Best pulp RPG game

[Glyfair]

I'm a big fan of Justice Inc and Daredevils, the former of which is a little hard to find (out of print) and the latter of which can still be ordered from Fantasy Games Unlimited via their website (or via RPGNow in PDF).

I have Daredevils. As a system, it didn't attract me. However, I have adapted a couple of the adventures to Justice, Inc.

 

[Glyfair]

Savage Worlds

...what do you mean not enough support....

Triple Ace - Daring Tales

16 very good modules for it right there.

Maybe it's just the parent company does a poor job of organizing the many products using the system so you can see what there is. Most of the "settings" I saw were pretty niche.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Also a strong vote for Savage Worlds. I love it!

 

[JeffB]

I'm a big fan of Justice Inc and Daredevils.

Myself as well- especially JINC Back in the day, but these days I'm not much of a fan of the HERO system. I don;t remember much about the Daredevils mechanis, but thought the adventure material was quite good (at least at the time)

One game that I always reccomend (as long as you like "rules-light") is Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eyes- this was my "modern" ruleset of choice for quite some time- whether it was Pulp, Cold War Spies, or Paramilitary action. Deadly though. Stackpole did a great job on this game, and the few supplements/adventures were REALLY good (Stormhaven for example). IIRC , Dave Arneson eventually wrote some modules/supplements for MSPE (didn't ever own those unfortunately)

I've been interested in picking up SOTC too.

 

[jdrakeh]

Stackpole did a great job on this game, and the few supplements/adventures were REALLY good (Stormhaven for example).

Stormhaven is one of the best RPG supplements ever written. I no longer own MSPE, but I will probably never part with Stormhaven — it's got that Johnny Quest meets Venture Brothers vibe, with just a bit of CoC and Chill thrown in for good measure.

 

[Glyfair]

Stormhaven is one of the best RPG supplements ever written.

Interesting, because I consider Lands of Mystery, by Aaron Allston for Justice, Inc. to be one of the best RGP supplements ever. It not only has great ideas for running a Lost Worlds campaign, but it has tips for handling players with different level characaters (from the strong jawed hero, to the supporting cast doctor, natives, etc.)

 

[Set]

Another vote for Adventure! Great fun, and you can make three different 'tiers' of pulp hero, from two-fisted adventures to psychic dudes (like the Shadow) to people with an actual super-ability (like the Man of Bronze).

 

[jdrakeh]

Interesting, because I consider Lands of Mystery, by Aaron Allston for Justice, Inc. to be one of the best RGP supplements ever. It not only has great ideas for running a Lost Worlds campaign, but it has tips for handling players with different level characaters (from the strong jawed hero, to the supporting cast doctor, natives, etc.)

Lands of Mystery is great, but Stormhaven is more of a proper setting.

Stormhaven is a mysterious island estate owned by a philanthropic industrialist (an amalgam of Bruce Wayne and Doctor Quest) who has highly trained scientists, soldiers, and adventurers at his disposal. PCs can either begin play in such a capacity or get an invite to the island.

There are options presented for introducing supernatural weirdness in the form of a secret worshiper of Lovecraftian elder gods and guests of the estate who may be legendary figures from folklore (specifically, there's a Romanian Count who may or may not be the inspiration for a famous novel).

Additionally, there are several proposed intrusion scenarios ranging from a secret listening post hidden in the wilds of the island to an "enemy within" setup where members of the industrialist's highly trained security team go rogue, forcing the PCs to retake the island.

Finally, there are plenty of nifty toys — a secret lab, experimental aircraft, and even robot sentries.

It's really a stupendous setting.