Thrilling Tales Pulp meets Expedition to Castle Ravenloft Horror

jaerdaph · Oct 11, 2006

So on the subway ride home from work today, I had a thought: What about running Expedition to Castle Ravenloft as a 1930s pulp adventure using the Thrilling Tales d20 Modern rules? You know, sort of like a classic Universal horror movie.

The Village of Barovia would remain mostly the same - relatively unchanged from medieval times in the "modern" 20th century. The only link to the outside world would most likely be the one railway station platform like you see in any Frankenstein movie (or is that Young Frankenstein?

).

Anyhow, it's a seed of an idea and I thought I'd ask what everyone though or if they had any suggestions. For example, what sort of pulp classes or archetypes would work best in this sort of adventure? And what would their motivation be to get them all on a train to Barovia (or perhaps they are just stranded there)?

If this works, I might try it again with some of my other Ravenloft stuff that's been tucked away for awhile.

jezter6 · Oct 11, 2006

Big Game Hunter - Out to kill the big bad wolf
Fortune Hunter - The generic adventurer works will in any genre/setting
Femme Fatale - Already 1 in the book, why not another?
Mad Scientist - Of course you need one!

Personally, I plan on going through this in the Rippers timeframe (1880's). While not over the top pulp action, I think it will be ok. It will have some pulp influences for sure.

The only concern I have with the pulp style is that it doesn't mesh well with the truly dark and horrific nature of Strahd and Ravenloft. Certainly things like Air Ace are just straight unplayable with this kind of thing.

Advance a little further into Noir, and I could see some of the noir influenced archtypes a lot better in the setting than wahoo pulp.

jaerdaph · Oct 11, 2006

Well there really isn't one pulp style but a bunch of styles (including horror), but yeah, I think the PC classes will have to tend towards those found in noir - no rocket rangers need apply!

Perhaps the ace reporter, the gumshoe and the big game hunter AdCs would work. A mobster and gun moll might be interesting too (and the g-man following them), even the boxer. Folks from different backgrounds meeting up on the train or staying in the local inn together, and teaming up for mutual protection - an unlikely alliance under normal circumstances. I may also pick up the d20 Modern conversion for Forbidden Kingdoms which had some classes like Idle Rich, Scoundrel and Academic. Even a fortune hunter might be looking for something in Castle Ravenloft.

jezter6 · Oct 11, 2006

My bad. When I think of RPG pulp, and that of the TT line, a lot of it is the over the top wahoo pulp. I expect to see rocket men and ray guns, but not in ravenloft.

I'm working on my Victorian/modern take on it now. I'm trying to sway away from the 'Urban Arcana' Ravenloft, and make everyone human. The zombie infestation is something I'll skip right out in a victorian game, but most of the rest is good. I just have to see how well non-magical PCs will stack up against a FX enemy like strahd. There are a ton of magic items in this book, which makes me think the PCs are meant to find many of them, and without them, they can't stand up to Strahd.

I'll likely make some of the items magical 'Artifacts' but they would have be returned to some other organization at the end of the adventure.

I also have some major twists in mind in case players read either the Strahd statblock and/or the book. Also a few add-in side quests to make up for the lack of zombies in chapter 1.

I should write my ideas up in a new post....

Walt C · Oct 11, 2006

The Imperial Age

Adamant Entertainment is about to release a d20 Modern Victorian line called "the Imperial Age." I've written the Scientific Detective and Monster advanced classes which should be debuting soon. The Imperial Age will be compatible with Thrilling Tales.

Karl Green · Oct 11, 2006

Walt C said:
Adamant Entertainment is about to release a d20 Modern Victorian line called "the Imperial Age." I've written the Scientific Detective and Monster advanced classes which should be debuting soon. The Imperial Age will be compatible with Thrilling Tales.

When is that coming out? Sounds kewl

jaerdaph · Oct 12, 2006

jezter6 said:
My bad. When I think of RPG pulp, and that of the TT line, a lot of it is the over the top wahoo pulp. I expect to see rocket men and ray guns, but not in ravenloft.

Understandable - the TT AdCs cover a broad spectrum, but the other products tend towards the two fisted over the top action. And Nazis.

jezter6 said:
I'm working on my Victorian/modern take on it now. I'm trying to sway away from the 'Urban Arcana' Ravenloft, and make everyone human. The zombie infestation is something I'll skip right out in a victorian game, but most of the rest is good. I just have to see how well non-magical PCs will stack up against a FX enemy like strahd. There are a ton of magic items in this book, which makes me think the PCs are meant to find many of them, and without them, they can't stand up to Strahd.

I'll likely make some of the items magical 'Artifacts' but they would have be returned to some other organization at the end of the adventure.

I also have some major twists in mind in case players read either the Strahd statblock and/or the book. Also a few add-in side quests to make up for the lack of zombies in chapter 1.

I should write my ideas up in a new post....

Cool - I'm a big fan of Victorian horror RPGing, so I've been following your other thread.

I'm thinking I would probably keep the zombie infestation in a pulp game.

Anyhow, thanks for the input.

jaerdaph · Oct 12, 2006

Walt C said:
Adamant Entertainment is about to release a d20 Modern Victorian line called "the Imperial Age." I've written the Scientific Detective and Monster advanced classes which should be debuting soon. The Imperial Age will be compatible with Thrilling Tales.

Hi Walt:

I'm really looking forward to this new product line from Adamant since Gareth first mentioned it! Could you tell us a little more about the Monster AdC? Is this like Frankenstein's monster, or something else?

And welcome to EN World.

jaerdaph · Oct 12, 2006

Hmmm. Nazis in Barovia...

Walt C · Oct 12, 2006

Imperial Age

Jaerdaph,

Thanks for the welcome!

I typed too fast and forgot to preview. It's actually a Monster Hunter advanced class, ala Van Helsing.

Walt