What traditional pulp adventure RPGs are out there?

[jdrakeh]

I'm bulking up on my pulp right now and I'm trying to compile a list of self-contained, traditional, pulp adventure RPGs. The three criteria I currently have are:

A. Must be 'traditional' RPGs .
B. Must be self-contained in one book or core box set.
C. Must not be about superhumans with cool powers by default.

Exception A discounts stuff such Spirit of the Century (sharing the traditional duties of the GM is. . . er. . . not traditional), B discounts stuff such as as Thrilling Tales (requires a d20 core rule book to stand as a complete game), while B discounts stuff like Adventure! (the default heroes gain powers as a result of exposure to weird radiation -- normal folks with mad skills are presented as an option). So far, I have:

Daredevils (Fantasy Games Unlimited)
Justice, Inc (Hero Games)
Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes

I am certain that I'm missing a few. Feel free to point the way. On a related note, feel free to list any particularly good pulp supplements (but be certain to identify them as such).

 

[Captain Tagon]

Just a suppliment, but Pulp HERO is amazing.

 

[jdrakeh]

Just a suppliment, but Pulp HERO is amazing.

I keep wondering how compatible it is with Justice, Inc (it uses an older reiterration of the Hero System).

 

[Captain Tagon]

Not too sure. The only version of HERO I've ever looked at was 5th.

 

[Flynn]

I would be remiss if I didn't list the following game engines that can easily support pulp (bearing in mind that pulp covers a wide range of genres, all with a similar style), and do so right out of the box:

* Grim Tales, by Bad Axe Games
* Savage Worlds, by Pinnacle Entertainment/Great White Games
* Adventure, by White Wolf

After considering those off the top of my head, I did a little Google Fu and came up with the following page that might prove helpful:
http://project1557.wetpaint.com/page/Pulp+RPG's?t=anon

And for general advice on Pulp gaming, you should always read Pulp Avengers:
http://www.fantasylibrary.com/lounge/pulpavengers.htm

Besides being good advice, there's a ton of Pulp RPGs listed there for your consideration, as well.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

 

[jdrakeh]

* Grim Tales, by Bad Axe Games
* Savage Worlds, by Pinnacle Entertainment/Great White Games

I own both of those but I wouldn't say that there is anything specific to the Genre in Savage World (despite the creators' claims). I mean, it's a great, action-oriented, system but, out of the box, it has nothing to do with any specific Pulp adventure setting or millieu. Grim Tales is a bit better off as it has some example setting included in it but, at the end of the day, it's more about 'dark' and 'gritty' than it is abotu Pulp adventure, IMHO.

* Adventure, by White Wolf

You did that just to drive me nuts, right? I'd say that it's neither traditional nor, by default, a true Pulp RPG. Pulp heroes weren't superpowered people who gained their powers as a result of mutation -- and that's the default in Adventure. There are the 'daredevils' rules, of course, but the fact that these are presented as secondary to the aforementioned folks tells you a lot about what Adventure! is at its heart. It's supers with a Pulp wrapper.

 

[kenobi65]

In the old West End Games TORG RPG, Earth is "invaded" by a number of alternate realities. One of those alternate realities is the Nile Empire, which is meant to represent a pulp-style reality, though there's a certain level of superhero-style stuff present, too. I know that there was a sourcebook for the Nile Empire.

 

[jdrakeh]

In the old West End Games TORG RPG, Earth is "invaded" by a number of alternate realities. One of those alternate realities is the Nile Empire, which is meant to represent a pulp-style reality, though there's a certain level of superhero-style stuff present, too. I know that there was a sourcebook for the Nile Empire.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. There's actually not so much 'superpower' as their is 'supernatural' and 'superscience' in the Nile Empire book. I think it qualifies as Pulp.

 

[kenobi65]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. There's actually not so much 'superpower' as their is 'supernatural' and 'superscience' in the Nile Empire book. I think it qualifies as Pulp.

Fair enough. It's been many years since I've even looked at TORG; all I could remember is that my PC was from there, and he could fly really fast.

 

[Walt C]

A self-contained version of Thrilling Tales is coming out in a few months.

The old TSR Indiana Jones game might also count, depending on how you define "traditional" (it was assumed that one player would play Indy).

There was another version of Indiana Jones as well, but I never owned it.

Depending on how you define "pulp" (pulp was a medium, not a style) the TSR Buck Rogers game and Adamant's MARS might fit the bill (I believe someone else did a Barsoom-style Mars game too). Ditto with Call of Cthulhu.

There's also Hollow Earth Expedition.

On the supplement side, one of my old faves was the original "Lands of Mystery" for Justice, Inc. It covered the lost world romance extremely well.

Walt C