How important is it to you that such a game is set in what is called "The Pulp Era"?
Would such a game set in the present day that feels like Pulp, has Pulp archetypes and tropes be of interest to any?
Edited to add:
Okey, maybe I didn't explain my self. When I say present day I don't mean include current events or stuff like that, but with the current tech instead of the futuristic tech we see in the Pulps. If The Shadow could be set in modern day why not other types of characters?
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104939How important is it to you that such a game is set in what is called "The Pulp Era"?
Would such a game set in the present day that feels like Pulp, has Pulp archetypes and tropes be of interest to any?
I think the '70s was the last Truly Pulpy decade. The '80s is kind of a tail end Charlie. Nothing after that.
Quote from: S'mon;1104946I think the '70s was the last Truly Pulpy decade. The '80s is kind of a tail end Charlie. Nothing after that.
You mean the entertainment stoped being Pulpy, agreed. But would that prevent you from enjoying a Pulp game set in present day? Think of it as the neoPulp now available in novels.
Quote from: S'mon;1104946I think the '70s was the last Truly Pulpy decade. The '80s is kind of a tail end Charlie. Nothing after that.
Agreed. A couple of examples: the original Mack Bolan novels (#1-#32) were written and set in the late '60s and 70s, and they feel very pulpy, while the 80s'
Magnum PI could feel pulpy sometimes, but not solidly or consistently.
As for present day... hard to avoid the headlines, which simultaneously kill any kind of pulpy vibe and are stranger than any pulpy trope.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104950You mean the entertainment stoped being Pulpy, agreed. But would that prevent you from enjoying a Pulp game set in present day? Think of it as the neoPulp now available in novels.
I'm not sure what neoPulp is, so I wouldn't have any reference points. I could do an '80s alt-Pulp based off stuff like Streets of Fire and a zillion '80s TV action shows (The Fall Guy, Tales from the Golden Monkey (which is '80s '30s pulp), Magnum PI sort-of). And I guess there's Feng Shui for '90s Hong Kong cinema. But I'd really struggle with something set in an era of cellphones.
Quote from: RandyB;1104951the 80s' Magnum PI could feel pulpy sometimes, but not solidly or consistently.
Yeah, I was just thinking exactly that about Magnum PI!
Pulp sensibilities are still sort of there in the '80s, but you can see the culture disconnecting from them, which gives stuff like Magnum PI an odd vibe.
It gets worse until by about 2000, TV action series have completely lost touch with their roots and are wearing the gutted corpse of Pulp as a skin suit (to paraphrase a bad man). :D
I have to agree with S'mon. Anything past the 70's is pushing it for me unless you're also counting 'technically futuristic' stuff like two-fisted astronauts on Venus ala Tales of the Solar Patrol or something Flash Gordon-inspired, but I would honestly count those as pre-70's too just because of the time periods that spawned such media.
It's a different sort of pulp than what you're talking about, but I had a lot of fun with a friend's pulp game based on current-day alien/ghost/paranormal conspiracy theories. All of his adventure concepts were pulled from things like UFO conferences, Flat Earth meetings, and so forth. It was very silly but lots of fun.
It would be different, but I think 90% of pulp is in the attitude and approach, rather than setting details.
The rise of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), coming from the popular rise of the VCR, pretty much signals the end of extra-legal pressures in the popluar consciousness. Not that it doesn't still happen, but most players wouldn't even know where to begin beyond what they've seen in modern movies. With the rise of cellphones, forget it... total surveillance paranoia has seeped into enough gamer minds as to sterilize that creative ground. :o Their lone wolf power fantasies won't even try. :p (Not that that stopped actual real life crime and extra-legal pressures today, but most people think only halfway. :D)
Would the film "Mars Attacks!" be considered modern pulp?
Okey, maybe I didn't explain my self. When I say present day I don't mean include current events or stuff like that, but with the current tech instead of the futuristic tech we see in the Pulps. If The Shadow could be set in modern day why not other types of characters?
Quote from: Antiquation!;1104963Would the film "Mars Attacks!" be considered modern pulp?
Hm. It's a retro-parody of a pulpy original concept, the 1950s bubblegum cards it was based off.
Tom Jones as Tom Jones does make a pretty cool pulp action hero!
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104965Okey, maybe I didn't explain my self. When I say present day I don't mean include current events or stuff like that, but with the current tech instead of the futuristic tech we see in the Pulps. If The Shadow could be set in modern day why not other types of characters?
The closest would probably be the Marvel Cinematic Universe - some of the films and concepts are quite pulpy, very unusually so for this day & age - I suspect this is part of their popularity! So maybe something of a street-level superheroes thing with a Guardians of the Galaxy type vibe? It would have to be pretty light, but doesn't have to be comedic, and the protagonists don't have to be as self-sabotaging man-children as Starlord. A certain respect for masculinity and masculine values is very much part of the Pulp ethos IMO - and this disappears* from popular culture by about 1990. But MCU-Marvel's Captain America has pretty consistently remained true to his Pulp roots I think.
*I don't count the "kills 348 people in 98 minutes runtime" type films for this purpose.
Quote from: RandyB;1104951Agreed. A couple of examples: the original Mack Bolan novels (#1-#32) were written and set in the late '60s and 70s, and they feel very pulpy, while the 80s' Magnum PI could feel pulpy sometimes, but not solidly or consistently.
As for present day... hard to avoid the headlines, which simultaneously kill any kind of pulpy vibe and are stranger than any pulpy trope.
So you don't think you could play The Executioner or Able Team or Phoenix Force set in other period than the 70's?
Imagine having The Shadow or Doc Savage or any of those characters but in an alternate present day.
Quote from: S'mon;1104952I'm not sure what neoPulp is, so I wouldn't have any reference points. I could do an '80s alt-Pulp based off stuff like Streets of Fire and a zillion '80s TV action shows (The Fall Guy, Tales from the Golden Monkey (which is '80s '30s pulp), Magnum PI sort-of). And I guess there's Feng Shui for '90s Hong Kong cinema. But I'd really struggle with something set in an era of cellphones.
Some novelists have taken to themselves to write Pulps. Not technically Pulps since not the same paper but the style.
Quote from: S'mon;1104966Tom Jones as Tom Jones does make a pretty cool pulp action hero!
That's what I thought too! :p
Quote from: Antiquation!;1104957I have to agree with S'mon. Anything past the 70's is pushing it for me unless you're also counting 'technically futuristic' stuff like two-fisted astronauts on Venus ala Tales of the Solar Patrol or something Flash Gordon-inspired, but I would honestly count those as pre-70's too just because of the time periods that spawned such media.
Well, not exactly two-fisted astronauts (currently) but why not?
Quote from: jhkim;1104959It's a different sort of pulp than what you're talking about, but I had a lot of fun with a friend's pulp game based on current-day alien/ghost/paranormal conspiracy theories. All of his adventure concepts were pulled from things like UFO conferences, Flat Earth meetings, and so forth. It was very silly but lots of fun.
It would be different, but I think 90% of pulp is in the attitude and approach, rather than setting details.
I agree, to me the Pulps can be in any setting/time period as proven by the Pulps themselves with Conan, The Shadow, etc. It's more the attitude, approach and style than the setting/time period. Larger than life characters triumph against the odds due to their moxie, cunning and brawn.
Quote from: S'mon;1104967The closest would probably be the Marvel Cinematic Universe - some of the films and concepts are quite pulpy, very unusually so for this day & age - I suspect this is part of their popularity! So maybe something of a street-level superheroes thing with a Guardians of the Galaxy type vibe? It would have to be pretty light, but doesn't have to be comedic, and the protagonists don't have to be as self-sabotaging man-children as Starlord. A certain respect for masculinity and masculine values is very much part of the Pulp ethos IMO - and this disappears* from popular culture by about 1990. But MCU-Marvel's Captain America has pretty consistently remained true to his Pulp roots I think.
*I don't count the "kills 348 people in 98 minutes runtime" type films for this purpose.
Agreed, so lets say I'm currently working on a street level heroes Pulp game but with current tech and set in "present day" Chikansas. Would you play it? Does it tickle your gamer curiosity?
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104971Well, not exactly two-fisted astronauts (currently) but why not?
Hmm. Well per your refined definition above I think it's probably doable.
If I were thinking straight modern pulp, I would probably still end up trying for the Dick Tracy feel (just with modern technology). Or perhaps emulate the feel of larger than life heroes and events as seen in the film "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." Big crazy robots, mad science, zany plots. A bit like the comic Atomic Robo as well which at least for portions takes place in contemporary times.
The concept of "modern pulp" would seem to me to function a bit like a proto-supers genre.
Edit: the animated show "The Venture Bros" might count, even though it's an obvious parody of Johnny Quest.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104968So you don't think you could play The Executioner or Able Team or Phoenix Force set in other period than the 70's?
Imagine having The Shadow or Doc Savage or any of those characters but in an alternate present day.
I think if you made it very much an explicitly Alternate Present where (eg) Men are Men and Women are Women then yes, you could do this. I think if it were only implied-alt then the gravitational force of the Real World & its norms (fictional & real) would swiftly assert itself. And this is always going to be a risk, though less so the more wildly deviant your Alt is.
Quote from: Antiquation!;1104975Hmm. Well per your refined definition above I think it's probably doable.
If I were thinking straight modern pulp, I would probably still end up trying for the Dick Tracy feel (just with modern technology). Or perhaps emulate the feel of larger than life heroes and events as seen in the film "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." Big crazy robots, mad science, zany plots. A bit like the comic Atomic Robo as well which at least for portions takes place in contemporary times.
The concept of "modern pulp" would seem to me to function a bit like a proto-supers genre.
Well yes, proto-supers is one option, but you could also have Warlord like (from the DC comics) set in a hollow Earth, Or John Carter from Mars but instead of a soldier from the civil war you make him a soldier on other war. Those two fall in the "Displaced" archetype, people out of their time/planet better suited due to their savagery or command or superior tech and knowledge.
Of course a game that lets you emulate all of those would be a massive undertaking, so I'm aiming at only one of the genres within Pulp for now.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104974Agreed, so lets say I'm currently working on a street level heroes Pulp game but with current tech and set in "present day" Chikansas. Would you play it? Does it tickle your gamer curiosity?
Mildly, yes!
Realistically I'm not very likely to play much other than 5e D&D, though I do buy a bunch of OSR games set in various milieus such as WW2, Barsoom, Dark Conspiracy-land, zombie apocalypse etc. I'd probably be likeliest to buy a 5e based game, then OSR, then WEG d6 based. Doubt I'd buy a new system.
Quote from: S'mon;1104976I think if you made it very much an explicitly Alternate Present where (eg) Men are Men and Women are Women then yes, you could do this. I think if it were only implied-alt then the gravitational force of the Real World & its norms (fictional & real) would swiftly assert itself. And this is always going to be a risk, though less so the more wildly deviant your Alt is.
Well now that's a task worthy of giants, not sure I'm up for it but will try, so what, a mix of the 50's, 70's but in present day? Mmmmm How would one justify whipping out all the critical theory influence without making it overtly political? Because believe it or not that's not my aim.
Quote from: S'mon;1104978Mildly, yes!
Realistically I'm not very likely to play much other than 5e D&D, though I do buy a bunch of OSR games set in various milieus such as WW2, Barsoom, Dark Conspiracy-land, zombie apocalypse etc. I'd probably be likeliest to buy a 5e based game, then OSR, then WEG d6 based. Doubt I'd buy a new system.
So far it's shaping to be OSR or almost, not gonna claim the label and will let people judge if it is or not, going for either a White Box or BFRPG based game.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104980Well now that's a task worthy of giants, not sure I'm up for it but will try, so what, a mix of the 50's, 70's but in present day? Mmmmm How would one justify whipping out all the critical theory influence without making it overtly political? Because believe it or not that's not my aim.
This actually makes me think of Kill Bill, with the over the top stunts and antics combined with things like Yakuza riding slick crotchet rockets motorcycles with guns and kung-fu masters duking it out in trailer homes and contemporary suburban houses (complete with holdout guns hidden in boxes of fruit loops), cell phones exist, etc.
Bruce Lee tracksuits and eye patches...
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104974Agreed, so lets say I'm currently working on a street level heroes Pulp game but with current tech and set in "present day" Chikansas. Would you play it? Does it tickle your gamer curiosity?
Can you say a little more about the concept? Are there particular fictional inspirations for the game? Also where/what is Chikansas? Sorry if I'm clueless there.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104980Well now that's a task worthy of giants, not sure I'm up for it but will try, so what, a mix of the 50's, 70's but in present day? Mmmmm How would one justify whipping out all the critical theory influence without making it overtly political? Because believe it or not that's not my aim.
It's Pulp, so I don't think it needs any more justification than you get in the Fallout series. Maybe Herbert Hoover won a Deep State power struggle with the CIA and locked up/expelled the Frankfurt School instead of them spreading out from Columbia U to deprave and corrupt the Youth of America. :D I probably wouldn't bother mentioning
why this Alt is different, just show that it is. A lot like how
Streets of Fire did it.
I think communications, surveillance and general computing technology are going to mean you're going to have to work a lot harder to pull off a lot of classic Pulp tropes.
Quote from: jhkim;1104983Can you say a little more about the concept? Are there particular fictional inspirations for the game? Also where/what is Chikansas? Sorry if I'm clueless there.
Pulp Street Level Heroes done my way.
Inspirations: The Shadow, The Spider, Mandrake, The Ghost that Walks, Rocketeer (to an extent), Mac Bolan, In short all the Pulp (or pulp like) archetypes that could fit into the concept.
Chikansas : Fictional city I pulled out of my ass as a shorthand for a fictional city set in a fictional earth.
Quote from: S'mon;1104984It's Pulp, so I don't think it needs any more justification than you get in the Fallout series. Maybe Herbert Hoover won a Deep State power struggle with the CIA and locked up/expelled the Frankfurt School instead of them spreading out from Columbia U to deprave and corrupt the Youth of America. :D I probably wouldn't bother mentioning why this Alt is different, just show that it is. A lot like how Streets of Fire did it.
LOL, that's even harder to do! So I would need a good intro to the setting, and an example of play to show don't tell.
Quote from: Antiquation!;1104982This actually makes me think of Kill Bill, with the over the top stunts and antics combined with things like Yakuza riding slick crotchet rockets motorcycles with guns and kung-fu masters duking it out in trailer homes and contemporary suburban houses (complete with holdout guns hidden in boxes of fruit loops), cell phones exist, etc.
Bruce Lee tracksuits and eye patches...
Exactly, mix Shang-Chi (or Bruce Lee) with the Shadow/Spider, Green Hornet, Rocketeer, Mandrake, The Ghost that Walks, Dick Tracy and The Spirit.
Quote from: S'mon;1104967The closest would probably be the Marvel Cinematic Universe - some of the films and concepts are quite pulpy, very unusually so for this day & age - I suspect this is part of their popularity! So maybe something of a street-level superheroes thing with a Guardians of the Galaxy type vibe? It would have to be pretty light, but doesn't have to be comedic, and the protagonists don't have to be as self-sabotaging man-children as Starlord. A certain respect for masculinity and masculine values is very much part of the Pulp ethos IMO - and this disappears* from popular culture by about 1990. But MCU-Marvel's Captain America has pretty consistently remained true to his Pulp roots I think.
*I don't count the "kills 348 people in 98 minutes runtime" type films for this purpose.
I think Captain America: Winter Soldier may be exactly what GeekyBugle is looking for. Modern, solidly pulpy, and street level in the sense of the heroes abilities, not in the sense of scale and scope being limited to "the streets".
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104968So you don't think you could play The Executioner or Able Team or Phoenix Force set in other period than the 70's?
Imagine having The Shadow or Doc Savage or any of those characters but in an alternate present day.
The Executioner post-#32, Able Team, et. al. were all written and set in the 80s and later. I recently read through the first 35 Executioners and the first half dozen Able Teams, and the change in tone between Executioner #32 and the immediately following books is stark. The main reason is the change in authors (Don Pendleton sold the characters and setting for continuing royalties), but the change in the context from the 70s to the 80s was a close second.
Quote from: RandyB;1105003I think Captain America: Winter Soldier may be exactly what GeekyBugle is looking for. Modern, solidly pulpy, and street level in the sense of the heroes abilities, not in the sense of scale and scope being limited to "the streets".
This is correct, the meaning of street level is no superpowers (or very limited ones), so you could have The Shadow's mental abilities (from the books not the movie) but not Professor X. Also you could have a Batman but not the Bat-God who has the answer to everything in his belt.
The villains on the other hand have to be scary, really scary. So a renegade genetic scientist creating the Island of Dr Moreau like creatures to reduce human population and save the planet.
Quote from: RandyB;1105004The Executioner post-#32, Able Team, et. al. were all written and set in the 80s and later. I recently read through the first 35 Executioners and the first half dozen Able Teams, and the change in tone between Executioner #32 and the immediately following books is stark. The main reason is the change in authors (Don Pendleton sold the characters and setting for continuing royalties), but the change in the context from the 70s to the 80s was a close second.
Yes, but you could play Able Team and make it more pulpy, after all you're not limited to what is written in the novels.
Can modern day version of The Shadow avoid being seen by surveillance cameras? I used to live downtown here and the place is dense with them... even dumpster diving has become risky, since the dumpster owners found ways to profit off the trash and put up eyes to watch them. If he could generate some sort of Slenderman/Silent Hill 'static' that would gum up the local net then that might pass.
Quote from: Simlasa;1105020Can modern day version of The Shadow avoid being seen by surveillance cameras? I used to live downtown here and the place is dense with them... even dumpster diving has become risky, since the dumpster owners found ways to profit off the trash and put up eyes to watch them. If he could generate some sort of Slenderman/Silent Hill 'static' that would gum up the local net then that might pass.
That's the question of the powers/gadgets/etc. I can justify all of that easily.
But do you think the time period is really important for a Pulp feel?
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104950You mean the entertainment stoped being Pulpy, agreed. But would that prevent you from enjoying a Pulp game set in present day? Think of it as the neoPulp now available in novels.
Because pulp adventures work better in the general 1920s-1940s era as that was both a simpler time. Crimes and vigilate actions could be done easier, and due to the atmosphere of that span of crime, war, spies, lies and private eyes. Once you get into the 60s era the tone shifts and the crimes and tech shift notably. Drugs, counterculture, free love and rising street gang and militant activist problems.
And the laws views on vigilante actions shifts as well to an increasingly more negative one to the point eventually the vigilante is considered a criminal more oft than not. Possibly in sync with the escalation, brutality, and lethality of violence as well.
You shift in tone from people like the Shadow and Green Hornet, to people like Batman, The Question and various other street level crime fighters. Gadgets are becoming increasingly common too. Not like several pulp era heroes didnt use some as well. Just usually no as many.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105006This is correct, the meaning of street level is no superpowers (or very limited ones), so you could have The Shadow's mental abilities (from the books not the movie) but not Professor X. Also you could have a Batman but not the Bat-God who has the answer to everything in his belt.
The villains on the other hand have to be scary, really scary. So a renegade genetic scientist creating the Island of Dr Moreau like creatures to reduce human population and save the planet.
Yes, but you could play Able Team and make it more pulpy, after all you're not limited to what is written in the novels.
Play something like Able Team? Sure.
Another pulp trope is that resource constraints are tactical and temporary, not persistent and perpetual. They drive the moment for a brief time and infrequently, not the campaign as a whole, nor inescapably.
Able Team and its peers are an example of this, too.
Quote from: Omega;1105061Because pulp adventures work better in the general 1920s-1940s era as that was both a simpler time. Crimes and vigilate actions could be done easier, and due to the atmosphere of that span of crime, war, spies, lies and private eyes. Once you get into the 60s era the tone shifts and the crimes and tech shift notably. Drugs, counterculture, free love and rising street gang and militant activist problems.
And the laws views on vigilante actions shifts as well to an increasingly more negative one to the point eventually the vigilante is considered a criminal more oft than not. Possibly in sync with the escalation, brutality, and lethality of violence as well.
You shift in tone from people like the Shadow and Green Hornet, to people like Batman, The Question and various other street level crime fighters. Gadgets are becoming increasingly common too. Not like several pulp era heroes didnt use some as well. Just usually no as many.
Again, that's a question of the entertainment, not of if you could play or not.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105021But do you think the time period is really important for a Pulp feel?
I do prefer the era of the actual pulps, but I thought the various 'Girl...' books/movies (Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, etc.) felt 'pulpy'... they're properly lurid but modern... so no, I don't think 'pulp' has to be set in the original time span.
The cheap paperback gothic romances from the 60s-70s feel somewhat similar in their intent, as do earlier 'penny dreadful' tales.
This has me wondering what 'pulp' caveman adventures would be like... probably like E.R.B.'s stuff.
Quote from: Simlasa;1105108I do prefer the era of the actual pulps, but I thought the various 'Girl...' books/movies (Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, etc.) felt 'pulpy'... they're properly lurid but modern... so no, I don't think 'pulp' has to be set in the original time span.
The cheap paperback gothic romances from the 60s-70s feel somewhat similar in their intent, as do earlier 'penny dreadful' tales.
This has me wondering what 'pulp' caveman adventures would be like... probably like E.R.B.'s stuff.
Didn't he write something about a caveman? Can't remember of the top of my head for sure.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1104972I agree, to me the Pulps can be in any setting/time period as proven by the Pulps themselves with Conan, The Shadow, etc. It's more the attitude, approach and style than the setting/time period. Larger than life characters triumph against the odds due to their moxie, cunning and brawn.
Then you are stretching the definition of pup hero and we start to lose a refference point if you say "Pulp Hero" and mean Conan, or Buck Rogers or the Destroyer, or the Lone Ranger.
Marvel Superheroes and the Champions/Hero system allready did that. What didnt Hero cover? I mean they had one for westerns, Car Wars, post apoc, a Hyborian age type one, and bemusingly yes. A Pulp hero one called Pulp Hero. :D
Back on topic. So what you want is Pulp heroes but with modern gear? Thing is, alot of that "futuristic" gear they had IS akin to modern gear, or close enough. Sometimes bulkier, sometimes not.
QuoteOriginally Posted by GeekyBugle
I agree, to me the Pulps can be in any setting/time period as proven by the Pulps themselves with Conan, The Shadow, etc. It's more the attitude, approach and style than the setting/time period. Larger than life characters triumph against the odds due to their moxie, cunning and brawn.
Quote from: Omega;1105119Then you are stretching the definition of pup hero and we start to lose a refference point if you say "Pulp Hero" and mean Conan, or Buck Rogers or the Destroyer, or the Lone Ranger.
Except in there I'm strictly talking about the time period of the settings off those works.
And Conan is Pulp, if The Destroyer you mention is Remo Williams I would argue that it's a parody of a Pulp, but Buck Rogers? Fits totally as a Pulp.
Now, if by Hero you strictly mean pre-superhero characters, we could have a lengthy discussion about why Adam Strange (sorry I meant Buck Rogers) is a hero and a pulp character.
Quote from: Omega;1105119Marvel Superheroes and the Champions/Hero system allready did that. What didnt Hero cover? I mean they had one for westerns, Car Wars, post apoc, a Hyborian age type one, and bemusingly yes. A Pulp hero one called Pulp Hero. :D
I own Pulp Hero, the setting is in the period many think it's the ONLY ONE TRUE PERIOD.
Quote from: Omega;1105119Back on topic. So what you want is Pulp heroes but with modern gear? Thing is, alot of that "futuristic" gear they had IS akin to modern gear, or close enough. Sometimes bulkier, sometimes not.
What I want is Pulp heroes but free of the constraints of a time period. Why The Shadow could very well be a Jedi (or Sith) in training and use twin blasters because Light Sabers haven't been invented yet.
Let's say my game mechanics are to your liking, what stops you from replacing the equipment with that from the 50's?
And I also want a simpler character generation than that of Hero.
I definitely think of Buck Rogers as a Pulp Hero. Not sure about the TSR version, it felt like they didn't really understand Pulp and were doing way too much un-pulpy world building with RAM corporation, planetary motion affecting flight, etc etc. But Armageddon 2419 through Gil Gerard all hits my Pulp Detectors. :)
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105123And I also want a simpler character generation than that of Hero.
I had a recommendation for you until you said that. :)
Oh, what the hell. The chargen
is simpler than Hero.
GURPS Action. It has templates for quick chargen, and has a strong enough "modern pulp" vibe that you could easily emphasize.
Quote from: S'mon;1105137I definitely think of Buck Rogers as a Pulp Hero. Not sure about the TSR version, it felt like they didn't really understand Pulp and were doing way too much un-pulpy world building with RAM corporation, planetary motion affecting flight, etc etc. But Armageddon 2419 through Gil Gerard all hits my Pulp Detectors. :)
Armageddon 2419
is pulp, period. And I'd draw your line at the end of season 1 of Gil Gerard.
Quote from: RandyB;1105155I had a recommendation for you until you said that. :)
Oh, what the hell. The chargen is simpler than Hero.
GURPS Action. It has templates for quick chargen, and has a strong enough "modern pulp" vibe that you could easily emphasize.
Well that could be fun to play then, or to ransack for ideas. At least until my game is finished (at the pace it's going this will take a while). Thanks will see if the wife allows me to buy
"Another book?"
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105159Well that could be fun to play then, or to ransack for ideas. At least until my game is finished (at the pace it's going this will take a while). Thanks will see if the wife allows me to buy "Another book?"
Keep in mind Action is a line of supplements, not a standalone game, and can't really be used without the Basic Set (unless you just use GURPS Lite and squint very, very heavily where they don't align).
That said, Action 1 has the character templates and options, while Action 2 has the rules tweaks/simplifications/chase rules and all the actiony goodness that way. It also has good advice on how to structure an action-based campaign and keep the focus on "the mission" (whatever that happens to mean in the context of your game).
Edit: the further Action supplements tend to be more subject-specific, including one specifically on "Furious Fists" (read: cinematic beat-em-up).
Quote from: S'mon;1105137I definitely think of Buck Rogers as a Pulp Hero. Not sure about the TSR version, it felt like they didn't really understand Pulp and were doing way too much un-pulpy world building with RAM corporation, planetary motion affecting flight, etc etc. But Armageddon 2419 through Gil Gerard all hits my Pulp Detectors. :)
Yes, Buck Rogers is Pulp. I know of the book and it's sequel but...
Quote from: RandyB;1105158Armageddon 2419 is pulp, period. And I'd draw your line at the end of season 1 of Gil Gerard.
What is this talk of Armageddon 2419 first season? When was it made a TV show?
Quote from: Antiquation!;1105160Keep in mind Action is a line of supplements, not a standalone game, and can't really be used without the Basic Set (unless you just use GURPS Lite and squint very, very heavily where they don't align).
That said, Action 1 has the character templates and options, while Action 2 has the rules tweaks/simplifications/chase rules and all the actiony goodness that way. It also has good advice on how to structure an action-based campaign and keep the focus on "the mission" (whatever that happens to mean in the context of your game).
So now I have to grovel for permission to buy
"What do you mean it's two books!?"
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105162So now I have to grovel for permission to buy "What do you mean it's two books!?"
LOL! I usually just buy them first and then grovel apologetically afterwards...:eek:
Quote from: Antiquation!;1105160Keep in mind Action is a line of supplements, not a standalone game, and can't really be used without the Basic Set (unless you just use GURPS Lite and squint very, very heavily where they don't align).
That said, Action 1 has the character templates and options, while Action 2 has the rules tweaks/simplifications/chase rules and all the actiony goodness that way. It also has good advice on how to structure an action-based campaign and keep the focus on "the mission" (whatever that happens to mean in the context of your game).
Edit: the further Action supplements tend to be more subject-specific, including one specifically on "Furious Fists" (read: cinematic beat-em-up).
Then again, all the supplements are PDF. Same with Basic Set if you prefer.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105161Yes, Buck Rogers is Pulp. I know of the book and it's sequel but...
What is this talk of Armageddon 2419 first season? When was it made a TV show?
Sadly, never.
Season 1 of the Gil Gerard Buck Rogers, which owed more to Star Wars and old BSG than anything else, was fun. Season 2 sucked.
Quote from: Antiquation!;1105163LOL! I usually just buy them first and then grovel apologetically afterwards...:eek:
Her problem is my ever growing pile of stuff, books, comics, toys and other geeky stuff.
Quote from: RandyB;1105170Sadly, never.
Season 1 of the Gil Gerard Buck Rogers, which owed more to Star Wars and old BSG than anything else, was fun. Season 2 sucked.
Oh! I see, yes the show was fun at first then it went to shit.
Quote from: RandyB;1105169Then again, all the supplements are PDF. Same with Basic Set if you prefer.
I might have to start buying pdfs only, which sucks big time.
Quote from: RandyB;1105169Then again, all the supplements are PDF. Same with Basic Set if you prefer.
Indeed! I have virtually every PDF available for GURPS at this point. I have a healthy physical collection too due to buying them on release and some stuff from the 3e days, but buying out-of-print books for 4e is prohibitively expensive. It's nice that they've started offering POD though.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105174I might have to start buying pdfs only, which sucks big time.
Yeah, the VAST majority of my collection is PDF-only (~80 gb worth). I used to have a lot more physical stuff, but had to jettison my collection due to my ex literally dumping me on the curb and having to drive back to sanctuary from TX to WA with less than 24 hrs. notice and carrying nothing but what my shoebox car could carry. Most of my novels, almost all my RPG stuff, and of course all my furniture clothes and etc. is either collecting mold and spiders in the garage there or it's been sold off I imagine.
On the one hand I miss it, but on the other hand living more minimalist has been nice even if I wish I still had some of my irreplaceables. I will say PDFs aren't nearly as convenient for me in terms of using at the table even with a tablet or laptop, but search features are nice.
Quote from: Antiquation!;1105181Indeed! I have virtually every PDF available for GURPS at this point. I have a healthy physical collection too due to buying them on release and some stuff from the 3e days, but buying out-of-print books for 4e is prohibitively expensive. It's nice that they've started offering POD though.
Yeah, the VAST majority of my collection is PDF-only (~80 gb worth). I used to have a lot more physical stuff, but had to jettison my collection due to my ex literally dumping me on the curb and having to drive back to sanctuary from TX to WA with less than 24 hrs. notice and carrying nothing but what my shoebox car could carry. Most of my novels, almost all my RPG stuff, and of course all my furniture clothes and etc. is either collecting mold and spiders in the garage there or it's been sold off I imagine.
On the one hand I miss it, but on the other hand living more minimalist has been nice even if I wish I still had some of my irreplaceables. I will say PDFs aren't nearly as convenient for me in terms of using at the table even with a tablet or laptop, but search features are nice.
Yes, indexed PDFs are a good thing, but nothing beats the feel and smell of a new book.
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1105182Yes, indexed PDFs are a good thing, but nothing beats the feel and smell of a new book.
100% agreed! And that tactile page-flipping sensation, plus knowing a book so well you know exactly how far to flip for a given topic... they're just more pleasant in general. In any case, I digress. ;)
Quote from: Antiquation!;1105184100% agreed! And that tactile page-flipping sensation, plus knowing a book so well you know exactly how far to flip for a given topic... they're just more pleasant in general. In any case, I digress. ;)
I'll digress with you...
I am (re)building my physical library, fiction, non-fiction, and gaming alike, for these very reasons.
Quote from: RandyB;1105158Armageddon 2419 is pulp, period. And I'd draw your line at the end of season 1 of Gil Gerard.
OK, I'll agree both points. Flight of the War Witch is pulp. Season two of GG where they go all Star Trek mostly loses the pulpy tone, with a few exceptions like Hawk, and the midgets
offthinking Erin Gray's uniform. :D
How about this? The time period is the future that never was. So it's 21st century as imagined by the people in the 50's.