THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

[Captain Obvious]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Pirate Treasure!

 

http://www.captainkidd.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.htm

 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian/issues04/dec04/peoplefile.html

 

http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/index.html

[Steve Long]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

American Government's "X-File storage warehouse" a'la the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" including all the staff and security measure it has and a list of the few items various cults and groups are trying to steal back from it.

 

While this is a clever idea, I'm pretty sure we can't, in a single chapter or entry in a book, top GURPS Warehouse 23, so I think we'll hold off on this one.

[Steve Long]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Mars. And the real reason for all the cannals...

 

For this book, we're going to stick to locations on, in, under, or otherwise directly related to Earth. Pulp Sci-Fi will have to wait for another time. Maybe if there's enough interest I could expand Solar Smith into a whole book at some point.

[Steve Long]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

A giant zeppelin, big enough to hold a couple hundred people. It should be capable of indefinitely sustained flight.

 

Way ahead of you. We've already got that in Masterminds And Madmen -- the Skymaster's Skyfortress, for which we have six pages of detailed maps prepared by Publius!

[Steve Long]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Something in the South Pacific, among beautiful Polynesian women, coral beaches, palm trees, etc.

 

Now that would be a selling point -- "Beautiful Polynesian Woman With Every Copy!". It would be even funnier if we could put little paper dolls in the book so that this was, in fact, a true statement.

[Steve Long]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Thanx for the suggestions, folx! Keep 'em comin'.

[Mantis]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

The Deep Woods of Bangalla. Baronkhan. Rhodia. Ivory-Lana. The island of Eden. The Golden Beach of Keela-Wee. Walker's* Table.

 

All as homages, of course .

 

* for the Ghost Who Walks

[Mad_Ernie]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Steve:

 

I know the Tibetan monestary has already been suggested, but I was thinking more along the lines of Shambala. Some place that isn't just a monk retreat for teaching martial arts but more of a mystical, ancient city, sort of Oz-like, if you get my drift. Martial arts would be but a small part of what the whole place is about.

 

-ME:cool:

[Mentor]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I was thinking that maybe it needs some urban settings as well.

 

One idea that from our old Pulp campaign in the eighties was a San Francisco Chinatown office for an honorary councilman who was also the head of one of the more powerful Secret Societies. In addidtion to providing numerous tips and plot hooks, one of the PCs in our campaign was his daughter. I love Chinatown adventures.

 

A museum in Paris or Marseilles whose curator is an archeologist and former Soldier if French or Legionaire if foreign. The museum has hundreds of artifacts and documents which tell of legendary locales and creatures but warn of mysterious dangers.

 

A large warehouse at the Rotterdam port handles countless loads of cargo in and out of Europe as well as being the conduit for information and adventure. Ship passage or cargo transport and the location and hiring of "specialists" of all sorts have been available through the proprieters since 1658.

[proditor]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I'd like to echo the Antarctica suggestion from earlier. Either as the base of a bunch of nazis/world conquerors or as the home of something *MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW!* or ideally, both.

 

The isolation and desolation makes it a nice home for a pre-human civilization from when it was a wee bit warmer down there, and when it wasn't, well, down there. Now, the Forces of Evil have traced down a series of clues (Including that map of Piri Re'is) to point them in the right direction. Now, from a small base similar to Little America, the baddie no-goodnicks have ventured into the lost city of the ancients and are only days away from liberating the secrets of World Domination!

 

Perhaps Antarctica is a positive hotbed of activity! From alien races and their cities to the agents sent to infiltrate it before the cataclysm but frozen in time and ice before they could even start their mission. No the heroes must help out Professer Landry and his team as they thaw out the strange life form that was looking for the city. (A la "The Thing" and partially, "At the Mountains of Madness")

[BobGreenwade]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I am definitely down with the dinosaur-populated plateau (what better way to encourage a Prehistoric Bestiary? ), the underground temple, and the page of paper dolls of beautiful Polynesian women.

 

I also agree with the Yengtao Temple suggestion, including it but explaining how certain abilities are rarely if ever taught to outsiders or people lacking a certain level of experience (at least, during this time period).

 

If anyone's already suggested a Bavarian castle (for Dracula/Frankenstein type stories) or a mastermind's secret mountaintop base, I didn't notice it.

 

And of course there would simply have to be an appendix describing the lands in Hidden Lands during the Pulp era.

[Edsel]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I am thinking of a movie I once saw. Unfortunately I cannot remember the title or even the name of any of the actors. Roughly the plot went something like this.

 

The setting is the tropics, I am thinking South Pacific Islands

The primary characters are a smuggler (with his own clipper-like sailing ship and crew), A young missionary and his new bride (or bride to be).

 

The mission it wiped out by hostiles, who the missionary & wife initially think are the smuggler/pirate and his crew. The missionary and his wife end up as captives and later allies of the smuggler/pirate. It turns out that the German's (pre-WWI I think) are actually behind it. During their adventures they are chased by the Germans and I believe that everyone is trying to find a treasure of some sort. Near the end of the picture the German's show up with a small monitor (armored ship single funnel and a big turret). The smuggler's ship has no chance against this but the good guys launch a boarding action and manage to defeat the Germans.

 

At the very end of the movie (months may have passed) we join the smuggler in a prison cell awaiting his execution. At the last minute he is rescued by the missionary and his wife (posing as the priest and a nun who have arrived to give him absolution). The movie ends open ended with them escaping.

 

The plot reminds me a little of Pirates of the Carabean.

 

Anyway whether or not anyone remembers the movie... A small monitor or large Gunboat could be really neat.

 

For another Idea remember the movie The Sand Pebbles a great pulp/military cross-over flick. A typical river station on the Yangzee (sp?) River during the Chinese Civil War could be fun. Send in our heroes to rescue the missionaries who are being held captive by the Chinese Communinst / Anti-Western Imperialist hordes.

[OddHat]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I am definitely down with the dinosaur-populated plateau (what better way to encourage a Prehistoric Bestiary? ), the underground temple, and the page of paper dolls of beautiful Polynesian women.

 

I also agree with the Yengtao Temple suggestion, including it but explaining how certain abilities are rarely if ever taught to outsiders or people lacking a certain level of experience (at least, during this time period).

 

If anyone's already suggested a Bavarian castle (for Dracula/Frankenstein type stories) or a mastermind's secret mountaintop base, I didn't notice it.

 

And of course there would simply have to be an appendix describing the lands in Hidden Lands during the Pulp era.

 

I like the Frankenstein's Castle idea. I've been thinking of running an adventure based around the notebooks of Doctor Frankenstein, Doctor Moreau, Doctor Gibberne, Hawley Griffin and Doctor Henry Jekyll. Gathering the notebooks of their CU analogs would make a great excuse to keep a group of pulp heroes running from hidden place to place in competition with a team of Nazi adventurers.

 

I'd also like a description of the Hidden Lands in the Pulp era.

[mallet]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Pulp Sci-Fi will have to wait for another time. Maybe if there's enough interest I could expand Solar Smith into a whole book at some point.

 

I would love that.

[Black Ops]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

A mysterious Island Harbor with Chinese Pirate Queens,seedy Dives etc....

[Cancer]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Y'know, you have a pretty good squad-size firefight in an airship hangar. And we won't even mention the tanks of hydrogen that might be nearby in grenade-scatter range.

 

Luxury transportation, be it the Orient Express, Titanic, or Hindenburg are all worth contemplating, too.

[ArmlessTigerMan]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

A mysterious Island Harbor with Chinese Pirate Queens' date='seedy Dives etc....[/quote']

 

I like this idea. Perhaps the Isle of Malachite in the pulp era. A bit more lawless and disorderly before the supervillain Malachite comes along. Like Casablanca, where you can rub shoulders with villainous scum from every nation.

 

You never have too many booby-trapped old tombs. Aside from chinese empereors with their clay legions and pharaohs in their sarcophogi you've got: Mayan and Aztec pyramids, Incan ruins, the Hanging Coffins of the Bo, Sumerian Ziggurats, the white pyramid of Xi'an...

 

The Parisian Catacombs. Mysterious and unused subway tunnels beneath New York city where untold denizens dwell. And those creepy little New England villages that Lovecraft fellow keeps writing about.

[BigJackBrass]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Forgive the addition of a real location, but I can't resist mentioning my favourite, not least because it appears in Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius stories:

 

http://www.storyoflondon.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=454

 

The old Derry & Toms department store had a rather elaborate roof garden, with mock Spanish architecture and a pond full of flamingoes. These days the tea rooms have become a nightclub, but it's a location absolutely made for pulp. Treat your heroes to an unexpected oasis high above London next time they are in town; and given the current owner, it might make the perfect lair for a diabolical media tycoon...

[st barbara]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

(First, apologies to St. B for involuntarily editing his post -- it's just easier for me to see all the ideas he suggested by putting 'em in a "list" form. )

 

 

 

Yeah, I-E already has dinos. And possibly our homage to Skull Island will as well. So, we probably don't need any more... I'll leave them to all y'all out there to put on such plateaus as you desire.

 

I have a bunch of the Childress books, and may plumb them for inspiration.

 

An Egyptian tomb of some stripe is definitely on the "possibles" list.

Feel free to edit to your heart's content Steve ! I'm sure that if you leave something out you will have a good reason and, if I remember, i'll ask about it and you can tell me ! Another "thrilling place" that comes to mind is Pohnpei, the odd island in the Pacific that looks as if parts of it may be artificial ! (In the "Pulp" era it was called "Ponape"). It is now the capital of The Federated States Of Micronesia and features a classic "sunken city" Nan Modal. It must be added that it was administered by Japan during the 20's and 30's. What is down there ? Why are those Japanese scientists being guarded by army units and who is the unusualy tall, exotic woman who leads the expedition ? The O S S would like to know, and it's up to the players to find out ! (Instant adventure !) Information is in Childress' "Lost Cities of Ancient Lemuria and the Pacific" (Pp 211-238)

[st barbara]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

To "Edsel" Ah yes Gunboats and Diplomacy ! Lots of great possibilities there in China, the Phillipines, the Dutch East Indies and even on rivers in Africa ! Not just American gunboats either; British, Dutch, French and Japanese gunboats are all possible ! Try the movie "The Sand Pebbles" for inspiration.

[Cancer]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

How about Al Nobel's dynamite factory ?

[st barbara]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I also like "Mentor's" suggestion for a generic Chinatown adventure setting; or how about one set at a really big, baroque resort hotel (Somewhere nice and isolated perhaps ?)

[L. Marcus]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

How about Al Nobel's dynamite factory ?

. . . It did go BOOOM! with alarming frequency . . . Killed one of Nobel's brothers.

[Cancer]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Actually, this incident, although it happened in World War 1 (a bit earlier than most pulp adventures), is what brought the dynamite factory to mind. 2500 tons of chemical explosives going el bango in Halifax harbor. Surely there's a pulp adventure there somewhere.

[Mantis]

Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

A few more random thoughts.

 

Has anyone suggested an Ocean liner? Or any type of merchant vessel? Maybe a Paddle steamer?

 

I know more flying stuff is being frowned on, but what about the proposed Northrop Flying Wing airliner?

 

When I suggested Thunderbirds as a Star Hero setting, it was suggested this was more Pulp than Star Hero. What about Tracy Island then?

 

Caves. Gotta have caves.

 

A hotel. Actually, two hotels - a five-star hotel, and a sleazy dive.

 

A border checkpoint.

 

A prison.

 

Der Fuhrer's Bunker. Or his "Wolf's Lair".

 

A Royal Palace.