" is a recent word but do the two disads fit the pulp genre?

 

The "Hunted by Moochers" sounds pulpish to me. The gangster-wannabe, though, doesn't quite sound right to me; a true-blue hero (and all pulp heroes are*) wouldn't put up with someone who wants to be bad hanging around. Now, a DNPC who's attracted to gangsterdom, that the hero is obligated to help/defend/etc. for some other reason (relative, war buddy, etc.), that the hero is trying to steer to the good-guy side, that I think would fit.

 

As always, just IMO. YMMV.

 

 

*Except the occasional private eye who cuts corners, and has to compromise, but is a good guy under a rough exterior. If that's the kind of campaign you're talking about, a gangster-wannabe is less "off kilter" sounding. Still, the hero should be steering the wannabe to the side of good, just less strongly, and with less moralizing. IMO, of course.

Re: Pulp Disadvantages

 

Basil,

Good point. It's sort of along the lines I was thinking of. The DNPC would be someone who has the same false romantized illusions about being a gangster/adventurer the PC had and want's to steer the DNPC away from. I'm picturing as an example a young man who read too many pulp novels or heard a few too many gangster stories and sees the character as a proof of what he's read. And if the character is rich and fly around the world on adventures, so can the DNPC.