Just Joe

I am interested in pulp-era armor -- not unusual or outlandish armors, but kinds that would be relatively widely available. I had thought that very little armor was worn from early in WW1 (or earlier) until the invention of kevlar. But there are bulletproof vests in GURPS Cliffhangers ("PD 3, DR 4") and GURPS High-Tech ("PD 4, DR 6" for TL 6, which represents 1900-1950). Cliffhangers also has a concealable metal chestplate ("PD 4, DR 10"). And of course there are also various helmets and articles of heavy leather clothing. Call of Cthulhu's 1920's Investigator's Companion has no armor, though that could be as much due to the style of the game as to the history of the era. So here are my questions: 1. What are PD and DR in GURPS? 2. How would you translate the above armors into HERO terms? 3. What can you tell me about the actual history of metal breastplates, pre-kevlar bulletproof vests, and the like in the 20th century? 4. What armor values (in HERO terms) would you give for WW1 and WW2 helmets? 5. What armor values would you give for clothing like heavy leather jackets? Would you give them a point or two of PD, with the limitation not vs. firearms, or would you handle them in some other way? 6. What else can you tell me about this general subject that I did not ask about specifically? Direct answers or suggested references for any of the above questions would be greatly appreciated.

Recent purchases Thanks to all for your suggestions. I've recently picked up GURPS Cliffhangers (2nd ed) and Chaosium's COC !920's Investigator's Companion. I am finding both to be useful. I have looked around ebay a bit for old travel guides and such, but have not bid on anything yet. I want to ask some questions about Pulp-era armor, but am going to ask them in a new thread in an effort to get the attention of as many potential respondents as possible.

Thanks again. Hey, while you're at it, why don't you ask if they plan to reprint it anytime soon?

Thanks Fazhoul, you're way cool! Does that rhyme? Unfortunately, someone already picked up the Writer's Guide. I bet it was some rogue who saw your message before I did. Come on, whoever you are, 'fess up.

Not a pretty topic, I know, but one that sometimes plays a significant role in some RPG genres. Two questions: 1. In TUMA, p. 172, a strangling garrotte does (3d6) and has a limitation "must be aimed at head". If it hits, does the 2x normal damage apply for hit locations 3-5, or is the hit location considered to be already factored into the (3d6) damage (which is not too shabby for a str min of 4)? 2. How does "good" old-fashioned non-martial arts manual strangulation work? Is it basically just a grab-and-squeeze to locations 3-5, maybe with a few extra touches (e.g., no-recoveries as per holding one's breath and no vocalization as per martial-arts choke hold)?

Related Thread For anyone who has not already stumbled upon it, the "Question about Resources" thread I started is not about pulps per se, but is about (a subset of) the era. Some of the answers posted there might be useful to folks interested in pulp gaming.

Answering My Own Question At the risk of engaging in a public conversation with myself . . . (and also to repeat something I wrote in another thread . . .) GURPS High-Tech has been slightly useful to me, though it focused on weapons even more heavily than I had anticipated. In it, there is a reference to a 1900-1930 price list in GURPS Horror. Has anyone seen this? How extensive is the list? Does it (or anything else in GURPS Horror) give much information about the kinds of everyday technology available in this era? Are there other GURPS books I should check out?

1930's In another thread, I asked about resources that would be useful in a 1930's Europe game (somewhere in the netherrealms between realistic, pulp, and horror). This seems like a good place to ask about any GURPS books that might help me. High-Tech has been slightly useful to me. In it, there is a reference to a 1900-1930 price list in GURPS Horror. Has anyone seen this? How extensive is the list? Does it (or anything else in GURPS Horror) give much information about the kinds of everyday technology available in this era. I'm curious about nitty-gritty things like "when were lighters first commonly available?". Are there other GURPS books I should check out?

Re: Re: Question about Resources This sounds great. Unfortunately, Amazon.com had just one copy (used). The list price of $18.99 was crossed out and instead it was selling for the "low price" (it actually said this) of $295.00. No luck on ebay. I'll keep my eye open at brick'n'mortar bookstores.

The Future is Wild: the book I don't know about a rebroadcast, but Amazon.com tells me the book is out. It's called "The Future is Wild". Dougal Dixon is listed as one of two authors. If you need the other, I'm sure I can track down his name.

Metamorphosis Alpha / Odyssey You are absolutely right. As I indicated, I was straining my feable memory. I appreciate the correction.

Metamorphosis Alpha Coincidentally, or so I assume, there was an illustrated sci-fi story ("comic") with the same title. I am straining my memory here, but I think it appeared in Epic magazine (or possibly Heavy Metal), was written by Jim Starlin, and later evolved into "Dreadstar".

Re: Discovery Channel This came up in the corresponding thread on the old boards. The show was called (The?) "Future is Wild". I THINK it was produced by the BBC. I KNOW Dougal Dixon was associated with it in some form or another. He has written three cool books involving imaginary evolution. "After Man" has essentially the same premise as the TV show you saw. "The New Dinosaurs" imagines that dinosaurs as a whole never went extinct (though most individual dinosaur species did). "Man After Man" involves human genetic engineering of humans, followed by natural evolution after humans and human society as we know them have become extinct.

As a player and as a GM, I prefer games which are both lower powered and more realistic than the vast majority out there. This includes my "fantasy hero" games, which take place in a fictional and somewhat fantastic world, but which sometimes have little or no magic. When something magical does come along, it really stands out. A partial solution to the problem of PC's dying too easily is to deemphasize violence. I am not talking about Smurfworld here. There can be plenty of drama and conflict with the constant threat of violence but little actual violence. I want to clarify that the games I like are RELATIVELY realistic, as compared to most RPG campaigns, not compared to our everyday lives. Furthermore, I am not arguing for the superiority of such games. I am just stating my personal preference and offering suggestions for others with similar preferences.

This sounds like a good idea. Can anyone out there recommend a particular Cthulhu sourcebook that might suite my needs?

I borrowed a copy from a friend not so long ago. It is a good book, but though I did not pore over it in great detail, I don't think it answers many of the questions I have (except regarding weapons).

I posted a similar question on the old boards a while back, and was pointed toward some cool websites, but did not quite find what I was looking for. So I'm trying again, hopefully phrasing my question more effectively. I am planning on running a pulpish game set in Europe in the 1930's. I want to learn about the technology of the era. My main concern is not the cutting edge stuff, but more everyday technology. Is there a commercial airline that can take one from London to Prague? How many people have cars? Are public or commercial buslines common? How big are flashlights and how long do their batteries last? (Stuff like that that few people other than gamers could possibly care about) So the question is, can any of you recommend a source of any kind that might help me answer such questions? Something written with gamers in mind would probably be ideal, but I'll take what I can get.