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Author Topic: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas  (Read 731 times)

GeekyBugle

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Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« on: April 12, 2021, 12:50:33 PM »
Pulp Crawl Classics funnel ideas:

The PCs wake up in Venus/Mars/Pellucidar, they don't know how they got there, now they have to escape some evil plan to use them as sacrifice.

An alien invasion is underway, the town/city of the PCs is under attack, they need to defeat/escape the aliens that captured them or free the people they have captured.

Thoughts?
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ScytheSong

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2021, 01:17:28 PM »
Combining these:

The PC's are in prison for whatever reason, when a war breaks out (invasion, civil war, palace coup, the works). "Here, take these!" your jailor shouts, opening the cells and tossing you weapons. "Don't make me regret this!"

ScytheSong

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2021, 01:21:23 PM »
Another classic pulp "get the gang together" trope:

A mixed group of travelers (train and steamship are the two classics, but caravans or wagon trains also work), each heading to a common destination for their own reasons are delayed by The Plot (an attack, a McGuffin, the elements, what have you).

GeekyBugle

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2021, 01:43:49 PM »
Combining these:

The PC's are in prison for whatever reason, when a war breaks out (invasion, civil war, palace coup, the works). "Here, take these!" your jailor shouts, opening the cells and tossing you weapons. "Don't make me regret this!"

In DCC the zero level PCs have some sort of weapon, and have to survive to pick a class. That's the funnel.
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

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ScytheSong

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2021, 02:45:55 PM »
Combining these:

The PC's are in prison for whatever reason, when a war breaks out (invasion, civil war, palace coup, the works). "Here, take these!" your jailor shouts, opening the cells and tossing you weapons. "Don't make me regret this!"

In DCC the zero level PCs have some sort of weapon, and have to survive to pick a class. That's the funnel.

Aha. So, what you're doing is a pulp reskin of Dungeon Crawl Classics. That makes more sense. I'm pretty sure I missed that (Though I really don't know why).

There's the opening scene from The Mummy -- The PC's are Foreign Legionnaires trapped in ruins, fighting off a horde.

Or a similar thing can be done with other nation's colonial troops. A Space:1889 type setting could even have the troops on Mars or Venus.

If the funnel calls for -- or even just can handle -- a PvP mode, a pulp version of the Gladiator ring might be doable, but Pulp-era weapons tend to be a *lot* more deadly than what the Gladiators had. I mean, Tommy guns at close quarters tend to wind up with everyone red smears and no victors at all.

GeekyBugle

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2021, 02:50:20 PM »
Combining these:

The PC's are in prison for whatever reason, when a war breaks out (invasion, civil war, palace coup, the works). "Here, take these!" your jailor shouts, opening the cells and tossing you weapons. "Don't make me regret this!"

In DCC the zero level PCs have some sort of weapon, and have to survive to pick a class. That's the funnel.

Aha. So, what you're doing is a pulp reskin of Dungeon Crawl Classics. That makes more sense. I'm pretty sure I missed that (Though I really don't know why).

There's the opening scene from The Mummy -- The PC's are Foreign Legionnaires trapped in ruins, fighting off a horde.

Or a similar thing can be done with other nation's colonial troops. A Space:1889 type setting could even have the troops on Mars or Venus.

If the funnel calls for -- or even just can handle -- a PvP mode, a pulp version of the Gladiator ring might be doable, but Pulp-era weapons tend to be a *lot* more deadly than what the Gladiators had. I mean, Tommy guns at close quarters tend to wind up with everyone red smears and no victors at all.

Correct, those aren't bad ideas but... The zero level PCs are (in DCC) peasants, merchants, barmaids, etc. not trained fighters or magic users.

You could very well run it with the classes I'm writing as any of those, but I fail to see how it can be used as a zero level funnel.
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell

ScytheSong

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2021, 03:09:12 PM »
Well, Askari or other green troops could certainly be 0-level, but that does limit things. How far is the funnel supposed to whittle things down? A town of a thousand people winds up with a party of two to nine, and the rest are dead? I'm trying to get my head around the requirements.

GeekyBugle

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2021, 04:58:05 PM »
Well, Askari or other green troops could certainly be 0-level, but that does limit things. How far is the funnel supposed to whittle things down? A town of a thousand people winds up with a party of two to nine, and the rest are dead? I'm trying to get my head around the requirements.

Something happens and 3-4 0 level PCs, per player, are in the middle of it, they have to survive the ordeal, if there's more people involved it's assumed the PCs have to save them as part of the success condition.

Ideally from zero to as few as possible innocent NPCs should die during the funnel if the PCs can prevent it.

Edited to add:


You can choose to skip the funnel and generate 1st level PCs by just rolling their stats and proceed to an adventure.
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell

ScytheSong

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2021, 05:24:24 PM »
So, for instance, an archeological expedition to a ruined temple from a lost age awakens -- something -- and the level zero team includes the porters, the grad students, and the support staff, but the actual archeologists and guards are already dead? Something like that would work?

GeekyBugle

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2021, 05:30:18 PM »
So, for instance, an archeological expedition to a ruined temple from a lost age awakens -- something -- and the level zero team includes the porters, the grad students, and the support staff, but the actual archeologists and guards are already dead? Something like that would work?

Or captured by whatever they awoke, yes. That would totally work as the start of the funnel, then you need the map obviously, the minnions of the BBG, the BBG and the stuff/loot the PCs encounter in the adventure.
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell

RandyB

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2021, 05:33:21 PM »
Dirigible crash. PCs are 0-level crew; dirigible was heading to a Lost World-type region.

GeekyBugle

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2021, 05:34:22 PM »
Dirigible crash. PCs are 0-level crew; dirigible was heading to a Lost World-type region.

Hadn't thought of it, could work if we include the passengers and maybe a stow away?
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell

ScytheSong

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2021, 05:42:53 PM »
So, for instance, an archeological expedition to a ruined temple from a lost age awakens -- something -- and the level zero team includes the porters, the grad students, and the support staff, but the actual archeologists and guards are already dead? Something like that would work?

Or captured by whatever they awoke, yes. That would totally work as the start of the funnel, then you need the map obviously, the minnions of the BBG, the BBG and the stuff/loot the PCs encounter in the adventure.

I love the idea of a scenario where the world's Indiana Jones equivalent gets captured and a bunch of grad students have to go rescue him. :D

Another thought for a survival/wilderness scenario rather than a dungeon crawl would be the crew and passengers of a passenger aircraft -- whether a dirigible or an aeroplane -- going down in uncharted territory, needing to trek to civilization.

(sigh -- RandyB got there first...)

RandyB

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2021, 08:50:18 PM »
Dirigible crash. PCs are 0-level crew; dirigible was heading to a Lost World-type region.

Hadn't thought of it, could work if we include the passengers and maybe a stow away?

Sure. Any source of 0 level characters in the flight.

GeekyBugle

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Re: Pulp Crawl Classics Funnel Ideas
« Reply #14 on: April 12, 2021, 09:04:55 PM »
Dirigible crash. PCs are 0-level crew; dirigible was heading to a Lost World-type region.

Hadn't thought of it, could work if we include the passengers and maybe a stow away?

Sure. Any source of 0 level characters in the flight.

The dirigible is caught on a weird storm, the compass doesn't work, the engines can't overcome the storm, then it crashes, the PCs wake up and don't recognize the place, weird plants, smells, etc. then they are jumped by some evil group and captured.

Or they wake up in a cavern, besides the passengers there's other people, dressed as actors in a Maya/Greek inspired movie, in the entrance of the cavern there's what looks like two weird giant ants with spears.

What do you do?
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell