Pulp Lucha

[Kharis2000]

Having now read the PDF of Lucha Libre HERO (twice), I am already contemplating how to introduce some material from it to the poor souls in my Pulp HERO game.

 

Tossing aside the real-world temporal issues as unimportant (this is the pulps, after all), in favor of getting the good stuff into the game, I've arrived at the following rough outline for adding things in:

 

Lucha heroes as a general 'type' have dated back to ancient Meso-American days, and some of the pictographic tales attributed to ancient gods were actually tales of these ancient wrestling heroes uplifted to mythic status.

 

Both males and females may (and do) 'don the mask' and take up the battle against evil, although the number of women that do so is much smaller than the number of men. Female practitioners face some initial resistance by their male counterparts, but that male resistance tends to fade to a mild sort of protectiveness after a few demonstrations of skill.

 

In Mexico and other Central American areas where the tradition exists, the populace at large tends to ignore the (for the period) scandalous outfits worn by lucha heroes of both sexes, although that consensual acceptance does not carry over to areas without the lucha tradition. It's a situational issue, so a male luchadore engaging in bare-chested combat against thugs in a warehouse isn't goign to be commented on, but the same type of combat in Times Square will get some raised eyebrows (unless they cleverly allow their shirt to be ripped or torn off ala Doc Savage, in which case it's just accepted). Female wrestlers are going to draw a bit more commentary given the form-fitting outfits they wear, but as long as they're acting in a heroic manner, the worst they can expect is some stares by rookie police officers and snubs/editorials from elderly society matrons and columnists that rail against heroes in general.

 

Lucha is very much a Central/South American phenomenon, and isn't well-known in North America or the rest of the world. Characters encountering luchadoes for the first time would normally hesitate before reacting to them, but, as in pulp reality tradition, both sides should recognize the innate heroic qualities of the other in short order. (Though not, perhaps, before a round or two of 'misunderstandings.')

 

 

In my campaign, which is based in New York City, but spans the globe to get folks into exotic locations, what I'm thinking of doing to introduce things is to have a pair of lucha practitioners (one male and one female, a brother and sister) come to New York in pursuit of the sacred Mask of Quetzalcouatl that grants the wearer dread powers and for 'the Son of the Sun' (the NPC sponsoring the group is the son of a Victorian adventurer and the last princess of the line of the Incan Sun Kings) who can teach them the counter to the dread 'Aztec Death Grip' that their opponents have used against them several times.

 

The NPC, of course, doen't know the technique they need, but will allow that there are records in the Sacred Valley the remaining members of his people live in amidst the High Andes which might. That lets folks head there after a fight or two with the bad guys to 'train up' [using the rules from the original Ninja Hero for such things, where the 'Death Grip' imposes a -6 OCV/DCV penalty against opponents until they train in the counter,with each week of training reducing the penalty by 1]

 

On the way, they can stop in Mexico and get mixed up with some lucha vilains for more exposure to the genre, have another fight with the new 'Lord Quetzal' and head to the Sacred Valley to train, returning to fight Lord Quetzal with their new allies after he's assimilated the Mexico City underworld under his control.

 

After that, I'll just see what happens. Might wind up with a PC/NPC romance with one or more of the luch NPCs, might get PC that wants to train in lucha, certainly wind up with lucha villains that have a grudge against the PCs which demands revenge.

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

I like the sound of this

the reptonfa has swung

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

anyone else have any comments on this

[OddHat]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Lucha is a natural for Pulp. Many Pulp Heroes were circus or stage performers (Houdini was a classic), or based off of those performers (many of Doc Savage's tricks were classic Strongman bits). No reason not to add Lucha to the mix.

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

no reason at all

[Darren Watts]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Lucha is a very Pulpy "genre." Mil Mascaras' "origin" is basically the same as Doc Savaqge's, and El Santo regularly traveled to strange lands to deal with pulp menaces (in Vs. Los Cazadores de Cabezas (Santo vs. The Headhunters), he even treks into a jungle in full-on Marlon Perkins gear to rescue a princess from being sacrificed by tribesmen and on the way has to fight an alligator and a leopard. And don't get me started about "El Santo vs. Blue Demon In Atlantis.") dw

[OddHat]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

And don't get me started about "El Santo vs. Blue Demon In Atlantis.") dw

 

I kind of liked that El Santo ended his days in Atlantis, even if it was a profoundly bad movie.

 

I expect they took back that "final" adventure in the Son of Santo series.

[pinecone]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Having now read the PDF of Lucha Libre HERO (twice), I am already contemplating how to introduce some material from it to the poor souls in my Pulp HERO game.

 

Tossing aside the real-world temporal issues as unimportant (this is the pulps, after all), in favor of getting the good stuff into the game, I've arrived at the following rough outline for adding things in:

 

Lucha heroes as a general 'type' have dated back to ancient Meso-American days, and some of the pictographic tales attributed to ancient gods were actually tales of these ancient wrestling heroes uplifted to mythic status.

 

Both males and females may (and do) 'don the mask' and take up the battle against evil, although the number of women that do so is much smaller than the number of men. Female practitioners face some initial resistance by their male counterparts, but that male resistance tends to fade to a mild sort of protectiveness after a few demonstrations of skill.

 

In Mexico and other Central American areas where the tradition exists, the populace at large tends to ignore the (for the period) scandalous outfits worn by lucha heroes of both sexes, although that consensual acceptance does not carry over to areas without the lucha tradition. It's a situational issue, so a male luchadore engaging in bare-chested combat against thugs in a warehouse isn't goign to be commented on, but the same type of combat in Times Square will get some raised eyebrows (unless they cleverly allow their shirt to be ripped or torn off ala Doc Savage, in which case it's just accepted). Female wrestlers are going to draw a bit more commentary given the form-fitting outfits they wear, but as long as they're acting in a heroic manner, the worst they can expect is some stares by rookie police officers and snubs/editorials from elderly society matrons and columnists that rail against heroes in general.

 

Lucha is very much a Central/South American phenomenon, and isn't well-known in North America or the rest of the world. Characters encountering luchadoes for the first time would normally hesitate before reacting to them, but, as in pulp reality tradition, both sides should recognize the innate heroic qualities of the other in short order. (Though not, perhaps, before a round or two of 'misunderstandings.')

 

 

In my campaign, which is based in New York City, but spans the globe to get folks into exotic locations, what I'm thinking of doing to introduce things is to have a pair of lucha practitioners (one male and one female, a brother and sister) come to New York in pursuit of the sacred Mask of Quetzalcouatl that grants the wearer dread powers and for 'the Son of the Sun' (the NPC sponsoring the group is the son of a Victorian adventurer and the last princess of the line of the Incan Sun Kings) who can teach them the counter to the dread 'Aztec Death Grip' that their opponents have used against them several times.

 

The NPC, of course, doen't know the technique they need, but will allow that there are records in the Sacred Valley the remaining members of his people live in amidst the High Andes which might. That lets folks head there after a fight or two with the bad guys to 'train up' [using the rules from the original Ninja Hero for such things, where the 'Death Grip' imposes a -6 OCV/DCV penalty against opponents until they train in the counter,with each week of training reducing the penalty by 1]

 

On the way, they can stop in Mexico and get mixed up with some lucha vilains for more exposure to the genre, have another fight with the new 'Lord Quetzal' and head to the Sacred Valley to train, returning to fight Lord Quetzal with their new allies after he's assimilated the Mexico City underworld under his control.

 

After that, I'll just see what happens. Might wind up with a PC/NPC romance with one or more of the luch NPCs, might get PC that wants to train in lucha, certainly wind up with lucha villains that have a grudge against the PCs which demands revenge.

 

 

It's a natural mix...Joe College Wrestler/Athelete is a recognised trope...so Luchador at large seems to pose no problems.

 

Even the dress code issues ...Tarzan goes without comment, why not Sombra Vengadora?

[Pól Ruadh]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

The stories in most luchador films are so similar to the basic plots in the Hero pulps as to be almost indistinguishable.

Basically, your pulp heroes and luchadors did all sorts of the same thing. Battled Mad Scientists, punched out gangsters and ne'er-do-wells, fought alien invaders, grappled with the forces of darkness, explored strange ruins in search of mystic artefacts.

For the most part, both types were non-powered, but at the peak of physical ability.

And of course, wrestling in Mexico has been popular since the turn of the century, with the first national Lucha Libre federation formed in 1933.

 

This sounds like an absolute pip!

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

the stories in most luchador films are so similar to the basic plots in the hero pulps as to be almost indistinguishable.

Basically, your pulp heroes and luchadors did all sorts of the same thing. Battled mad scientists, punched out gangsters and ne'er-do-wells, fought alien invaders, grappled with the forces of darkness, explored strange ruins in search of mystic artefacts.

For the most part, both types were non-powered, but at the peak of physical ability.

And of course, wrestling in mexico has been popular since the turn of the century, with the first national lucha libre federation formed in 1933.

 

This sounds like an absolute pip!

viva la lucha

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

one luchador in particula who'd fit in PULP LUCHA campaign is that eras holder of the EL ESPECTRO mask

[pinecone]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Having now read the PDF of Lucha Libre HERO (twice), I am already contemplating how to introduce some material from it to the poor souls in my Pulp HERO game.

 

Tossing aside the real-world temporal issues as unimportant (this is the pulps, after all), in favor of getting the good stuff into the game, I've arrived at the following rough outline for adding things in:

 

Lucha heroes as a general 'type' have dated back to ancient Meso-American days, and some of the pictographic tales attributed to ancient gods were actually tales of these ancient wrestling heroes uplifted to mythic status.

 

Both males and females may (and do) 'don the mask' and take up the battle against evil, although the number of women that do so is much smaller than the number of men. Female practitioners face some initial resistance by their male counterparts, but that male resistance tends to fade to a mild sort of protectiveness after a few demonstrations of skill.

 

In Mexico and other Central American areas where the tradition exists, the populace at large tends to ignore the (for the period) scandalous outfits worn by lucha heroes of both sexes, although that consensual acceptance does not carry over to areas without the lucha tradition. It's a situational issue, so a male luchadore engaging in bare-chested combat against thugs in a warehouse isn't goign to be commented on, but the same type of combat in Times Square will get some raised eyebrows (unless they cleverly allow their shirt to be ripped or torn off ala Doc Savage, in which case it's just accepted). Female wrestlers are going to draw a bit more commentary given the form-fitting outfits they wear, but as long as they're acting in a heroic manner, the worst they can expect is some stares by rookie police officers and snubs/editorials from elderly society matrons and columnists that rail against heroes in general.

 

Lucha is very much a Central/South American phenomenon, and isn't well-known in North America or the rest of the world. Characters encountering luchadoes for the first time would normally hesitate before reacting to them, but, as in pulp reality tradition, both sides should recognize the innate heroic qualities of the other in short order. (Though not, perhaps, before a round or two of 'misunderstandings.')

 

 

In my campaign, which is based in New York City, but spans the globe to get folks into exotic locations, what I'm thinking of doing to introduce things is to have a pair of lucha practitioners (one male and one female, a brother and sister) come to New York in pursuit of the sacred Mask of Quetzalcouatl that grants the wearer dread powers and for 'the Son of the Sun' (the NPC sponsoring the group is the son of a Victorian adventurer and the last princess of the line of the Incan Sun Kings) who can teach them the counter to the dread 'Aztec Death Grip' that their opponents have used against them several times.

 

The NPC, of course, doen't know the technique they need, but will allow that there are records in the Sacred Valley the remaining members of his people live in amidst the High Andes which might. That lets folks head there after a fight or two with the bad guys to 'train up' [using the rules from the original Ninja Hero for such things, where the 'Death Grip' imposes a -6 OCV/DCV penalty against opponents until they train in the counter,with each week of training reducing the penalty by 1]

 

On the way, they can stop in Mexico and get mixed up with some lucha vilains for more exposure to the genre, have another fight with the new 'Lord Quetzal' and head to the Sacred Valley to train, returning to fight Lord Quetzal with their new allies after he's assimilated the Mexico City underworld under his control.

 

After that, I'll just see what happens. Might wind up with a PC/NPC romance with one or more of the luch NPCs, might get PC that wants to train in lucha, certainly wind up with lucha villains that have a grudge against the PCs which demands revenge.

 

Sounds Great!

[Sweeper]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Heh, I think the cartoon Mucha Lucha kinda ruined any attempt at seriousness for Lucha Libre and Wrestling in general. (Well, that and WWE anyways)

 

That being said, Ricochet's Abulito would probably be the right age for a young Lucha Hero in the pulp era, especially if you use the over the top wrestling moves that are sometimes shown in the cartoon.

[Pól Ruadh]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Saying that 'mucha lucha' ruined anything is overstating it.

Sure there are going to be people who will associate it with the cartoon, or with Jack Black in 'Nacho Libre' or over-the-top WWE ridiculousness.

But then again, some folks will always associate superheroes with Adam West playing Batman in the 1960's.

 

As long as there are people willing to look beyond the most immediate artefacts to the genuine stuff, nothing's ruined.

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Saying that 'mucha lucha' ruined anything is overstating it.

Sure there are going to be people who will associate it with the cartoon, or with Jack Black in 'Nacho Libre' or over-the-top WWE ridiculousness.

But then again, some folks will always associate superheroes with Adam West playing Batman in the 1960's.

 

As long as there are people willing to look beyond the most immediate artefacts to the genuine stuff, nothing's ruined.

agreed when i first saw the champions of justice it reminded me of the adam west batman series [where i first became interested in super-heroes] minus the camp and liked it

[Kharis2000]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

The trick to working with pulp scenarios (for me, anyway, other GM's mileage may vary - sometimes wildly) is to remember that no matter what *we* may think from our post-20th Century perspective while watching serials like ""The Phantom Creeps" or "The Fighting Devil Dogs" or reading a Spider or Doc Savage novel, the people who wrote/filmed/watched/and read them back in the day took them seriously. There were moments of humor - intentional and otherwise - but by and large the films and stories that gave us this genre were meant to be taken seriously; they were, essentially, "The Dark Knight" of their day.

 

If you treat the genre and it's conventions with that kind of respect, and give your players the chance to be 'Batman' and thus buy in to the setting, then even if you whip out tired old deals like 'the previously unknown twin' or bring in lucha wrestlers, everything will be cool.

[bubba smith]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

The trick to working with pulp scenarios (for me, anyway, other GM's mileage may vary - sometimes wildly) is to remember that no matter what *we* may think from our post-20th Century perspective while watching serials like ""The Phantom Creeps" or "The Fighting Devil Dogs" or reading a Spider or Doc Savage novel, the people who wrote/filmed/watched/and read them back in the day took them seriously. There were moments of humor - intentional and otherwise - but by and large the films and stories that gave us this genre were meant to be taken seriously; they were, essentially, "The Dark Knight" of their day.

 

If you treat the genre and it's conventions with that kind of respect, and give your players the chance to be 'Batman' and thus buy in to the setting, then even if you whip out tired old deals like 'the previously unknown twin' or bring in lucha wrestlers, everything will be cool.

very cool indeed well put the reptonfa has swung

[pinecone]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

My first try at a "Pulp" Luchador...still not happy with 'im though...

 

Cabalero de Oro (Golden Knight)

 

ST 20

Dx 15

Con 20

Bod 15

Int 10

Ego 11

Pres 20

Coml 14

PD 8 (11, 3r)

ED 4 (7, 3r)

Spd 4

Rec 8

End 40

Stun 35

 

Total cost 88 points

[pinecone]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

"Powers"

 

Combat Luck 6 pts

+1" running 2 pts

 

"Lucha agility" +1 DCV 5 pts

 

Total cost 13 pts

[pinecone]

Re: Pulp Lucha

 

Skils...

 

 

Lucha! (M. Grab,Reversal,Crush *Signature move(scorpian death lock), Takedown, M. Throw,M. Strike) 21 pts, +2 pts for the "signature move" (+2 OCV)

Perq. Wealthy 5 pts

 

Breakfall

Stealth

Shadowing

 

KS: Lucha World 2 pts

 

+2 w/ Hth 10 pts

 

Total 49 pts

 

Total for character 150 pts

 

A "Mat master" Luchador, who has a Lot of room for improvement from Eps....