Pulp RPGs General Thread [+]

[overgeeked]

The [+] is to keep things positive and prevent the same old, tired arguments about the style of play, genre, and time period. There are plenty of other threads to hate on games and play styles you don’t like.

One of my all-time favorite genres is pulp adventure. Instead of doing a thread about a specific game, I thought we could use a thread about the genre. So here goes.

This thread takes a broad approach to pulp. If it might be pulp, it's close enough.

I cannot recommend Pulp Hero enough. Even if you never use the mechanics, it's the single best gaming source for introducing the genre and its tropes to people.

Anyone have any tips, tricks, recommendations, etc for pulp gaming?

ETA: Don't know what pulp is? Indiana Jones is pulp.

 

[Reynard]

I really like Savage Worlds for pulp adventure -- both modern and "historical" -- and I think SWADE is especially well suited with its robust list of setting rules that can tweak the formula from Tomb Raider to Star Wars.

I like my pulp with two fisted science and proto-supers, so a pulp game needs tools for the supernatural, minor super powers, and super science, to me.

 

[overgeeked]

Here's a partial list of pulp RPGs, supplements, and resources.

3 2 1 Action.
Acthtung! Cthulhu.
Adventure!
Amazing Adventures.
Atomic Robo RPG.
Broken Compass.
Daredevils.
Daring Tales of Adventure.
Daring Tales of the Space Lanes.
Dicey Tales.
Dime Heroes.
Everyday Heroes.
Fate Accelerated.
Fate Condensed.
Fate Core.
Forbidden Kingdoms.
Gear Krieg.
GURPS.
Hollow Earth Expedition.
Indiana Jones.
John Carter of Mars.
Justice Inc.
Lucha Libre Hero.
Mercenaires, Spies, and Private Eyes.
Modern Dispatch 42, 46, 86, 98, and 110.
Outgunned Adventure.
Pulp Cthulhu.
Pulp Hero.
Pulp Heroes d20 (from Polyhedron 149, Jan 2002).
Rocket Ship Empires 1936.
Rolemaster Pulp Adventures.
Savage Worlds.
Space 1889.
Spirit of the Century.
Strange Tales of the Century.
Thrilling Adventures.
Thrilling Tales.
Tomorrow City.
Torg.
Troubleshooters.
Two-Fisted Tales.
World War Cthulhu.
Young Centurions.

Two special mentions.

Pulp Hero. The single best general introduction to pulp adventure gaming I've ever found.

Jess Nevin's website. Link. Jess is a librarian with a deep love for pulps, the fantastic, and Victoriana.

 

[Reynard]

Here's a partial list of pulp RPGs, supplements, and resources.

3 2 1 Action.
Acthtung! Cthulhu.
Adventure!
Amazing Adventures.
Atomic Robo RPG.
Broken Compass.
Daredevils.
Dime Heroes.
Everyday Heroes.
Fate Accelerated.
Fate Condensed.
Fate Core.
Forbidden Kingdoms.
Gear Krieg.
GURPS.
Hollow Earth Expedition.
Indiana Jones.
John Carter of Mars.
Justice Inc.
Lucha Libre Hero.
Mercenaires, Spies, and Private Eyes.
Modern Dispatch 42, 46, 86, 98, and 110.
Outgunned Adventure.
Pulp Hero.
Pulp Heroes d20 (from Polyhedron 149, Jan 2002).
Rocket Ship Empires 1936.
Rolemaster Pulp Adventures.
Savage Worlds.
Space 1889.
Spirit of the Century.
Thrilling Adventures.
Thrilling Tales.
Tomorrow City.
Two-Fisted Tales.
World War Cthulhu.

That is a pretty long list. How many are still "alive" -- either currently in print or with relatively robust fan communities?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Here's a partial list of pulp RPGs, supplements, and resources.

3 2 1 Action.
Acthtung! Cthulhu.
Adventure!
Amazing Adventures.
Atomic Robo RPG.
Broken Compass.
Daredevils.
Dime Heroes.
Everyday Heroes.
Fate Accelerated.
Fate Condensed.
Fate Core.
Forbidden Kingdoms.
Gear Krieg.
GURPS.
Hollow Earth Expedition.
Indiana Jones.
John Carter of Mars.
Justice Inc.
Lucha Libre Hero.
Mercenaires, Spies, and Private Eyes.
Modern Dispatch 42, 46, 86, 98, and 110.
Outgunned Adventure.
Pulp Hero.
Pulp Heroes d20 (from Polyhedron 149, Jan 2002).
Rocket Ship Empires 1936.
Rolemaster Pulp Adventures.
Savage Worlds.
Space 1889.
Spirit of the Century.
Thrilling Adventures.
Thrilling Tales.
Tomorrow City.
Two-Fisted Tales.
World War Cthulhu.

Interesting. The only ones of these I've played are GURPS and Savage Worlds, and neither was a pulp game.

I guess I've never played pulp!

 

[kronovan]

That's a good list. I'd add to it Pulp Cthulhu and 2 of Triple Ace's Daring Tales of... series for Savage Worlds; Daring Tales of Adventure and Daring Tales of the Space Lanes. They also publish a Daring Tales of the Sprawl, but it's more cyberpunk than pulp.

I really like Savage Worlds for pulp adventure -- both modern and "historical" -- and I think SWADE is especially well suited with its robust list of setting rules that can tweak the formula from Tomb Raider to Star Wars.

I like my pulp with two fisted science and proto-supers, so a pulp game needs tools for the supernatural, minor super powers, and super science, to me.

I'm a big fan of using SWADE for pulp adventures too. My favorite pulp supplement is Thrilling Tales for Savage Worlds. It was written for the SWEX edition of the rules, but with minimal tweaking it still works fine with SWADE. I owned the original for D20 Modern, but it didn't work nearly as well as it does for SW.

My latest pulp homebrew is based upon a pseudo Los Angeles of 1933 and uses SWADE. I've filed off most of the serial numbers though, so unless a player sees my map they wouldn't guess it's L.A. I use some of the Horror Companion for it, the SciFi Companion to build weird vehicles and gear and even a few creatures from the Fantasy Companion's bestiary. Radio is the emergent tech and I've leaned heavily into Weird Science to make it truly weird tech. I've even used Weird Wars I & II a bit to beef up the classic 30s pulp villains like NAZIs and Commies.

I'm very happy with the results I've gotten.

 

[Gorgon Zee]

One suggestion is to emphasize at character creation that any attributes, descriptions, flaws or whatever are at pulp scale. Dale Arden doesn't just love Flash Gordon, she adores him so much that she will betray him to Ming and doom the Earth rather than let another girl kiss him. If your character likes the color red, then everything they wear will be red. If they are shy they will dead faint rather than talk to a flirtatious attractive person. If it's FATE, Outgunned, Savage Worlds or anything that allows flaws or foci, make sure your players are onboard with their choices having a dial that is stuck on 10.

 

[Gorgon Zee]

Encourage your players (and you, for your NPCs) to think of the character as being played as a famous pulp character, or by a larger-than-life actor. Whenever you take an action, if you think to yourself, "how would Brian Blessed play this scene?" or "What would Indiana Jones do here" you will soon be playing a pulp game whether you intended to or not ...

 

[Aldarc]

Here's a partial list of pulp RPGs, supplements, and resources.

3 2 1 Action.
Acthtung! Cthulhu.
Adventure!
Amazing Adventures.
Atomic Robo RPG.
Broken Compass.
Daredevils.
Dime Heroes.
Everyday Heroes.
Fate Accelerated.
Fate Condensed.
Fate Core.
Forbidden Kingdoms.
Gear Krieg.
GURPS.
Hollow Earth Expedition.
Indiana Jones.
John Carter of Mars.
Justice Inc.
Lucha Libre Hero.
Mercenaires, Spies, and Private Eyes.
Modern Dispatch 42, 46, 86, 98, and 110.
Outgunned Adventure.
Pulp Hero.
Pulp Heroes d20 (from Polyhedron 149, Jan 2002).
Rocket Ship Empires 1936.
Rolemaster Pulp Adventures.
Savage Worlds.
Space 1889.
Spirit of the Century.
Thrilling Adventures.
Thrilling Tales.
Tomorrow City.
Two-Fisted Tales.
World War Cthulhu.

Young Centurions: it's the young adult Fate Accelerated version of Spirit of the Century.

Pulp Cthulhu

 

[Ulfgeir]

The Troubleshooters might not be intended to be pulp, but I think it would work quite well for it.