JakSpade

Re: pulp paper

For those who like paper models' date=' there's a very nice pulpy vehicle here.

Must ... spread ... rep ... around ...

Hey, if I had it, it'd be yours...

It's funny that the drilling machine is one of the highest sellers on rpgnow right now... :

jak

Re: My First Game of Champions!

Nice

I had a guy who I forgot to buy any resistant defenses for. He was shot by a thug in the first adventure and almost died.

 

Then a cyber crocodile bit him...

 

He bought armor asap...

Oooo... that's my story... first character didn't have resistant defenses, much less any defenses... got taken out before first Post Segment 12.

jak

Check out this web site...

FashionEra.com -- At Fashion-Era.com we analyse two centuries of women's costume history and fashion history silhouettes in detail. Regency, Romantic, Victorian, Edwardian, Flapper,1940's Utility Rationing, Dior's New Look, 1960's Mini dress, 1970's Disco, 1980's New Romantics, Power Dressing, Haute Couture, Royal Robes, Fashion Semiotics, and Body Adornment, each retro fashion era, and future fashion trends are all defined.

We've also outlined the history of Jewellery, Perfumes, Cosmetics, Corsetry and Underwear manipulation of the body silhouette. Fashion history is a rich area to explore. The effects of past and present technology, changes in work, leisure, media and homelife that affect lifestyle trends, attitudes, fashion trends and shopping trendsetters are all covered in the various eras.

New sections such as hats, hair, cloaks and capes fashion history continue to explore and make this a great web fashion history and costume history resource. Recent new sections also include consumer tests for example on clip in hair extensions plus tips on how to buy and sell vintage, pattern drafting and Christmas themes. There is also a Fashion Forum over 3 years old called Fashion-era Forum. There you can discuss anything from current fashion trends, vintage to costume history from Greeks to the 21st century.

jak

Re: Pulp Hero Resources

This might be a helpful link.

FashionEra.com - Fashion-era contains 640 content rich, illustrated pages of Fashion History, Costume History, Clothing, Fashions and Social History.

Especially check out the Victorian Era and Stylish 30s sections...

jak

The New York Times online web site will stop charging for their content starting tonight at midnight, two years after they began a subscriber service on their site. The will also open up many of their now public domain content from 1851 to 1922, and their content from 1987 to present without charge. Everything in between 1923 and 1986 may be free or have a small charge, depending on the content.

New York Times Article

jak

Re: Mook rules?

Odd. When I first read this, I kept thinking of MMORPG types who could hold a room full of aggro.

 

A mob as a swarm is an interesting idea, and it seems like it would definitely work pretty well in something like a Valdorian Age setting, since combat talents (ie limited powers) can be bought to only affect "minion-level" types.

ooOOOooo, I didn't even think about that... Pulp talents that make you "only good versus groups".

Come to think of it' date=' how would you define an ability that causes minions to focus their attentions on you, leaving weaker characters alone? Limited PRE?[/quote']

 

It could be a psych lim for the mob, "focuses attacks on highest threat" or "targets character with the highest PRE" or something like that...

 

jak

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Art

Oh man... the one pic that messes me up the most is the Tarantula Bear...

Strength of a ... bear sized tarantula ... and fur!

I surrender!

jak

Re: Mook rules?

You could always give the mooks either a psych lim or a physical lim of "has trouble hitting heroic individuals." Give them a hefty ocv penalty associated with it. This is stretching things a bit, but Hero really seems to have problems dealing with mooks based on how the system is designed.

 

In a champions game, a mook doesn't stand a chance of taking out a hero one on one. Things don't scale the same at the heroic level, it seems. By giving the mooks that limitation, they are still deadly to everyone else, but they couldn't ever hit the heroes without getting really lucky. If on that one in hundred chance a mook takes out the hero, that is what heroic action points or villain death traps with a climactic escape are for.

Oh, I don't know... judging from the differences in OCV/DCV between standard heroic characters (4-7) and 'skilled normals' (1-5), you can gauge mooks at a completely different power level than your heroes, no matter what level you are currently playing.

jak

Re: Mook rules?

I think I will have to try that the next time I run champions' date=' just does not have the right feel for my current Pulp game, but definatly an interesting idea...[/quote']

 

Well, groups of mooks mostly work against groups of heroes in pulp. A small amount of pulp heroes would just run or evade the large group of cultists. But, yeah, I think a mook blob would work well for a supers campaign... I'll have to try that too...

 

jak

Re: Mook rules?

so basicaly a human sized swarm...interesting

You can even take extra defense (or Combat Luck) versus mook swarms, based on a skill roll (OCV based). Basically, you're doing a LOT of blocking...

Damage could be ablative, based on how much damage you do to the blob... weird stuff like that...

jak

Re: Mook rules?

You know, you could make mook rules a little more abstract. Take this scene from Dragon Tiger (from YouTube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0RIKDZlQJY

The "hero" has to work his way through a hallway of mooks to get away. You could play the scene, but abstract the mooks as if they were an Area Effect, Physical Damage, Based on a Skill roll (martial arts). Set the OCV of the mook blob, and work out a way for the hero to deal with movement through the blob, how he takes damage, how he defends against injury, and such like that...

It might work if my brain were working this early in the morning...

jak

Re: Mook rules?

How about having it so no matter how much BODY damage a mook's attack causes by the die rolls, the PC takes only 1 BODY? Apply Stun Multiplier (if any) to the single point of BODY. Also, only allow PC's (and maybe major villains) use Hit Locations; mook attacks can do only general hits.

I probably wouldn't reduce the amount of Body to 1, but you might reduce any killing attacks they do to normal damage (all 1die killing becomes 3 dice normal damage). That would reduce the amount of body done, and you get a lot more knockouts...

jak

Re: Mook rules?

Another important mook rule: mooks don't keep fighting just because they still have a few STUN & BODY left. A mook who gets anything more than a light wound is out of the fight (say, if he takes half his BODY). Struggling to the last is the province of fantaics, major villains, and heroes.

 

In my experience, giving heroes Combat Luck and a SPD of 3-4, and limiting the mooks to SPD 2, is enough to provide a major edge. Enough that I've almost never gone beyond that. Oh, and, of course, only highly trained mooks think of doing things like Brace/Set aiming, taking cover, and suchlike.

You might want to add that rolling well, such as criticals, take mooks right out... maybe even stunning them also, depending if you want real fast action.

jak

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Anyway, I played Jackie Edo, the buddhist yakuza punk... who I doodled up. And the rest of the cool, oddball cast to follow.

Buddhist AND Yakuza? Isn't that an oxymoron?

jak

Re: [Hooks] News articles that could be Pulp Adventures

I don't know if this will fit more as inspiration, or as an adventure... Enjoy!

Most successful pirate was beautiful and tough

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/08/27/woman.pirate/index.html

You can keep your Bluebeards and your Blackbeards. The most successful pirate of all time controlled a fleet of more than 1,500 ships and upwards of 80,000 sailors -- and she did it all without the help of facial hair.

art.tall.ship.afp.gi.jpg

Tall ships like the La Boudeuse used to face threats from pirates as they sailed around the world.

When a Chinese pirate captain named Cheng married a beautiful prostitute in 1801, he wasn't just getting the girl of his dreams; he was making the best financial investment of his career. His new bride, known to history as Cheng I Sao, or "Wife of Cheng," agreed to the marriage on one condition -- that she would share equally in his power and would be given the opportunity to help him secure more wealth.

Sounded like a deal to Cheng, and for the next six years, the husband and wife teamed up to grow their piracy business along the coast of the South China Sea, as far south as Malaysia. But then, in 1807, Cheng passed away. Instead of stepping aside like a "proper" widow, Cheng I Sao promptly took the reins.

Thinking outside the treasure box

Although clearly ahead of her time, Cheng I Sao was shrewd enough to realize that the pirate masses weren't likely as enlightened. So, her first act as leader was to make her husband's second-in-command, Chang Pao, official captain of the fleet.

While Chang Pao led the men into battle, Cheng I Sao focused her attention on business, military strategy, and the enormous task of governing a growing body of ruffians. In the years following her husband's death, she steadily brought more and more outlaws under the banner of her Red Flag Fleet.

In fact, Cheng I Sao was eventually responsible for nearly all the piracy in the region and her fleet exceeded the size of many countries' navies. She also expanded the scope of the business, branching out from simple attack-and-pillage jobs to protection schemes, blackmail, and extortion. Cheng I Sao's reach also extended to the mainland, where she set up an extensive spy network and developed economic ties with farmers who would supply her men with food.

If Cheng I Sao's business practices were exemplary, then her system of pirate law was nothing short of revolutionary. The code of conduct she wrote for her men prescribed much harsher punishments than previous pirate laws had. A disobeyed order was cause for beheading (as was stealing from the common plunder), and deserters stood to lose their ears.

Ironically, Cheng I Sao's most famous laws applied to the taking of female prisoners. Ugly women were returned to shore, free of charge. Attractive captives were auctioned off to the crew, unless a pirate personally purchased the captive, in which case they were considered married. Of course, if that pirate cheated on his new bride, Cheng I Sao had him killed.

The not-so-bitter end

Murder, thievery, and intricate crime syndicates will eventually garner the full attention of the law, and Cheng I Sao certainly had the authorities on her tail. But, here again, she proved more successful than her male counterparts.

Cheng I Sao repelled attack after attack by both the Chinese navy and the many Portuguese and British bounty hunters brought in to help capture her. Then, in 1810, the Chinese government tried a different tactic -- they offered her universal pirate amnesty in exchange for peace.

Cheng I Sao jumped at the opportunity and headed for the negotiating table. There, the pirate queen arranged what was, all told, a killer deal. Fewer than 400 of her men received any punishment, and a mere 126 were executed. The remaining pirates got to keep their booty and were offered military jobs.

As for Cheng I Sao, she retired with her loot and her new husband (former righthand man, Chang Pao) and opened a gambling house. She died peacefully in 1844, a 69-year-old grandmother.

Re: Pulparize It!

"The 'burbs"

Ray Peterson is your average, every day guy. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, ties his tie and heads to his average, every day overstressed job. One day, he decides it's time for a break.

But the week he takes off from work is hardly ordinary. A new family of strange neighbors moves into his neck of the woods, and it looks like they're up to nothing good. His buddy next door, and the Great War veteran across the street keep going on and on about late night noises and every manner of strange behaviour, but Ray just won't believe it.

And when Walter, their neighbor down the street, goes missing, things change for real. The nosey suburbanites learn that something sinister is going on below the average every-day middle American streets...

jak

Re: Adventures?

Are there any internet published adventures for Pulp hero?

How about Pulp Egypt?

Just as a start...

jak

"I summon the power of TheQuestionMan!"

Re: Question about Pulp Hero

WOOT!

 

Great Idea!

Now you would have to either 1) come up with a whole new batch of linked adventures, or just use a handful of the HPAs and come up with some common tie that binds them all together, and place a BIG fight at the ending, and Viola!

jak

Re: The Weta Rayguns Informercial

That bit with the horse sold me!

It was the "will vaporize 7/9ths of an African Elephant in just under 2 seconds"... !!!

Smashing!

jak

Re: Question about Pulp Hero

I have to say the Hero Plus line of PDF adventures are really good. They are actually the first PDF gaming items I ever bought. After waiting a long time for Steve & company to crack and combine them in to a book' date=' which never happened . [/quote']

 

Hmmmm.... Pulp Hero Battlegrounds?

 

 

jak

Re: Question about Pulp Hero

Pulp Hero mainly focuses on pre- to post-war Earth, but there are various bits of a Flash Gordon like adventure, such as Ray Guns and the like listed in equipment section. But, running a pulp space adventure isn't that difficult. You can easily mix the strange aliens from Star Hero with your Pulp Hero game, if you wanted to do so.

I've been thinking about something like this ever since they advertised Flash Gordon on the Sci-Fi Channel...

:thumbup:jak

Re: Pulp Stargate!

Whoops! Forgot...

Pulp Stargate Wiki Link

jak

Re: Pulp Stargate!

...Arise... Chicken...

voice>

EDIT: Update -- I am putting together a wiki of my past notes. Right now, there's just the original information... I haven't added anything new. But, I've got time to do some work on it now, and I'll start putting things up... Any help would be greatly appreciated...

jak

Re: Ideas for a Pulp character?

Thanks Mrs. Tiwilliger! : TK, invisible, indirect. Local ghosts play poltergeist and help her out tossing foes around, breaking vases over their heads, etc.

I'd second this one. You could even get various powers/effects out of this... a low level TK, a high level TK, an area effect (for room sized poltergeist activity)...

You could also go with a possession power, to control someone temporarily, and stuns and/or incapacitates your "victim" when you leave.

You could also go with a postcognative power, one that requires you to make contact with the target ("What did you do with the little girl!!!"), and one that only gives you glimpses of their past actions...

jak

Star Trek had sub-space. The Fantastic Four had cosmic rays. The Adventure! RPG had telluric energy. Steam power, gamma radiation, aether/ether power, alternate dimensions...

What's the very latest scientific discovery in your pulp game that opens the door to new worlds, technology, or just the latest cooking convenience?

(I got this idea from all the discussion on the Aether guns... )

jak