What would you like to see in a WW2 era pulp rpg

[Dan R.Stevenson]

What would you like to see in a pulp WW2 era rpg? Sci-fi influences? Nazi ocultism? Alternative hisory? or something completly different?

 

[Wik]

I'd really rather not see a ww2 pulp setting. There's something about that particular period in history that makes me wanna say it should be treated with only the utmost of respect. Don't ask me why - I have no problem with people wanting to play with power-crazy nazi sorcerers or anything. I just wouldn't want to do it myself.

 

[Nadaka]

Hmm. Yes. WW2 is already rife with the occult and "superscience". Why not ramp it up. What if the Thule society did wield magic? What if russian military psychic research was fruitful? What if the cult of the emporer drew power from thier complete devotion? What if the germans finished the bomb first, or completed the intercontinental space bomber? What if japanese balloon borne bio-weapons hit california and caused widespread mutations? etc.


As for alternate history? How about Hitlet never gets siphilis, remains lucid, reaches moscow before winter, secures power in the east before attacking france, and doesn't over-ride his generals good decisions.


But I also wouldn't mind a mundane "horror of war" type setting either. You don't need demons to blame for evil when mankind can do worse. You don't need magic missiles and fireball when you have bangalores, Sturmgewehr, and m1 carbines. Who needs dragons when you can face a flight of Zero's are stare down the barrel of a Panzer. Maybe the kind of game where you can play Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, The Dirty Dozen etc.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

I like my Pulp WWII totally weird, so Pinnacle's Weird Wars (d20 version, sadly out of print) is just fine for me. There's also HinterWelt Enterprises Shades of Earth (Iridium system) which I got at the last EN World Chicago gameday, but I have not read it yet.

 

[Rel]

I'm not the sort of guy who buys suppliments willy nilly. Generally speaking I have a rule that if I'm not going to use something for the next campaign I run, I don't buy it.

That said, I'd totally break that rule in this case and buy that sucker! You gotta have rules for Nazi Zombies is all I ask.

Aside from that I'd say that you should include several "campaign variants" for GM's to choose from. Off hand I'd be interested in a "straight up historical" option allowing the PC's to play out parts of the war in a quasi-realistic manner. Then perhaps a "alternate history" where the Germans were on the verge of winning the whole war with the PC's in the role of adventurers trying to avert disaster. And of course the whole "Occult Nazi" angle as in Indiana Jones and (a little) Hellboy.

 

[Pielorinho]

I'd like to see a lot of stuff to play in the leadup to WWII--i.e., the late thirties. I've set a couple of one-shots in this period, drawing on HP Lovecraft, Indiana Jones, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Raymond Chandler, and I love it.

Daniel

 

[scourger]

I like my Pulp WWII totally weird, so Pinnacle's Weird Wars (d20 version, sadly out of print) is just fine for me.

Luckily, A Savge Worlds version is in production. I'll be inclined to buy it, but I'll likely reduce the supernatural elements. As with their Tour of Darkness setting for the Viet Nam War, I find that a little supernatural goes a long way. So, I didn't use the whole scripted adventure; but I made good use of the material and especially the random mission tables.

I also really liked the d20 mini-game V for Victory from the Polyhedron side of Dungeon 97. The Hollywood option for hit points was pretty cool, but it seems overall cumbersome to do that kind of game in d20.

The answer to the original question is that I would like to see a campaign story adventure presented as generically as possible. Pictures of equipment are nice, too.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

What, no one wants to see the allies invade Germany while they were busy in Poland, instead of sitting on the deserted border for months and then going home?